You don’t have to love wine to thoroughly enjoy Napa and Sonoma, but it helps! I’ve been on plenty of tours with visitors that are alcohol-free as well, but don’t bring the kids or teens on this one. I’ve visited the area three times in different ways…in the fall and in the winter, with my husband and with girlfriends, and staying in Sonoma and in Napa. Each has their own pros and cons that I will cover throughout the post. So sit back with a glass of wine (or not), enjoy this post, and start planning your trip to wine country soon!
Here’s a sample itinerary for a 3-day trip to Sonoma and Napa Valley:
DAY 1: TRAVEL DAY AND SPARKLING WINE TASTING IN SONOMA
The best way to get to Sonoma / Napa is to fly in to San Francisco (SFO), rent a car, and make the 1.5 hour drive up to wine country. In order to avoid San Francisco traffic, take the route to the East through Oakland vs the Golden Gate Bridge. Try to arrive by early afternoon (not too hard to do since it’s on the West coast so you gain time coming from the East), so that you’ll have time for a little wine tasting that afternoon. Warning…I haven’t found any good places to stop for lunch between SFO and Sonoma, so grab a sandwich in the airport before you get your car!
I recommend making a reservation at Gloria Ferrer or Domaine Carneros for a sparkling wine tasting (not to be confused with champagne…you’ll learn about that at some point during your visit) late afternoon or early evening on your arrival day. Both are beautiful spaces with really tasty sparkling wines, and some sweet or savory bites to enjoy with your wine. You really do need reservations, and maybe an Uber too… If you do arrive early enough for lunch, I recommend the Sunflower Caffe; it has a really cute outdoor space for enjoying the weather on a sunny day.
If you’re staying in Sonoma and have time, check in to your hotel before dinner, and then walk to the Sonoma Plaza. If you’re staying in Napa, wait to check in and just head to the Plaza. There are lots of restaurants to choose from there, as well as additional tasting rooms. I highly recommend The Girl and the Fig (you’ll need a reservation). Note that everything shuts down early in Sonoma and Napa, so don’t plan on doing much after dinner.
Wondering where to stay? Napa gets my vote. I have typically done more wine tasting in Napa vs Sonoma, so in that case it’s easier to stay in Napa. The Napa wine tours will pick-up / drop-off at most Napa hotels, which will save you a couple of Uber rides. If you plan to tour in Sonoma, then it’s probably best to stay there. In Napa, I’ve stayed at two hotels at different price points (hotels in wine country are generally pretty pricey, especially in the fall during busy season); the Napa Valley Marriott and the Archer Hotel. The Marriott was a lower price point, clean rooms, and had a really neat outdoor bar with fire pits to relax by at night, but the location wasn’t ideal. We walked back from downtown Napa one night and it was loonngg (about 2.5 miles), especially in sandals! The Archer is a beautiful boutique hotel right in the heart of Napa, easy to walk everywhere, great rooftop bar, but it does comes at a higher price point. I’ve also stayed in Sonoma, but the hotel wasn’t great, and it was difficult to get to / from Napa on the day of our tasting.
Best time to go? I’m partial to the fall. I have visited twice in September, and once at the end of December between Christmas and New Year. Again, there are some pros and cons to each. Fall is the busy season so prices are higher and it’s harder to walk in to places, but it’s also harvest season so the vines are lush, trees are green, and the weather is pretty perfect. During the holiday season, prices were lower and it was generally quieter, but we found that a lot of businesses and wineries were closed…I mean, a LOT. Everything was decorated nicely and was very festive though too.
DAY 2: WINE TASTING TOUR DAY IN NAPA
If you follow any of my suggestions for wine country, please let it be this one…book a tour with Platypus Wine Tours. They are seriously the best! The advantage of a wine tour company is that they handle all the reservations in advance, and bring you to smaller, unique wineries that the public can’t necessarily go to. You’ll meet the vineyard owners, get special reserved seating, see their production areas and their wine caves, all things you don’t normally get to do. I’ve even done two tastings that included a chocolate pairing option! Platypus has you fill out a questionnaire when you make your reservation so that you can share any preferences for the day, types of wine you like / dislike, dietary restrictions, etc. And if you’ve toured with them before, they have your information in their database and will do their best not to bring you to a winery you’ve visited before.
Here’s how the day typically goes…be sure to start with a hearty breakfast! Platypus will pick you up around 10AM at your Napa hotel (or there will be a meeting spot in Napa if you’re staying elsewhere). You’ll be on a tour with up to 12 people (we’ve also head as few as 6 during COVID). The drivers are very informative and will give you background on the area, the history, and wine making. You will likely visit three wineries throughout the day, and will need to pay a small tasting fee at each one on top of the cost of the tour (usually around $15-$20 for 4-5 samples). Platypus also provides a delicious lunch (you’ll likely have this during your second winery stop), water, and snacks along the way. Your driver will also have packing supplies available and will pack up any bottles you purchase throughout the day (this is encouraged, because you won’t see these wines in your grocery stores at home!). Drivers are great about taking pictures for you as well. Tours usually end around 5PM when they drop you back off at your hotel…don’t forget to tip your driver! We had so much fun with our tour group in 2020 that we all got dinner together afterward as well.
If you still have energy left after a day of tasting and touring, be sure to have dinner in downtown Napa before heading back to your hotel. You will need some sustenance! My favorite place for dinner in Napa is Ristorante Allegria for Italian food. It is set in a historic building built in 1916 that was a bank at one time, and has that feel still. You can even rent out the vault for a private dining experience! I like sitting inside because it has such a neat vibe, but they have a lovely outdoor patio as well.
DAY 3: EXPLORING NAPA COUNTY, INCLUDING FABULOUS FOOD OR WINE TOUR IN SONOMA
If you’re short on time, this might be your travel day back home via San Francisco. But if you’ve got another day in your itinerary, I’d suggest exploring Napa County (Yountville / Saint Helena / Calistoga) on your own. Your wine tour might have taken you through these areas, but it’s definitely worth a visit on your own. Alternatively, if you have another full day of wine tasting in you (I usually don’t), take a Sonoma Wine Tasting Tour with Platypus!
If you decide to spend the day exploring the areas outside Napa, I’d recommend making a reservation at Mumm Napa (can you tell I love bubbly?) for a late morning tasting and snack. It’s about a 25 minute drive from downtown Napa. Then head another 10 minutes up to Saint Helena. It has a really quaint little downtown with fun shops and places to grab a bite to eat (if you can hold out, wait a little longer and eat in Yountville instead). And more wineries you can visit of course, too.
Next, head about 15 minutes South to Yountville. There are lots of great places to eat there, including two Michelin star-rated Thomas Keller restaurants (French Laundry and Bouchon Bistro). In total, he has six restaurants and bakeries in Yountville alone! If you are a foodie, be sure to make a reservation well in advance and have a late lunch / early dinner here before heading back to Napa. We ate at Bouchon Bistro (very packed and bustling, but food was amazing), and then walked around some of the shops nearby.
That rounds out my 3 day itinerary for Napa and Sonoma. If you have a late departure out of San Francisco on your 4th day, I’d recommend stopping in Sausalito for lunch on your way back, then crossing over the Golden Gate Bridge through San Francisco if you haven’t done that before. Again, make sure you have extra time because traffic can be brutal. I’ll do a future post on San Francisco with kids or teens soon too!