Discover Seattle’s original neighborhood, Pioneer Square, on this guided walking tour. Explore the underground pathways that were built in the southwest corner of the Emerald City more than 120 years ago. Learn about Seattle’s history and the events that transformed this once-small Indigenous dwelling place into one of the most popular and thriving cities in the United States. Each small-group tour is unique, with insider tips from a professional, local guide.

Enjoy a walking tour of old Seattle
Discover Pioneer Square, the Emerald City’s original neighborhood
Learn about Seattle’s history and the events that led to its beginnings
Compare modern-day Pioneer Square with that of yesteryear
Small group ensures a personalized experience

What's Included

Professional guide

Gratuities
Disposable masks available for purchase at $1.00 each for guests unable to provide their own mask

Departure & Return

Departure Point

102 Cherry St, 102 Cherry St, Seattle, WA 98104, USA
Look for the black awning over the sidewalk; the stairs beneath will lead right to the check-in desk.

Return Details

119 South Main St, 119 South Main St, Seattle, WA 98104, USA

What To Expect

Get ready to discover the original Emerald City, the city of Seattle, Washington, from its inception in the 1890s. This entertaining and educational underground voyage travels beneath the streets to uncover three blocks of historic, old Pioneer Square. Explore not only the underground passageways that were built more than 120 years ago, but also the modern Pioneer Square that exists today.

Hear tales from the past, like the story of the stampede to the Yukon gold fields and Seattle's crucial role in what would become the Klondike Gold Rush. Find out about Skid Row, a dilapidated urban area that served as the main street in Pioneer Square. And get to know the history of a group of people called the Coast Salish, the ethnically and linguistically related Indigenous peoples that first settled here.

Beneath the Streets

Beneath the Streets focuses on factual, historical information that details the birth of our city, 1890’s architecture, and several other stories including the Klondike Gold Rush, Skid Row, and the Coast Salish Peoples that first inhabited the area. Our tour guides participate in workshops on cultural traditions and history with special guest historians and Native Tribal members as continual professional development.

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Pioneer Square

We cover four city blocks of historic Pioneer Square and explore three underground passageways originally constructed in the 1890's. You'll see and hear the history of the neighborhood from both the original and current street levels.

1 hour • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Not recommended for travelers with back problems
Operates rain or shine, please dress appropriately
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 20 travelers

Operated by Beneath The Streets

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

about cancellations

Frequently Asked Questions

The answers provided below are based on answers previously given by the tour provider to customers’ questions.

Q:What is the policy on face masks and attendee health during Beneath The Streets Underground History Tour?

A:The policies on face masks and attendee health are:

Face masks required for travelers in public areas
Face masks required for guides in public areas

Q:What is the policy on sanitization during Beneath The Streets Underground History Tour?

A:The policies on sanitization are:

Hand sanitizer available to travelers and staff
Regularly sanitized high-traffic areas

Q:What measures are being taken to ensure staff health & safety during Beneath The Streets Underground History Tour?

A:The policy on staff health & safety is:

Paid stay-at-home policy for staff with symptoms

Traveler Photos

Traveler Tips

It was raining the day we went so there were some puddles to deal with so wear comfortable shoes that are appropriate for the weather.

The tour is only one hour, so great for kids.

Reviews

4.5

3,486 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers

Showing 1-10 of 3,486 reviews

Well spent hour

Karen_Z, Jun 2022

Just great to get a history lesson with humor. Made the details stick! Guide was engaging. Great staff service as well.

Great quick tour

Maxine_C, Jun 2022

Richard was fantastic. He was entertaining and provided interesting local facts and history. Both my teenage kids enjoyed it as well. Tour was only an hour long so it didn't eat up the whole day.

Have a difficult time to...

Parlichart_S, Jun 2022

Have a difficult time to find the building offfice. Tour guide “Andy “ is fun and explain well and lots of knowledge .

Nice Tour and v very good tour guide!

Ravi_S, Jun 2022

Mike the tour guide with his knowledge and sense of humor, made this experience memorable. The tour was mainly underground as names stated but history behind it was fascinating! Nicely explained. Not long tour but interesting.

Interesting Tour

Brigitte_H, Jun 2022

We enjoyed the history of Seattle. Our guide, Mike, shared a lot of interesting information about how the town of Seattle developed and the colorful people who shaped it. It wasn’t quite what I expected however. I had envisioned a more authentic look at how it might of looked back in the day but after hearing Mike explain all the problems with the lay out, I now understand why it is not possible and am glad it was a clean space to walk through albeit a bit sanitized.

Best tour in Seattle!

Catherine_M, Jun 2022

The entire tour was amazing and Mike was so entertaining and informative. The entire tour was so worth the fee as well as the history and underground areas were an interesting and amazing experience. Thank you

He talked to much

Linda_J, Jun 2022

I went on this tour years ago and the lady was very good she showed us us and kept walking this guy stool there and talked so much l was bored

The tour had a great...

Charles_I, Jun 2022

The tour had a great amount of interesting history presented in an engaging setting - I learned a lot

Fun and informative!

Antoniya_S, Jun 2022

I really enjoyed the experience of the tour - it was focused on the underground history and development of the city but had other fun tidbits along the way! Richard was entertaining, and very knowledgeable on a plethora of different areas + history; I'd recommend him greatly!

The tour was ok. The tour...

Katie_T, Jun 2022

The tour was ok. The tour guide was a little much for me to laughing about things he said that wasn't that funny. It was interesting to see and some history but it seems like there should have been more to see.

A very informative experience .

Denise_A, Jun 2022

Our trip underground was very interesting. Our guide Jennifer was so enthusiastic and knowledgeable. She made our experience both educational and enjoyable. I liked that each guide with this your group adds their own research to the core information they share.

Awesome sauce.

Ed_S, Jun 2022

Rod is amazing. Me and my wife thoroughly enjoyed his tour. He was very easy to talk to and answered all our questions. He seems very knowledgeable and we would reccoment this tour 100%.

Excellent historical information on Seattle

Erica_S, Jun 2022

This was an informative tour about the origins and development of Seattle. My husband and our history buffs and absolutely loved this tour because our guide was so knowledgeable on the history. He answered many of our questions and was enthusiastic and eager to share everything he knew about the history of Seattle. If you love learning about history, you will love this tour! I highly recommend it!

Fun and interesting

Lori_T, Jun 2022

Was interesting to learn a bit about Seattle’s history and see the ‘underground’ city. Guide made the tour engaging and fun.

Great tour!

David_C, Jun 2022

Dave was so knowledgeable! I learned a lot about this chapter in Seattle’s history. Would highly recommend.

Fun Seattle history tour

Scott_N, Jun 2022

Lots of really cool history given in the talk while walking from place to place. Interesting facts about current Seattle and how it came to be.

Our tour guide Mike was...

Kanishka_K, Jun 2022

Our tour guide Mike was really good, and clearly passionate about the city! I learnt a lot. I would highly recommend this tour.

Old storages for buildings

Fredy_G, Jun 2022

Boring, not really much to see but old buildings, storage for buildings… sorry…. Fabric hanging covering

1 traveler found this review helpful

We like Mike

Sarah_H, Jun 2022

Our tour guide Mike was the best! He was so enthusiastic and knowledgeable:) even my 12 year old liked it! Learning about the history of the city was interesting, I highly recommend!

Less than expected

James_H, Jun 2022

Felt all I saw was 3 underground rooms… like walking in an apartment underground basement. Pictures on walls hard to see and felt they were fill ins! I suggest they make a video with history at the beginning of the tour. Also, suggest they put more artifacts in the rooms. The tour also spends a lot of time above ground.

...

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Product code: 36129P1

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Beneath The Streets Underground History Tour

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