Colman Dock, Seattle: The Bainbridge Ferry
Part of the full Seattle Layover: Downtown and the Piers, SEA
Seattle’s Colman Dock, the ferry terminal at Pier 52, puts a 35-minute crossing to Bainbridge Island within a few minutes’ walk of downtown, and walk-on passengers pay only on the way out: the ride back across Elliott Bay costs nothing.
Colman Dock, the ferry terminal at Pier 52
There has been a dock at Pier 52 since the 1880s, and the current one came out the far end of a rebuild that ran most of a decade and finished in 2023: a new passenger terminal on the water, a rebuilt trestle, and an elevated walkway that carries you straight up to Marion Street and First Avenue without crossing Alaskan Way at grade. It is the busiest terminal in the state ferry system, and standing on the upper level watching one of the 2,500-passenger boats back into a slip costs nothing.
If a two-hour round trip is more than you have, the piers just north of here run a one-hour narrated loop of Elliott Bay instead, which covers the same water and the container terminal on the far side without committing you to an island.
The 35-minute crossing to Bainbridge Island
Washington State Ferries charges walk-on passengers at the Seattle end only: $11.35 for an adult covers the whole round trip, under-19s go free, and nothing is collected on the way back. The boat takes about 35 minutes, the passenger deck is enclosed and heated with outdoor decks fore and aft, and the view is the reason to do it: the downtown towers and the Space Needle drawing away astern, the Olympics filling the windows ahead, and on a clear day Mount Rainier off the port side the whole way out.
Walk-on passengers load up a long covered ramp and there is nowhere on board to leave a bag, so a suitcase stays in front of you for 35 minutes, twice.
Winslow Way at the head of Eagle Harbor
The island terminal sits at the mouth of Eagle Harbor, and the town of Winslow starts a few minutes up from the ferry terminal: one main street of bookshops and cafes above a marina packed tight with masts, backed by a lot of Douglas fir. It is small enough to have seen properly in an hour, which is exactly what the ferry timetable gives you between one sailing and the next.
Five minutes from the terminal, at 550 Winslow Way East, the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art charges nothing at all and opens 10am to 5pm, 363 days a year: galleries of work by Puget Sound artists, plus a cafe with a view over the road. For a stop that costs a ferry fare and nothing else, it is a lot of afternoon.
The nearest airport train leaves from Pioneer Square station
The ride out to SeaTac/Airport Station takes roughly 36 minutes at a flat $3 for an adult, and the walk uphill from Colman Dock to that platform is about eight minutes. Departures run every 8 to 10 minutes through the day, and the airport station is served from 5am to 1am Monday to Saturday and 6am to midnight on Sunday. The catch, as ever, is the far end: about 1,200 feet of covered walkway crosses the parking garage between platform and terminal, so plan on an hour rather than 36 minutes.
Work backwards from the sailing list rather than the train, though. If the crossing you want back lands you at Colman Dock inside two hours of your flight, do the downtown Seattle route instead and keep the ferry for a longer stop.
Frequently asked questions
What should I do during a layover near Colman Dock in Seattle?
Take the Bainbridge Island ferry and treat the crossing itself as the point: 35 minutes each way across Elliott Bay, with the downtown skyline behind you and the Olympics ahead. On the island side, Winslow Way starts a few minutes from the slip and the art museum on it charges nothing. Four hours is comfortable for the round trip with an hour on the island; on less than that, stay on board and come straight back, or take a shorter harbor loop from the piers instead.
How much does the Bainbridge ferry cost on foot?
$11.35 for an adult, and that is the whole round trip. Washington State Ferries collects walk-on passenger fares at the Seattle end only, so nothing is charged coming back from Bainbridge Island. Passengers aged 18 and under travel free, and there is a $1 surcharge for a bicycle.
Can I stay on the ferry and come straight back to Seattle?
Yes, and plenty of people do. You have to walk off at Bainbridge and back on, but there is no second fare and the turnaround is short, so a there-and-back with no time ashore runs a little over an hour and a quarter. That is the cheapest hour of views in the city, and it works in the rain, since the passenger deck is enclosed.
How do I get from Colman Dock to the airport?
Pioneer Square station is about eight minutes' walk uphill from the terminal, and the 1 Line runs from there out to SeaTac/Airport Station in roughly 36 minutes at a flat $3 adult fare. Trains serve the airport station from 5am to 1am Monday to Saturday and 6am to midnight on Sunday. Add the 1,200-foot covered walkway at the airport end and it is nearer an hour door to door.