Napa & Sonoma Wine Country

America's most famous wine region: hundreds of wineries, Michelin-starred restaurants, hot springs and mud baths, and hot-air balloons — about an hour's drive from San Francisco.

Napa and Sonoma are America's most famous wine regions, located about 80–100 km north of San Francisco, California, in two parallel valleys separated by the Mayacamas Mountains. To the east, Napa Valley stretches about 50 km along Highway 29 and the Silverado Trail from the city of Napa to Calistoga, densely packed with renowned wineries and Michelin-starred restaurants and decidedly upscale. To the west, Sonoma County is larger and more spread out; appellations such as Sonoma Valley, the Russian River Valley and Dry Creek Valley are dominated by family wineries and a rural feel, with friendlier prices, and you can continue on to the Bodega Bay coast and redwood forests. The climate is Mediterranean, with hot, dry summers and cool mornings and evenings. The Aug–Oct harvest is the liveliest time, while in Feb–Mar wild mustard blooms between the vines and crowds are thin; in summer and fall, keep an eye on wildfires and smoke. Getting there: about 1–1.5 hours' drive from San Francisco or Oakland airports; sights are spread out, so a car or private driver is all but essential. Designate a non-drinking driver, or join a day tour or rent bikes to ride through the vineyards. Most wineries require advance online reservations for tastings, which cost about US$40–150, more on weekends. Base yourself in Napa, Yountville, the spa town of Calistoga, Sonoma or Healdsburg, and allow 2–4 days: one day for southern Napa and Yountville, one for St. Helena and Calistoga, one for Sonoma Valley, plus an optional day for northern Sonoma or the coast. An early-morning hot-air balloon ride is a signature experience — book ahead.

Top sights

• Napa Valley Wine Train – Ride vintage railcars between downtown Napa and St. Helena, dining as the vineyards roll by; some routes include winery stops for tastings.
• Robert Mondavi Winery – A legendary Oakville winery whose Spanish mission-style arches are a symbol of Napa Valley, and which pioneered modern Napa wine tourism.
• Castello di Amorosa – A winery on a hillside above Calistoga, built as a replica of a 13th-century Tuscan castle, with a drawbridge, towers, underground cellars…
• Yountville – Napa Valley's gastronomic capital, where Washington Street, just one mile long, is lined with Michelin-starred restaurants, the French Laun…
• Sonoma Plaza – California's largest traditional town square, site of the 1846 Bear Flag Revolt, surrounded by tasting rooms, restaurants and historic buil…
• Domaine Carneros – A French-style château winery on a hillside in the Carneros region, founded by the Taittinger Champagne family, with terraces overlooking v…
• Calistoga Hot Springs & Mud Baths – A hot spring town at the northern end of Napa Valley, where volcanic ash mud baths and mineral pools offer a uniquely relaxing wine-country…
• Oxbow Public Market – A riverside food market in downtown Napa, home to an oyster bar, bakeries, cheese, coffee and local wine merchants. Ideal for brunch.
• Beringer Vineyards – Founded in 1876, this is Napa Valley's longest continuously operating winery. Tour the Rhine House, a Victorian mansion, and the cellars ca…
• Sterling Vineyards – A white, Greek-style winery perched on a hilltop. Ride an aerial tram up, then follow a self-guided tasting route with views over Napa Vall…
• V. Sattui Winery – A family winery at the southern gate of St. Helena, with an Italian deli and big picnic lawns. Buy wine, pair it with deli treats and picni…
• Inglenook – A famous Napa estate founded in 1879, now owned by director Francis Ford Coppola. See its ivy-covered stone castle and film memorabilia.
• Old Faithful Geyser of California – A privately run geyser just north of Calistoga, where a column of hot water erupts on a regular schedule. The grounds also keep Tennessee f…
• Petrified Forest (California) – A petrified redwood forest between Calistoga and Santa Rosa, where giant trees buried by volcanic ash 3.4 million years ago have turned to…
• Jack London State Historic Park – The “Beauty Ranch” of Jack London, author of The Call of the Wild, with the ruins of the Wolf House, a memorial and mountain trails.
• Mission San Francisco Solano – The northernmost and last of California's 21 missions, built in 1823. Its adobe church stands at the northeast corner of Sonoma Plaza.
• Buena Vista Winery – Founded in 1857, this was California's first commercial winery. Its historic stone cellars and a tasting room themed around “the Count” off…
• St. Helena Main Street – An elegant small town in central Napa Valley. Its main street is lined with historic stone buildings, boutiques, tasting rooms and restaura…
• Healdsburg – A trendy town where three major wine regions in northern Sonoma meet. Restaurants and tasting rooms cluster around the plaza in a relaxed a…
• Safari West – An African-themed wildlife preserve in the Santa Rosa hills. Ride open-air off-road vehicles past giraffes, zebras and nearly a thousand ot…
• Charles M. Schulz Museum – The memorial to Charles Schulz, creator of Peanuts. It displays original Snoopy and Charlie Brown artwork and is a must-visit for comic fan…
• Bodega Bay – A small fishing harbor on the Sonoma Coast, the filming location for Hitchcock's The Birds. Enjoy whale watching, seafood and Pacific cliff…
• Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve – Old-growth coastal redwoods in the Russian River Valley, with trees over 90 meters tall and more than 1,400 years old. Flat trails suit the…
• Bale Grist Mill State Historic Park – A water-powered mill built in 1846. Its 11-meter wooden waterwheel still turns, and weekend milling demonstrations and trails are on offer.
• Mount St. Helena (Robert Louis Stevenson State Park) – The highest peak at the northern end of Napa Valley. An 8 km fire road leads to the summit, and on clear days you can see San Francisco Bay…
• di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art – A contemporary art park among the Carneros vineyards, with lakeside sculptures and a rich collection of works by Northern California artist…
• Chateau Montelena – Winner of the white wine category at the 1976 “Judgment of Paris.” Its stone castle and lakeside garden with a Chinese-style pavilion are t…
• Stag's Leap Wine Cellars – The winner of the red wine category at the 1976 “Judgment of Paris.” Located in the Stags Leap district along Silverado Trail, it is known…
• The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone – A culinary school housed in the Greystone Cellars, built in 1889. Visit cooking demonstrations, browse kitchenware shops and dine at the sc…
• Francis Ford Coppola Winery – A resort-style winery in Sonoma's Alexander Valley, with a pool, restaurants and exhibits of props from The Godfather and other films.

Where to eat

• The French Laundry – Thomas Keller's three-Michelin-star restaurant in Yountville, holding three stars since 2006, known for its signature O…
• Mustards Grill – A Napa institution on Highway 29, opened in 1983, where the Mongolian pork chop and corn tamales have remained unchange…
• The Girl & The Fig – A Provençal-style restaurant opened in 1997 in an old hotel beside the Sonoma Plaza, with fig and arugula salad and duc…
• Bouchon Bistro – Thomas Keller's Parisian-style bistro, opened in Yountville in 1998, with roast chicken and steak frites as year-round…
• Gott's Roadside (St. Helena) – The original location of a Napa burger brand, which won a James Beard America's Classics award; burgers, tuna burgers a…
• La Luna Market & Taqueria – A Mexican grocery and taqueria on Rutherford's winery road, popular with vineyard workers; its burritos and carnitas ar…

Itineraries

• Napa & Sonoma Wine Country Weekend – Depart from San Francisco, stay two nights in Napa Valley for wine tasting and mud baths, then explore historic Sonoma
• Northern California Redwoods Coast & Volcano Loop – Head north along Highway 1 to Mendocino and the Redwoods, then turn toward Redding and Lassen Volcanic before returning…