Napa is a town in the Napa Valley, renowned for its vineyards. It is only 50 miles from San Francisco, so makes an ideal place to visit for a couple of days to tour a winery or two and explore the town and surrounding area on foot or by bike.
How to get to Napa
Napa is just over an hour’s drive north of San Francisco. The shortest route is to take the I-80 across the Oakland Bay Bridge. However, we opted to take the US-101 across the iconic Golden Gate Bridge, stopping at the Vista Point on the northern side to enjoy the view before continuing to Napa.
Getting around Napa
The town itself is best visited on foot. To explore further afield, we rented bikes and cycled the 9 miles from Napa to Yountville along the Napa Valley Vine Trail.
Where to stay in Napa
There is a wide range of accommodation around Napa, from budget to luxury. We went budget, as we figured we weren’t going to spend much time at the hotel anyway, and stayed at Motel 6 Napa. It was pretty basic. I believe it’s now a homeless shelter…
Napa in 2 Days Itinerary
| Day 1 | Drive to Napa Accommodation – Motel 6 Napa Laird Family Estate Picnic at the Laird Family Estate |
| Day 2 | Napa Valley Vine Trail Domaine Chandon Yountville V Marketplace Yountville Art Walk Lunch at Napa Valley Railway Inn Napa Oxbow Public Market Culinary Institute of America Napa Valley Welcome Center Napa Art Walk |
Day 1
Drive to Napa
This morning, we set off for our weekend in the Napa Valley. We drive through San Francisco, over the Golden Gate Bridge, stopping at the viewpoint on the northern side (H. Dana Bowers Rest Area & Vista Point) for the obligatory photo stop.
Note: The car park here can appear very full, but nobody stays long, so it’s usually fairly easy to find a space.
Accommodation – Motel 6 Napa
We continue to Napa and tonight’s accommodation; Motel 6 Napa. It’s not the most classy establishment, but it’s clean and meets all our requirements. Although the hotel still appears on the Motel 6 website, I don’t think you can actually book a room there anymore.
Laird Family Estate
Then we walk along part of the Napa Valley Vine Trail, which passes close the hotel, (via a grocery store to purchase picnic supplies) for this afternoon’s assignation – wine tasting at the Laird Family Estate .
This family run winery is in a beautiful setting; surrounded by a rose garden, overlooking the vineyard. After a wander round the grounds, we purchase a flight of wine.
The Veraison Flight consists of 3 white and 2 red wines. The wine is all delicious, even the red wine. I thought I didn’t like red wine, but it turns out that once you reach $70 a bottle, I actually do!
The winery is open daily from 10 am until 5 pm. The Veraison Flight costs $50 (or is free if you spend $100 on wine).
Picnic at the Laird Family Estate
Once our tasting is over, we choose our favourite wine and purchase a bottle (or two) for an afternoon picnic on the lawn. Unlike the majority of the vineyards around Napa, the Laird Estate allow you to bring your own food for a picnic in their lovely grounds. We have a lovely afternoon eating and drinking amidst the vines in the sunshine. Then catch an Uber back to our hotel for a little lie down…
Day 2
Napa Valley Vine Trail
Today, we are hiring bikes to cycle the Napa Valley Vine Trail. From the map, I had assumed it to be a Dr Beeching style trail along a disused railway. In fact, the railway is still there and the trail is a tarmac strip which runs parallel to the track and the adjoining freeway. It’s not, therefore, as idyllically rural as I’d imagined, but it’s a pleasant, mostly traffic free 9 mile ride from Napa to Yountville.
We drive to the bike hire shop in Napa to pick up our bikes. There are a few places where you can hire bikes in Napa, we chose Napa Valley Bike Shop because it had good reviews and is opposite a car park, so parking is convenient. The shop is open daily from 8.30 am until 6 pm. The basic option; the Comfort Cruiser costs $54 per day and comes with a bottle cage, handlebar bag, padlock and helmet. We rode the trail out and back, but there is an option to ride one way and leave the bike at the shop in Yountville (this costs $20 extra).
After a section through town, we are soon cycling along the side of the railway track, stopping from time to time to take photos of the scenery and public art en route.
Domaine Chandon
We opted not to combine drinking and cycling, which means that sadly we can’t test the wares at Domaine Chandon, a winery on the edge of Yountville renowned for its sparkling wines. We make do with a selfie by the gate and cycle on.
Yountville
We reach the quaint little town of Yountville, which is centred round Washington Street. There is a plaza in the midlde of town with plenty of bike parking.
V Marketplace
We take a wander along Washington Street, which is lined with shops and restaurants. Further shops and restaurants can be found in V Marketplace, a mall in a former 19th century winery.
Yountville Art Walk
There is some interesting public art scattered around Yountville which forms the Yountville Art Walk. You can pick up an art map from Yountville Welcome Center.
Lunch at the Napa Valley Railway Inn
We stop for brunch amidst the tourists and Mamils at Napa Valley Railway Inn. The inn consists of rows of converted 100 year old train carriages. Plus the Mini Model Bakery & Cafe, a cafe in a converted caboose (the crew carriage on a freight train*. Two of us are sensible and purchase sandwiches, while daughter No 2 opts for a cinnamon bun the size of her head! The bakery is very popular. We had to join a long queue to be served, but it was worth the wait.
Napa
Full to the top with baked goods, we cycle back to Napa. We have cycled 18 miles in total – I am not a confident cyclist, so I am shattered by the time we reach Napa.
Oxbow Public Market
So we head for the Oxbow Public Market. The market is in a converted warehouse next to the Napa River. It has a range of food and wine stores and restaurants. We take a browse and purchase refreshments.
CIA at Copia (Culinary Institute of America)
Next stop, the CIA at Copia (Culinary Institute of America) because, well it has a giant fork made out of forks and I love a piece of weird public art. Inside are shops and restaurants. Outside is a culinary garden.
Napa Valley Welcome Center
The Napa Valley Welcome Center is a source of tourist information, souvenirs and selfie opportunities.
Napa Art Walk
W pick up a trail map for the Napa Art Walk and spend the rest of the afternoon wandering around town.
After a brief stop for ice cream, it’s time to return the bikes and drive back to San Francisco. A tiring, but thoroughly enjoyable weekend!
I hope you found the above information useful. For guides to more destinations in the 50+ countries we have visited, check out my full list of Independent Travel Itineraries here.
- Trip taken: November 2021
- Updated: December 2024
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