Seattle & Leavenworth, Washington 

Nick Carver Photography

When to Go
Seattle: The climate is generally mild; snow is rare in winter, and summer temperatures are rarely above 80 degrees Fahrenheit. On average, it rains in Seattle at least 50 percent of the time, with the heaviest rain periods between January and May. June, July and August are the driest and warmest months.

Leavenworth: In the rain shadow of the Cascades, Leavenworth has a relatively dry four-season climate, with cool nights and warm sunny days for much of the year. It’s about 135 miles from Seattle to Leavenworth, making it a perfect weekend getaway; budget-conscious travelers will get better deals on a mid-week visit.

Getting Around
Seattle: The city is laid out in a somewhat confusing grid pattern of streets (east-west) and avenues (north-south), but there are lots of exceptions. Click here for an online map for travel planning, but buy a regular printed map on arrival. The city is flanked by Lake Washington to the east and Puget Sound to the west, and was built on seven adjacent hills. Seattleites think of their city in terms of neighborhoods; click here for details. Traffic can be challenging, so check out the mass transit options, including the monorail, ferries, and waterfront streetcar.

Leavenworth: The most scenic route from Seattle to Leavenworth is to go via Woodinville, home to over 20 Washington wineries, then follow U.S. 2 through dramatic Stevens Pass into Leavenworth. Don’t worry if it’s raining on the western slope of the Cascades – once you start descending the eastern side, it’s likely to be sunny and bright. Once in Leavenworth, you’ll mainly use your car for exploring, although the generally flat valley floor is beautiful for bicycling, and hiking trails abound.

Sights & Activities

Seattle: Home to America’s coffee craze, we guarantee you’ll like it a latte. (Sorry, we couldn’t resist). Surrounded by water and forest, Seattle offers an unusual mix of city attractions and outdoor recreation. Let the weather help plan your itinerary. If the day brings typical Seattle mist, start with the famous Pike Place Market, the perfect place for delectable urban grazing and shopping, then head over to the nearby Odyssey Maritime Discovery Center, a family favorite. If the weather is clear, make a beeline for the Space Needle or the Columbia Center for dramatic city view, especially at sunset; you can get a similar vista for free at the memorably named Bhy Kracke Park (pronounced by crackie) on Queen Anne Hill. Indoor options for every taste and age range from the Seattle Art Museum  including the newly expanded museum, the separate Asian Art Museum, and Olympic Sculpture Park, to the Experience Music Project, a rock and roll museum, and its sister organization, the Science Fiction Museum. Serious sightseers should check out the Go Seattle Card, a multi-attraction pass. More info here and here.

Leavenworth: Located in the Icicle Valley, Leavenworth is surrounded by 10,000-foot mountain peaks, named the Enchantments. First developed as a railroad and lumbering town, Leavenworth's economy collapsed in the 1930s when the train line was rerouted and the sawmill closed. In 1962, the town fathers decreed that given the area's alpine geography, Leavenworth would be recreated as a Bavarian village.

The holiday season brings a multitude of theme events, from Christmas fairs (called Christkindlmarkt), to the Christmas Lighting, when the village is illuminated with thousands of lights, to a plethora of holiday concerts. Contact the Chamber of Commerce for details. Should you enjoy the Bavarian theme, endless shops await; if you like nutcrackers, visit the Nutcracker Museum to see (or buy) thousands of the little fellows.

Best of all is the area’s natural beauty, perfect for hiking, road and mountain biking, fishing, rafting, birding, and golf in warm weather, and snow-shoeing, snowmobiling, downhill and cross-country skiing in winter. More info…

B&Bs and Inns

Seattle

The Admiral Arms B&B offers affordable accommodation and gracious English hospitality in the historic university district, just a short walk north of the UW Campus.


Built in 1909 and conveniently located on Capitol Hill, Bacon Mansion is an Edwardian-style Tudor mansion with original woodwork, marble fireplaces, and lots of space for guests to relax indoors and outside on the garden patio.


Perched atop a peaceful hill in Seattle’s University District, the Chambered Nautilus is a classic 1915 Georgian Colonial home, surrounded by beautiful gardens. Guest rooms combine antique charm and lovely décor with everything needed for business travelers. Delicious breakfasts are complemented by snacks and beverages available 24-7. For longer stays, ask about the one- and two-bedroom suites in an adjacent building.



Blayne and Julie McAferty are the delightful innkeepers at the Greenlake Guest House, a 1920s Craftsman-style home located right across the street from Green Lake Park. Highlights include immaculately clean and comfortable guest rooms and common areas, most with lake and park views. Great breakfasts plus tempting tea and cookies, too.


A Prairie-style home built in 1904, Salisbury House is located near Volunteer Park, in a historic residential neighborhood, close to the shops and cafés of 15th Avenue. The beautiful foyer leads to the parlors, and the innkeeper’s original art collection highlights the décor. Each of the four guest rooms occupies a separate corner of the house, and two have balconies overlooking the garden.

The Shafer Baillie Mansion is an extraordinary 14,000 square-foot Tudor Revival home, built in 1914 on Seattle's original Millionaires' Row, just a block from Volunteer Park. Innkeepers Ana Lena Melka and Mark Mayhle have returned the mansion to its original elegance, while updating the guest rooms with private baths, large flat-screen TVs, Wi-Fi, and more.


Set on a quiet hillside overlooking Puget Sound, Mount Rainier, and the regal Olympic Mountains, Three Tree Point B&B offers a cottage and a suite about 15 minutes from downtown Seattle and SeaTac Airport. Guests fix their own breakfast (fixings provided) for complete privacy. Highlights include beach walks and observing ship traffic, barking seals, soaring eagles, and sometimes breaching orca whales. Children welcome.



Our short visit allowed us to visit only a few Seattle B&Bs; for more information, click here for a comprehensive list. For more inns in surrounding communities, including Tacoma, click here.

Leavenworth

An Austrian-style chalet, Abendblume B&B is framed by flowers in warm weather, and has a garden hot tub with dramatic mountain and valley views. The luxurious guest rooms include the Almrosen Suite with a wood-burning fireplace, a private balcony overlooking the mountains, and a bathroom with a body-jet shower and double Jacuzzi tub.


Guests enjoy dramatic views of the Wenatchee River and surrounding mountains from the common areas, guest rooms, decks, and balconies of the Enchanted River Inn. We loved the New Seasons Suite, with king-size bed, fireplace, double Jacuzzi tub, and amazing shower with waterfall and body sprays.


It’s probably worth visiting the Mountain Home Lodge just for the magnificent views of the Cascades Mountains, but while you are there, be sure to enjoy the comfortable rooms and cottages, and delicious meals, and best of all the hiking, swimming pool, and tennis in summer, and the cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and snowmobiling in winter.


River Haus in the Pines is a Craftsman-style home, recently built by innkeepers Mike and Cindy Hendricks. This charming B&B’s common areas, guest rooms, and decks overlook the beautiful Wenatchee River. The Icicle Creek and Eagle Creek rooms have dramatic river and mountain views; the hand-painted headboard in the Icicle Creek Room was among the many examples of original art.


Run of the River Inn & Refuge and Ravenwood Lodge is the ultimate romantic getaway. Guest rooms combine the rustic charm of log furnishings with whirlpool tubs faced with river rock, fireplaces, and private balconies with swings for two overlooking the Icicle River. Every detail has been thought of by longtime innkeepers Monty and Karen Turner, from binoculars to bicycles to snowshoes. Although an extremely private experience, guests do come together each morning for amazing breakfasts – we savored fruit smoothies, blueberry cobbler, crepe-like egg burritos, and a variety of tasty rolls and muffins.


Our short visit allowed us to visit only a few of Leavenworth’s B&Bs; for more information, click here.

If you see this button on an inn's listing, click it to book your room directly from BedandBreakfast.com!