How to Spend 1 Day in Napa Valley
San Francisco has no shortage of charm, but sometimes the best part of the city is how quickly you can escape it. Just a little over an hour north lies Napa Valley—a world-class wine region that offers the perfect mix of relaxation, scenery, and indulgence. Whether you're a wine enthusiast, a foodie, or just in need of a change of pace, a day trip to Napa is one of the easiest and most rewarding getaways from the Bay. From vineyard views and cozy tasting rooms to gourmet bites and sun-soaked backroads, here's why a quick trip to Napa should be on your San Francisco bucket list.
First things first, arrange for a Designated Driver! I highly suggest hiring a private driver for the day so everyone can enjoy themselves without having to worry about getting behind the wheel. We used SF City Limo and absolutely loved our time with them! Not only was the pricing competitive, but their response time was spot-on and their service was wonderful. They picked up our group of 4 at 8:45am in order to make our first winery reservation at 10:00am Saturday morning. You can expect about a 1-1.5hr drive depending on which area of Napa your winery is located.
We booked our reservations about 3 days prior as we weren’t sure of our schedule yet, but I highly suggest booking the wineries/experiences you want as soon as your travel plans are set. Wineries book out far in advance at some places.
Our first stop of the day was Shadybrook Winery where we booked the Overlook Experience which includes 2hrs, multiple tastings, food pairings and a private cabana that overlooks the vineyards and stables. Talk about dreamy! Our wine host was Kary and she was such a treat. We felt like she quickly knew our tastebuds and girlfriend knows how to explore some wine calling out the tasting notes, pairings, backgrounds and more on each wine we tried. We loved her and even received the sweetest note in the mail when we got home.
We definitely consider ourselves wine lovers and have traveled to many of the main wine regions of the world such as Tuscany, Northern Italy, the Champagne region, the Loire Valley, Alsace and more and Shadybrook was top-notch!
Shadybrook was SUCH a fun experience and the wine was DELICIOUS! Hence the 12 bottle shipment that showed up on my doorstop……and our new membership in the wine club…..
Their other experiences include:
- riding horses through the vineyards
- exploring the wine caves
- tables in their beautiful garden
- and even proposals if it’s your lucky weekend!
Their partner winery is Rapp Winery which is on the property and has the horse stables. While we didn’t try their wine while we were there, I have a bottle of their rose waiting for me in my wine fridge that I can’t wait to get into!
After you’ve completed any purchases and cute pictures, jump in your car and head into town for lunch. I didn’t know what to expect, but the sweet, quaint little downtown of Napa was so precious! It’s easily walkable through most of town and you can even do some trails along the Napa River if you want more time outside.
We didn’t make reservations anywhere as we wanted something quick and easy before heading to our next destination so we pulled into Gotts Roadside Café and we were in luck by grabbing a big table outside in the sunshine. It’s definitely a popular destination so keep that in mind for your time schedule. Must try’s: their fish tacos and their onion rings!
Some other great options in town for lunch:
- Oenotri
- Compline
- TORC
- Downtown Joe’s Restaurant & Brewery
- Zuzu
After finishing off your lunch, drive on over to the next winery, which for us was Clos du Val.
You immediately see this beautiful wooden building set back behind the vineyards right off the highway. Our reservations were for a 1.5hr tasting in their main room. The décor, the vibes, the presentation – all a 10 out of 10! Kudos to you CDV for the extra touches you put into welcoming people in and your table décor, chefs kiss!
We booked the Hirondelle House Tasting with is accompanied by a seasonal dip and fresh sourdough – yummm – as well as multiple wines and takes about 1hr although we didn’t wanna leave and took about 1.5-2hrs total exploring the estate and their delicious wines.
They offer other types of experiences such as:
- Tasting through the decades
- Estate tours and barrel tasting
- By the glass/bottle
This was something I did NOT see offered a lot of places in Napa and I truly appreciate that they give this option to people. We have Fredericksburg here in Texas and most of the time we only want a glass or bottle at each place especially with a bigger group instead of everyone having their own tasting, so it’s super easy to go and get whatever you want at the vineyards.
Come to find out….you have to have a special permit to offer this in Napa which is why you don’t see this offered everywhere!
Do yourself a favor and ask the story behind the Yettalil wine, so SWEET and something that stuck with me after leaving here.
There is plenty of seating both inside the main room or outside on multiple patios. The couple we were with joined this wine club and they received their wine within a few days of being home from our trip – customer service is a 10*!
After this, you’ll probably be ready for a refresh at your hotel and maybe a power nap before dinner that night. Keep in mind that the drive back to San Francisco is going to take 1-2hrs. depending on the traffic (which yes, you’ll hit traffic, I promise). So make your dinner plans a little later in the evening and you can even snag a nap in the car since you’ve hired a private driver!
Some additional wineries to check out!
I hope you have a wonderful time in Napa drinking some amazing wine, nibbling on the best bites, and enjoying your time in the romantic town that is Napa!
Some additional wineries I’d encourage you to check out:
- Opus One
- Caymus
- Rombauer
- Kistler