Visit Napa

A river lined with restaurants, a covered market for oysters and cheese, then fifty kilometres of vines up to the hot springs of Calistoga: Napa is discovered winery by winery, with tastings booked ahead. Two to three days are enough, an hour from San Francisco.

Why visit Napa?

The city of Napa, with nearly 80,000 residents, opens the southern end of the Napa Valley, the most renowned wine region in the United States since the 1976 Judgment of Paris. It offers a livelier and often cheaper base than the villages up north, about an hour's drive from San Francisco.

Napa's must-sees

A market, a train and a few wineries that tell the story of Californian wine.

Oxbow Public Market

A food hall opened in 2007 by the river in downtown Napa: oysters, cheeses, charcuterie, coffee roasted on site and counters pouring local wines.

Napa Valley Wine Train

A train of restored Pullman cars running up the valley from Napa to St. Helena and back in about three hours, with a meal served on board and sometimes winery stops.

Domaine Carneros

A French-style château built in the late 1980s among the Carneros vines, devoted to sparkling wines. Seated tastings on its large terrace, by reservation.

Chateau Montelena

A Calistoga winery whose 1973 chardonnay beat the great Burgundies at the 1976 Judgment of Paris. Stone château and Japanese-style lake.

Castello di Amorosa

A replica medieval Tuscan castle between St. Helena and Calistoga, built over more than a decade: moat, chapel, vaulted cellars and a reconstructed torture chamber.

What to see in Napa and its valley?

Downtown and the Napa River

Downtown Napa stretches along the river, with a landscaped riverwalk, tasting rooms in 19th-century brick buildings and the 1880 opera house on Main Street. Badly damaged by the magnitude 6.0 earthquake of August 2014, it has since been restored. Everything can be done on foot in half a day: lunch at the covered market, walk-in tastings at several downtown counters, dinner by the river. It is the most practical base without a car, served by VINE buses.

Carneros, south of town

A quarter of an hour south-west of downtown, the Los Carneros appellation straddles Napa and Sonoma counties. Cooled by fog from San Pablo Bay, it mainly produces chardonnay, pinot noir and sparkling wines, unlike the cabernets of the northern valley. Wineries here are more spread out and quieter than along Route 29. The di Rosa art centre, devoted to Northern California contemporary art, takes one to two hours to visit amid the vines.

Yountville, Oakville and Rutherford

Heading up Route 29, Yountville, about fifteen kilometres from Napa, has an exceptional density of Michelin-starred restaurants, including The French Laundry, to be booked months ahead. Further north, Oakville and Rutherford line up the great cabernet sauvignon estates. At weekends, Route 29 clogs up by late morning: take the Silverado Trail, running parallel on the east side, smoother and lined with more wineries. Limit yourself to three tastings a day to really enjoy them.

St. Helena and Calistoga, north of the valley

St. Helena, some thirty kilometres from Napa, has kept a small-town main street with shops and delis. Calistoga, at the end of the valley about forty kilometres away, is known for its volcanic ash mud baths and hot springs. The 2017 and 2020 wildfires hit these hills, and several wineries have been rebuilt. Allow an hour's drive from Napa on weekdays. It is the last stop before heading to the coast or continuing a road trip through the West of the United States.

Frequently asked questions about Napa

How many wineries should you visit per day in the Napa Valley?
Three at most, four if you stick to small pours. Each tasting lasts an hour to an hour and a half with the tour, and Route 29 traffic is slow at weekends. Book the first slot around 10 am and have lunch between two wineries.
Napa or Sonoma for a first visit?
Napa has the most famous wineries, the best dining and a compact valley, but pricier tastings. Sonoma, just to the west, is larger, more rural and often more affordable. With three days, you can stay in Napa and spend a day on the Sonoma side via Carneros.
Is the Napa Valley Wine Train worth the price?
For a relaxed experience with a meal, yes: you cross the valley without driving, in restored Pullman cars. To discover many wineries, a driver or a tour is better: the train only stops at a few wineries, depending on the package chosen, booked in advance.
Where can you take a mud bath in Calistoga?
Several historic spas in downtown Calistoga offer mud baths made from volcanic ash and hot spring water, followed by a mineral bath and a blanket wrap. Allow an hour to an hour and a half, and book at weekends. Avoid going straight on to a tasting.
Do you need to book The French Laundry in Yountville?
Yes, very far ahead: reservations open online in batches and go within minutes. Without a table, Yountville has other restaurants by the same chef and several more accessible starred addresses, as well as a bakery that is very busy in the morning.

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