Bellevue

Getting there

Bellevue has reliable transportation access to Seattle and the Puget Sound area.

By plane The nearest airport is Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. To get to Bellevue, take eastbound State Route 518 and continue straight towards Interstate 405.

By car State Route (SR) 520 connects Bellevue to Seattle, via the Evergreen Point floating bridge (the world's largest floating bridge) on Lake Washington. SR-520 serves as the northern border between Bellevue and Kirkland between the shores of Lake Washington and Interstate 405. The Evergreen Point Floating Bridge is tolled; see details below. The capacious Interstate 90 (I-90) provides another route from Seattle across Lake Washington, via Mercer Island. For Bellevue, exit to Bellevue Way SE or Interstate 405. Interstate 405 (I-405) is the outer loop of Interstate 5 that runs from Lynnwood to Tukwila (and the airport), through Bellevue. Rush hour traffic can be daunting: expect a 45-minute to 1-hour drive from each end of the freeway to Bellevue. There are tolls for the SR-520 floating bridge and the express lanes of I-405, with rates that vary by time of day and traffic levels. There are no toll booths. If the vehicle has a "Good to Go" sticker on the windshield, the toll is deducted from a prepaid account. Otherwise, transponders take a picture of the license plates, front and back, and mail the bill to the registered owner.

By train Link light rail - The 2 Line runs from Downtown Redmond to the east via Overlake and downtown Bellevue. It runs from Lynnwood City Center to the northwest via Mercer Island and Seattle on I-90. 1 South Bellevue Station, 2704 Bellevue Way SE. (updated Apr 2026) 2 East Main Station, 229 112th Ave SE. (updated Apr 2026) 3 Bellevue Downtown Station, 594 110th Ave NE (along 12th Ave SE & 10th NE). (updated Apr 2026) 4 Wilburton Station, 800 118th Ave NE. (updated Apr 2026) 5 Spring District Station, 12164 NE Spring Blvd. (updated Apr 2026) 6 BelRed Station, 13102 NE Spring Bl

Getting around

For trips outside of the core city, you'll probably want a car.

By public transit King County Metro operates local bus routes. Some useful routes are:

Route 221 runs from Bellevue Transit Center to Redmond Route 226 from Bellevue Transit Center to Eastgate Park & Ride, via Crossroads Mall and Lake Hills Park Route 240 travels south from Bellevue Transit Center and passes Factoria before continuing to Renton. Route 271 continues from Bellevue TC to Bellevue College, via Kelsey Creek Park & Wilburton Hill Park to Bellevue College before continuing to Issaquah. RapidRide Line B operates frequently to Redmond, with numerous stops along NE 8th St and turns left at Crossroads Mall.

See

1 Bellevue Botanical Garden, 12001 Main St, ☏ +1 425-452-2750. Daily dawn-dusk. A must-see, especially the Garden d'Lights in the winter with extended hours until 21:30. Free and free parking, though some events and classes charge for admission (Garden d'Lights charges $5 for admission and an extra $5 for on-site parking, with free parking at the nearby Wilburton Hill park). 2 Kelsey Creek Farm, 410 130th Pl SE, ☏ +1 425-452-7688. Barn: daily 9:30AM-3:30PM, park: dawn to dusk. Meadows with trails and barns with farm animals. (updated Jan 2018) 3 KidsQuest Museum, 1116 108th Ave NE (2 blocks north of Bellevue Transit Center), ☏ +1 425-637-8100. Tu-Th 9AM-5PM, F 9AM-8PM, Sa 9AM-5PM, Su noon-5PM, open 9AM-5PM most Mondays when local schools are closed. Museums for kids with curiosity, opportunities for hands-on learning abound. $12. (updated Jan 2018)

Do

1 Lincoln Square Cinemas, 700 Bellevue Way NE (third floor of Lincoln Square North, two blocks west of Bellevue Transit Center), ☏ +1 425-450-9100, [email protected]. Movie theater with many first-run films from both the US and Asia. $13 adults, $9 children (1-11) and seniors (62+). 2 Meydenbauer Center, 11100 NE 6th St (one block east of Bellevue Transit Center). Has a convention center and a theater, with frequent live performances of music and theater 3 Resonance at Soma Towers, 288 106th Avenue NE, Suite 203, ☏ +1 425-443-2585, [email protected]. Venue for classical music and comedy shows. (updated Feb 2020) 4 Lucky Strike, 700 Bellevue Way NE (second floor of Lincoln Square North, two blocks west of Bellevue Transit Center), ☏ +1 425-453-5137. Su-Th 11:30AM-midnight, F 11:30AM-2AM, Sa 11AM-2AM. Bowling alley, video arcade, and night club. (updated Feb 2020)

Parks Nestled between two lakes, Bellevue is blessed with high terrain that offers beautiful natural vistas at its parks and a chance to unwind into natural habitats.

5 Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park (from I-90: take Exit 13 and drive south on Lakemont Blvd SE for 3.1 miles; look for the entrance to the Red Town Trailhead on the left side of the road). Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park (CMRWP) is a more than 3000-acre park with 36 miles of hiking trails (12 miles suitable for equestrian use). It showcases a variety of natural features from forests and waterfalls to meadows and cliffs. There are four primary trailheads, each offering a different experience. Free. 6 Downtown Park, 10201 NE 4th St, ☏ +1 425-452-6914. Daily 6AM-11PM. A lush city park for unwinding between or after work, or a family time. Various playground for different ages, cascading waterfall in a circular loop with an adjacent path, and activities year-round in the circle. (updated Jan 2018) 7 Lake Hills Greenbelt, 15416 SE 16th St, ☏ +1 425-452-6885. Extensive park with a promise to see wildlife at its wetlands. Open

Buy

1 Bellevue Square, 575 Bellevue Square, ☏ +1 425-454-8096. M-Sa 10AM-9PM, Su 11AM-7PM. The flagship mall of the city, with department stores and clothing lines galore. Food options are mainly concentrated in the "Lodge" building on Bellevue Way, and Lincoln Square which is connected to it by a skybridge. (updated May 2026) 2 Crossroads Bellevue, 15600 NE 8th St, ☏ +1 425-644-1111. M-Sa 7AM-9PM, Su 7AM-6PM. A 'cheaper' and livelier mall than Bellevue Square, with more options of food, live music and some eccentric shops with several arranged weekly meetups. Best option if visiting as a family. (updated Jan 2018) If you want to find luxury retailers that Seattle doesn't offer, chances are Bellevue might have it.

3 The Shops at the Bravern, 11111 NE 8th St, ☏ +1 425-456-8795. M-Sa 10AM-8PM, Su noon-6PM. European-inspired shopping destination with upscale retailers (the likes of Hermes, Louis Vuitton and Neiman Marcus) and restaurants. (updated Jan 2018) If shopping malls aren't your style, stroll by the storefronts of Old Bellevue, along Main Street south of Downtown Park, between Bellevue Way and 100th.

Eat

Bellevue contains a whole lot more Chinese and Japanese restaurants than Seattle. You may also have better luck finding Indian dishes here, where its tech workers would typically flock for lunch. Due to the nature of the district however, prices tend to be more expensive than Seattle and quality is uneven.

Budget 1 MOD Pizza,