San Francisco Wine Country: The Best Napa & Sonoma Day Trip
An hour north of the Golden Gate Bridge, the Napa and Sonoma valleys hold some of the world's great vineyards. A guided day trip lets you taste without worrying about the drive home. Here is how to plan the perfect wine country day from San Francisco, with the best-rated tours to book.
At a glance
- 1Depart San Francisco over the Golden Gate
- 2Napa Valley winery tastings
- 3Sonoma vineyards & lunch
- 4Optional Muir Woods redwoods stop
Getting there: leave the driving to a guide
Napa and Sonoma sit about 60 to 90 minutes north of the city, and a guided small-group tour is the smart way to visit — you taste freely while someone else handles the wheel and the winery bookings. Full-day tours from San Francisco run roughly 8 to 9 hours and start from around $150, typically covering two to four wineries with tasting fees sometimes included.
In the valleys: Napa and Sonoma tastings
Napa is the marquee name — cabernet-heavy, polished and famous — while neighbouring Sonoma feels more rural and relaxed, with a wider spread of varietals. Most day trips combine both, pairing cellar visits with a vineyard lunch. If you would rather ride than tour by van, a vintage wine trolley or the Napa Valley Wine Train serves lunch as it rolls between estates.
Add-on: redwoods and Muir Woods
Short on days? Several combo tours bolt the towering redwoods of Muir Woods onto the wine run, so you walk among 250-foot-tall coast redwoods in the morning and taste in the afternoon. It is a long full day, but it packs two of Northern California's icons — old-growth forest and world-class vineyards — into one trip from the city.
Book the experiences in this itinerary
Top-rated tours for exactly what this plan recommends in San Francisco — prices per person.
