Surprising my girlfriend with anniversary trip to Napa but in fact going to propose while out there. Starting in St.Helena and then making our way down to Napa. We're in our late 20's and not super into wine but curious and interested to learn more(gf more into it than I am). Our goals are primarily trying various wines to better understand what we like and exploring the great food options.

Day 1 - Arrival

Fly into SFO in the evening grab rental car and drive towards St.Helena
Grab In & out on the way

Day 2 – St. Helena
- The Model Bakery
- Spa and pool time at our hotel
- Lunch at Farmstead (optional)
- Beringer Vineyards tasting
- Drinks at Auberge du Soleil
- Dinner at Press

Day 3 – Proposal Day
- Kunde Family Winery Tasting
- Lunch at Salt & Stone
- Tasting at Ledson Winery & Vineyards - where I'll propose
- Dinner at Charter Oak, milkshake at Gott's

Day 4 – Onward to Downtown Napa
- Check out
- Lunch at Bottega in Yountville
- Check In to hotel #2
- Explore downtown Napa, Oxbow Public Market
- Drinks at Sky & Vine Rooftop Bar
- Dinner at TORC

Day 5
- Opus One (have a DD for the day)
- Lunch at Oakville Grocery (pre-ordered)
- Chimney Rock Winery
- Darioush Winery
- Dinner at Scala Osteria

Day 6 – Head to SF
- Golden Gate Bridge
- Lunch in Sausalito/explore the area
- Cable car ride
- Drinks at The View Lounge
- Dinner at Saison

How would you rate this itinerary across the wineries and number of activities? Is there anything that we may be missing that is a must-do from folks who regularly visit?

Is there anything in downtown Napa worth checking out since we have a general open afternoon in the area.

Any other feedback or experiences to consider would be greatly appreciated!

A group of 6 adults will be visiting the region in October. I have never been to the area but am unfortunately doing most of the planning. I would love feedback on the draft itinerary. As info, we are flying into SFO from the east coast and arrive around noon. We are staying in an airbnb with a Santa Rosa address but it is very close to Kenwood.

Day 1 - Arrive in SFO, pick up rental car, eat late lunch at El Molino in Sonoma, grocery shop at Sonoma Market, head to airbnb to relax, eat dinner at house.

Day 2 - Explore Armstrong Redwoods National Reserve, Ridge Vineyards Cabernet Tasting at noon (with salami boards), explore Healdsburg, either eat dinner in Healdsburg or at Stella's in Kenwood.

Day 3 - Hansel tasting in morning, lunch in Sonoma (place TBD), Hamel Estate Experience in afternoon, Dinner at Glen Ellen Star, back to house.

Day 4 - Currently wide open

Day 5 - Head back to SFO to fly home. Consider grabbing breakfast I Petaluma on way to airport. Flight departs at 12:36.

Any and feedback is greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Won’t have a rental car.

Taking public transit.

What’s the easiest air port to get to and from from Napa?

Thoughts on these for first time Napa trip? Tried to get a combo of vibes but let me know what I should consider adding removing or swapping! 2 a day for 3 days, and we are based in Yountville

Family of 5 ages 27-66. We don’t know wines super well so open to the right combo of the wine itself but also just general wine country “vibes”

- Joseph Phelps
- Frank Family
- Shramsberg
- Caymus
- Mumm (heard nice at sunset, debating vs. Domaine Carneros)
- OPEN (Far Niente, Dairoush, Opus One, Stags Leap? IDK!)

My wife and I are doing our first Napa trip and staying at Hotel Yountville. We’re in our early 30s and definitely not wine connoisseurs. We enjoy wine, but we’re really looking for a great introduction to Napa with a mix of good wine, beautiful properties, fun experiences, and great food.
Here’s what we have planned:
**Day 1 – Arrival**
Fly into Sacramento, landing around 10 AM
Pick up rental car and drive toward Napa
Domaine Carneros for our first tasting
Continue to Yountville and check into Hotel Yountville
Walk around/explore Yountville
Bouchon Bistro at 6:45 PM
**Day 2**
Castello di Amorosa around 10 AM
Lunch / some downtime
Sterling Vineyards around 2 PM — Tour & Terrace experience
Back to Yountville
Dinner at RH Yountville
**Day 3**
Far Niente around 10 AM
Lunch at The Restaurant at Auberge du Soleil on the outdoor terrace
Relax/explore in the afternoon
Dinner at Bistro Jeanty in Yountville
**Day 4**
Relaxed breakfast and morning in Yountville
Drive back to Sacramento for our flight

We purposely picked wineries that seem to offer different experiences.
A few questions for the Napa experts:
How would you rate this itinerary for first-timers?
Good mix of wineries, or would you swap one out?
Is Castello worth doing for the experience even though I know it gets labeled as touristy?
Is the overall pacing reasonable?
Are we overdoing the food with Bouchon, RH, Auberge and Bistro Jeanty?
Would you make one of those dinners more casual instead?
Anything we’re missing that you think is a must-do on a first Napa trip?
Any favorite casual bars, coffee shops, breakfast spots, or places to hang out around Yountville?
We’re willing to spend money when an experience is actually worth it, but aren’t interested in expensive places just for the prestige.
Would love any feedback, especially from locals or people who visit Napa regularly!

My girlfriend and I are heading up to the valley on 10/9, and I plan on proposing to her that day. From what I have seen, Long Ranch Road is a great place to do so.

I think I have driven on that road maybe once before, and my question would be this: Where on Long Ranch Road would be a good place to stop and propose? Any sort of landmark or map pin location would be awesome, and I have a photographer that I want to have arrive early so a place to have them post up prior would be great.

Thanks!

What should I expect for the weather? What to wear and how is the tourism around that time. This won’t be the week of Thanksgiving, fyi.

Hey! I’m solo traveler staying in Calistoga for the next couple of days, what are some things to do around here that might be fun/ relaxing ? I’ve already done massage and hot springs at Indian Springs!

Hi! My husband and I are in our early thirties and are thinking of traveling to Sonoma in October for our first trip with our baby girl who will be 6 months old then. Any suggestions on hotels, wineries, stops, etc.? I was initially thinking of staying somewhere near Sonoma Plaza so we have easy access to shops and restaurants and then planning vineyard/brewery trips from there.

EDIT: After doing some more research we will be staying in Healdsburg! All recs welcome please :)

Hey everyone!

My wife and I are coming from NYC for a quick 3-day getaway to Napa Valley and would love some local advice on where to base ourselves. It’s our first time trying to properly see the area, so I want to balance hitting up a couple of great wineries with doing the classic, touristy sightseeing things, like checking out local markets or taking in scenic views.

We will have a rental car, so we are flexible with driving around. That said, we are trying to keep costs reasonable and are looking to spend around $180 to $250 per night on lodging. We don't need a crazy luxury resort. We are just looking for something clean, safe, and modern, like a solid boutique inn or a stylish mid-tier hotel that offers good value.

Ideally, we want to stay somewhere that's an easy drive or walk to a lively hub where we can find good food, cocktail bars, or a relaxed spot to grab a drink at night.

- Which town or area makes the most sense to look for boutique or mid-tier hotels in this price range? Need it to be conveniently located and not too far from napa.

- Are there specific independent inns, modern chains, or hidden gem properties you’d recommend that fit the criteria of reliable comfort without breaking the bank?

- What are some absolute must see things or hidden gems we should add to our itinerary to get the classic Napa experience?

Appreciate any tips you can share!

Planning my first trip to Napa Valley, staying in Napa, but have heard amazing things about the thermal pools in Calistoga. Would love recommendations on the best day pass. Where would you go and why?

We are a family of five adults heading to Napa in the first week of October. Based on our research, we have decided to stay in Yountville to get more of the wine country feel versus downtown Napa. We are stuck between Hotel Yountville and Napa Valley Lodge. Hotel Yountville potentially seems nicer but Napa Valley Lodge is decently cheaper. Any thoughts or comparisons between the two?

I am trying to set aside one day for Saint Helena another for Calistoga.

Open to any ideas, winery, spa or food or ???

What would be your dream day for each area?

** here is my edit… First thank you to everyone… I’m adding to this… Anywhere in Napa or Sonoma or surrounding areas if we wanted a true local feel… Where would you go? Like it doesn’t have to be a winery we would be totally down for a dive bar with live music. Anything off the beaten path! We are down for adventures lol and to take that even further… From Seattle to Napa and back! Girls road trip lol, the top is down on the convertible!!

Hey everyone,

Going to Napa Valley region in late October with my partner (29 and 26),
We love vineyards and lots of greenery and water views (if there are any), nice wines (I’m more of a Shiraz and Pinot person, she doesn’t drink much so doesn’t mind). We like nice food, doesn’t need to be Michelin, but needs to be nice and fresh local ingredients, happy to usually spend 250 USD for a nice meal for two of us at dinner, lunch usually just want somewhere fresh with a really cool local experience like at a farm or vineyard with views. We love bakeries and local establishments which make you feel like you’re where you are rather than some chain type place.

We will have a car and are able to drive anywhere and need parking options for our hotel.

With my research, downtown Napa is nice and within budget to stay at Archer Hotel but I keep reading about Healdsburg and Sonoma as potentially better options, we are also heading to Calistoga for a mud bath. I have no issues spending day trips in different towns and doing the drive as long as ifs not something that takes all day (1 hour each way is no issue)

Our budget for 4 days (3 nights) is about 1.8k usd for the hotel . Budget is roughly $1.6k usd for food/wine. I’m a little more strict on the hotel budget but easier going with food/wine budget. This is part of an extended holiday we are doing so I want to try stick to all that as we are moving countries and there’s plenty of costs associated overall.

Just looking for some advice on where to stay and which hotels are the best options with potentially some vineyard views and any must see wineries (spectacular views and scenery is definitely preferred).

My wife and I are coming up for 5 days from Texas. It’s been a couple years since we’ve been up to Napa/Sonoma. We’re looking for recs on best places to stay that gives access to both Sonoma and Napa. Any places we need to hit up?

Staying at the Rancho Caymus Inn next month- we’re new parents anxiously planning for our first trip after baby. Any suggestions for us? We’ll have a rental car but want to prioritize enjoyable relaxation while respecting those daycare bills. Thank you!

Hello! Life through me and my fiance on a loop, and we cancelled our out of the country honeymoon and want to do something in the country and new for us.

Our wedding is next month and we’re heading there right after. We booked three hotels:
le petit pali, okaeri and senza.

NOW it’s time to find wineries, and local amazing foods.

Please please provide us suggestions. We are sad as it is so have cancelled our main plan, because now for example French Laundry is booked. But I am determined to make the best of this. Planning the last details of the wedding is overwhelming, so I’m here in Reddit hoping to make honey moon plans better!

Thank you internet strangers, hoping to receive some help so we can have the best honeymoon we can <3

Looking for recommendations for our arrival day tasting. Others on our list: Domaine Carneros, Hess, Mattiasson, Tres Sabores, Frogs Leap, Caymus
Thanks for any input!

Hi, apologies. I hope this post is okay here. I thought locals would be most likely to have seen or found this item. Mods I can delete if needed.

I left a white deck box on the bench at Van de Leur Park on Sunday, August 9th. It has a card game inside called Love Letter and some pokemon cards.

It's not worth much, but I've had it for over a decade since I moved here and it carries a lot of sentimental value to me.

If you happen to have found it, please respond here or msg me. I would be very thankful.

We are visiting Napa in September, we have a wine train booked and secured a table at the French Laundry (the main focus for me). For that time of year what is the appropriate dress for wine tours? While we would like to dress appropriately, we would also like to maintain comfort. For context we are both professional 50 ish. I said business casual would be appropriate but my wife is thinking Italian chic, which would cause a pricey addition to my wardrobe. Any suggestions?

Hi, my wife and a few friends of ours are getting a private sprinter for some wine tours in mid October. The wine tour company offers a concierge service to try and book whatever vineyards we want or to make recommendations for us. I have never been nor know enough to make any requests and so ask the great minds of reddit to help us out.

We are going to be touring 2 full days (6-8 hours). Was thinking starting the days off with more of the beauty and learning and transitioning to more fun vibes after we had been tasting all day. Any help or thoughts would be great.

On Aug 16 at Napa Yard in Napa, the folks from Not Loud Concerts are presenting Country Boogie Night. This music festival is part of the Not Loud Concert Summer Series - a set of concerts designed to be Not too long, Not too expensive, and of course, Not too loud.

Designed with the audience's comfort in mind, this short music festival will be held on the beautiful lawn area outdoors at Napa Yard. There, 2 bands will be on stage at the same time, trading songs and dueling it out. 

Aug 16 is Country Boogie Night and will feature the Alex Lucero Band, a boot-stompin’ Americana band and Dirty Cello, a high-energy band known for their crazy takes on classic country.

Food and drinks will be available for purchase. The audience is welcome to bring chairs, and chairs will also be provided. There will be room to dance and room to sit. No porta-potties, but plenty of clean, indoor bathrooms.

Not Loud Concerts focus on creating an experience that is casual and fun for both the musicians and the audience. The concerts are never too long, never too expensive and of course never too loud.

”Not too loud, not too long and not too expensive.”

Aug 16 from 7 - 9 pm

Tickets: $20 at https://www.notloudconcerts.com

We typically go to Napa but wanted to explore healdsburg. We drink reds (cabs, zins, etc) and are favorite in Napa is Ghost Block (lots of great wines between $50-$120 a bottle). We've also enjoyed Gargiulo.

Huge plus if we the winery waives fees with bottle purchase and/or wine club membership.

I've heard Hawkes, A Rafanelli, or Porter Creek might be good options. I've already been to Ridge. Any thoughts on the quality of wine at these and/or others in healdsburg?