3 days in Door County, Wisconsin, a sample itinerary

Sample itinerary. This plan shows the format and level of detail of a VanSledright Travel itinerary. Opening hours, prices, ferry times and seasonal dates change, so confirm the details with each provider before you book. Each day ends with a breakfast, lunch and dinner pick near that day’s stops; price levels run from $ (inexpensive) to $$$$ (a splurge), and restaurants change too, so check before you go.

Where should you stay for 3 days in Door County?

Stay in Fish Creek for all three nights. It sits on the Green Bay side about halfway up the peninsula, right at the entrance to Peninsula State Park, and it has plenty of places to eat within walking distance. Every stop in this plan is within about 40 minutes’ drive.

Ephraim and Sister Bay, the next two villages north, work just as well. Ephraim is quieter and faces the sunset; Sister Bay is larger and a little closer to the Washington Island ferry. Rooms are in inns, small motels and rentals, not large hotels, and they book up early for July, August and the October color weekends.

How do you get to and around Door County?

The nearest airport is Green Bay (GRB), about an hour’s drive from Sturgeon Bay, the small city at the base of the peninsula. Appleton is a little farther, and Milwaukee is about two and a half hours from Sturgeon Bay. All three have rental cars. From Chicago, allow about four and a quarter hours to Sturgeon Bay. Fish Creek is roughly another half hour north.

You need a car. Two highways run up the peninsula: Highway 42 along the Green Bay side, through Egg Harbor, Fish Creek, Ephraim and Sister Bay, and Highway 57 along the Lake Michigan side, through Jacksonport and Baileys Harbor. They meet in Sister Bay, and Highway 42 continues to the ferry at Northport Pier.

Wisconsin state parks require a vehicle admission pass. A daily pass is $16 for a car with out-of-state plates and $13 with Wisconsin plates; an annual pass is $50 or $28 (as of 2026). You can buy one online or at the park. This plan uses state parks on days 1 and 3, so two daily passes cost less than an annual one for out-of-state visitors.

Day 1: Peninsula State Park and Ephraim

Morning. Enter Peninsula State Park from Fish Creek. Drive Shore Road to Eagle Bluff Light Station, built in 1868, where the Door County Historical Society runs tours from mid-May to mid-October for a small fee. Continue to Eagle Tower. The 60-foot tower puts you 253 feet above the bay, and you can reach the top by 100 steps or by an 850-foot accessible ramp that climbs through the treetops.

Afternoon. Leave the park at the Ephraim end and have lunch on the waterfront. Afterward, go back into the park for its sand beach and bike trails, or spend the afternoon in the shops and galleries of Fish Creek.

Evening. Go to a fish boil, Door County’s signature meal. Lake Michigan whitefish, potatoes and onions are boiled in a kettle over a wood fire outdoors, and at the end the cook throws kerosene on the fire so the pot boils over in a burst of flame. Then walk to Anderson Dock at the north end of Ephraim for sunset. Boaters have painted their boats’ names on the old warehouse there for decades.

Where to eat on day 1

• Breakfast: White Gull Inn (Fish Creek, $$). A historic inn on Main Street that serves breakfast daily from 7:30am, a few minutes from the park entrance. No reservations at breakfast, so go early on weekends.
• Lunch: Wilson’s Restaurant & Ice Cream Parlor (Ephraim, $). Burgers, house-made root beer and sundaes on the Ephraim waterfront since 1906, in the middle of the village. Open mid-May to mid-October.
• Dinner: Old Post Office Restaurant (Ephraim, $$$). A traditional fish boil on the Ephraim shore, a short walk from Anderson Dock. Open mid-May to late October; the fish boil is by reservation only, so call ahead.

Day 2: Washington Island

Morning. Drive north on Highway 42 through Sister Bay and Ellison Bay to Northport Pier, about 40 minutes from Fish Creek. The Washington Island Ferry crosses in about 30 minutes and takes cars. In summer and early fall it leaves on the hour, and tickets are sold first come, first served; a round trip is $16 per adult plus $30 for a car (as of 2026). Take the car so you can cover the island.

Afternoon. Drive to Schoolhouse Beach, a cove whose shore is made of smooth limestone stones in place of sand. The stones stay on the beach; taking them is not allowed. Visit the Stavkirke, a wooden church built in the style of a traditional Norwegian stave church, and climb the lookout tower at Mountain Park for a view over the island. If you have a whole day and an early start, a passenger ferry runs in season from Jackson Harbor to Rock Island State Park, where no cars or bikes are allowed.

Evening. Catch a late-afternoon ferry back and stop in Sister Bay for dinner. Check the time of the last boat when you buy your ticket.

Where to eat on day 2

• Breakfast: Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant (Sister Bay, $$). Swedish pancakes with lingonberries from 7am, on your way north to the ferry. Goats graze on its sod roof from late May to mid-October.
• Lunch: The Albatross Drive-In (Washington Island, $). A burger and shake stand with picnic tables, open since 1977, a mile and a half from the ferry dock. Open May to October.
• Dinner: Sister Bay Bowl (Sister Bay, $$). A supper club with a six-lane bowling alley, run for about 75 years and known for fried perch and its fish fry. On Highway 42 as you drive back to Fish Creek.

Day 3: Cana Island, Baileys Harbor and Cave Point

Morning. Cross the peninsula to the Lake Michigan side, about 20 minutes, and drive to Cana Island Lighthouse north of Baileys Harbor. You reach the island by a short rocky causeway that can be wet when the lake is high, so wear shoes that can get wet. The 89-foot tower dates from 1869, and 97 steps lead to the gallery. It is open daily from May through October.

Afternoon. Have lunch in Baileys Harbor. If you like a quiet walk, The Ridges Sanctuary on the edge of the village has boardwalk trails through forest and wetland, and a pair of historic range lights. Then drive about 20 minutes south to Cave Point County Park, where Lake Michigan has cut caves and ledges into the limestone cliffs. The rock is slippery when wet, so stay back from the edge when waves are breaking. A half-mile trail leads south into Whitefish Dunes State Park, which has a long sand beach and trails through the dunes.

Evening. Drive back across the peninsula to Fish Creek for a last walk along the harbor and an easy dinner.

Where to eat on day 3

• Breakfast: Julie’s Park Cafe (Fish Creek, $$). Omelets, pancakes and baked goods beside the Peninsula State Park entrance, open from 7am, before the drive across the peninsula.
• Lunch: Harbor Fish Market & Grille (Baileys Harbor, $$$). Whitefish and other seafood on Highway 57 in the middle of the village, between Cana Island and Cave Point. It closes some weekdays outside summer, so check the days.
• Dinner: Wild Tomato Wood-Fired Pizza and Grille (Fish Creek, $$). Wood-fired pizza on Highway 42 in Fish Creek, for a casual last night close to where you’re staying.

When is the best time to visit Door County?

Late May to mid-October is the season for this plan. July and August are the warmest months, the best for swimming and the busiest. September is quieter with most places still open. The first half of October brings fall color and another busy stretch on weekends. For a December trip in Wisconsin, see the Christmas markets in New Glarus and Elkhart Lake on our Midwest Christmas markets road trip.

If you travel outside that window, expect these closures:

• Seasonal restaurants and shops. Many close from late October to mid-May. Of the places in this plan, Wilson’s, the Old Post Office and the Albatross Drive-In are seasonal; White Gull Inn serves breakfast all year.
• Eagle Tower is open from about May 1 to October 31, depending on the weather.
• Lighthouses. Cana Island is open May through October, and Eagle Bluff tours run from mid-May to mid-October.
• Ferries. The Washington Island Ferry runs all year, but with only a few crossings a day in winter, when vehicle reservations are required. The Rock Island ferry stops in mid-October.
• State parks stay open all year.

What should you book ahead in Door County?

Book these before you go, especially for July, August and October weekends:

• Your room. Fish Creek, Ephraim and Sister Bay are small villages with a limited number of rooms.
• The fish boil. Most restaurants run set seatings and take reservations.
• A rental car, if you are flying into Green Bay.
• A kayak tour at Cave Point, if you’d like to see the caves from the water. Several outfitters run them in summer.

You can’t reserve the Washington Island Ferry in summer. Arrive early and buy tickets at the pier.

Want a Door County plan built for your trip?

This sample is written for two adults with a car on a first visit. A custom plan starts from your own dates, budget, pace and interests: a family trip with beach time, a fall color weekend, more hiking and paddling, or a fourth day on Rock Island.

A custom itinerary for a trip of up to 3 days is $79. Send your details through the form below and we’ll confirm the plan and the price by email before you pay anything. See pricing for longer trips.