Leavenworth, WA Day Trip Travel Guide

Just 2.5 hours east of Seattle, nestled into a narrow valley of the Cascade Mountains is the picturesque Bavarian themed village of Leavenworth. It is regularly ranked as one of the top Christmas towns in the US and hosts one of the best Oktoberfest in the country as well, but even if you can’t visit during one of these epic events, Leavenworth has plenty to offer for a quick day or even weekend getaway! We recently had the opportunity to take a day trip from Seattle to Leavenworth and want to share our experience with you!

*Be sure to check out our “Day Trip to Leavenworth, WA” travel vlog for a closer look at our time*

We started the day off with some much needed caffeine and a light breakfast at The Gingerbread Factory which was pleasant. It’s nothing fancy, but they had an assortment of pastries and a nice selection of hot and cold beverages. If you’re looking for a heartier breakfast, you may want to check out one of the other restaurants listed.

9:00 am: Coffee/Breakfast

• The Gingerbread Factory (829 Front St)

• Louie’s Cafe (820 Commercial St Ste A)

• Parsley's Pantry (703 US-2)

After breakfast, it was time to explore the main street in Leavenworth, Front Street! There are dozens of boutiques, gift shops, bakeries, and more lining the street, so we recommend just taking some time to stroll up and down, popping in and out of all of the fun and unique offerings!

10:00 am: Explore Front Street

• Nutcracker Museum

• Kris Kringl

• The Cheesemonger’s Cheese Shop

• Leavenworth Boutique

• Fudge Hut & Garnishes Boutique

• Schocolat

In order to stay on theme for the day, we decided to have lunch at one of the most popular Bavarian restaurants in town, Muenchen Haus! And it did not disappoint! Since we knew that we would be tasting our way around town most of the day, we decided to split their “Big "bob" Bratwurst” which is a 1/3 pound, all pork traditional wurst and we added stone ground mustard and curry ketchup. We also got a pretzel and German Potato Salad. Beyond the food, another thing we loved about München Haus was the fact that they have a nice selection of local beers, including some great options from Leavenworth’s own Icicle Brewing Company! Definitely worth checking out!

12:30 pm: Lunch

• München Haus (709 Front St)

• Leavenworth Sausage Garten (636 Front St # G)

• Rhein Haus (707 US-2 unit f)

After filling up on amazing German food and local beer, we headed to Riverfront Park which is a public park with trails that wind along the Wenatchee River and through quiet riverbank forests. There are benches and picnic tables throughout the park, and the views of the surrounding Cascade Mountains are absolutely breathtaking!

2:00 pm: Explore Riverfront Park

Being the foodies that we are, we felt that after some hiking in Riverfront Park we had earned a treat! Of course, I wanted ice cream, Natalie wanted gelato, so we did both! I got the Blackberry Fool at Whistlepunk Ice Cream Co. which is a brightly flavored blackberry sorbet folded into a welcoming bed of sweet heavy cream and it was honestly one of my favorite ice cream flavors I've ever had! For Natalie’s gelato, we went to Viadolce Gelato. She got their Pink Guava and Stracciatella (basically chocolate chip/vanilla), and while both were delicious, the Pink Guava was the star of the show there. And if you’re needing a little afternoon caffeine kick as well, Viadolce has a full espresso bar as well!

4:30 pm: Afternoon coffee/dessert

• Whistlepunk Ice Cream Co. (707 US-2 suite c)

• Viadolce Gelato (636 Front St D)

• Icicle Coffee & Chocolates (900 Front St Suite e)

We joked that we unintentionally turned our time in Leavenworth into a food/drink tour, but… sorry, not sorry! So… after some sweet treats, it’s happy hour time! There are a lot of great options for drinks around Leavenworth, and while Wok About Mongolian Grill isn’t on par with the German theme, we couldn’t resist the views! Their rooftop bar at sunset produces some of the best happy hour views of the Cascades out of anywhere else in town. Of course, if you want to stick to a more Bavarian style institution, we totally understand which is why we’ve listed a handful of excellent options.

5:30 pm: Happy Hour

• Wok About Mongolian Grill (920 Front St)

• Icicle Brewing Company (935 Front St)

• Leavenworth Cider House (939 Front St)

• Bushel & Bee Taproom (900 Front St suite c)

• Stein (801 Front St)

Finishing out the day strong, we wanted a super traditional German style restaurant, and we didn’t have to look any further than Andreas Keller. Their slogan “Munich without the passport” says it all! Again, since we had tasted our way around the town all day, we decided to split the Jaeger Schnitzel and one of their giant homemade pretzels and we did not regret our decision! Both dishes were excellent and authentic! The delicious German food combined with the live accordion music and traditional lederhosen and dirndl uniforms of the staff definitely made us miss Germany!

7:00 pm: Dinner

• Andreas Keller (829 Front St)

• Bären Haus (901 Front St)

• Mozart's Steakhouse (829 Front St)

And just like that, our time in Leavenworth has come to an end! If you’re planning a visit, we hope that this blog has helped you, and if you’re not planning to visit… What are you waiting for?! In all seriousness, thank you for stopping by! Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions here or on Instagram (@AdventuresofMattandNat)! Prost!