Overview
Kirkland is a charming city of 93,000 (2019) in King County, Washington, across from Seattle on the east side of Lake Washington.
4 things to do · 6 places to eat · 3 bars & cafés · 4 places to stay
Updated from Wikivoyage on 1 October 2026 · Something wrong or missing? Improve it on Wikivoyage
Best things about Kirkland
Yarrow Bay Marina
Hourly powerboat rentals. Hours vary.
Flatstick Pub
Minigolf bar with local beers on tap. Happy hour M-F 3PM-6PM. Yappy hour M-F 6PM-7PM, all day Su.
Juanita Bay Park
Wetland park on the shore of Lake Washington; features some short and relaxing wetlands boardwalk trails and picnic areas.
Marina Park
Located in the pedestrian friendly downtown area, it hosts many small art galleries, coffee shops and restaurants.
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.
- BFI King County International Airport - Boeing Field, Seattle — 12 mi away. Directions
- PAE Seattle Paine Field International Airport, Everett — 16 mi away. Directions
- SEA Seattle–Tacoma International Airport, Seattle — 17 mi away (major hub). Directions
Like many American suburbs, by far the most convenient approach is by car:
Full “Get in” guide ↓Budget & where to stay
No prices are listed for this place yet. See the Sleep guide ↓ for options.
Sample 1-day itinerary
Day 1
- Morning Yarrow Bay Marina, Marina Park
- Lunch Santorini Greek Grill
- Afternoon Flatstick Pub, Juanita Bay Park
- Dinner Cactus
- Evening The Grape Choice
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
Map
Every listing with a location. Tap a pin for its Google Maps link.
Understand
Kirkland was established in 1888 by Peter Kirk with a vision of being the "Pittsburgh of the West". Today, it is the home of Northwest University, and one of two summer training camps for the Seattle Seahawks. It is perhaps most widely known as the former corporate headquarters of Costco, from when they launched their "Kirkland Signature" brand.
Get in
By car
Like many American suburbs, by far the most convenient approach is by car:
- State Route (SR) 520 connects Kirkland to Seattle, via the Evergreen Point Floating Bridge (the world's largest floating bridge) on Lake Washington. SR-520 serves as the southern border between Kirkland and Bellevue. The Evergreen Point Floating Bridge is tolled; see details below.
- Interstate 405 (I-405) is the outer loop of Interstate 5 that runs from Lynnwood to Tukwila (and the airport), through Bellevue. Keep in mind that rush hour traffic can be very daunting: expect a 45 minute to 1 hour drive from both ends of the freeway to Kirkland.
There are tolls for the SR-520 floating bridge and the express lanes of I-405, with rates that vary by time of day and traffic levels. There are no toll booths. If the vehicle has a "Good to Go" sticker on the windshield, the toll is deducted from a prepaid account. Otherwise, transponders take a picture of the license plates, front and back, and mail the bill to the registered owner.
By bus
Intercity bus services from beyond the region stop in Seattle.
Get around
The downtown area is small and very walkable.
By public transit
Go King County Metro
Runs bus, streetcar and monorail routes within King County. Serves Auburn, Bellevue, Bothell, Burien, Federal Way, Issaquah, Kent, Kirkland, Mercer Island, North Bend, Redmond, Renton, SeaTac, Seattle, Shoreline, Tukwila, Vashon Island, White Center, and Woodinville.
Go Sound Transit
Runs express and intercity public transit routes across the Seattle area, including Sounder trains, Link light rail and express buses (routes 510-596). Serves King County (e.g. Bellevue, Federal Way, Kent, Renton, Seattle), Snohomish County (e.g. Everett, Lynnwood), and Pierce County (e.g. Puyallup, Tacoma).
- Route 532 to Everett and Bellevue
- Route 535 to Lynnwood and Bellevue
The transportation hubs (bus stations) are:
- Kirkland Transit Center on 3rd St at Central Way. The Kirkland TC offers routes with service to Downtown Seattle (*255 & Link); Univ of Washington in the U-District (255); Bellevue (245, 250); Redmond (250); Woodinville (230, 231); and other surrounding cities.
- Totem Lake Transit Center and Totem Lake Freeway Station at NE 128th St & I-405. Totem Lake Freeway Station offers bus connections to Everett (532); Lynnwood (535); Snohomish via Monroe (424 in PM); Downtown Seattle (311 & 424 in AM); Bellevue (237, 342, 532, 535) and Woodinville (237, 311, 342 & 424).
See
- The Seattle skyline and Olympic Mountains from one of the many waterfront parks.
Do
- Check out the many art galleries in downtown Kirkland near the waterfront.
Parks
Do Marina Park
Located in the pedestrian friendly downtown area, it hosts many small art galleries, coffee shops and restaurants.
Buy
Eat
Eat Lynn's Bistro
Excellent Sunday brunch.
Eat Santorini Greek Grill
Excellent gyros and other Greek food.
Eat Sarducci's
Hometown favorite sub shop; autographs on wall attest to its frequent patronage by Seahawks players when training camp was nearby
Eat Spud Fish and Chips
Local tradition in the Jaunita neighborhood, right across the street from a pleasant lake beach park. Very greasy but delicious.
Eat Coffee & Cone
Small business that sells coffee and several icecream flavors (including some uncommon ones like huckleberry).
Drink
Drink Thruline Coffee
The flagship coffee shop for Thruline Coffee, who provide coffee beans to numerous local businesses and coffee bars in the area. Friendly, relaxed, atmosphere, internet is always free, and you can stay for as long as you like.
Drink The Grape Choice
This favorite local wine shop has monthly selections at their tasting bar, and any wine can be bought by the bottle for drinking in the store or on the patio. Every Wednesday, they host a different, usually local, winery for a $5 flight of their top wines.
Drink Chainline Brewing Co
The first brewery to open along the Cross Kirkland Corridor Trail.
Sleep
Nearby
Redmond
City / town · 31 listings · 3 mi away
Bellevue
City / town · 62 listings · 5 mi away
Woodinville
City / town · 6 listings · 5 mi away
Bothell
City / town · 17 listings · 6 mi away
Mercer Island
City / town · 11 listings · 8 mi away
Shoreline
City / town · 9 listings · 8 mi away
Seattle
City / town · 87 listings · 9 mi away
Mountlake Terrace
City / town · 8 listings · 9 mi away
My experience
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