Travel Times:

Driving your car onto the ferry and then driving to Port Townsend takes at least 2 hours. That is without ferry lines. With Labor Day weekend ferry lines and delays, it can take significantly longer (up to 5 hours).

Driving around via Tacoma (without using the ferries), is 2 hours from downtown Seattle and about 1.5 hours from SeaTac Airport. With Labor Day traffic, it will take longer.

Arriving Sept 3rd or earlier:
You won’t have to worry as much about Labor Day traffic or ferry delays.

Arriving Sept 4th:
Labor Day traffic and ferry delays could be rough, especially later in the afternoon/evening. So get on the road in the earlier part of the day if you can.

Arriving Saturday Sept 5th: If you’re coming from Seattle, drive to the wedding on Saturday at your own peril. Expect Labor Day traffic and unpredictable ferry delays. Carlo and Jill will not be fielding panicked phone calls from people who are still waiting in line for a ferry an hour before the wedding starts. Leave the car behind and take our shuttle bus! If you must bring your car, get on the road (and/or in line for the ferry) hours earlier than you think you need to.

Which way to go:

1) Fewer delays, less scenic, less fun:

Drive to Port Townsend via Tacoma by heading south on I-5 from Seattle (or from the airport if you’re flying in). Take Hwy 16 (Tacoma Narrows Bridge) to Hwy 3 North and follow Google maps to Port Townsend from there.

2) More scenic, more fun, potential delays:

Drive into Seattle and take the Bremerton Ferry from Colman Dock. Take Hwy 3 North from Bremerton and follow Google maps to Port Townsend from there. There are generally much shorter lines for the Bremerton Ferry than the Bainbridge Ferry, and the Bremerton Ferry is more scenic (both leave from the same terminal, both get you where you need to go). You can ask - which ferry currently has a longer wait - when you buy your ticket because the ticket booth is for both ferries. Bremerton Ferry Schedule (the ride is one hour of great views).

See Diagram