For other places with the same name, see Bellevue (disambiguation).

Bellevue is a city in the Puget Sound region of Washington state, and often considered a suburb of Seattle. Bellevue has a population of 350,000.

The Bellevue cityscape.

Get in

By plane

The nearest airport is Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, which is south of Bellevue on I-405; see the article for more details..

By car

• State route 520 connects Bellevue to Seattle, via the Evergreen Point floating bridge on Lake Washington. This bridge is tolled with variable rates from 5AM to 11PM using the GoodToGo! pass or by licence plate and Pay By Mail. Note that the bridge closes in case of very windy conditions (over 50 mph) as the water spills onto the bridge, which does occur at least once a year.

• The more modern and capacious Interstate 90 provides another route from Seattle across Lake Washington, traversing Mercer Island. It continues eastward to Spokane, and ultimately, Boston, MA.

• Interstate 405 runs North-South right through the middle of Bellevue, leading north to Kirkland (and eventually rejoining I-5 on the way to Bellingham and ultimately the Canadian border) To the south, I-405 leads to Renton and the Southcenter shopping district before rejoining I-5 (continuing southbound to Portland, OR, and ultimately the Mexican border).

By bus

Almost every bus that runs through Bellevue stops at the Bellevue Transit Center located on 6th Street between 108th Ave NE & 110th Ave NE. Bike lockers are available for rental during regular business hours.

• Sound Transit Express line 550 runs frequently between Downtown Seattle and Downtown Bellevue.
• Sound Transit Express line 560 runs every half hour between SeaTac Airport and Downtown Bellevue.

Express Bus fare is $2.50 per trip, and the drivers will not provide change.

Get around

Bellevue has a reliable transportation access to Seattle and the Puget Sound area. For intra-city service, the King County Metro is the only thing available.

• King County Metro offers both local bus service (good for short distances) and express bus service (good for longer distances).
• Sound Transit offers express bus service.

The two systems do not accept paper transfers from each other. Use of the prepaid ORCA fare card does allow interservice transfers.

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

See

• Bellevue Arts Museum, 510 Bellevue Way NE, ☏ +1 425 519-0770, info@bellevuearts.org. T-Su 11AM-6PM. Art museum with fine craft and design exhibitions. Free on the first Friday of the month with extended hours until 8PM. $10/adult, $8/concession, $5/teen, $25/family. 

the Bellevue Botanical Garden

• Bellevue Botanical Gardens, 12001 Main St, ☏ +1 425 452-2750. Dawn-Dusk. Is a must see especially the Garden d'Lights in the winter with extended hours until 21:30. free. 

Do

See a movie at Lincoln Square Cinemas

Swim at Somerset Recreation Club

• 1 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 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. 

Buy

Shop at Bellevue Square, a large shopping mall complex in the heart of Downtown Bellevue.

Eat

• Top Gun. This old favorite restaurant closed in Seattle, but is now open in the Factoria area of Bellevue, almost at the intersection of I-405 and I-90, across Lake Washington. 
• Maggianos. Downtown Bellevue for great pinot noir and Italian fare. 
• Gilbert's on Main (Gilbert's Main Street Bagel), 10024 Main St, ☏ +1 425 455-5650. Serves excellent breakfasts & deli sandwiches, wide assortment of bagel choices, and great coffee. 
• Daniel's Broiler, 10500 NE 8th - 21st floor, ☏ +1 425 462-4662. Lunch: Monday - Friday: 11:30AM-2:30PM Dinner: Sunday - Thursday: 5PM-10PM Friday - Saturday: 5PM-11PM. Located on the 21st floor of the Bank of America Building, with spectacular views of the Cascade Mountains and Lake Washington available from every table. Serves traditional steak & seafood dishes, exclusively uses USDA Prime Beef. $$$$. 
• Facing East, 1075 Bellevue Way NE (From I-405, take exit 13b west onto NE 8th. Turn right on Bellevue Way: the restaurant is in a strip-mall immediately on the left.), ☏ +1 425 688-2986. Tu-Th: 11:30AM-3PM, 5PM-9PM: Fri-Sun 11:30AM-3PM, 5PM-10PM Closed Mon. Very good Taiwanese food: including many popular street foods. $8-12. 
• Din Tai Fung Dumpling House, 700 Bellevue Way NE, ☏ +1 425 698-1095. Award-winning restaurant originating in Taiwan, specializing in xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) and other Asian fares. $15-30. 

Drink

• Tap House Bar and Grill. 160 beers on tap. 
• Rock Bottom Brewery. Brews their own beers. 
• Joey's. A decent restaurant and bar. 
• Bellevue Brewing, 1820 130th Ave NE, ☏ +1 425 497-8686, contact@bellevuebrewing.com. Su-Th 11:30-10PM, F-Sa 11:30AM-11PM. Bellevue's first local brewery. 

Sleep

• Courtyard Seattle - Bellevue/Downtown, 11010 NE 8th St, ☏ +1 425 454-5888, fax: +1 425 455-5880. Closest hotel to the Meydenbauer Convention Center. $185-225. 
• Courtyard Seattle Bellevue/Redmond, 14615 NE 29th Pl, ☏ +1 425 869-5300, toll-free: +1 800 321-2211, fax: +1 425 883-9122. Located just off the 520 freeway. Within the heart of the Microsoft Main Campus. $139-159. 
• Fairfield Inn Seattle Bellevue, 14595 NE 29th Pl, ☏ +1 425 869-6548, fax: +1 425 881-2861. 
• Residence Inn Seattle Bellevue, 14455 NE 29th Pl, ☏ +1 425 882-1222, fax: +1 425 885-9260. 
• Hyatt Regency Bellevue, 900 Bellevue Way NE. The 382-room hotel offers views of the Olympic and Cascade mountain ranges and is a part of the Bellevue Collection, a major regional shopping destination. 
• 1 Larkspur Landing Bellevue, 15805 S.E. 37th St, ☏ +1 425 373 1212, toll-free: +1 877 527 5778, fax: +1 425 373 1500, bellevuell@larkspurhotels.com. Rooms have FeatherBorne Beds and full kitchens. Laundry facility, fitness room, grocery shopping. (updated Jul 2015)

Go next

• Seattle, the largest city in the Pacific Northwest
• The nearby Eastside cities of Kirkland, Redmond, Mercer Island, and Issaquah

Routes through Bellevue

Seattle ← Mercer Island ←	W  E	→ Issaquah → Spokane
Lynnwood ← Kirkland ←	N  S	→ Renton → Tukwila
Ends at ← Seattle ←	W  E	→ Redmond → END