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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Washington chapter.

Seattle is great β€” but you gotta get out every once in a while. Luckily, the Pacific Northwest is not short of places to see. Whether it’s nature, shopping, or a different vibe you are seeking, there’s a place not father for you to go. Here are four wonderful cities relatively close to Seattle.

The San Juan Islands

The San Juan Islands are the ultimate Washington getaway. Each island is unique in their ways and what they offer. The must-sees include Friday Harbor on San Juan Island and Eastsound on Orcas Island. An optimal time to visit is on the weekend, so you can experience the many farmer’s markets’ that occur. The San Juan Islands’ markets are the epitome of small-town farmer’s markets’. When you go, be sure to support the local businesses!

Bellingham

If you are a nature-lover, Bellingham is for you. Bellingham is only an hour and a half train ride from Seattle, and tickets start as low as $20 (one way). The hikes in Bellingham are a sight to see. A hotel, hike, and train tickets will run you less than $300 for a weekend!

Leavenworth

Leavenworth is the ultimate bucket-list Washington city. One of the many pros about Leavenworth is that it’s beautiful and accessible year round. Whether you like history, nature, or the small-town vibe, Leavenworth is a fun place to visit.

Port Townsend

Port Townsend is the ultimate Washington small town. While a bit tourist, Port Townsend has a chill, Washington-coastal vibe. They’re cute places to shop, nice places to camp, and fun places to eat. It’s a place a lot of Washington school kids and families take field trips to, so you should to!

Nirja Thaler

Washington '27

Nirja is a Staff Writer for HER Campus at Washington. She is an intended Philosophy and Economics double major. She was coeditor of her high school newspaper. She has been a part of various types of writing (such as poetry, songwriting, newspaper, and novel writing) clubs throughout her life. Nirja is passionate about exploring social justice issues. She enjoys writing articles that appeal to appeal to both sides of an argument. Originally, her intended major was journalism. With any topic she writes about, Nirja loves to relate the subject to a bigger concept in the community/world. She loves real-life pattern recognition and repetition examples. On her limited free time, Nirja enjoys playing and composing music. She pays piano, viola, guitar, and the ukulele. She is classically trained in piano, and has been playing for over six years. She also enjoys songwriting, and writes most of her songs on piano. In addition to music, she likes to run, crochet, and watch early 2000s movies.