Port Townsend

Port Townsend is a city at the northeast tip of the Olympic Peninsula, in Washington. In addition to its natural scenery, it is known for its Victorian architecture and thriving arts scene.

Understand

🌍 Port Townsend Visitor Center, 2409 Jefferson St (off Sims Way, between Benedict St and Decatur St), ☏ +1 360-385-2722. M-F 9AM-5PM, Sa Su 10AM-4PM. Maps, brochures, ferry reservations, customized itineries and information from local experts 

Get in

By car

to From U.S. 101 at the tip of Discovery Bay, SR-20 splits off and runs 30 mi (48 km) into downtown. Traffic coming from the Seattle area will want to take the Downtown to Bainbridge Island or the Edmonds to Kingston Ferries towards the peninsula. Driving the land route alone, Port Townsend is roughly a two-hour drive north of Olympia, and one hour east of Port Angeles.

to SR-19 comes up from SR-104 west of the Kingston Ferry Terminal and terminates at SR-20 just south of town.

By public transit

By bus
  • Dungeness Line (Operated by Greyhound Connect), (bus stop) 63 4 Corners (Four Corners P&R). Bus route from Sea-Tac Airport and Seattle to Port Townsend, Sequim and Port Angeles. The bus goes across the Puget Sound on the Edmonds-Kingston ferry. Unfortunately it no longer stops at Haines Place Park and Ride, only at Four Corners Park and Ride on the outskirts of town, requiring two more buses to get downtown. But you may be able to get a taxi. (updated Dec 2020)
  • Rocket Transportation, ☏ +1 360-683-8087, toll-free: +1 877-697-6258. M-F 8AM-5PM, Sa 10AM-2PM. offers shuttles, by reservation, to and from Tacoma, Seatac, and Seattle. (updated Dec 2020)

By ferry

By bicycle
  • 🌍 Olympic Discovery Trail (at the intersection of Washington St and Boat St). A bicycle trail running west from Port Townsend all the way to La Push, on the Pacific Ocean to the west. The portion from Port Townsend to Port Angeles is paved. 

Get around

Port Townsend has a compact, walkable, gridded center, divided into Downtown and Uptown. Downtown, where most attractions are, including most hotels, art galleries, the ferry terminal and the marina, is along Water and Washington Streets, roughly from the ferry dock in the southwest, to Point Hudson in the northeast. Uptown, which has some more hotels and other businesses of note, is, as the name suggests, uphill from Downtown, to the northwest. Fort Worden, where a number of attractions lie, is about a mile north of Downtown. As of December 2020, ride-sharing services such as Uber or Lyft are banned, and not available.

By public transit

Jefferson Transit, ☏ +1 360-385-4777, toll-free: +1-800-371-0497. Jefferson County's local transit agency operates bus routes within the county to Brinnon, Port Hadlock, Port Ludlow, Port Townsend, and Quilcene. Some bus routes travel to and from destination beyond the county, including Poulsbo (route 7), Sequim (route 8), Kingston Ferry Terminal (route 14). Bus routes terminate in Port Townsend at 🌍 Haines Place Park and Ride. There is no service on Sundays or holidays. (updated Jun 2023)

Fares are $1.50 for a daily pass; $1.00 for seniors 60+, disabled, and youth 7-18; and free for children 6 and under. The most useful routes for visitors, running hourly, are:

  • Route 2 to Haines Place Park & Ride and Fort Worden
  • Route 11 to Haines Place Park & Ride, and looping around Uptown and Downtown. Actually two routes, in opposite directions: #11A is counter-clockwise, and #11B is clockwise.

By bicycle

By taxi

See
  • 🌍 Manresa Castle, 651 Cleveland St (7th St and Sheridan St). On the National Historic Registry. Also one of the most haunted buildings in America. (updated Jun 2023)
  • 🌍 Northwind Arts Center, 701 Water St (at Quincy St), ☏ +1 360-379-1086. Th-Su noon-5PM. Regularly-rotated exhibits of visual arts, as well as periodic readings, films, and performances. (updated Dec 2020)
  • 🌍 Port Townsend Art Walk (on Water Street, between Polk Street and Madison Street). 5:30-8PM, every first Saturday of the month. The art galleries in town are all open late, providing refreshments and a chance to speak with the artists themselves. (updated Dec 2020)
  • 🌍 Rothschild House Museum, 418 Taylor St (at Jefferson St), ☏ +1 360-385-1003. On a bluff overlooking Port Townsend Bay stands a historic house built by Bavarian immigrant and businessman "Baron" Rothschild. The house has been largely unchanged since the 1800s, giving a glimpse into life from over a century ago. Adults $6, seniors $5, children $1. (updated Dec 2020)
  • 🌍 Jefferson Museum of Art and History, 540 Water St (at Madison St), ☏ +1 360-385-1003. Sa Su 11AM-4PM. A working city hall, court, with an old jail cell, various other historical exhibits, and an art gallery. Adults $6, seniors $5, children $1. (updated Dec 2020)

Do
  • 🌍 Rose Theatre, 235 Taylor St (between Washington St and Water St), ☏ +1 360-385-1039 (office), +1 360-385-1089 (movie hotline), . Movie theater. $11 adult, $10 senior/student, $8 children 12 and under, matinees $1 less. 
  • 🌍 Uptown Theater, 1120 Lawrence St (at Polk St), ☏ +1 360-385-3883. Movie theater. VIP (21+ upper sections) $11, general $10, seniors $9, students $9, child (12 and under) $8, matinees $1 off. (updated Jun 2023)
  • 🌍 Wooden Boat Festival (at Point Hudson Marina, entrance at the intersection of Water Street and Monroe Street), ☏ +1 360-385-2628 ext 104, . one weekend in September. The largest wooden boat festival in North America. Tour, ride, or view a number of different boats. Live music and children's activities. 12 years and under free, 13-19 years one-day $15 or three-day $30, adults one-day $20 or three-day $40, seniors one-day $15 or three-day $30, active military one-day $15 or three-day $30. 
  • Port Townsend Film Festival, ☏ +1 360-379-1333, . one weekend in late September. Showings of more than 100 films, along with interviews and panels with the people who made them. rush tickets $15, passes $40 to $1500. (updated Jun 2023)
  • Jazz Port Townsend. one weekend in late July to early August. A series of jazz concerts at Fort Worden. $25-185. (updated Dec 2020)

Fort Worden Historical State Park

Fort Worden is located on 433 acres on a former military base, on the north side of Port Townsend. Three forts—Fort Worden, Fort Flagler, and Fort Casey—were built at the entrance to Puget Sound, creating a "Triangle of Fire" to thwart any invasion attempt by sea. Fort Worden features more than two miles of beachfront and high bluffs, with views of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. It contains a number of accommodations, from simple campgrounds (albeit with views of the Strait of Juan de Fuca for some of them) to cottages, houses, and even a small castle. The buildings of the former military base have been repurposed into a number of attractions, listed below:

Buy

Eat

Drink
  • 🌍 1012 Coffee Bar, 1012 Lawrence St (at Tyler St), ☏ +1 360-379-1012. 7AM-1PM daily. Artisan espresso with a cozy local feeling. 

Sleep

Go next
  • Coupeville, on Whidbey Island, can be reached by ferry. It is a small rural town, part of a historic reserve.
  • Sequim, the sunniest place in Western Washington and the lavender capital of North America, is 30 miles to the west.
  • Port Angeles, the largest city on the Olympic Peninsula and most convenient gateway to Olympic National Park, is about 50 miles west.
  • Bainbridge Island, a scenic island suburb of Seattle, is about 50 miles south.
Routes through Port Townsend
END ← Jct W S ←  W  E  → Car ferry → Coupeville → Burlington


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