Washington

"The Evergreen State"

National parks, vine-covered hillsides, rainforests, wild Pacific Ocean beaches, islands with thrilling whale-watching opportunities and high desert terrain, all complemented by Seattle’s urban cool.

State Secret

Home port to seven cruise lines, Seattle offers the best of urban and outdoor experiences for art, music, shopping, fine cuisine and locally-produced wines and chocolate.

Land Area: 68,139 square miles

Population: 6,395,798

State Capital: Olympia

Largest City: Seattle

Local Time: 8 hrs behind the UK

Temperate climate with pleasant springs and autumns. Summers are sunny but not too hot and winters tend to be wet and mild.

Mount Rainier, North Cascades, Olympic, St Helens National Volcanic Monument, Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail.

You’ll know you’re in Washington when the wild and rugged scenery of the Pacific Northwest unfolds in front of you — and you only just left the big city of Seattle moments ago. (Plus, there’s at least one espresso shop on every block.) Washington is the only state in the ‘lower 48’ where you can explore a national park in a temperate rainforest in the morning, hike the trails at a National Volcanic Monument in the afternoon and smell the desert sage as the sun sets.

Shaped by millions of years of volcanic activity, Washington’s incredible geography is something you have to see to believe. Visit Mount Saint Helens, located just outside the city of Vancouver, to experience the unique thrill of hiking and climbing a dormant volcano. While the state has a reputation for having moody weather, Washington’s Eastern regions are shielded from the rain by the towering Cascade Mountains, offering ample opportunities for fun in the sun. Communities like Lake Chelan experience 300 annual days of sunshine, making it easy to hop on a paddleboard – or Jet Ski in the winter – and traverse one of the USA’s most distinct and beautiful glacier-fed lakes. Seattle is the gateway to the Pacific Northwest region, where wondrous mountain ranges look over lush rainforests and dramatic coastlines. Three national parks – Mount Rainier, North Cascades and Olympic – offer stunning encounters with nature as do the San Juan Islands just off the coast. 

Washington has one of the USA’s most robust ferry systems: Take advantage of it and discover the state’s rich maritime history in seafront communities like Kingston and Bainbridge Island, where idyllic streets and fascinating museums welcome you for off-the-beaten path exploration. The state’s history as a bustling trade hub has also made it a cultural melting pot. Admire Bavarian-style architecture in Leavenworth, jam out to alternative and grunge rock at the Experience Music Project in Seattle and connect with the living traditions of the Lummi Nation at the Whatcom Museum in Bellingham. Renowned explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark travelled through the area now known as the Lewis and Clark Valley, where museums such as the Lewis and Clark Discovery Centre tell the story of the expedition and preserve the culture of the Nez Perce Tribe who offered guidance on the journey. Fans of the “Twilight” series will want to visit Forks, the town on which author Stephenie Meyer based the novels. Expand your horizons to the rest of the Olympic Peninsula with a hike through Hoh Rainforest and a cruise down the Strait of Juan de Fuca National Scenic Byway. 

Visitors won’t go hungry or thirsty here. More than 1000 wineries cultivate 70 grape varieties across thousands of hectares of bountiful vineyards. Wine aficionados flock to the Tri-Cities area, where you’ll find nearly 200 vineyards and wineries within an 80-kilometer radius. Coffee drinkers are welcome here, too: The first Starbucks opened in Seattle in 1971. Today, independent shops contribute to the city’s 2.5 coffee shops per 1,000 people, the greatest concentration in the country. Rich coastal waterways and the state’s agricultural abundance provide for a booming food scene and the opportunity for visitors to interact with farmers, artisans and chefs specializing in locally grown and sourced fare.