Welcome to Seattle, the land of fairly decent public transportation! Meaning: Please do not drive to the Seattle Stadium (aka Lumen Field) during the World Cup. Traffic is already bad enough when we aren’t hosting a global sporting event, and parking will be either wildly expensive or altogether impossible. Whether you’re visiting from afar or heading to a game from your apartment in West Seattle, we’re begging you: Do. Not. Drive.
Sound Transit, the Seattle Department of Transportation, and King County Metro are increasing public transit to the area to keep things running (hopefully?) smoothly. Not only will light rail trains run every eight minutes, but KCM is introducing new shuttles for the summer, with an extra boost on World Cup game days. Save yourself the headache and jump on a bus, train, ferry, or hell, even a scooter, if you must.
Shuttles
Special for the World Cup, King County Metro will run free shuttles throughout downtown Seattle to alleviate some of the traffic on buses and light rail trains. A Waterfront Shuttle will run between the Seattle Center, Waterfront Park, Pioneer Square, Seattle Stadium, and Chinatown–International District. And on World Cup match days (June 15, June 19, June 24, June 26, July 1, and July 6), an appropriately titled Match Day shuttle will help carry crowds between Seattle Center and Seattle Stadium, via Third Avenue.
Bus
Seattle has an extensive bus system. Pay as you board with exact change—it’s $3 for adults and free for children 18 and under—or use an ORCA card. As of early 2026, you can also tap to pay with credit and debit cards and smartphones or smartwatches. Just like a real city! You can plan transit trips on all the major map apps, of course, but we’d be remiss not to shout out the free app OneBusAway, which is also handy when you need to pull up nearby and real-time bus information that is, in our experience, more accurate than Google and the city’s schedules. Please be nice to our drivers; they put up with a lot of shit.
Light Rail
We now have two light rail lines! And for World Cup match days, Sound Transit will increase train frequency to every eight minutes. 1 Line goes as far north as Lynnwood and all the way down to Federal Way, making a total of 26 stops along the way. That’s the train you want if you’re going to Pike Place Market, the airport, the stadium district—all the major tourist spots and then some. The newer 2 Line crosses Lake Washington. Yes! A train crosses a lake! (And it’s the first train ever to go over a floating bridge!) 2 Line takes you east to Bellevue and Redmond. The train ride is smooth, the views are beautiful, the cars are (mostly) clean—it’s an overall delight to ride. But fair warning about the station signage: IT SUCKS. At any given light rail station, you will see signs that say “Lynnwood” or “Federal Way Downtown.” Not north and south, not any kind of marking that makes things easy for people who don’t know the difference between Kent and Shoreline. We have told them to fix it. For now, don’t be too shy to ask a local to ensure you get on the right train. We’re nice, and we know the signage is trash.
Rentable Scooters/E-Bikes
There are two major electric ride-share companies in Seattle, Lime and Bird. They’re very popular! (According to Lime, Seattleites took their scooters and bikes on more than 10 million trips just last year.) But in some people’s hands, they’re also a dangerous nuisance. In 2024, Harborview saw more than 160 serious injuries caused by rentable e-scooters and e-bikes. Some riders have died, and some riders have been involved in road rage incidents. Unless you’re experienced with zooming around on two wheels and are traveling with a helmet, you’d be better off walking or taking public transportation. That said, if you do decide to rent a scooter, there are a few rules to consider: Be sober. Stay off sidewalks and ride in bike lanes when possible. Yield to pedestrians. Stay off streets where the speed limit is higher than 25 MPH. When you’re done, do not leave your scooter or bike in the middle of the sidewalk, blocking a crosswalk, or blocking a bike lane. And definitely do not throw it off a bridge. People do that! And you know what? It’s someone’s job to go get that scooter, no matter where it ends up.
Ferries and Water Taxis
There are two ferry terminals in town. At the Seattle Waterfront, you can walk, bike, or drive onto boats headed to Bainbridge Island or Bremerton. From the Fauntleroy terminal in West Seattle, you can access Southworth and Vashon Island. If you’re staying in West Seattle and plan to go to the games, the pedestrian-only West Seattle Water Taxi is your move. It’ll take you from Alki Beach to downtown Seattle in just 15 minutes.
The Monorail
The Seattle Center Monorail is a beloved relic from the 1962 World’s Fair. It’s a two-minute elevated ride between the Seattle Center and Westlake Center in Downtown Seattle, and a lot of people assume it’s a pointless little gimmick. But the monorail is actually very useful! It is the quickest and easiest way to get from the downtown light rail station to the Seattle Center, so it’s often packed before and after games and events at Climate Pledge Arena. It’s consistently on time. Plus, Elvis rode it in that one movie that one time!
Renting a Car? Read This First.
We don’t recommend driving to the games, but if you’ve decided to ignore our advice and rent a car anyway, there are a few things you should know.
Seattle drivers are psychopathically passive. We all know this. Yes, driving can be scary and is inherently dangerous, but if you’re behind the wheel, you need to be alert to your surroundings and proactive. Please don’t be so deferential and timid that you yourself become the danger and fuck up everyone’s commute with your insecurities.
Here’s how it works. When it’s time to turn your car, you must turn your car. Get into an efficiency mindset. Your job is to turn your car, not to fret about whether it is polite to turn your car. You put your blinker on, and then you turn your car at a reasonable pace.
You don’t slow to a crawl at the green light, just like you don’t randomly slow to a near stop at an uncontrolled intersection with no stop sign, pedestrians, or other cars coming.
Switching lanes should also be done in a prompt manner. Slowly drifting to wherever you’re going is extremely not the move. Find a gap, turn on your blinker, and change lanes.
Do not screech to a halt the moment you see a hint of a pedestrian a few feet from the sidewalk. Yes, pedestrians have the right of way. But if they’re not actively crossing the street, you’re just inviting a rear-end collision.
When faced with a four-way stop, review the rules beforehand so you’re confident enough to make it happen when the time comes. In Washington, the first vehicle to arrive has the right-of-way. If two vehicles arrive simultaneously, the one on the left yields to the one on the right. All drivers must also yield to pedestrians and cyclists. This should all happen fairly quickly. If you blank on the rules and someone is waving you forward, go with it, confidently, and then wave back. This is no time to fret, and no time to get overwhelmed. You’ve got this.
Remember: Fear is the mind-killer. (And public transit is also an option.) THE STRANGER’S DRIVE-BETTER BOARD
How to Get to Seattle Stadium (aka Lumen Field)
From North or South
Your best option for public transportation when traveling to the stadium from the north or south is our beautiful light rail system. It goes as far north as Lynnwood and as far south as Federal Way. The Stadium stop will also get you there, but it’s closer to T-Mobile Stadium than Lumen (Seattle Stadium), so you’ll end up walking a few extra minutes. For the shortest trek, from the north, hop off at the Pioneer Square stop for the least amount of walking. From the south, the International District–Chinatown station is your closest option.
From East
Traveling from the east is easier than ever, thanks to Sound Transit’s newly completed 2 Line. Catch it in Redmond, Bellevue, or Mercer Island, then disembark at the International District–Chinatown stop. The stadium is a 12-minute walk from there.
From West
The prettiest way to reach the stadium district from the west is via the Water Taxi, which sails from Alki Beach to the Seattle Waterfront every 40 minutes. The stadium is just a 15-minute walk from Pier 50, where it docks. You can tap to pay or use an ORCA card, and kids 18 and under ride free.