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.

By car
to From U.S. 101 at the tip of Discovery Bay, State Route (SR)-20 splits off and runs  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

 * From Seattle, there are two options to reach Port Townsend by Jefferson Transit:
 * Routes 7 & 390: Take the ferry to Bainbridge Island, then Kitsap Transit 390 bus to North Viking Park and Ride in Poulsbo, and then Jefferson Transit bus route 7 to Haines P&R (south of town) from Poulsbo. If coming from Snohomish County, north of Seattle, one can also take the ferry from Edmonds to Kingston and take Kitsap Transit #307 bus to Poulsbo or the #14 bus directly to Port Townsend. If going to the airport take the Link Light Rail #1 (towards Angle Lake) from downtown Seattle. The connections are timed and it takes about two and a half hours.
 * Route 14: Take the Kitsap Transit Fast Ferry to Kingston, then transfer to the Jefferson Transit bus route 14.
 * From Port Angeles and Sequim:
 * Routes 8 & 30: From Port Angeles take Clallam Transit #30 (101 Commuter) or 123 (Strait Shot) to the Sequim Transit Center and transfer to the #8 bus to Port Townsend (Haines P&R).
 * From Olympia and Shelton:
 * Route 1 and Mason Transit #6 & 8: From Olympia take Mason Transit #6 bus from the downtown Transit Center to Shelton and transfer to the #8 bus. Take the #8 bus up to Triton Cove and transfer to Jefferson Transit #1 to Haines P&R. Notify driver of transfer when going towards Olympia as there is a close connection time. Caveat with this option is that they operate twice daily during the week and once on Saturdays. Therefore, a missed connection will ruin your day.
 * Routes 620 and 594: Alternatively take Intercity #620 bus from Olympia to the SR 512 P&R in Lakewood (south of Tacoma) and transfer to Sound Transit 592 or 594 bus to downtown Seattle (see above). The buses run more frequently between Olympia and Seattle then from Olympia to Port Townsend via Shelton and Triton Cove.

Travelers make connections between Jefferson Transit buses at Haines P&R south of town. Click here for schedules.

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
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.

Do




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:

Eat




Sleep

 * Fort Worden has a castle, cottages, houses, and campgrounds available for rent.
 * Fort Worden has a castle, cottages, houses, and campgrounds available for rent.
 * Fort Worden has a castle, cottages, houses, and campgrounds available for rent.
 * Fort Worden has a castle, cottages, houses, and campgrounds available for rent.
 * Fort Worden has a castle, cottages, houses, and campgrounds available for rent.
 * Fort Worden has a castle, cottages, houses, and campgrounds available for rent.
 * Fort Worden has a castle, cottages, houses, and campgrounds available for rent.
 * Fort Worden has a castle, cottages, houses, and campgrounds available for rent.

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.