10 hours · private hire · All year · best December and September
Leavenworth
A Bavarian village on the far side of the Cascades, built on purpose in 1962.
Leavenworth was a dying timber town in 1960. A civic committee decided to rebuild the entire centre in Bavarian style — every façade, every sign, the petrol station, the supermarket — and it worked so completely that the town now takes well over a million visitors a year.
The drive is genuinely half the day: over Stevens Pass and down the Tumwater Canyon beside the Wenatchee River. In December the lighting festival is beautiful and the traffic is not; we start early and park once.
What you see
- Front Street and the Bavarian centre, at whatever pace you like
- The Tumwater Canyon and the Wenatchee River
- Stevens Pass, 4,061 feet, in both directions
- The nutcracker museum, which is exactly what it sounds like and better than that
Worth knowing before you book
- Winter weekends the town is full by eleven. An early start is not optional.
- Passes can close in a storm. We watch the state road reports and reroute or reschedule rather than gamble with your day.
The price, whole vehicle
| Vehicle | 10 hours | Per head* |
|---|---|---|
 SUV6 seats · 6 bags | $1,350 | $225 |
 Van · up to 1010 seats · 16 bags | $1,650 | $275 |
 Sprinter · up to 1414 seats · 20 bags | $1,950 | $325 |
*If you fill it. The vehicle price does not change with your party size — this column is only there so you can compare us with a per-seat coach.
In the price
- ✓The whole vehicle for the whole window — nobody else aboard
- ✓A driver-guide who stays with you all day
- ✓Pickup at Pier 91, Pier 66, your hotel, an address or Sea-Tac
- ✓Fuel, tolls, parking and the vehicle's ferry fare
- ✓Luggage space — cruise-day bags travel with you, at no charge
- ✓Bottled water, and a charging cable that fits your phone
- ✓Child seats on request, free
- ✓Free cancellation up to 24 hours before pickup
Not in the price
- ✗Mount Rainier / Olympic park entry — $30 per vehicle, seven days
- ✗Boeing Future of Flight — $14 admission · $42 factory tour, each
- ✗Space Needle, Chihuly, MoPOP — Timed tickets, book them yourself
- ✗Tasting fees in Woodinville — Usually $15–35, often waived on a bottle
- ✗Meals — Yours — we will stop wherever you like
- ✗Gratuity — Appreciated, never expected, never added
Where this day goes
