2 days in Napa Valley

Day by day

1. Day 1: Napa Valley Wine Train and Oxbow Public Market

   Napa Valley Wine Train, Oxbow Public Market and Downtown Napa tasting rooms, then Sunrise balloon ride in the evening.

   1. Breakfast

      Breakfast: Bakery pastries

   2. Morning

      Napa Valley Wine Train

      It lets everyone enjoy the views without a designated driver.

   3. Late morning

      Oxbow Public Market

      It is a relaxed place for a casual lunch between tastings and a good stop for picnic supplies.

   4. Lunch

      Lunch: Tasting menus

      Yountville, St Helena and downtown Napa; reservations at the best-known restaurants open weeks or months ahead.

   5. Afternoon

      Downtown Napa tasting rooms

      Walking between them avoids the need for a driver.

   6. Café break

      Café break: Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

   7. Evening

      Sunrise balloon ride

      Float over the vineyards at dawn and land for a champagne toast.

2. Day 2: Hot-air balloon flight and Yountville village

   Hot-air balloon flight, Yountville village and Inglenook, then Terrace sparkling tasting in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Hot-air balloon flight

      Flights usually end with a champagne toast or breakfast.

   2. Late morning

      Yountville village

      Public outdoor sculptures dot the streets, and the town's history is reflected in its veterans' home, one of the largest in the US.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Oysters

      Oyster bars in Oxbow Public Market and seafood restaurants in Napa.

   4. Afternoon

      Inglenook

      Film director Francis Ford Coppola reunited the historic estate, and it offers tastings, tours and a small museum on its history.

   5. Café break

      Café break: Carneros sparkling wine and Chardonnay

   6. Evening

      Terrace sparkling tasting

      Sip sparkling wine on the terrace at Domaine Carneros overlooking the vineyards.

Before you go

• Napa Valley Wine Train: Popular departures, especially weekends and harvest season, sell out; book well ahead.
• Hot-air balloon flight: Book ahead and expect very early start times; flights depend on the weather.
• Inglenook: Tastings are by reservation.

If it rains

• Swap in Castello di Amorosa (Calistoga): Book a guided tour to see the lower cellars, which are not part of a basic tasting visit.
• Swap in Culinary Institute of America at Greystone (St Helena): Book a cooking demonstration or a meal at the campus restaurant to see inside the historic building.
• Swap in Calistoga mud baths and hot springs (Calistoga): Book a mid-afternoon treatment after a morning of tastings, and drink plenty of water; the hot mud and minerals are dehydrating.

Where to stay for this itinerary

Pace and daylight

The sights in this plan add up to roughly 14–21 hours of visiting over 2 days, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 9.5 hours in December to 14.8 hours in June, so in winter start early and keep museums for the afternoon.

Getting between stops: Car. A hire car gives the most flexibility; Napa to Calistoga takes about 40 minutes without traffic.

More or fewer days

• One day in Napa Valley
• 3 days in Napa Valley

Questions travellers ask