Overview
Edmonds is a city on the Puget Sound of Washington State, between Seattle and Everett. A walkable main street and seaside parks frame the busy ferry terminal. The city is charming enough for European travel personality Rick Steves, who makes his home here.
2 sights · 4 things to do · 3 places to eat · 2 bars & cafés · 4 places to stay
Updated from Wikivoyage on 1 October 2026 · Something wrong or missing? Improve it on Wikivoyage
Best things about Edmonds
Edmonds Historical Museum
Cascadia Art Museum
The museum opened in 2015, primarily featuring art from the Pacific Northwest region. It has a collection of over 200 works.
Edmonds Underwater Park
The park is relatively shallow with a maximum depth of about 45 feet. There is a network of anchored ropes that lead to a variety of submerged features. Shipwrecks include the large tugboat Triumph and the Lopez Pontoon …
WhirlyBall
WhirlyBall is a 5-on-5 team sport played on electric "WhirlyBugs", best described as "lacrosse mixed with basketball mixed with bumper cars."
Underwater Sports
Rent or buy dive gear, or even get a guided tour
A Taste of Edmonds
Plan your trip
Best time to visit & weather
Most comfortable: May–Sep. Summer highs reach about 78°F; winter lows dip to about 37°F. Wettest: Nov and Jan. (climate data from nearby Seattle)
Blue bars: average daily high and low (°F). Purple columns: average monthly rain and melted snow (inches).
Getting there
- From you: to see whether to drive or fly, and how long it takes.
- PAE Seattle Paine Field International Airport, Everett — 8 mi away. Directions
- BFI King County International Airport - Boeing Field, Seattle — 20 mi away. Directions
- SEA Seattle–Tacoma International Airport, Seattle — 25 mi away (major hub). Directions
State Route 99 (SR-99), the Pacific Highway, runs just inside the eastern edge of the city.
Full “Get in” guide ↓Budget & where to stay
- Typical meal: about $18 per person at listed restaurants.
See the Sleep guide ↓ for places to stay.
Sample 2-day itinerary
Day 1
- Morning WhirlyBall, Underwater Sports
- Lunch Fire and the Feast
- Afternoon Edmonds Historical Museum
- Dinner Demitris Woodstone Taverna
- Evening Salish Sea Brewing Company
Day 2
- Morning Cascadia Art Museum, Edmonds Underwater Park
- Lunch Epulo Bistro
- Afternoon A Taste of Edmonds
- Evening Rory's of Edmonds Bar & Grill
Stops are grouped by area so each day needs little backtracking. Check opening hours before you go.
Food for you
Cuisine (tap to filter)
What to ask about, for your diet
Diet labels come from each listing's description and cuisine; “likely” means the cuisine usually has good choices, not a promise. Check with the restaurant. Open the food finder
Photos
Map
Every listing with a location. Tap a pin for its Google Maps link.
Understand
Get in
By car
State Route 99 (SR-99), the Pacific Highway, runs just inside the eastern edge of the city.
Interstate 5 runs just a mile east of the city. Northbound, take Exit 177 WA-104. Southbound, take Exit 179 220th St. This is usually the best way to the city from Seattle.
By ferry
Washington State Ferries (WSF) operates the Edmonds / Kingston route, greatly shortening the distance needed to drive to the Kitsap Peninsula (and the Olympic Peninsula) from the Seattle metro area.
Fares are one-way for vehicles, and round-trip for passengers. Fares are calculated based on sailing time and season, type and length of vehicle and the amount and ages of passengers. For example, fares during a summer weekend in 2026 are:
- $27.00 for a standard 14-22 ft car and its driver
- $11.35 for additional adult passengers and walk-ons from Edmonds (free from Kingston)
- $1.00 for each ride-on bicycle from Edmonds, in addition to the passenger fare (free from Kingston)
Ferry lines for vehicles can get long on summer weekends, so arrive early or prepare to wait a few hours.
By train
- Routes stopping in Edmonds:
- Amtrak Cascades operates between Vancouver, BC and Eugene via Bellingham, Mount Vernon, Everett, Edmonds, Seattle, Tukwila, Tacoma, Lacey (Olympia), Centralia, Kelso (Longview), Vancouver, WA, Portland, Oregon City, Salem, and Albany. There are two round trips daily along the portion between Vancouver and Seattle, four round trips daily along the portion between Seattle and Portland, and two round trips daily along the portion between Portland and Eugene. No train departures travel the whole length of the route. Additional service between Vancouver and Seattle, and between Portland to Eugene are provided on the Amtrak Thruway Motorcoach.
- Empire Builder operating daily between Seattle/Portland and Chicago including stops at Spokane, Glacier National Park, Fargo, Saint Paul, and Milwaukee. The trains split into separate branches between Seattle and Spokane, and between Portland and Spokane, while operating as trains consisting of train cars from both branches between Spokane and Chicago. Between Seattle and Spokane, trains stop in Edmonds, Everett, Leavenworth, Wenatchee, and Ephrata
Place Sounder train
A commuter route operating between Seattle King Street Station and Everett Station via Edmonds and Mukilteo.
By bus
Place Travel Washington Dungeness Line (Operated by Greyhound Connect)
Connects Seattle and SeaTac Airport to Port Townsend, Sequim and Port Angeles. The bus goes across the Puget Sound on the Edmonds-Kingston ferry. They also pick-up and drop off at the major Seattle hospitals, west of downtown, with an advance 24 hour reservation (Arnold Medical Pavilion, Harborview, Poly-Clinic Madison, VA, Swedish First Hill and Virginia Mason Buck Pavillion).
Get around
Go Community Transit
Operates local and regional public transit bus routes in Snohomish County, except only local routes in Everett. Communities within the county served by this operator's routes include Arlington, Edmonds, Everett, Lynnwood, Marysville, Mill Creek, Monroe, Mountlake Terrace, Mukilteo, Snohomish, and Stanwood with the following at the ferry terminal:
* Bus route 102 goes across to Lynnwood Transit Center via Main St, 212th St SW, and 52nd Ave W. This route operates daily throughout the day. * Bus route 130 connects with Lynnwood Transit Center via Aurora Village and Mountlake Terrace Station. This route operates daily throughout the day. * Bus route 166 to Silver Firs via Lynnwood Transit Center, Ash Way P&R and Mill Creek. *Bus route 909 replaces the 416 express bus route from Edmonds Ferry terminal to 238th ST SW & Hwy 99. From 238th St SW it goes north on Hwy 99 and then east on Lakeview Dr toward Mountlake Terrace Station where passengers transfer to Link Light Rail Line 1 towards Seattle and Seattle Tacoma International Airport.
The transportation hubs (bus station) in Edmonds are Edmonds station (see "By train" above) on Railroad Ave & Main by the ferry terminal, and Edmonds College on 68th Ave W & 202nd St on the east side of the Edmonds College campus.
See
Do
Scuba diving
Although the colder waters of Puget Sound are not for everyone, the Edmonds Underwater Park is one of the most popular shore dives in the state for scuba divers.
Do Edmonds Underwater Park
The park is relatively shallow with a maximum depth of about 45 feet. There is a network of anchored ropes that lead to a variety of submerged features. Shipwrecks include the large tugboat Triumph and the Lopez Pontoon . The site is known for large ling cod, cabezon, octopus, surf perch and rockfish, and a lot of invertebrates. Grey whales have also been seen by divers.
Events
Do A Taste of Edmonds
Buy
Downtown Edmonds is one of the only business districts in the Seattle area that faces the Puget Sound. The city leans into its quaint seaside charm, which makes it a popular place to stroll.
Eat
Eat Epulo Bistro
M-Th 4PM-8:30PM; F-Sa 3PM-9:30PM.
Eat Demitris Woodstone Taverna
A nice spot with an outdoor balcony affording a lovely view of Puget Sound. It has a nice offering of Mediterranean and Northwest seafood, with friendly bartenders and wait staff.
Drink
Drink Rory's of Edmonds Bar & Grill (Rory's)
Drink Salish Sea Brewing Company
Sleep
Go next
- Everett, where commercial jets get made
- Kingston, the north gateway to the Kitsap Peninsula
Nearby
Mountlake Terrace
City / town · 8 listings · 3 mi away
Lynnwood
City / town · 10 listings · 3 mi away
Shoreline
City / town · 9 listings · 4 mi away
Kingston
City / town · 18 listings · 6 mi away
Bothell
City / town · 17 listings · 8 mi away
Mukilteo
City / town · 16 listings · 8 mi away
Indianola
City / town · 4 listings · 9 mi away
Woodinville
City / town · 6 listings · 10 mi away
My experience
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