Skip to content
Join our Newsletter

This picturesque village looks exactly like Germany and is close to Vancouver

While you'll have to travel south of the border to enjoy it, Leavenworth offers a magical Oktoberfest experience that you'd be hard-pressed to find anywhere else in North America.

Oktoberfest, anyone?

While you'll have to travel south of the border to enjoy it, Leavenworth offers a magical Oktoberfest experience that you'd be hard-pressed to find anywhere else in North America.

Indeed, the picturesque Washington village looks exactly like a German town. With alpine rooftops, adorable shuttered windows, latticework features, horse-drawn carriages, beer gardens, and more, the destination transports you into Bavaria.

What's more, the village offers incredible Oktoberfest events through the month of October. As such, fans of the autumnal festival may catch the events on any weekend during the month for a fun weekend getaway. It takes roughly four hours to reach from Vancouver, but travel times will depend on border traffic.

With that being said, the holiday will immerse you in the spirit of Oktoberfest, with a number of exciting activities for people of all ages to enjoy. Further, they have four venues each with live entertainment, food and beer.

Every Saturday during the festival a Bavarian procession with the village people carry flags through the streets. They play old familiar and traditional Bavarian marches and polkas, and villagers and visiting guests will be in colourful traditional Bavarian dirndls and lederhosen.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BosVArhDb5C/?taken-at=214841160

https://www.instagram.com/p/BouHvptA3_r/?taken-at=214841160

And while the Oktoberfest activities are fun, Leavenworth offers a number of activities throughout the year. During Christmas the village is decorated with beautiful lights and comes alive with the festive spirit. They even have a Nutcracker Museum that has thousands of nutcrackers!

In addition, it is located in the Cascade Mountains and is close to a number of ski resorts. There are also a number of wineries nearby, so it is ideal for wine tours.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bot0QepgCes/?taken-at=214841160

https://www.instagram.com/p/BosxCEyAi0O/?taken-at=214841160

Looking for another magical fall getaway near Vancouver? Check out our roundup of cozy cabin accommodations that will completely refresh you!

This story was originally published on Oct. 9, 2018