More about: 5 Best Day Trips to Napa from San Francisco
The Napa region is one of the most famous wine regions not only in the United States, but in the entire world. Visiting this area is an experience I recommend if you love wine, cheese, and vineyard tours.
One of the most interesting things you will see on this type of trip is how wine is produced, how it is stored in the vineyards and how the best grapes are grown. Book your trip to Napa and be sure to include it on your list of things to see and do in San Francisco.
1. Full-day excursion to Napa Valley
On this full-day excursion to Napa Valley, you will have the opportunity to board an air-conditioned bus that will take you to the Napa area and then around at least three important wineries and vineyards within that wine-growing region.
You will be able to taste the wines produced in the area and also see the grape-growing process.
On the other hand, this day-long activity gives you the opportunity to get to know the town of Napa and all the surrounding areas, such as Sonoma Valley, in depth. You will learn about its history and hear some of the most popular stories about the place from several of its residents. It is a picturesque region that has a lot to offer visitors.
I recommend this experience because you will also be able to taste typical local food and it is very close to San Francisco, making it a short and pleasant trip.
Whether you go alone, as a couple or with friends, you will share the experience with other tourists, so you can make good friends during the trip.
Details of interest
- Price: from around €120.
- Duration: around nine hours.
- Transport: air-conditioned bus.
2. Light aircraft flight over Napa Valley
On this exclusive experience, you will have the opportunity to discover Napa Valley from the air on a private light aircraft flight. For around 90 minutes, you and your group will fly over the rolling hills covered in vineyards, passing through towns such as Yountville, St. Helena and Calistoga, enjoying spectacular views that can only be seen from above.
The service includes pick-up and drop-off at your hotel in San Francisco, as well as headphones so you can follow the explanations of the professional pilot who will accompany you throughout the flight. Thanks to their commentary, you will learn about the geography, wineries and most iconic landmarks of this famous wine region while enjoying the flight in complete privacy.
During the tour, you will also see other areas such as the city of Oakland and San Pablo Bay, adding even more visual and cultural value to this adventure. It's a unique way to discover Napa, ideal for special occasions, romantic getaways or simply to see the valley from a different perspective.
Details of interest
- Price: From £850 per group of up to 3 people.
- Duration: Flight of approximately 90 minutes.
- Transportation: Private light aircraft from Hayward Airport.
3. Private tour of wineries and vineyards in Napa
Unlike other tours you can take to Napa from San Francisco (or even tours like those that take you to Sausalito from San Francisco), this one is special because it is a private tour, perfect for travelling with your family or a group of friends.
With this tour, you will have the opportunity to learn much more about three wineries. Depending on the case, you may have the opportunity to be picked up at your own hotel. Afterwards, the tour reaches the town of Napa where you will see a large number of vineyards and, of course, enjoy a wine tasting.
This tour also usually includes a visit to the Sonoma vineyards, making it a very complete option.
With this type of tour, you can organise your own itinerary of visits to wineries and vineyards, with the advice of expert guides, of course. You have an extensive list of wineries to choose from, and you can visit between 8 and 10 of them throughout the day.
If you complete the 8-hour tour and still want more, you can pay an additional fee to visit other wineries and continue enjoying the best wine tastings in San Francisco.
Details of interest
- Price: from £59 per person.
- Duration: approximately 8 hours
- Transportation: luxury vehicles and off-road vehicles, depending on the terrain to be visited.
4. Wine tour by train aboard the Napa Valley Wine Train
This is one of my favourite tours because you get to ride in a real converted train carriage, visiting the whole Napa Valley while tasting the region's most exquisite wines, enjoying lunch and sampling artisan cheeses and other special Napa Valley foods.
Most of these excursions offer a complete experience from San Francisco to the vineyards of Napa. They are conducted aboard a train that has been remodelled but without losing its vintage essence, so you can enjoy a unique experience among the vineyards.
During the tour, all the curtains will be open so you can enjoy the scenery as you travel through the Napa Valley. This makes it an ideal activity to include among the things to see and do in San Francisco in summer. This is an experience you can enjoy alone, as a couple or in a group, sharing the train with other visitors, or you can hire the train for private excursions.
Details of interest
- Price: From £350 per person.
- Duration: the tour lasts 9 hours and 30 minutes.
- Transportation: Ferry or bus from San Francisco to Napa and vice versa. Train throughout the Napa Valley area.
5. Tram tour aboard the Napa Valley Wine Trolley
If there's one excursion you're going to love, it's the Napa Valley Wine Trolley.
You may have used the tram in San Francisco, as it is included in the San Francisco City Pass. Well, this same mode of transport runs through all the streets of Napa and takes you to the vineyards and wineries to learn about the wine-making process and, of course, taste each one.
During the tastings, you can also try other appetisers, such as cheese, chocolate and other similar products.
The experience is usually a full day and starts in San Francisco, where you will leave with your group for the Napa wine region to board a tram that will take you on a tour of the vineyards throughout the community.
The tram is a vehicle that has been restored to take passengers in vintage style to see all the interesting places in Napa.
To participate in this experience and enjoy the wine tasting, participants must be over 21 years of age and keep in mind that the alcohol you consume will only be in the vineyards and wineries, as drinking alcohol is prohibited on board the tram.
I do not recommend including this activity on your list of things to do in San Francisco with children.
Important details
- Price: from £227 per person.
- Duration: 6 to 8 hours.
- Transportation: some options offer pick-up in San Francisco at an additional cost. Once you arrive at the meeting point, the tour is by tram.
Tips for taking a trip to Napa
- Bring enough extra money so you can get into all the wine tastings and, above all, buy some wine to take home with you.
- Dress in layers because the weather in San Francisco is quite changeable, so it's best to be prepared at all times.
- I do not recommend drinking alcoholic beverages during the trip, but rather limiting yourself to enjoying the tasting, so you can stay sober and enjoy the tour.
- This type of excursion requires a minimum age of 21 to participate in the wine tasting. Young people under this age need to be accompanied by an adult to attend the tour.
- Tips are never or almost never included in the price of the service, so I recommend calculating the tip according to the quality of the tour guide. In the United States, it is very important to follow the tipping rule.
What are the must-see places in Napa Valley?
Napa is a really large and popular region where you can visit different places of interest. On a trip to Napa Valley, you will not only have the opportunity to taste wines, but also to enjoy beautiful landscapes and discover a beautiful city.
Napa Valley
This place has the largest number of vineyards in all of Napa, so it's obviously a place you can't miss if you want to take a good wine tour of the region.
Calistoga
In this town, you can see everything related to vineyards and wineries. Calistoga is home to the most important vineyards and wineries in the entire wine region, as well as being the birthplace of some of the best export-quality wines.
Napa
This is a city with many attractions. For being so far from the hustle and bustle of San Francisco, it is honestly a more than picturesque place where you can visit the Oxbow Market, one of the most iconic places in this city.
Why is a trip to Napa Valley recommended?
I highly recommend taking a trip to Napa Valley because, in addition to being a wine region by nature, it is a place that offers you the chance to try the best artisanal cheeses, as well as different varieties of chocolate and exquisite honey.
In fact, I would include this tour among the best food tours in San Francisco because of its culinary variety, and it is also an area worth visiting on the outskirts of the city for its rich cultural heritage. It is a place I would not miss for anything in the world.
The guided tour also gives you the opportunity to learn about things you didn't know and rediscover aspects that you may have missed if you have already visited Napa Valley before.
These types of tours are ideal to share with your family or friends if you are a lover of culinary pleasures. I would definitely include it among the best tours and excursions from San Francisco.
Advantages of taking a guided tour of Napa vs. going on your own
The main difference between a guided tour of Napa and going on your own is that on a guided tour, you are paying for information and sightseeing tours that you would not get on a tour you put together yourself.
On the other hand, you should consider the advantage of travelling to a place without having to drive yourself. Another advantage is admission to the vineyards and wineries. Under normal circumstances, if you go to Napa on your own, it is likely to be a little difficult to get into more than one vineyard to see it from the inside and participate in the tasting.
If you go on a guided tour, you will only have to hire a single service and forget about making a different reservation for each winery. The tour guide will make sure you visit three, five or eight vineyards during your day trip, and all you have to worry about is enjoying yourself and listening to the anecdotes and stories they have to tell you.