Overview
Napa is a city in the state of California, located 50 miles north of San Francisco, at the southern end of scenic Napa Valley.
2 sights · 14 things to do · 12 places to eat · 4 bars & cafés · 18 places to stay
Updated from Wikivoyage on 1 October 2026 · Something wrong or missing? Improve it on Wikivoyage
Best things about Napa
Napa Valley Wine Train
Various types of train rides offered for the 36-mile round trip to St. Helena, with or without gourmet dinner. Buy the "flight" of wines at the tasting car. Make this institution part of your trip.
Napa Valley Opera House
Not just opera.
Festival Napa Valley
Large festival with music and food.
Bottlerock
Major music festival held in May.
Labyrinth at the Methodist Church
Cool replica of the labyrinth in Chartres Cathedral. Walking the labyrinth is considered a sacred act. Donation.
Quent Cordair Fine Art
The gallery features uplifting and inspirational paintings, sculptures and drawings of the contemporary Romantic Realism style.
Plan your trip
Best time to visit & weather
Most comfortable: Mar–Nov. Summer highs reach about 86°F; winter lows dip to about 38°F. Wettest: Dec and Jan. (climate data from nearby Sonoma)
Blue bars: average daily high and low (°F). Purple columns: average monthly rain and melted snow (inches).
Getting there
- From you: to see whether to drive or fly, and how long it takes.
- CCR Buchanan Field, Concord — 25 mi away. Directions
- STS Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport, Santa Rosa — 32 mi away. Directions
- OAK Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport, Oakland — 40 mi away (major hub). Directions
Evans Airport Shuttle provides transportation from OAK and SFO. Check the schedules beforehand.
Full “Get in” guide ↓Budget & where to stay
- Places to stay listed here: about $160–$340 a night (typical $202), from 16 listed prices.
- Typical meal: about $14 per person at listed restaurants.
- Estimated daily budget per person (room, two meals, local transport and an activity): budget ~$190, mid-range ~$260, comfortable ~$480.
Options are grouped as Budget, Mid-range, Splurge in the Sleep guide ↓.
Sample 3-day itinerary
Day 1
- Morning Labyrinth at the Methodist Church, Napa Valley Symphony, Bottlerock
- Lunch Andie's
- Afternoon Valley Brook Equestrian Center, Napa Golf Course at Kennedy Park
- Dinner Angele
- Evening The Wineries of Napa Valley
Day 2
- Morning Napa Valley Opera House, Quent Cordair Fine Art, Westwood Hills Park
- Lunch Ristorante Allegria
- Afternoon Napa Valley Bike Tours, Chardonnay Golf Club
- Dinner Celadon
- Evening Artesa Winery
Day 3
- Morning Napa Valley Wine Train, Festival Napa Valley, Skyline Wilderness Park
- Lunch Zuzu
- Afternoon Napa Valley Balloons, Silverado Resort - North and South Courses
- Dinner Taqueria Las Palmas
- Evening The Hess Collection
Stops are grouped by area so each day needs little backtracking. Check opening hours before you go.
Food for you
Cuisine (tap to filter)
What to ask about, for your diet
Diet labels come from each listing's description and cuisine; “likely” means the cuisine usually has good choices, not a promise. Check with the restaurant. Open the food finder
Photos
Map
Every listing with a location. Tap a pin for its Google Maps link.
Get in
By plane
- San Francisco International Airport (SFO), +1 650-821-8211.
- Oakland International Airport (OAK), +1 510-563-3300.
- Sacramento International Airport (SMF), +1 916-929-5411.
Place Napa County Airport (APC)
No scheduled service. Useful for private planes. Air charter companies including Napa Jet Center and Air Charter Advisors offer direct flights with aircraft rentals ranging from economical single & twin engines props to luxury Gulfstream and business jets.
Evans Airport Shuttle provides transportation from OAK and SFO. Check the schedules beforehand.
By car
From San Francisco: Highway 101 North over the Golden Gate Bridge (toll), to Highway 37; Highway 37 East towards Vallejo/Napa, to Highway 121; Highway 121 North towards Napa to Highway 29 North to Napa. From San Francisco or East Bay: Interstate 80 East Over Carquinez Bridge (toll), to Highway 37; Highway 37 East towards Vallejo/Napa, to Highway 121; Highway 121 North towards Napa to Highway 29 North to Napa. From Sacramento and points east: Interstate 80 West to Highway 12 West; Highway 12 West/Jamison Canyon Road toward Napa to Highway 29 North to Napa.
By bus
- Evans Transportation operates scheduled shuttles ($29, 90 minutes) between San Francisco and Oakland airports and Vallejo and Napa hotels.
- Napa Valley Transit operates several buses, called the VINE from neighboring cities.
By boat
San Francisco Bay Ferry ($13 each way, 60 minutes) operates between San Francisco and Vallejo. From the Vallejo ferry terminal, you can take VINE Bus #10 to Napa.
Get around
By bus
- The Vine Public bus service with several routes in Napa County
By chauffeur
- Elegant Wine Tours offers a $299 10-passenger limousine 6-hr wine tour plus tax, fuel, gratuity and license. Elegant Wine Tours specializes in providing boutique Napa and Sonoma limousine winery visits, custom Napa and Sonoma itineraries and off-the-beaten path wine tour destinations.
- Allure Wine Tours based in Napa provides personalized, chauffeured limo excursions throughout wine country. Every guest has the option to design their own trip or have Allure Wine Tour's staff create an itinerary to suit their tastes.
- Perata Luxury Tours is probably the best private tour service. The owner knows most of the owners of the local wineries personally. $65–75/hour, plus taxes and gratuity. 5-6 hour minimum.
- Platypus Wine Tours offers daily 6-hour tours of 4 wineries. 8-12 people per tour. $99 per person. Local pick up included.
See
See Labyrinth at the Methodist Church
Cool replica of the labyrinth in Chartres Cathedral. Walking the labyrinth is considered a sacred act. Donation.
Do
Do Napa Valley Symphony
Performs classical and pops repertoire (guests have included Neil Sedaka, Wynona, Glenn Campbell and Johnny Mathis). Performances are at the Lincoln Theater of Yountville.
Hiking
Do Westwood Hills Park
Nice views of the valley from this park's trails. Children's nature library.
Horseback riding
Bike tours
Balloon & helicopter rides
Golf
Buy
Eat
Budget
Eat Andie's
Near the Outlet Mall. Little hamburger stand that shares its location with a detail car wash. Appearances can be deceiving, though. It has the well-deserved reputation of having the best hamburgers in the Napa Valley. It can be very busy around lunchtime though, so it is recommended that you call in your order.
Mid-range
Eat Angele
Enjoy the fabulous French Country cuisine on their riverside patio in the heart of the Historic Hatt Mill & Market.
Eat Ristorante Allegria
Italian.
Eat Zuzu
Popular place serves terribly tasty tapas.
Eat Taqueria Las Palmas
Good all around Mexican food restaurant with a pleasant outdoor dining area.
Eat Gott's Roadside
Burgers, sandwiches, seafood, salads, ice cream, and shakes.
Eat Mary's Pizza Shack
Pizza and Italian food.
Eat Downtown Joes Restaurant & Microbrewery
Downtown, overlooking the river. Lively atmosphere, good beer, excellent food, a bit pricey. The menu is very limited. Entrées tend to be $15-20.
Splurge
Eat Bistro Don Giovanni
Located on the outskirts of town, Bistro Don Giovanni is a restaurant with a rustic warm Italian ambiance located in the heart of the Napa Valley, serving fresh Italian and French style cuisine.
Eat FARM at The Carneros Inn
A relaxing and elegant location, FARM offers both indoor seating, and an outdoor lounge, complete with fire pits and heaters. Extensive wine list with varying prices. It is open for dinner only. Reservations recommended for weekends.
Desserts
Drink
Drink The Wineries of Napa Valley
Taste from a selection of 40 wineries, including some of the smaller family vineyards.
Wineries
Drink Artesa Winery
Built into the mountain, the caves are nice and cool.
Drink The Hess Collection
Enhanced by the art gallery and self-guided tour. Cabernet Sauvignon and chardonnays shine.
Drink Domaine Carneros
Beautifully landscaped surroundings add to the tastings here. Champagnes, sparkling wines and pinot noir.
Sleep
Napa includes many bed and breakfasts, which include breakfast and more home-like, romantic atmospheres than regular hotels, but these establishments have strict cancellation policies and most require non-refundable deposits of 50-100% of the room cost at the time of booking and multiple-night stays on the weekends.
Budget
Mid-range
Stay Embassy Suites Napa Valley
Three-story Mediterranean-style full service hotel featuring a millpond and park-like atmosphere. Complimentary cooked to order breakfast and evening beverage reception. One indoor and outdoor swimming pool, complimentary passes to nearby health club, on-site spa services and sundeck. Meeting space for 10-200 people. Restaurant, Lounge and Business Center.
Splurge
Go next
- Napa Valley includes several other small similar towns including Sonoma and Vallejo.
- San Francisco is 90 minutes away.
Nearby
Yountville
City / town · 21 listings · 8 mi away
Sonoma
City / town · 66 listings · 9 mi away
El Verano
City / town · 12 listings · 11 mi away
Oakville
City / town · 4 listings · 12 mi away
Vallejo
City / town · 26 listings · 13 mi away
Rutherford
City / town · 12 listings · 13 mi away
Fairfield
City / town · 22 listings · 14 mi away
Glen Ellen
City / town · 30 listings · 14 mi away
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