A day trip to Napa from SF

I don’t know about you, but ever since I turned 21, I have just been itching to go to Napa. Having grown up in the Central Valley and gone to school in the Sacramento area, I can’t believe it took me until this year to make a trip out to the Napa valley! Here’s some information that will hopefully help you plan a day trip out from the Bay Area:

Travel time by car: Getting into Napa from the mission district of San Francisco was approximately an hour and twenty minute drive, leaving on a Saturday morning.

Weather: We went at the end of July when it was sunny and fairly hot, but Napa is a great location to explore during any season! I would love to go back in the Fall when it’s a lot cooler and I can wear a cute knit sweater.

Reservations: I highly recommend reservations before your trip, especially during COVID. You never know if the place you’re trying to go has an opening for you if you do walk-in. During COVID, most places require a reservation. We made our reservations a week in advance, and there were a few places I had looked up that were full for the day we wanted.

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Itinerary:

The first thing we did when we got to Napa was brunch. We went to the Napa General Store. This place is right on the river, and has really cute outdoor patio seating. I had an eggs benedict, and it was delicious. They have a store inside with knick knacks and a good selection of wines. This restaurant is right in downtown Napa, with a bunch of stores and restaurants nearby. Conveniently, there’s a parking lot right in front and a parking garage down the street.

We had some time to kill after brunch before our wine tasting, so we walked down the walkway of the river that was right next to the Napa General Store.

After our walk, we headed to Mumm Napa, which is a winery about twenty minutes away from downtown Napa. The drive there was very scenic! We had a reservation, so we were seated immediately on the vineyard green with a view of the vine rows. The tasting we did was $40/person, and we were given a flight of three wines + one complimentary wine when we entered the winery. My favorite was the Blanc de Blancs, and I ended up buying a bottle of it for $45! Everything was very clean and well-kept, and all the employees were wearing masks, which I appreciated. The only tip I have for Mumm is bring cash for tipping the employee that brings you your wine tastings, because there isn’t a line on your check for it if paying by card.

After Mumm, we headed to the Oxbow Public Market back in downtown Napa for a late lunch/early dinner. We did not have a reservation for this, but most food stalls there were a walk-up-to-order type of situation. Oxbow is a very cute indoor market with various stalls of food and drink. We chose “C Casa”, and I got a taco salad which was DELICIOUS. There was outdoor seating for this restaurant as well as a few others, and there is a parking lot right next to the building. Just next door is the Model Bakery and Gott’s Roadside, which we didn’t check out but put on the bucket list for next time! Also next door to the market is a nice green area and pathway by the river where you can picnic.

After eating, we headed home and it took about the same hour and twenty minutes on the way back. Even after just the one tasting, we were pretty tired from the heat! Safe to say we will be back to Napa sometime soon to try out more of what it has to offer. Here’s my bucket list for future trips:

• Sterling Vineyards
• Castello di Amorosa
• St. Supéry
• Mondavi winery
• Domaine Carneros
• Pine Ridge
• Model Bakery
• Bouchon Bakery