The San Juan Islands, in general, make a stellar vacation destination.
Many visitors opt to stay in Friday Harbor, which has the greatest concentration of lodging options and restaurants. Friday Harbor also makes a fabulous launch pad for the many maritime activities that visitors shouldn’t miss, such as whale watching tours, kayaking, and sailing.
Outside of Friday Harbor, life on San Juan Island pretty quickly slows down so you can bike or take a leisurely drive past lavender farms and stop by a wine tasting room. Enjoy the slow pace and amazing scenery to its fullest.
Getting There: From Seattle, it’s about an hour and a half drive north to the city of Anacortes, and then another hour and a half on the ferry to Friday Harbor. For a faster journey of just 40 minutes, you can also charter a seaplane from Seattle. There is also a seasonal ferry from Seattle directly to Friday Harbor that takes just under four hours.
If you have time to visit some of the other San Juan Islands, they are even more rustic and undeveloped than the main island.
