Itinerary: Napa Valley and Surrounding Wine Region

Napa Valley is hard to beat. It’s quintessential California wine region – a pretty valley covered with vineyards and wildflowers everywhere you look nestled between rolling hills that go from green to gold in the summer. The wine is world-renowned (I mean, that’s why you’re visiting, right?) and it can be just as romantic as it seems in books and films. But the concept of “Napa” pours over into the surrounding regions of Sonoma and Sebastopol. While you can easily spend all of your days in a wine-soaked haze, there are actually some other things to do and see nearby that we think are worth-while. A final note, yes, tasting in Napa and surroundings (but especially Napa) has become expensive. It’s an expensive area in general. Back when one Jeff (one of this site’s creators) used to taste it was actually free – now you’ll be paying anywhere from $20-75 per tasting at each place. Just know you should budget that in.

Length: 2 – 3 days

Transportation: Car/cab. You’re going to have to get there, most likely from SFO or Oakland airport. You can take a lyft/uber/cab but it won’t be cheap. You can also lyft/uber/cab around wine region (or hire a driver for the day) but that too will add up. Figure out how much and when you will be drinking and plan accordingly. We prefer a combo of rental car and hired service. Seriously, do not drink and drive.

In-Depth Itinerary

Welcome to Napa! Napa Valley is undoubtedly beautiful. There are multiple distinct regions within the valley itself, and honestly, Napa proper is probably the least great of the lot. You can make this trip as short or as long as you like. We live in San Francisco and will often go up to the Napa/Sonoma Valleys for just a quick day trip. We also happen to love wine. These are based on our recommendations (we have wine memberships to multiple of these wineries because we enjoy them so much). However, there are hundreds of wineries in the region. Our suggestion is to pick about 2 per day (possibly 3 but then you run the risk of getting wine-slogged and purchasing some very expensive wine) and breaking up the adventure with a hike or spa. It’s a beautiful region, especially in the summer and fall and you will surely enjoy yourself. Napa Valley itself is made up of multiple small cities and generally they get cuter the further north you head. Take advantage of exploring the small, cute towns along the way: Healdsburg, St. Helena, Calistoga. Grab picnic stuff at one of the many delis along the way. And sample to your heart’s content.

With 3 days we recommend you visit 3 distinct areas: Sonoma, Napa, and Healdsburg. With less time remove one of the areas. With more time, add in Sebastopol, a trip to Bodega Bay, or keep driving to Mendocino and the Anderson Valley Wineries. Map your wineries out – just because something says “Sonoma Valley” doesn’t mean it’s close to downtown Sonoma for example. We built this itinerary to stay two nights in one place and a single night in another for driving purposes, but you could move around each night or spend all three nights in one place – it’s up to you.

Finally, hire a driver or someone has to offer to be the designated driver. We cannot emphasize enough, please do NOT drink and drive. A quick google search will lead you to tons of drivers you can hire for the day. Or you can Uber around. Stay safe – cops are everywhere and will absolutely pull you over for intoxicated driving. Your safety and that of other peoples’ is not worth saving a few bucks.

Day 1 – Sonoma

Begin your day at the historic Sonoma Plaza where you can grab breakfast at Sunflower Caffe or The Girl and the Fig and wander around the plaza/town a bit. If it’s still early, stop at Jack London State Historic Park to see where the famous writer once lived and learn more about his history. Great options for wine tasting include Anaba Wines, Schug Carneros Estate Winery, Imagery Estate Winery, Kunde, and Schermeister (more or less in that order of driving). For dinner (if you end with Schermeister) we recommend the very good Glen Ellen Star right next door. Otherwise return to Sonoma Plaza and eat at The Girl and the Fig, LaSalette, or slightly further away, HopMonk Tavern.

We recommend you stay the first two nights in Sonoma – it’s generally cheaper than Napa. Our recs for lodging include Andrea’s Hidden Cottage, Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn and Spa, Gaigehouse and Dryokan, Inn at Sonoma, Oleana, or Cinnamon Bear Creekside Inn .

Day 2 – Napa

Begin your day with exploring Oxbow Public Market, an artisan food market that’s wonderfully fun to poke around. Grab brunch here or head to Mustard’s Grill. Before drinking consider a hike in Bothe-Napa Valley State Park. There are a lot of famous, expensive, (some not all that great) and now highly touristed wineries in this beautiful valley. It would take decades to sample them all. We first suggest a stop at Grgich Hills Estate. Founded by the winemaker whose California wines stunned the world by beating out hundreds of French wines at the “Judgement of Paris”, it’s a great place, though increasingly expensive (have we gotten that across – Napa is expensive!). Other options include Rombauer Winery, a California staple for its chardonnay. Other ones we like include Clos Pegase Winery, Krupp Brothers Winery and Estate
ZD Winery, and Matthiasson. If you want a very laid back experience where the wine maker sits at your table with you, head to Elyse (also probably the most affordable of the bunch). If you visit Napa, you should make your way up to St. Helena and Calistoga for that Napa scenic beauty. These are extremely pretty Napa valley towns and offer artisan shops and places to eat. If wine tasting isn’t your thing head to the spa at Calistoga. For dinner head to Calistoga Inn, Solbar – Solage, Evangeline, Gott’s roadside, Mustards Grill, The French Laundry, Bouchon Bistro, or La Calenda. For The French Laundry you must make reservations far in advance.

Day 3 – Healdsburg

Healdsburg is lovely and beautiful. Plan to have breakfast at Costeaux or Flying Goat Coffee. Stop at Troubadour or Summer’s Market and Deli for picnic supplies. Our favorite spot is De La Montanya where you can taste and explore their beautiful garden. Other options we like include Mill Creek Vineyards, Mauritson, MacRostie, Mounts, Bella, Wilson, Medlock Ames, and Reeve Wines. If you need a break from wine, there are very beautiful redwood trees near Healdsburg at Armstrong Redwoods State Nature Reserve – cross a couple of things off your bucket list by visiting here. Get an ice cream at Noble Folk Ice cream. For dinner check out Valette, Spoonbar (great cocktails), Barndiva, Chalkboard, and Dry Creek Kitchen (which is very splurgy and requires advanced reservations).