Napa Valley, California’s Beautiful Wine Country

Last Updated on February 11, 2025

Not only is Napa one of the best-known wine regions in the world, it’s also one of the smallest. But despite its size, there are plenty of things to do in Napa Valley…

Estimated reading time: 11 minutes

By Jim Ferri

I’ve always been amazed by the number of things to do in Napa Valley. It is, after all, one of the best-known wine regions in the world. Incredibly, it’s also one of the smallest, being only about 30 miles long and 5 miles across.

And despite its size, it also has more than 150 restaurants, including several well-know Michelin-starred establishments.

And, of course, one can’t forget the remarkable beauty of its countryside, picture-perfect with tidy rows of trees and vines. They’re all standing straight and neat like little arboreal soldiers.

It’s little wonder Napa attracts several million visitors every year. Its location, only about an hour north of San Francisco, certainly helps fuel innumerable weekend getaways.

Napa: A Four-Season Getaway

I can tell you that any time of year is a good time to visit Napa. There’s always something to do, and great food and wine always rewards you throughout the region.

Of course many travelers opt to visit during the summer months and fall harvest season, both when the valley is spectacularly beautiful. The most popular times are March – May and September – October when you’ll encounter larger crowds.

But winter and spring also have much to offer since the mountains keep the region warmer than San Francisco.

During the so-called Cabernet Season (November-April) when the harvest is complete, the wine is in the barrel, the vines are dormant, and the pace slower. It’s then that another variety of activities comes into bloom. Think of events such as Restaurant Week (in January), “Arts in April”, and the Napa Valley Marathon (always the first Sunday of March).

Spring soon follows, bringing a kaleidoscopic carpet of yellow mustard blooms, purple lupine and crimson clover across the valley floor.

Southern Napa

I enjoyed a three-day getaway to the Napa Valley, incredibly stress-less from the moment my plane landed at San Francisco International. I quickly grabbed my rental, and was off northward to the town of Napa.

Napa is a good place to start a tour since it’s at the southern end of the valley. And it also has plenty of hotels, inns, B&Bs, and numerous restaurants. Napa is also where you’ll find the Napa Valley Welcome Center. Head there to stock up on info to organize your stay (1300 1st Street #313, Napa /(707)251-5895).

I stayed two nights at the Napa River Inn, in downtown Napa, and a third night at the Mount View Hotel & Spa in Calistoga further north in the valley. It may sound a bit odd, but my reason for changing hotels was to sample both ends of the valley.

The Napa Inn is an excellent hotel with exceptionally comfortable rooms. They have (at least in my room) a fireplace at the foot of one’s bed. The staff was first-rate as was the location; the inn’s small historic building also contained two excellent restaurants. My meal and wine pairings at the restaurant Angele, just a few doors away, was exceptional. (Napa Inn and Spa / 1137 Warren St., Napa, CA / (707) 251-5895).

St. Helena Wine District

The following morning I headed north to the St. Helena wine district, about a half-hour drive up Highway 29. The route isn’t as beautiful as the pastoral Silverado Trail to the east but it is faster.

Shops, boutiques, and restaurants line the sides of St. Helena’s Main Street, with plenty of tourists and travelers grazing along the sidewalk, poking into boutiques and tasting rooms along the way. Some of the town’s buildings are historical, with the pièce de résistance being the Beringer Brothers Vineyard’s 1884 Rhine Mansion. It which looks as if it’s right off the European countryside. (“Rhine House” / 2000 Main Street, St. Helena).

It’s on the National Register of Historic Places and the vineyard hosts tastings in a few rooms on the ground floor, the only areas guests can visit. Be sure and stop in for a visit; it’s located next to the Culinary Institute of America (CIA), across from the Charles Krug Winery. The CIA, by the way, was hailed as a “foodie wonderland” by The New York Times. (Culinary Institute of America / 500 1st Street, Napa, CA / (707) 967-2500).

Napa’s 400+ Wineries

There are more than 400 wineries open to the public throughout Napa, 95% of which are still family owned. Many are small boutique-style wineries which serve world-class vintages. They are ground zero for the millions of people who come to taste the valley’s most popular export.

As you drive along the valley’s roads you see the names of many vineyards you know well, and it’s a good feeling, almost like visiting the home of an old friend.

Their names read like a Who’s Who of wineries…Stag’s Leap, Cakebread, Hall, Krug, Clos du Val, Mondavi…it’s a fantasy land for oenophiles as well as gourmets, since the focus on many tastings is its pairing with food.

Years ago tastings at these vineyards were free to all visitors. Today, however, there are charges for all tastings, usually starting at $20 or so per flight and increasing based on the quality of the wine to more than $200. All wines are available for purchase.

Sample tasting fees including including four award-winning Cabernet Sauvignons are $40–$65 at Hall Wines and $40–$100 for a 45-minute tasting at Clos du Val. Some wineries will waive their tasting fees if you purchase their product. You can also save money by purchasing the Priority Wine Pass (3 days $49 / one year $69).

Yountville in Napa

Driving through these little towns in Napa, you leave the urban experience behind. Traffic can get heavy at times but it’s rare to hear any horns, save that of the Napa Valley Wine Train on its daily run up and down the valley.

Owned by upscale Noble House Hotels and Resorts, the Wine Train operates year-round and offers lunch and dinner service, as well as winery tours. Its tours visit a clutch of wineries including Beaulieu, Stags Leap, Calistoga, and Frog’s Leap Wineries, among others. (Napa Valley Wine Train / Napa, California 94559 | (707) 253-2111.

In the Napa Valley you also don’t find neon in your face, roadside signs, and fast-food restaurants lining the byways. Instead, you find a place where wine and slow cooking are almost a religious experience. One of its culinary altars is the town of Yountville, home to about 3,400 people and nearly two-dozen restaurants, several of which have been recognized by Michelin .

The most famous is the highly touted Michelin three-star The French Laundry, owned by renowned chef Thomas Keller. Four other Yountville restaurants (The Restaurant at North Block, Bouchon (also owned by Thomas Keller), Ad Hoc and Mustards Grill) have also been recognized by the prestigious Michelin but haven’t been awarded stars.

An additional restuarant – Ciccio – has been awarded Michelin’s ‘Bib Gourmand’, meaning it offers good food at a low price. Take note if you’re on a budget. For a full list of all Michelin-honored restaurants in the entire valley click over to Visit Napa Valley.

By the way, if you can’t get into the French Laundry, you’re welcome to wander about Keller’s restaurant garden across the street from the Laundry. It’s there he cultivates Tuscan Kale and a variety of other vegetables for his culinary creations. Farm to table has never been simpler.

North to Calistoga

On my third day in Napa, I drove north to the Mount View Hotel & Spa, further up the valley in the town of Calistoga. Another National Historic Landmark hotel, it also was quite charming and comfortable.

Each of its rooms is individually decorated to provide a feeling of old Hollywood charm. My room was in one of the small adjacent cottages, with a private outdoor Jacuzzi and sitting area on a private patio.

I relaxed for a while at the Mount View, unfortunately too short on time to enjoy the spa facilities, before taking the Silverado Trail back towards Rutherford, about a 20-minute drive. It was a beautiful time of day in Napa as the setting sun painted the mountains behind me a sweltering red.

My destination that evening was the Auberge du Soleil Restaurant, a Michelin-starred restaurant rated as one of America’s 100 Best Wine Restaurants. In addition to having the most extensive wine list of any restaurant in the Napa Valley, it also provides spectacular vistas along with its spectacular meals.

Remembering a Birthday

I had been looking forward to returning to the Auberge since I had dined there with my sister for her birthday lunch five years earlier. Tomorrow was my birthday, and although I was alone, I wanted to relive that earlier experience.

For the next two hours, I enjoyed an exceptional four-course dinner with wine pairings. From the fresh scallops appetizer and the tenderest beef I have ever tasted as my entree, right through to dessert, it was an incredible dining experience, all made even better with the pairings of exceptional Napa wines. I also learned from the Auberge’s Sommelier that the best wine to pair with salmon isn’t a white but a Pinot Noir. Try it. I loved it.

As expected, morning came too early, of course. And not long after dawn I was on the Silverado Trail, headed southward and back to San Francisco. As the morning sun scattered its rays across the vineyards and mountains, I drove the near-deserted road, watching the beautiful and ever-changing tableaux.

A half-hour later, back on the crowded freeway once again, I soon found myself plotting my return.

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If You Go:

Napa Valley Welcome Center
600 Main Street
Napa, CA 94559
http://www.visitnapavalley.com
Tel: (707) 251-5895 / (855) 847-6272

Napa River Inn
500 Main Street
Napa CA 94559
http://www.napariverinn.com
Tel: (707) 251-8500 / (877) 251-8500

Mount View Hotel & Spa
1457 Lincoln Avenue
Calistoga CA 94515
http://mountviewhotel.com
Tel: 707.942.6877 / 800.816.6877

Auberge du Soleil Restaurant
180 Rutherford Hill Road
Rutherford, CA 94573
http://www.aubergedusoleil.com/
Tel: (707) 963-1211