Napa Valley Travel Guide
This has to be my favorite travel destination I've ever written about because it was truly the best trip ever. We already started planning our next trip before we even left, it was that amazing! If you have not been, I can't recommend it enough. Whether it's for a girls trip, couples trip, quick getaway, it was without a doubt one of my favorite places I've ever been.
I don't know if it was because of how long it had been since I last traveled, the fact that I was with my two best friends, the weather, time of year, destination, or a combination of all of those things, but it was a dream. Truly a trip I know I will remember forever!
I also have to thank you all because I could not have planned the trip without such amazing recommendations. You were so helpful and I'm so grateful to have my own army of Trip Advisors at my fingertips. Every recommendation we got was beyond incredible and is a huge part of the reason this trip was so amazing, so if that was you, thank you!
That said, planning Napa is difficult to say the least. As someone who had previously only spent a couple of hours there, I had to do a lot of research, a lot of piecing together, and a lot of hoping for the best!
I so wish I had found a blog post to help me before I went, so that's why I'm writing this. Our trip worked out so seamlessly, but my hope is that I can save some of you some time if you're getting ready to head that way!
Where to fly into
This is one thing I wish we would have known beforehand! Fly into Oakland if you can. It never even crossed my mind that this would be an option, but it's actually closer to Napa than San Francisco International, which is where we flew.
Oakland to Napa is 56 minutes, and SF to Napa is about an hour and 11 minutes. Both are relatively close, but the Oakland airport is much smaller, and depending on the time of day you fly in / out, there can be a ton of traffic in San Fran! We will for sure try to make this work next time!
Where we stayed
I have to talk about our hotel first, because it was my favorite part of our trip, by far. We stayed at Archer Hotel Napa. It's located right in the heart of downtown Napa, and within walking distance of numerous cute shops, restaurants, live music venues, and over 40 tasting rooms!
The hotel staff was incredible. We had to check in super early our first day so that we could get ready before we went to our first tastings. Our room wasn't quite ready yet, so they gave us access to another room that was ready so that we could get ready and go. This saved our whole day! They could not have been more kind or accommodating.
Our room was called the "Archer's Den" and it was incredible. There were three of us and there was plenty of space. We had a king bed, sleeper sofa, sitting room, corner balcony, and a ridiculously big bathroom. Our corner balcony was the icing on the cake!
The Archer has two restaurants, Sky and Vine Rooftop Bar, and Charlie Palmer Steak. Sky and Vine Rooftop Bar was our favorite! We spent a couple of hours up there listening to live music enjoying cocktails on our first night. The vibe is so much fun, the views are unbelievable, and the drinks were amazing. Highly recommend "Mario's Girl"!
We had brunch on Saturday at Charlie Palmer Steak and all three of us raved about the lemon ricotta pancakes. They are a must if you go! They had an extensive brunch menu and everything we had was wonderful!
Lastly, I can't say enough about the friendliness of the staff, and how clean everything was. I know I had some reservations about traveling and staying at a hotel during COVID and from the moment I walked in, I knew we were in good hands! Everything was spotless, people were constantly cleaning, the staff wore masks at all times, guests were required to wear them at all times, etc. They took every precaution and I felt incredibly safe and comfortable during our stay!
I can't recommend Archer Hotel Napa enough! They were also kind enough to give me a discount code if you choose to stay there! You can use code: AUBREY20 for 20% off their best available rates stay when you book now, through March! You can also use this direct link and the code will be automatically applied!
Wineries
Domaine Carneros
Carneros was absolutely stunning. It definitely felt like one of the fancier, more upscale wineries of any we went to. They specialize in bubbles, and we enjoyed every single thing we tasted. The views are incredible and we loved our host too! I would definitely recommend stopping here of any of the places we had sparkling wines/champagnes!
Tasting: $40
Far Niente
I think I can safely say this was our second favorite winery. We had the most quaint, quiet tasting down by a pond and it was pure bliss. It was one of the bigger tastings we did, and it was more expensive, but definitely worth every single penny. They specialize in reds and we loved them!
Tasting: $80
Chandon
Chandon was pretty! I just didn't feel like it was anything special. They also specialize in bubbles, but if I were to pick one, I would definitely recommend Domaine Carneros over Chandon. It was the smallest tasting we did as it was only 3 total! I have nothing bad to say about it, I just think Carneros is a better option if you're looking for bubbles!
Tasting: $40
Chateau Montelena
This was the winery that we were the least impressed with. The tasting was inside, and it just felt a little stuffy. It was highly recommended to us because of the tour they usually do of the property, but they weren't doing it because of COVID. I think that would have probably changed our minds a little bit, but based off the tasting alone, I didn't love it! I would definitely skip this one next time.
They're famous for their Chardonnay, so if you're a fan, you may be interested in trying it!
Tasting: $40
Brian Arden
This was a tasting that our driver squeezed in for us because we had extra time in between tastings (this is what makes hiring a driver so amazing). She is a member here and highly recommended it. We were so glad we stopped and fit it in because it was easily one of our top three favorites, and I would absolutely go back next time!
It's a smaller, family owned winery. The wines were incredible, the views were amazing, and the staff was so friendly and kind! If you go, you must try to the burrata! One of our favorite things from the whole trip!
Tasting: $30
Turnbull
This was another winery we hadn't planned on doing, but was one we fit in because we had extra time. It wasn't our favorite and I don't think there was anything incredible about it. The wine was okay, but it is really small and there's not much to see. It was just okay! Not one I would highly recommend.
Tasting: $40
Mumm Napa
Mumm was so beautiful and was definitely one of the prettier tastings we went to. We chose the terrace tasting and I'm so glad we did. It was quiet, serene, and the perfect place to enjoy some of the best bubbles we had on the trip!
Tasting: $40
Hall
Hall was by far our favorite winery we went to. The atmosphere, views, service, and wine were all top notch. The ambiance was so fun, there were fire pits, you could walk the vineyard, and it was just the ultimate Napa experience if you ask me! We were there at sunset and it was so beautiful I can't even describe it!
This was also the biggest tasting in terms of number of wines we tried, and we got multiple extra tastes at no charge on top of that. It's number one on our list for when we go back. If you do anything, put this at the top of your list! This was also the only place I ended up buying wine, but it was that good!
Tasting: $40
Our Top 3 Favorites
Renting a Car
We rented a car because it was the easiest way for us to get from San Francisco to Napa. I'm sure you could Uber to Napa from San Fran or Oakland, but when we looked into hiring a driver for our two days in Napa, we realized it's easier and more cost effective for them to drive your rental anyway, so that's what we did!
I'm sure you could get away with not renting one, and I know some drivers will drive their own car for an additional fee, but I do think renting a car was the smartest and most budget friendly way to go.
Hiring a Driver
I'll be honest, I wasn't sold on hiring a driver until we actually did it, and I could not be more thankful we did. I can't imagine being on as tight of a tasting schedule as we were, and trying to coordinate Ubers on top of that. I looked up an Uber at our first stop just to see what it would have been, and the wait was 35 minutes. They are just super unpredictable in that area, and I'd never want to rely on one to get us from tasting to tasting when we hardly had any time to spare.
I will also say that the intel and knowledge our driver had about all the wineries was invaluable. Deanna was able to fit in a couple of extra tastings for us because she knew the area, knew what we were close to, and knew people who worked at the wineries. She also rearranged a couple tours for us based on our schedule and was so helpful in shifting things around for us. An Uber would've never been able to do this for us.
On top of that, I truly think we would've spent more on Ubers than we did our driver. DeAnna was $40 an hour, and we definitely spent less on her that we would have if we had to add up all the Ubers we would have needed.
I could not recommend DeAnna enough. She bought lunch for us and had it waiting in the car in between wineries on our first day. She had a new bottle of water waiting for us in the car after each winery, and she could not have been nicer. We had great conversation, she answered all of our questions, and we loved her! I'm linking her website here! We will absolutely use her again when we go back!
Scheduling Tastings
Like I mentioned previously, we did all the scheduling for our tastings ourselves. However, looking back, I wish we would've hired Deanna first, and asked for her opinion on things. Asking for her advice would've taken some of the work off our plate.
When we were planning the trip, it was overwhelming. You have to narrow the wineries down to the best ones, figure out geographically which ones are close to each other, figure out how long it takes to get to each one, and then get online to make sure they all have tastings available at the times you need them.
Deanna could've helped us with all of that, and based on how much we loved her Brian Arden recommendation, she probably could've put the entire two days together for us.
Obviously, the scheduling would still be up to you, but a driver in Napa is going to be able to help you decipher which places are touristy, which are not great, and which ones you can't miss - even if they're not recommended by people you know/online.
That said, you do have to schedule tastings, especially right now/during COVID. They limit the number of tastings they do at a time, and your party has to be 6 or fewer. My advice is to figure out your timeline, book a driver, ask for their advice/favorites, and book your tastings as far in advance as you can.
Napa Restaurants
We didn't do a ton of eating in Napa, only because we started our tastings early in the morning, and then you don't really sit down to eat lunch in between tastings unless you have time/choose to. But there are a few places we absolutely loved!
Cocktails: Sky and Vine Rooftop
We spent a couple of hours at Sky and Vine listening to live music and enjoying cocktails on our first night. The vibe is so much fun, the views are unbelievable, and the drinks were amazing. Highly recommend "Mario's Girl"!
The happy hour food was highly recommended too, we just didn't have a chance to try it! Countless people told us to get the lobster corn dogs, so if you have a chance, get them for us!
Dinner: Morimoto Sushi + Saki
Nothing I will be able to tell you about Morimoto will do it justice. Every single thing we had was SO incredible and we have been raving about the food since we left dinner that night. We even said multiple times, "should we just eat at Morimoto again?"
We had edamame, rock shrimp tempura, blistered shishito peppers, and some sushi rolls that I don't remember the names of because .. 3 wineries and too many cocktails deep. However, all you need to know is that it was incredible. I also hate shrimp and their rock shrimp was one of the best things I've ever eaten! Their cocktails were also absolutely amazing. Clearly.
Dinner: Farmstead
I remember asking for recommendations for restaurants in Napa and being blown away by how many of you recommended Farmstead. We almost didn't get to go, but got a last minute reservation and I am so glad we did. It would be at the very top of my list of recommendations if you're going to Napa! It's almost all outside, the views are insane, and the food is beyond.
We had the burger, burrata, and cheddar biscuits and they were all so, so good. We also got margaritas (you definitely get sick of wine after a while) and it was to die for. Highly, highly, highly recommend.
Brunch: Charlie Palmer Steak
This restaurant is located inside Arche Hotel Napa! We ate here on Saturday morning and we loved it! Their menu wasn't crazy big, but everything we had was great and it was super reasonably priced. I cannot recommend the lemon ricotta pancakes enough. They tasted like a mix between a lemon funnel cake and lemon pound cake and we gushed over them all morning. A must try if you go!
Lunch/Drinks: Oxbow Public Market
Oxbow Public Market is in downtown Napa and has such a fun atmosphere. It's an open air market with tons of cute places to eat and drink. We got oysters and margaritas for a quick lunch on our last day and they were both fabulous! Highly recommend spending an afternoon there in between tasting rooms one day.
Lunch: Gotts Roadside
This was another recommendation from so many of you and I'm so glad we made time to stop here in between a couple of wineries. It's such a cute little place and our food was amazing. We had a chicken sandwich, burger, and a cookies and cream shake! Everything was amazing and the perfect way to carb up before our last few wineries of the day. Pro tip: order on your phone so it's ready for pickup once you get there. The line was pretty long for people ordering when we got there!
Other places that were recommended to us:
- Orenoto
- RH Yountville (I was dying to go here but we didn't make a reservation in time - even if you can only go for a drink, the atmosphere looks ridiculous. It's at the top of my list for our next trip!)
- Celadon
- Don Giovanni
- Angele
Downtown Napa
Downtown Napa has over 40 tasting rooms, so I highly recommend doing that for a day while you're there! We went to both Be Bubbly Napa, and Mark Herald wines and loved them both.
They're incredibly easy to get to and they're all close together, so you could definitely fill an entire day doing that! A lot of the bigger Napa wineries have smaller tasting rooms in the downtown area, so if you can't make it to one of the wineries, this is a more convenient option especially if you're staying downtown!
How Long to Stay
We were in Napa from Thursday morning to Sunday morning and I really think three days there was plenty. I don't feel like two days would've been enough, and I think four would've been too much. There's definitely a happy medium between going to enough wineries, while not totally burning yourself out on wine, and I think three days is perfect. My body was feeling it by Saturday for sure! Our weekend looked like this:
- Thursday: 3 wineries
- Friday: 5 wineries (this was a lot!)
- Saturday: 2 tasting rooms
Okay, if you're still reading, props to you. I know this was forever long but like I said, planning Napa is hard so I truly hope this was helpful! Please, please reach out if you have any questions on anything. I am more than happy to help!
And if you're planning a trip and need a personal travel guide to accompany you, you know where to find me!
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