Napa Valley Day Trip

A visit to Napa Valley is a sensory experience: the smell of the wines, views of golden hills dotted with California live oaks rising above orderly rows of grapevines, the taste of the foods and wines. This fertile and productive area runs from the town of Napa in the south to Calistoga in the north, less than thirty miles, but it's packed with hundreds of wineries, enough to bewilder the heartiest of travelers. We'll show you how to sample the best of it in a day.

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Pace Yourself

We've been on enough winery tours and visited enough tasting rooms to tell you with authority that they're all more or less the same. Everyone makes wine the same way, and unless you're a wine conoisseur, it all tastes nice. The most interesting tours and prettiest tasting rooms are off the beaten path, and you're not likely to find them by just driving into Napa Valley and picking a place at random.

Furthermore, a visit to Napa is about savoring what it has to offer, not speed-drinking. Rather than packing in a bunch of winery visits in one day, pick one winery tour and one wine tasting from our top Napa Valley wineries list, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. The best will require reservations.

Depending on the wineries you've chosen, drive through Napa Valley on Highway 29 in one direction and on Silverado Trail in the other. Not only is Silverado Trail less busy than the main highway, but it's more scenic, too.

The patio at Domaine Carneros south of the town of Napa is a great place to end your day in wine country. They're open a little later than other wineries, and the views from their patio are extraordinary.

Dining

Allow enough time for a leisurely lunch in one of the Napa Valley's many fine restaurants. Centrally located St. Helena may be the most convenient place, and you'll find a nice selection of excellent eateries there.

For an easy wine country picnic, buy some goodies from Oakville Grocery (Highway 29 at Oakville Cross Road) or the Sunshine Market on the south side of St. Helena. Our Napa Valley winery guide lists some of the best places to picnic.

Getting to Napa Valley

It will take about an hour to get to the south end of Napa Valley from San Francisco. Take U. S. Highway 101 north across the Golden Gate Bridge and exit at CA 37 East (exit 460A). Go north on CA 29.

If you're taking our advice to skip the rental car while staying in San Francisco, you can rent one for the day from Avis or Hertz's city offices near Fisherman's Wharf or Union Square. Or if you'd like to sample as much wine as you like without worrying about driving, some Napa Valley tour companies will pick you up at San Francisco hotels.