Book your flight to Seattle with Icelandair from GBP 399*

The great outdoors meets some pretty awesome indoors in this fun and welcoming city. It's full of big-city treats but nestles among accessible mountains, gorgeous coastline, and invigorating wilderness.

Want to compare mountain backdrops? Before you take in Seattle's skyline filled with the Space Needle and Mount Rainier, consider stopping to see Hallgrímskirkja and Esja mountain fill Reykjavík's panoramas. 

Icelandair offers cheap flights to Seattle from Europe and the UK so you can get your fix of the lush and lovely Pacific Northwest. When you book flights to Seattle with Icelandair you have the opportunity to add a Stopover in Iceland at no additional airfare.

Rainy days bring out the creativity

Should we get the weather jokes out of the way? It rains a lot in Seattle (we can make weather jokes, we're from Iceland).

But: we must acknowledge that stories and legends in this city are big and bold, and probably wouldn't exist without some rainy-day creativity (we speak of Seattle-born icons like Jimi Hendrix, grunge music and Starbucks, but also Amazon, Costco and Boeing).

Seattle overflows with rainy-day activities alongside incredible outdoors on its doorstep.

The futuristic Museum of Pop Culture explores the sounds of Seattle plus geek-tastic science fiction. The Chihuly Garden and Glass is an exquisite collection of sculpted glass in the shadow of the Space Needle. And ah, yes, the iconic Space Needle - enjoy views in every direction from this flying saucer on stilts.

Pike Place – top of the food chain

All appetites in town lead to one place: Pike Place. The market here is a beloved institution - for food, of course, but also for characters and stories (like Rachel the pig, the gum wall, buskers and fish-throwing activity).

The nearby waterfront makes a good stop for fish and chips and assorted seafood snacking.

Capitol Hill and Belltown are the coolest spots to go meal hunting - lots of locavore seafood and farm produce ends up on innovative menus here.

And beyond eating, you'll drink well: Seattle is the birthplace of Starbucks (visit its original branch at Pike Place Market) and the city now has countless roasters and cafes pushing bean boundaries. What they're doing with coffee, they're also doing with beer: brewpubs abound, serving the fun produce of local microbreweries.

Get out of town

In all directions, there's some pretty impressive scenery - Mount Rainier is the photogenic backdrop in your city skyline snaps. There are parks everywhere, coastline to explore, and activities at your doorstep.

A ferry across Puget Sound to nearby islands is a cheap-and-cheerful highlight, and the Olympic Peninsula beckons.

If you're in the mood for more exploration, from Seattle it’s also a short drive north to Vancouver, Canada. And why not pay a visit to Portland, Oregon - it's just a couple of hours down the road and offers a bumper crop of parks, breweries and off-beat fun.

Fancy a road trip? What about flying to Seattle and hitting the open road south to San Francisco or Los Angeles?