Overview
Gig Harbor is a city on the Kitsap Peninsula in the Puget Sound of Washington State, just across the dramatic Tacoma Narrows Bridge from Tacoma, making it the southern gateway to the Kitsap Peninsula and the Olympic Peninsula. This tucked-away town sits on a scenic inlet framing a postcard-perfect view of Mount Rainier. Gig Harbor's strong Scandinavian and Croatian heritage has always influenced its nautical lifestyle and fishing-village character. Today specialty shops, creative boutiques, art galleries and waterfront restaurants add to its appeal and make it a wonderful get-away.
4 sights · 9 things to do · 3 places to eat · 1 bars & cafés · 4 places to stay
Updated from Wikivoyage on 1 October 2026 · Something wrong or missing? Improve it on Wikivoyage
Best things about Gig Harbor
Harbor History Museum
Experience the history of the Gig Harbor Peninsula including its maritime industries and even a well preserved school house.
Kopachuck State Park
A 109-acre marine park with 5,600 feet of saltwater shoreline on Henderson Bay. One portion of the park, Cutts Island (or "Deadman's Island") is a half mile from shore and reachable only by boat.
Gig Harbor Lighthouse
At only 15 ft tall, this is certainly one of the smaller lighthouses in the region but nonetheless plays an important role in marking the opening to Gig Harbor.
Tacoma Narrows Park
A great place to see the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. On a clear day, Mount Rainier will be in the background to the east, beyond the waterway.
Lee's SUP + Kayak Rental
Rent a kayak, canoe or pedal boat to explore the harbor and beyond.
Horsehead Bay Public Boat Ramp
Plan your trip
Best time to visit & weather
Most comfortable: May–Sep. Summer highs reach about 78°F; winter lows dip to about 35°F. Wettest: Nov and Jan. (climate data from nearby Kent)
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.
- TIW Tacoma Narrows Airport, Tacoma — 4 mi away. Directions
- SEA Seattle–Tacoma International Airport, Seattle — 15 mi away (major hub). Directions
A car is really quite requisite to see the Gig Harbor area as a whole. Gig Harbor is easy to get to by car from the rest of the Puget Sound area.
Full “Get in” guide ↓Budget & where to stay
No prices are listed for this place yet. See the Sleep guide ↓ for options.
Sample 3-day itinerary
Day 1
- Morning Harbor History Museum, Destiny Harbor Tours, Lee's SUP + Kayak Rental
- Lunch Brix 25°
- Afternoon Gig Harbor Lighthouse, Colvos Passage Marine Preserve Area
- Dinner Anthony's Restaurant
- Evening Heritage Distilling Company
Day 2
- Morning Kopachuck State Park, Horsehead Bay Public Boat Ramp
- Lunch The Tides Tavern
- Afternoon Cascadia Marine Trail
Day 3
- Morning Tacoma Narrows Park, Madrona Links Golf Course
- Afternoon Z's Reef Marine Preserve
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.
Get in
By car
A car is really quite requisite to see the Gig Harbor area as a whole. Gig Harbor is easy to get to by car from the rest of the Puget Sound area.
- from : From Interstate 5 (I-5) in Tacoma, take State Route 16 (SR-16) west across the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. The first four exits after the bridge are all Gig Harbor exits.
By boat
Go Jerisich Dock
This popular guest moorage is about a quarter of the way up the south shore of the harbor. The long guest float extends from the park’s flagpole. Moorage is free, with a maximum stay of 48 hours. On shore are a few picnic tables and restrooms with showers.
- The Shoreline Restaurant at the head of the bay and the Tides Tavern toward the entrance offer floats for patrons.
By bus
The major bus stations in Gig Harbor for Pierce Transit (Rt #100 & 101) and Sound Transit Rt #595 are Kimball Dr Park & Ride (near downtown at Kimball Dr, off of the Pioneer Way Exit from Hwy 16), and Purdy Park & Ride in Purdy. The Kitsap Transit Bus only serve the Purdy P&R while the Olympic Bus Lines pick up and drop off at The Inn at Gig Harbor:
Go Bremerton-Kitsap Airporter
Scheduled ground transportation to and from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to various locations on the Kitsap Peninsula. The most regular and direct and consistent bus between Sea-Tac, Tacoma, Gig Harbor and the Key Peninsula. They also make an additional stop at the Purdy P&R.
- 595 goes up to downtown Seattle via Tacoma Community College, Tacoma Dome during the morning rush hours and returning to Gig Harbor in the afternoons, no weekend service.
- 590,594 goes from downtown Seattle to downtown Tacoma via the Tacoma Dome Station at all hours during the week and weekends. Take the #1 or 2 bus from Downtown Tacoma to Tacoma Community College (TCC) and transfer to #100 bus to Gig Harbor. Transfer to Greyhound and Amtrak at the Tacoma Dome Station or in downtown Seattle.
Go Kitsap Transit
Kitsap Transit offers limited service to the Port Orchard Ferry Terminal from the Purdy P&R (north of Gig Harbor near the Kitsap/Pierce County line) on the "Purdy Connector". Transfer to other Kitsap Transit buses or the passenger only ferry to Bremerton from the Port Orchard Ferry Terminal.
Go Pierce Transit
Local routes on buses that run on natural gas and connect with other regional transit systems. Pierce Transit can also be tracked with a free smartphone app from One Bus Away that provides easy access to real-time transit information for the Puget Sound region and beyond. They offer service to Gig Harbor from Tacoma.
- Route 100 Goes from Tacoma Community College (S 19th & Mildred) to Gig Harbor, and provides local service through Gig Harbor (between Point Fossdick Dr & 45th to Purdy P&R).
Go Key Peninsula School Bus Connect
The local council in Key Peninsula have arrangements with the local school district to provide public transportation in and around Key Peninsula and Fox Islands with connections to Purdy P&R.
By plane
The nearest airport for commercial passenger flights is Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac) (SEA). The Bremerton-Kitsap Airporter operates a regularly scheduled shuttle connection to Gig Harbor from Sea-Tac (see listing under By bus in the above).
The Tacoma Narrows Airport (TIW) (for general aviation only) is 6 mi south of downtown Gig Harbor and 11 mi from downtown Tacoma.
Get around
This is a harbor town. Boaters can moor in the harbor and explore the many shops, cafes, and galleries downtown.
Those coming in on four wheels can struggle to find parking in downtown, but once they do, exploring the town by foot is well worth it.
By bike
By bus
- Bus route 100 - Local service between retail centers at 45th St Ct NW & Point Fossdick Dr NW, Kimball Dr P&R, downtown and Purdy P&R. There's no bus service to most places west of Hwy 16 and Key Peninsula (KPN & KPS). During the summers, there is a local trolley bus numbered #101 along the same route as the #100.
See
See Gig Harbor Lighthouse
At only 15 ft tall, this is certainly one of the smaller lighthouses in the region but nonetheless plays an important role in marking the opening to Gig Harbor.
See Tacoma Narrows Park
A great place to see the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. On a clear day, Mount Rainier will be in the background to the east, beyond the waterway.
Do
Boating
Do Horsehead Bay Public Boat Ramp
Boat tours
Sea kayaking
Sea kayaking can be a rewarding way to explore the Kitsap Peninsula's nearly 400 miles of coastline, allowing the paddler a closer and slower look at their surroundings. Thick forests of majestic pine and deciduous trees dot the coastline, interspersed with harbor towns like Gig Harbor that have shops and restaurants accessible from the water.
Do Cascadia Marine Trail
This inland sea trail is a National Recreation Trail and designated one of only 16 National Millennium Trails by the White House. Suitable for day or multi-day trips, the Cascadia Marine Trail has over 50 campsites to visit including several close to Gig Harbor such as The Narrows Park which is a safe haven at the midpoint of the Tacoma Narrows. At night it's great to watch the vehicle lights on the Narrows Bridges from the serenity of the park. The white dome of Mt. Rainier is visible over Tacoma, especially on moonlit evenings.
Scuba diving
Scuba diving the cold waters of Puget Sound takes a bit more gear and training than most warm water locations, but the rewards are incredible. Many dive sites are completely covered with colorful sea creatures that defy description. Giant Pacific Octopus are common, along with friendly wolf eels. Colorful sponges, sea cucumbers, sea stars, soft corals, anemones and fish can be seen on nearly every dive.
Do Colvos Passage Marine Preserve Area
This protected marine area is considered one of the best shore accessible diving areas in Puget Sound. Known for its many friendly wolf eels and its 25 ft high rugged rock wall that runs along the shoreline for about 200 ft. There are also sightings of giant Pacific octopus, ratfish, copper, brown, and quillback rockfish, lingcod, greenlings, many varieties of sculpins, green sea urchins, scallops, rock sole, starry flounder, countless sea stars, warbonnets, gunnels, and different varieties of nudibranchs.
Do Z's Reef Marine Preserve
A designated conservation area on the shores of Fox Island just south of Gig Harbor that is well-known to regional scuba divers. A variety of fishes typically associated with rocky habitats congregate at the site and in such quantities that are unusual for southern Puget Sound. The dominant fishes include copper rockfish, brown rockfish, and quillback rockfish. Other common fishes include lingcod, kelp greenling, painted greenling, wolfeel, and striped seaperch. Pregnant rockfishes are observed at the site during the spring indicating that at least some fishes use the site for reproduction. Other marine organisms include sea stars, encrusting organisms such as giant barnacles, red sea cucumbers, shrimp, and red rock crabs. Seastars are common including sunflower seastar and gumboot chitons are also frequently observed.
Shellfishing
The cool, clean waters of the Puget Sound provide some of the finest shellfish habitat in the world. Kitsap Peninisula's dozens of Public Clam and Oyster Beaches and miles of coastline are popular places for individuals to find elusive and sought-after shellfish. Maps of public shellfishing areas and health warnings and updates can be found online from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. As with all fishing in Puget Sound, permits are required and can be purchased online or in some sporting goods stores.
Do Kopachuck State Park
This beach is mostly sandy substrate and littleneck clam habitat is limited. There is a small patch of mixed sand and gravel near the west end of the beach that may have some native littleneck clams and Manila clams, but they are probably not abundant. There are some butter clams and horse clams available on the sandy areas of this beach and there are some oysters available on this beach.
Do Sunrise Beach Park
Open year-round for clam and oyster fishing. Colvos Passage Marine Preserve lies south of the County Park. Marine preserve restrictions do not apply within Sunrise Beach County Park.
Golfing
Buy
Gig Harbor has many locally owned and operated shops in its downtown area, ranging from dress shops to music stores and jewelry studios. There are quite a few art galleries and other stores that sell art of various types.
Shop No Dearth of Books
One of three bookstores in downtown Gig Harbor, No Dearth of Books specializes in unique local interest books: maritime fiction & travel accounts, boating know-how, military, naval & aviation history, and the Pacific Northwest. The store also stocks a wide range of other genres, from classics to recent bestsellers.
There are other major stores, banks, clinics and small locally owned stores around the SR-16/NW Olympic Dr junction:
Shop Olympic Towne Center
Olympic Towne Center hosts Fred Meyer, PetsMart, Ocean 5 & Table 47, AutoZone, Gadget Fix and other numerous other shops, banks & restaurants in the mall and in the immediate surrounding areas not part of the mall (Harbor Greens Supermarket, Les Schwab, Anytime Fitness, etc). Unlike a traditional mall where everything is under one big roof, in a single building, this mall consists of several smaller buildings spread further out from each other in a huge parking lot.
Shop Point Fosdick Square
Point Fosdick Square hosts Safeway, Kohl's, Galaxy Theatres, Marshalls, Multi-Care Medical Center and numerous other shops, banks & restaurants in the mall and in the immediate surrounding areas not part of the mall (Moctezuma Restaurant, Mud Bay Pet Supplies, among others) along Point Fosdick Dr between Olympic Dr & Harbor Country Dr. Unlike a traditional mall where everything is under one big roof, in a single building, this mall consists of several smaller buildings spread further out from each other in a huge parking lot.
Eat
Eat The Tides Tavern
This restaurant has been a local institution for many years. The smoke-free, 21 & over (it's a bar in the Washington State Liquor Control Board's eyes) environment is set on pilings over the harbor and is the perfect spot to enjoy a glass of wine or beer, a tasty meal from an extensive menu. Perfect for kicking back, while looking the Sound wildlife, boat traffic, and locals coming in and out of The Tides.
Eat Anthony's Restaurant
Part of a chain of seafood restaurants in the Puget Sound area, the Gig Harbor location is one of the jewels in the chain's crown. Fairly upscale seafood fare shares the menu with traditional beef, chicken, and salad items. The restaurant's location is fantastic. at the head of the harbor with a drop-dead gorgeous view of the marinas, the homes clinging to the sides of the hill, and Mount Rainier. A bar downstairs features happy hour 1/2 price appetizer options and the same spectacular view.
Eat Brix 25°
While this local favorite doesn't have a view of any sort or even a very nice structure to call home, the menu and presentation is fantastic. Meals are exquisitely prepared and feature daily specials. The fare is primarily continental with a Northwest twist. Expect halibut, salmon, some shellfish, along with a filet mignon, or a duck breast on the menu most nights. Their wine selection is impressive and has won several awards, including the 2008 Washington Wine Restaurant of the Year.
Drink
Drink Heritage Distilling Company
The Pacific Northwest's premier Destination Distillery. Free samples of custom made spirits - whiskey, gin and vodka. Plus, the first and only Craft Distillery in the US to offer patent-pending programs for customers to legally make their own distilled spirits and/or have them custom aged to individual specifications.
Sleep
There are several lodging choices in Gig Harbor from hotels, to bed-and-breakfasts, to motels, to vacation rentals.
Stay The Inn at Gig Harbor
One of the newest and most well known choices. The Inn features upscale lodging close to the city center with many amenities within the hotel. The construction is of a Northwest lodge style. One of the drawbacks to this lodging, though, is its location. It is a bit outside of the loop for exploring the area by foot and is set right against busy Highway 16.
Stay The Waterfront Inn
A small B&B right on the water. This is a perfect spot from which to explore this maritime village. The Inn was built in 1918 as a private residence and retains much of its exterior charm. There are three rooms in the waterfront area and three "Captain's Quarters" rooms that are not waterfront. Each room is outfitted with modern conveniences and is clean and uncluttered, unlike so many B&Bs.
Camping
Camping and moorage options are available at Kopachuck State Park, and other state parks on the nearby Key Peninsula.
Go next
- Tacoma lies to the south across the Tacoma Narrows Bridge.
- Olalla and Port Orchard lie to the north.
Explore the area by boat:
- Cedrona Cove on Fox Island is 6.8 nautical miles away.
- Eagle Island on Balch Passage north of Anderson Island is 12.5 nautical miles.
- Penrose Point State Park is 13.8 nautical miles due south after passing underneath the Tacoma Narrows Bridge.
- The Shilshole Bay Marina in Seattle is 24 nautical miles away.
Nearby
Purdy
City / town · 7 listings · 5 mi away
Fox Island
Rural area · 12 listings · 6 mi away
Olalla
City / town · 16 listings · 7 mi away
Vashon Island
City / town · 28 listings · 8 mi away
Tacoma
City / town · 104 listings · 8 mi away
Key Peninsula
Rural area · 28 listings · 9 mi away
Steilacoom
City / town · 7 listings · 11 mi away
Federal Way
City / town · 35 listings · 12 mi away
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