One day 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

      Choose a package with a winery stop if you want to taste along the way, and sit on the side facing the vineyards rather than Highway 29. Allow 3–6 hours.

   3. Late morning

      Oxbow Public Market

      Go at lunchtime on a weekday to avoid queues, and pick up picnic supplies before heading up the valley. Allow 1–1.5 hours.

   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

      Plan two or three tastings with a lunch break in between, and walk along the riverfront path to the Oxbow district. Allow Half a day.

   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.

Before you go

• Napa Valley Wine Train: Popular departures, especially weekends and harvest season, sell out; book well ahead.

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 7–12 hours of visiting over one day, 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

• 2 days in Napa Valley
• 3 days in Napa Valley

Questions travellers ask