Travel tip: Seattle, USA | SWISS Miles & More credit cards

Flying fish, football and Starbucks

On hearing the word Seattle, the Pike Place Market, where the fishmongers throw their fish, often comes to mind. Or the Seahawks, the winners of the 2014 Super Bowl. Or the coffee company Starbucks, which was founded in 1971 at the historic port, and has since conquered the world. Yet the city of 750,000 people at Puget Sound in the northwest of the US has far more to offer than just that! For example, some of the best restaurants in the US, hip bars and nightclubs as well as relaxing excursions into the surrounding countryside. The local residents affectionately call Seattle the “Emerald City”, because there is so much greenery everywhere.

From 0 to 184 metres in 43 seconds

The Space Needle is the landmark of the city, and easy to reach on the monorail. The 184-metre-high tower stands tall in a park in the heart of the Lower Queen Anne district. The view from the top is breathtaking, and extends all the way to Canada. Right next door are two museums that belong on every bucket list: Chihuly Garden and Glass exhibits art made of glass; at the Museum of Pop Culture visitors can see and/or listen to more than 100,000 letters, films, guitars, songs, games and videos. In addition, special exhibitions regularly take place at the MoPOP, most recently about the legendary grunge bands Nirvana and Pearl Jam.

A new destination for foodies and gourmets

Local residents like to eat at Pike Place, at Matt’s in the Market, for example, to enjoy burger and fries at Dick’s, or wood-fired pizza at the Bar del Corso. In recent years, the local restaurant scene has developed tremendously, and no longer has any need to feel outdone by San Francisco. Restaurants such as the Canlis (three-course menus with panoramic views of the city, the Cascade Mountains and Lake Union), French restaurant Le Pichet, and Korean restaurant Joule, managed by master chef Rachel Yang, are popular among both local residents and visitors, so it is important to book.

Make cashless payments in Seattle

SWISS Miles & More credit cards are accepted everywhere in Seattle: in bars and nightclubs, stores, hotels as well as restaurants, at markets, in museums or in the souvenir store at the airport. You can make cashless payments for all admission tickets, bus tickets and the gas for your rental car. And if you store your card as a means of payment for Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay or SwatchPAY!, you can pay with your smartphone or smartwatch and leave your card in the hotel room.

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