title: How Far Is Seattle to Bellevue? Distance, Drive Time and Light Rail
url: https://boardspy.site/blog/how-far-seattle-to-bellevue/
type: Article
dateModified: 2026-08-16
publisher: BoardSpy
quick_answer: Quick answer: About 10 miles. Fifteen to twenty minutes clear, and up to forty-five at peak.
primary_keyword: how far is seattle to bellevue
keywords[14]{term}:
  how far is seattle to bellevue
  bellevue wa to seattle wa
  seattle to bellevue
  seattle wa to bellevue wa
  bellevue washington to seattle washington
  bellevue to seattle light rail
  seattle to bellevue light rail
  how far bellevue to seattle
  light rail bellevue to seattle
  bellevue to seattle washington
  how far from seattle to bellevue
  light rail seattle to bellevue
  bellevue to seattle distance
  light rail from bellevue to seattle
faqs[5]{q,a}:
  How far is Seattle to Bellevue?,About 10 miles downtown to downtown. Free-flow is 15–20 minutes. Weekday peaks run 35–45 minutes on I-90 or SR 520. Pattern estimates, not live times.
  How long is the light rail from Seattle to Bellevue?,Sound Transit’s 2 Line takes about 22 minutes in-vehicle from downtown Seattle (International District) to Downtown Bellevue, or about 25–28 minutes to Westlake. Times stay fixed because the line uses dedicated rail across I-90.
  Is I-90 or SR 520 better?,From downtown Seattle to downtown Bellevue, I-90 is usually shorter. From the University District or north Seattle, SR 520 is the obvious choice. Both are floating bridges with no lake diversion if one fails.
  When is the worst time to drive Seattle to Bellevue?,Westbound into Seattle 6:00–9:30 a.m. and eastbound toward Bellevue 3:00–7:00 p.m. Midday 10:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. is the best window in both directions.
  Are the Lake Washington bridges tolled?,SR 520 is tolled, with rates that vary by time of day and Good To Go. I-90 has express lanes with their own rules. For a daily commute, price the toll against Link fares.
citations[3]{name,url}:
  Sound Transit 2 Line,https://www.soundtransit.org/ride-with-us/routes-schedules/2-line
  Sound Transit 2026 service plan travel estimates,https://www.soundtransit.org/sites/default/files/documents/2026-service-plan-travel-estimates.pdf
  BoardSpy data sources,https://boardspy.site/facts/data-sources/
internal_links[2]{label,url}:
  How far is Seattle to Tacoma,https://boardspy.site/blog/how-far-seattle-to-tacoma/
  Best time to leave in Seattle,https://boardspy.site/blog/best-time-to-leave-seattle-avoid-traffic/