Planning Your Trip

Reservations suggested.

✈️ Arranging your travel

Unless you live in the Bay area it is likely that you will be traveling here via plane. There are a few options when it comes to airports you can fly into (commercial and private) with pros and cons for each. Drive times to Napa are listed next to each with some rate of variability depending on where you’re headed in the valley.

COMMERCIAL Air travel
- Sacramento ( ~ 60-90 min drive)
  - Pros:
    - Smaller than SFO and often less crowded
    - Traffic to Napa is often a little lighter than from SFO or Oakland
  - Cons:
    - Fewer direct flights
- SFO ( ~ 90min - 3hr drive*)
  - Pros:
    - Very large international airport with tons of direct flights, dining options, etc.
    - Tons of direct flights from all over the world
    - Very clean and modern, easy to navigate
    - You can opt to drive over the Golden Gate Bridge and through Sonoma for a more scenic route
  - Cons:
    - Though the distance is about the same to Sacramento, the bay area traffic can be hellish especially if you’re driving in the morning (6am-10am) or late afternoon (3pm - 6pm). Plan accordingly.
    - **That drive time really can vary that much. It’s 90min on a good day and barring no complications.
- Santa Rosa (45min-1hr)
  - Pros:
    - Super-small airport with only one terminal
    - Much shorter drive than SFO/Sac, especially if you’re staying up-valley.
  - Cons:
    - Not a ton of direct flights (nothing international)
    - No food options, limited car rental options
- Concord Airport (45min-1hr)
  - If you’re able to catch a flight from Burbank, JSX (formerly known as JetSuiteX) might be a great option. The airport is private but passengers can purchase seats on JSX for an “almost private” experience. This means arrival 20-30min ahead of departure, expedited security, close parking, and you can even bring wine on board! A great way to travel but very limited in terms of connecting hubs.
PRIVATE air travel
- Napa Airport
- Concord Airport

🛌 Deciding where to stay

Pros, Cons, and everything in between.

St. Helena

This cute and charming town located up-valley, known for being a place many Napa Valley residents call home, is perfect for that true slow-paced “wine country” feel. Don’t be deceived though, St. Helena is home to some of the best dining and hotel options in the Bay Area. A little sleepier than Yountville and Napa, St. Helena still has that “locals vibe” and it’s central location makes it perfect for getting to most wineries within 10-20 minutes.

The main Napa artery Highway 29 cuts directly through to morph into Main Street where you’ll find shopping, restaurants, a single-screen old-school movie theatre, and the world-famous original location of Model Bakery; an english muffin from there is a MUST.

Hotel options include everything from the super up-scale Meadowood and Alila to the mid-tier staples like Harvest Inn and the Wydown. In-the-know visitors also swear by the more budget friendly, albeit no frills, El Bonita motel located just before you get to town.

RUTHERFORD

Mid-Valley with less of a locals vibe than St. Helena, but not quite to the Yountville level. Hotel and dining options are limited, but it is home to the 5-star Auberge du Soleil hotel. The property sits slightly perched above the valley which makes for incredible views and their restaurant boasts a 1-Michelin star restaurant. Pro-tip, I love heading the terrace for a more casual menu perfect for afternoon lunch or pre-dinner drinks. You won’t catch a full sunset here as it’s slightly obstructed, but it’s definitely worth the 5 min drive up-hill and $10 valet tip. Other restaurants in Rutherford include locals-favorite Rutherford Grill and the ever-popular La Luna Market & Taqueria which is less of a “restaurant” and more of a “grab tacos from the counter in back and eat at the picnic tables out back.”

As far as wineries go, many of Napa’s “classics” are situated here including Beaulieu Vineyards, Inglenook, Caymus, and Frog’s Leap. You’re also at a perfect central location to be within 15-20 min of most other wineries north and south.

There’s no main street or town to walk, and definitely no shopping, but I love this if you want the most efficient location that’s near to all.

oakville

Despite being one of the most famous AVA’s in Napa Valley, there’s really no option to stay or dine this tiny postal code unless you’re tight with one of the mega-mansions owners here. Literally, the post office is a trailer.

Oakville Grocery is about it when it comes to food, which is a pretty great choice when you consider all they’ve got. Stop in for breakfast or lunch, grab picnic provisions, shop for artisanal Napa goods, and head next door to the Oakville Wine Merchant for 50 of Napa’s greatest wines by the glass.

As the crown jewel in Napa Valley’s crown, Oakville is home to cult classics like Opus One, Robert Mondavi, Silver Oak, Harlan, Bond, Rudd, Dalla Valle, Screaming Eagle, and the famed To Kalon Vineyard. Wines like these aren’t just expensive, they’re nearly impossible to come by.

YOUNTVILLE

Arguably the best place to stay as a first time visitor, Yountville is a small, centrally located town in Napa Valley with several great restaurants including the world-famous, Michelin 3-star The French Laundry.

The pedestrian-friendly Washington Street runs north to south through the town and is lined with plenty of shopping, tasting rooms, cafe’s, and hotels. For some, especially repeat visitors, Yountville will feel a little touristy. Sure there will be a line around the corner at Bouchon Bakery in the morning and yes you’ll see plenty of tourists stopping to take pictures in front of The French Laundry. But the walkability is unparalleled and for me, it’s the heart and soul of the valley when you want to be immediately transported into wine country.

Thomas Keller’s eponymous Napa Valley answer to a French bistro, Bouchon Bistro, is a must at some point when visiting.

The bar is always lined with local winemakers and vintners so the likelihood of rubbing elbows with Napa Valley’s finest while shooting freshly shucked oysters is high. Don’t sleep on the Italian classic, Bottega, as well as the other famous French bistro, Bistro Jeanty. For something more simple, grab tacos at the Tacos Garcia truck located at the north end of the street in the Pancha’s parking lot - the Suadero tacos are my personal favorite. Bring cash and grab something fun to drink across the street at Kelly’s filling station. It’s the fanciest gas station this side of the Mississippi.

For hotels, Bardessono has chic, modern, eco-friendly vibes while Hotel Yountville is a little more warm and inviting. I also love the North Block for something a little that feels a bit more “Pied a Terre” and private. Most of the hotels in Yountville have been updated and renovated in the last 5 years so it’s really just a function of personal preference and price.

DOWNTOWN NAPA

What was once a no-go zone for tourists is now officially a vibe. Downtown Napa has been undergoing a slow but strong revitalization for the past decade and has really turned a corner in the last few years. For travelers looking for more of a “scene,” Downtown Napa provides a little more nightlife beyond the 9pm lights out in the rest of the valley with several bars and restaurants open a little later. You’ll find everything from mainstream stores like Lululemon and Anthropologie, to boutique offerings only found in Napa. Big name wineries including Mayacamas, Alpha Omega, and Vineyard 29 have outposts here so you could feasibly spend several days wine tasting without ever having to leave downtown.

Restaurant wise there are tons of options with far more global variety than anywhere else in the valley. Osha (Thai), Zuzu (Tapas and Paella), Torc (Italian), Eikos (Japanese), and La Taberna (Spanish Pinxtos) are all within walking distance in the relatively small downtown area. Locals and tourists alike love Oxbow Public Market - a modern food hall with some seriously delicious offerings.

A few new hotels have also emerged in the last few years with the Hyatt Boutique concept Andaz as well as The Archer as the two lining first street and the most centrally located.

Staying downtown is definitely a choice that won’t give you that “in the vineyard” experience like some of the other towns, but it’s great if you do want to feel a little energy beyond the slow-paced wine country life up valley. Location wise, because you’re at the most southern point in Napa you’re a bit further from many of the more centrally located vineyards in Oakville and Rutherford. As a result you might find yourself driving a bit and even fighting a bit of traffic depending on what time you leave. But there’s plenty to do within a 15 minute drive - just plan accordingly

The AVA's of Napa Valley

The term Napa Valley is one constructed to indicated the large grape-growing and wine producing region within Napa County by the American Viticultural Association. It is broken down further into AVA's (American Viticultural Area's) and while some of the town names may double as AVA names, they are not geographically the same and do NOT have their own zip code/post office. You’ll hear these a lot when traveling here so it’s helpful to know what and where they are for planning purposes.

The 16 AVA's can be found both on the valley floor and on the Mountain. North to South they are: