How to visit Northern California’s wine country! 

Includes recommendations for Napa & Sonoma and surrounding areas! 

Check out the best wineries, restaurants & more! 

Napa Valley, CA, USA

Sonoma, CA, USA

Napa, CA, USA

Northern California |  Wine Country 

California’s wine country has always been a perfect getaway! Whether it’s for an anniversary or girls trip there is something for everyone! 

I recommend going during the off season Spring or Fall to avoid the crowds. 

Four to six days would you give plenty of time to explore everything this area has to offer but also time to slow down and relax! 

You can get away without needing a car as Uber is available & you can set up wine tours that pick you up and drop you off. 

The closest airports are San Francisco & Oakland. 

If arriving to the San Francisco Airport you can take the San Francisco Bay Ferry to Vallejo. Then use the   VINE transport bus into Napa Valley. 

You can also take the Amtrak from San Francisco. Amtrak San Joaquins offers a convenient way to travel to Napa Valley from the Bay Area and Central Valley. To get to Napa Valley, travelers can take the Amtrak San Joaquins train to the Martinez station and transfer onto Amtrak Thruway Bus Route 7. Three stops later, travelers arrive at the Soscol Gateway Transit Center in Napa, located next to downtown

Villa in Sonoma with pool 

Cabin in Inverness

Wine Country Cottage 

There are countless wineries but each one has something unique to them. 

If you are wanting something other than wine check out these breweries! 

With a car: Use the map feature in this guide to plan out your days! The Napa Valley area is quite large  so make sure to plan out your stops that are close to one another, otherwise you will be fighting traffic! 

There are so many great options for accommodation! Napa is known to be a bit pricey so even the budget accommodations might be a bit spendy. 

I suggest doing to the Napa/ Napa Valley area one day. And Sonoma county the next as they are actually not that close to one another. Or you can stay a few days in Napa & explore and then move hotels and stay in Sonoma & explore. 

To save some money on tastings look for offered Wine Passports. 

A favorite wine passport is the St. Helena Little Book Of Big Experiences. It runs from November-March of each year and it’s just $75 to get access to around 15 amazing wineries in the area! If you plan on tasting at more than two wineries during your trip to Napa Valley, you’ll be saving tons of money with this wine passport or a similar one. 

Without a car : Napa Valley's public bus system is called The Vine and runs from El Cerrito Del Norte all the way up to Calistoga. Uber & Lyft are also available. 

Other areas included are St Helena, Yountville & Calistoga. 

AutoCamp Russian River

The Sandman Hotel

Calistoga Motor Lodge and Spa - JDV by Hyatt

Carneros Resort and Spa

Odette Estate Winery

Nickel & Nickel

Scribe Winery

Ashes & Diamonds Winery

Cuvaison Winery

Wild Flour Bread

Model Bakery

Hazel Restaurant

Boon Fly Café

Addendum

The Charter Oak Restaurant

Oxbow Public Market

Domaine Carneros

Northern California | Wine Country

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