Temecula is a city in southern California. Situated in a valley around 40 mile inland, the area is famous for its wineries. We spent 2 days exploring Temecula during our California road trip, one in the historic old town and the second visiting a winery and doing a little shopping.
How to get to Temecula
You really need a car to get to Temecula. The nearest airport is in San Diego, 60 miles to the south. From here, it’s an easy drive up the I-15. Los Angeles is 85 miles north up the I-15.
Getting around Temecula
The old town is best explored on foot. For everything else, you will need a car.
Where to Stay in Temecula
There are plenty of boutique accommodation options in Temecula amongst the wineries, plus the usual selection of chain hotels dotted around the Interstate. Wo we opted for a housesit, booking via Trusted Housesitters.
Temecula in 2 Days Itinerary
| Drive to Temecula Accommodation – Housesit | |
| Day 1 | Old Town Temecula The Hotel Temecula Emigrant Office Old Town Bridge Old Town Front Street Old Town Arch Temecula Valley Museum Sam Hicks Monument Park Temecula Farmers Market Town Square Park Civic Center Utility Box Project |
| Day 2 | Harveston Lake Promenade Temecula Wilson Creek Winery |
Drive to Temecula
We were supposed to fly from San Francisco to San Diego, leaving just a 60 mile drive up the Interstate. Instead, our airline, which apparently has lost track of where their planes are due to some snow, have cancelled all today’s flights. And so we are faced with a 470 mile drive, reaching Temecula 9 hours after departing Palo Alto. It should have been a 90 minute flight. Thanks Southwest Airlines!
Accommodation – Housesit
From downtown Temecula, we drive into the mountains overlooking the city famed for its vineyards, to our home for the next week. It’s a huge house with a spectacular view presided over by the infinity pool. There’s also a Jacuzzi, although using it is complicated as we have to text the owners (who are in a different time zone) each time we want to use it, they then turn it on remotely for an hour.
We are taking care of one well behaved dog and cat plus a huge dog which the homeowners said lived outside during the day and in a cage at night. However, they changed their minds the day before departing and the huge dog is now no longer caged at night. He is very excited about his new found freedom and spends the evening alternatively terrorising the cat and humping anything that moves and plenty of things that don’t move!
Day 1
Old Town Temecula
We start our visit with a wander round Old Town Temecula, the historic district centred around Old Town Front Street. Temecula was founded in 1859, primarily as a staging post for settlers travelling west. My route consists of a loop running north up Old Town Front Street and back down the parallel Mercedes Street. The total distance covered is aroun 1.5 miles.
If you are driving, you will find plenty of free parking at the Old Town Parking Garage, next to the Visitor Center.
The Hotel Temecula
We park at the Old Town Garage and wander along Main Street as far as The Hotel Temecula. This was the first hotel in Temecula, built back in 1883 when the railroad arrived in town.
Emigrant Office
Adjoining the hotel is the Emigrant Office. This popular backdrop for tourist photos isn’t as old as it might seem. It was built by the U.S. Border Patrol after WWII.
Old Town Bridge
The modern Old Town Bridge was designed to replicate an old railroad trestle. Running either side of the bridge is Creek Walk.
Old Town Front Street
We continue our walk along Old Town Front Street, which is lined with old buildings which now house restaurants, antique and gift stores. There are some very nice stores, but the prices are a bit too 21st century; $1.95 for a post card – what’s that all about?
Old Town Arch
At the northern end of town, you will find the Old Town Arch (there is also one at the southern end). The iconic iron gateways depict the city’s history.
Temecula Valley Museum
We walk as far as Temecula Valley Museum. Here, you can ‘Take a step back in time and experience the rich history of the Temecula Valley from its discovery to today. A visit to the Temecula Valley Museum promises a fun and informational day for the entire family.’ When we visited it was shut, so no fun family day for us…
The museum is usually open daily except Monday from 10 am until 4 pm. They ask for a suggested donation of $5 per person or $10 per family.
Sam Hicks Monument Park
The museum is in Sam Hicks Monument Park, which named after a man who played a vital role in the city’s development. Here, you will find a 150 ton block of granite, entitled They Passed This Way, which honours some of the first pioneers who passed through this area during their journey west.
Temecula Farmers Market
In a car park on 6th Street, a weekly Farmers Market takes place. Here you can find all sorts of local produce, such as farm produce, artisan goods, fresh honey and flowers.
The takes place every Saturday from 8 am to 12.30 pm. However when we arrived shortly before midday, many stalls were already being packed up.
History of Temecula Mural
Also on 6th Street, you will find the History of Temecula Mural which depicts the city’s history from 1858 until 1996.
Town Square Park
Town Square Park is a public plaza was designed to be an outdoor gathering place for citizens and visitors to Temecula’s Old Town. It features gardens, shady trees, benches and a large fountain.
Concerts and events are held here throughout the year. When we visited, it was New Year’s Eve, which usually involves an enormous bunch of grapes being dropped from the roof of Civic Center. Unfortunately, due to the wind, there was a last minute decision to cancel the grape drop. So there was a big countdown and the Christmas lights were turned off and back on again. Talk about an anticlimax!
Civic Center
The modern Civic Center was built in 2010 in a Mission Revival style to fit with the town’s image. The building contains City Hall, government offices, an art gallery and a multi storey car park.
Utility Box Project
I love a bit of public art. Throw in a trail and I’m off and running (well walking anyway). As you explore Temecula, look out for the decorated utility boxes. The Utility Box Project consists of 20 utility boxes around town which have been decorated with the work of local artists. A map of the boxes can be found here.
Day 2
Harveston Lake
Daughter no 2 wants to go for a run this morning, so we drive to Harveston Lake. This pretty little lake has a 0.8 mile long walking/jogging trail round the perimeter. So, daughter no 2 can run four laps, while I jog three laps and the old man walks two laps, all ending up at roughly the same place at the same time.
Promenade Temecula
Afterwards, we drive to Promenade Temecula, which is the most enormous shopping mall I’ve ever experienced. It contains over 160 units, including several department stores.
We don’t even cover a fraction, but end up walking five miles. By the end of the morning we have amassed gifts for family back home, a haircut (daughter no 2) and sore feet (me).
Wilson Creek Winery
Temecula is set in a valley surrounded by grapevines. A visit to Temecula isn’t complete without a trip to one of the many wineries for some sampling. We chose Wilson Creek Winery.
You can wander round, or take a guided tour of the vineyard.
They also have a tasting room. For $30, you can sample any 6 wines of your choice from their menu. The options include red wine, white wine and a variety of flavoured sparkling wines, such as Orange Mimosa, watermelon and Limoncello. There’s even a red wine with added chocolate. Weird and not altogether pleasant.
To be honest, everything here is rather pricey. You can pick up the same wine in the supermarket much cheaper. So, we stop on the way home to purchase a bottle of wine for the evening at supermarket price, then return to the house for a relaxing sunset soak in the hot tub.
Note: You have to be over 21 to drink in California and they were extremely reluctant to accept a foreign driving licence as proof of age. If you don’t look over 21, be sure to bring ID and if you’re not American, I recommend bringing a passport.
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: December 2022
- Update: December 2024
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