Getting Around Tacoma
Tacoma sits on Puget Sound in Pierce County, Washington, and most of what a visitor wants to see — downtown, the museums, the waterfront, the university district — is reachable by a combination of local buses, a short light rail line, and your own two feet. The regional transit systems are well integrated, so you can move between Tacoma, the airport, Seattle, and the surrounding towns without a car if you plan ahead.
Light Rail in the City
Sound Transit operates a light rail line known as the T Line, which runs frequent trains between Freighthouse Square and downtown Tacoma, ending just north of 9th & Commerce. Along the way it passes UW Tacoma, several museums, several downtown hotels, and the downtown convention center. This is the simplest way to link the Tacoma Dome Station transit hub with the heart of downtown.
The T Line stop is along E 25th, between the parking garage buildings and the Freighthouse Square building, so it is easy to find when you arrive by bus or train.
Buses and Regional Transit
Pierce Transit runs the local bus network, using natural gas buses that connect with other regional transit systems. From Tacoma Dome Station, Pierce Transit routes fan out to surrounding cities and towns including Federal Way, Fife, Lakewood, Point Defiance Park and the ferry terminal, Puyallup, Gig Harbor, and downtown Tacoma and UW Tacoma. Fares are modest — an adult fare is $2 and youth fare is $0.75 — and Pierce Transit is part of the regional ORCA payment system, which is the card you will want for paying across agencies.
You can track Pierce Transit buses in real time with the free One Bus Away smartphone app, which covers the Puget Sound region and beyond. That is genuinely useful when you are standing at a stop wondering whether to wait or walk.
Sound Transit also runs express buses linking Lakewood, Tacoma, and Seattle. Notable routes include the 574, a daily express bus between Lakewood, Tacoma, Federal Way, Kent, the SeaTac light rail station, and the airport; the 590 and 594, which connect downtown Seattle, Tacoma Dome Station, downtown Tacoma/UW Tacoma, and Lakewood; the 592, serving downtown Seattle, Lakewood Park & Ride, Lakewood Sounder, and Dupont; and the 595, linking downtown Seattle, Tacoma Dome, Tacoma Community College, Gig Harbor, and Purdy. Some of these run only during weekday rush hours, so check the schedule before relying on them.
Intercity Transit routes 600 and 610 run daily from Lakewood (the SR-512 Park and Ride and the Lakewood Sounder Station) to Olympia. Route 610 makes more stops in Lacey, while route 600 is more direct to Olympia via the Lacey Park & Ride. These connect with Sound Transit services for onward travel.
King County Metro operates buses in and around Seattle and King County. The nearest transfer points from Tacoma are in Auburn, Federal Way/NE Tacoma, and the Tahlequah ferry terminal at the south end of Vashon Island.
Trains
Tacoma has two train stations, adjacent to each other in the Freighthouse Square building and both well marked. Tacoma Dome station is at 424 E 25th St, with its entrance in the middle to the west end of Freighthouse Square. Tacoma station is at 422 E 25th St, in a separate entrance next to the Sound Transit station.
Sound Transit's Sounder trains travel north to Seattle in the morning and south to Lakewood via Tacoma Dome and South Tacoma in the afternoons. They also run additional trains for Mariners and Seahawks home events — handy if you are heading up to a game in Seattle.
Intercity Buses
The main bus station for Greyhound, Northwestern Trailways, Sound Transit, Intercity Transit, Pierce Transit, and Link Light Rail is at the Tacoma Dome Station parking garage buildings at 510–610 E Puyallup Ave, facing E Puyallup Ave between East E St and East G St, one block north of Freighthouse Square. Greyhound, NW Trailways, and a taxi stand are at the west building, while Sound Transit, Intercity, and Pierce Transit buses are next door in front of the east building.
Greyhound and Flixbus stop along G Street next to the U-Haul Storage building, traveling primarily on Interstate 5 between Seattle, Tacoma, Olympia, and Portland; passengers transfer in Seattle, Olympia, or Portland for additional destinations. Northwestern Stage Lines (Northwest Trailways / Salt Lake City Express) uses the Greyhound stop at Tacoma Dome Station and runs a shuttle service between Tacoma and Spokane via Seattle, Everett, Stevens Pass, Leavenworth, Wenatchee, George, Moses Lake, and Ritzville, with tickets also bookable through Salt Lake City Express and Megabus.
Taxis and Ride-Hailing
A taxi stand is located at the west building of the Tacoma Dome Station parking garage complex, alongside the Greyhound and Northwestern Trailways stop. For airport transfers, shuttle and limo services are the main alternatives to taxis or a rental car, and several operators serve the Tacoma area specifically.
Walking
Downtown Tacoma is compact enough that the T Line plus walking covers a lot of ground: the rail line links the transit hub, the university, the museums, the convention center, and several hotels, so you can string together a day on foot with occasional train hops. The Freighthouse Square area, where the two train stations and the T Line stop sit together, is a natural starting point for exploring on foot.
Getting In from the Airport
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SeaTac, code SEA) is the nearest airport for commercial flights and serves much of the greater Seattle metropolitan area and the Pacific Northwest. Besides taxi, limo, or rental car, you have several options:
- Sound Transit bus route 574 — a daily express bus between Lakewood, Tacoma, Federal Way, Kent, the SeaTac light rail station, and the airport.
- ShuttleExpress — shared and private shuttle services between the airport and hotels and residences within the Tacoma–Seattle–Bellevue–Everett corridor and its vicinity. Catch them on the third level of the parking garage. Walk-ins are allowed for trips from the airport (shared vans only), but reservations are necessary for trips to the airport.
- Capital Aeroporter — serves areas mainly south of the airport, including Tacoma, Olympia, Auburn, Kent, Chehalis, Centralia, and Shelton.
- Bremerton-Kitsap Aeroporter — connects the airport to Tacoma, Gig Harbor, and the Kitsap Peninsula, with a scheduled stop at the Ben Dew Clubhouse on 6th Ave. It also runs a separate service between the airport and the Lewis-McChord Joint Military Base; a valid DoD ID card is required to enter Lewis-McChord.
For travel onward to Seattle, note that during the morning commute hours the more spacious Link Light Rail trains can get you to downtown Seattle in about the same time or even quicker than a shuttle, so they are worth considering if you are not carrying a lot of baggage.
There is also a seaplane option: Kenmore Air operates seaplane flights from Tacoma's Commencement Bay to the San Juan Islands, Seattle's Lake Union, and the Inner Harbour of Victoria BC. Travelers going to Victoria change planes in Seattle. The Tacoma location is at 3017 Ruston Way, in the old C.L. Shenanigans building next to the RAM Restaurant and Brewery.
Arriving by Car
Tacoma sits along Interstate 5, the most direct route from Portland or Seattle, and is accessed from exits #136 ("Port of Tacoma") through #127 ("S Tacoma Way/WA-512 to Puyallup"). To reach downtown, take Exit 133 to Interstate 705 just beyond the Tacoma Dome, then continue along I-705 past downtown to Schuster Pkwy for old town, north Tacoma, and the Ruston Way waterfront.
From the Kitsap Peninsula, take State Route 16 south through Gig Harbor and across the Tacoma Narrows Bridge — there is a toll crossing south into Tacoma but no toll north into Gig Harbor. Follow signs for I-5 "To Seattle" and exit at the next exit to I-705 for downtown, or follow signs for I-5 south "To Portland" for the south or east parts of town. N Pearl St connects the Washington State Ferry from Vashon Island to SR-16. From Interstate 90 and Spokane, take Exit 25 to State Route 18 and continue through Tiger Mountain, Covington, Maple Valley, and Auburn to Federal Way, then merge onto I-5 South.
If you are heading to Joint Base Lewis-McChord, use exits #125, #123, #122, #120, or #119 depending on your destination. Access to the base is controlled, and a valid Department of Defense ID and vehicle decal are required; otherwise, use the visitors center off exit 120.