Everyone rushes for the iconic Space Needle, but it's not the tallest Seattle viewpoint. That honor goes to the sleek, tinted-windowed Columbia Center at 932ft high with 76 floors. An elevator in the lobby takes you up to the free-access 40th floor, where there's a Starbucks. From here you must take another elevator to the plush Sky View Observatory on the 73rd floor, from where you can look down on ferries, cars, islands, roofs and – ha, ha – the Space Needle!

Built between 1982 and 1985, it's the loftiest building in the Pacific Northwest.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Arctic Building

0.08 MILES

Like the psychedelic Beatles' song, the unique Arctic Building, completed in 1917, is celebrated for its walruses. Their heads (25 of them), surrounded by…

2. Three Piece Sculpture: Vertebrae

0.16 MILES

These three large pieces of the human anatomy recreated in bronze are the work of British sculptor Henry Moore. They stand guard at the entrance to the 50…

3. Seattle Central Library

0.17 MILES

Rivaling the Space Needle and the Museum of Pop Culture for architectural ingenuity, Seattle Central Library looks like a giant diamond that's dropped in…

4. Safeco Plaza

0.17 MILES

Built in 1969 and originally known as 1001 Fourth Avenue Plaza, this was one of the city’s first real skyscrapers. At the time, it was a darling of the…

5. Smith Tower

0.2 MILES

Sneak a peak at the beaux arts–inspired lobby while on your way to the 35th-floor Observatory of this landmark building. The views aren't as dramatic as…

6. Pioneer Building

0.22 MILES

Elmer Fisher, whose fingerprints are ubiquitous in Pioneer Square, designed this iconic Pioneer Square building.

7. Pioneer Square Park

0.24 MILES

The original Pioneer Square is a cobbled triangular plaza where Henry Yesler’s sawmill cut the giant trees that marked Seattle’s first industry. Known…

8. Pioneer Square Historical District

0.24 MILES

Many important architectural heirlooms are concentrated in Pioneer Square, the district that sprang up in the wake of the 1889 Great Fire. Instantly…