The American state that has my heart after Texas is California. California is huge. And there are too many things to in California. I am making the best of the COVID19 times and reflecting on all my trips and writing about them. Last year, around the same time, I was in California for a fortnight. I explored a lot around the Bay area and promised myself that I will come back to explore the Napa Valley for a longer time! I spent a day in Napa Valley and here I am sharing a Napa Valley 1 Day Itinerary.
So, this is an ideal itinerary in my head. I regret not being able to take the Napa Valley Wine train. But honestly, I had a fun time exploring this place! Squeezing the Napa Valley trip during a business trip was the most badass thing I have done to bae.
I was in Cupertino as I said for a fortnight. I had fun exploring San Francisco, went to Yosemite, drove to Big Sur and even went to explore some local wineries. And after doing that for a week, I knew that I have to go to Napa Valley on the weekend. It was not planned.
Our Saturday started early. Though I wanted to take the wine train I knew that with two guys, my brother and bae, I will not be able to reach on time. So, I had shortlisted a few wineries for walk-in tours. We did not book anything in advance because we were not sure if we would reach on time – it was just a lazy weekend for us. Here’s what you can do
Napa Valley 1 Day Itinerary : Few things to remember
- The best time of the year is to go is August through October and March through May
- Carry a map – physical or digital, you will love exploring Napa Valley in the old school way
- Start early and do your research well. Go for prior bookings if you have some specific places in mind!
- If you are going in a group, don’t forget to check out the priority wine pass which gives you access to a lot of winery deals
- Don’t overwhelm yourself. Choose one winery and one wine tasting experience. You can not cover the whole valley of 400+ wineries in a day and you don’t have to either!
- Due to the present COVID19 situation, there are changes which are being made by individual owners – make sure to call and confirm. I don’t encourage anyone to travel right now and wait till the virus subsides or a vaccine is in place
- Keep some time for eating at the enchanting restaurants of the Centrally located St. Helena.
Let me tell you, Napa Valley 1 Day Itinerary is not an easy thing to do!
A peek into my day
The Drive
We started off at around 11 in the morning. Napa Valley was around 100 miles from where I was staying (Main Street Cupertino). The drive on the California State Route 29, which passes through the 30 miles long Napa Valley, is beautiful and I enjoyed every bit of it. Known for its gourmet food and hillside vineyards, I was more than excited to be driving around this place.
The Wine Train
We passed the parked Wine Train and that is exactly when I knew that I have to be here again to learn everything about this valley around the Napa river while enjoying my food and wine on this train.
Wine Tour
We had chosen the Castello di Amorosa to take our wine tour. It’s a 13th Century Tuscany- styled castle and just picturesque. I think the entry fee to the castle was around $30 with a tour of the two levels with five wines to taste. This might have changed, please check with them before visiting.
Gourmet Food
We stopped for an early dinner at St. Helena. I was in a completely Italian mode, so chose to go for pizza, wine and gelato. You can not go wrong in choosing a place here. Most places have vegetarian options too, so I don’t think its going to be difficult for anyone.
Ending the day..
Grab a bottle of wine and take a stroll along the Napa River. The reason we opted for an early dinner so that we can enjoy our wine and stroll and drive back sober!
Napa Valley is on my list – its definitely going to be the first place I will go after things are back to normal. The next time I go, I am going to stay there. And then come back here and write a really wonderful post!
Napa Valley 1 Day Itinerary : A Cute Printable
This was such a thorough guide! I truly appreciate the effort that you put into making sure you left nothing out, and now I feel like I must visit Napa Valley!
This post is an excellent helping hand when we try to go some place and don’t know where to begin. You give us a step-by-step pointers!
OMG the place looks so mesmerizing and lovely….glad you shared this with us..found it interesting read..great work though…
Wow! This place is really awesome, the scenery is so mesmerizing. Thanks for sharing your trip to us, loved it!
Wow need to bookmark this for my trip . thanks
Napa valley seems like a really nice place and it surely enters my bucket list with this blog post of yours.
I’ve always wanted to go to Napa Valley to see it for myself! It looks like such a gorgeous place to visit.
Napa Valley seems like a really beautiful place! Looking forward to visiting there soon, thanks for sharing this with us!
Oh my goodness this looks like an AMAZING trip, I would love to be able to check out Napa one day!
My sister and brother in law would love this place. They are great wine drinkers.
It’s been a dream of mine to really go to Napa Valley. I really hope to go here soon. So nice!
oh i want to go now! i can’t wait to get out and travel again.
Ive always wanted to visit Napa Valley, looks like there are so many beautiful scenic spots to see there
My two grown sons have been to Cali. I’d love to go. Maybe after Covid we will get the opportunity.
I have never been to Napa and hope if I do go that it is for more than one day, but it’s great that you did this for those that have limited time.
The place is really wonderful and beautiful, Thanks for sharing.
Wow this looks like an amazing place to visit and relax. Thanks for sharing!
Wow…. great view and lovely place for vacation. thanks for sharing
I have never been out this way. It sounds like a nice place to explore and see the sights. I have only been to the West coast once and would like to go out this way.
i have always wanted to visit napa. the wine train sounds like a lot of fun especially to see a casle.
I grew up in San Jose, California, such a fun state to grow up in, and that was a perfect location. Although I never made it to Napa Valley, at least I don’t remember, haha. I have so many friends that have gone. I don’t drink wine, so that is probably why.
I love Napa Valley. It’s so beautiful, and it’s a playground for wine lovers. I’ve been there a few times with my husband. This is a great itinerary.
Loving wine, and although in Italy we have a wide choice and flowers from regions and cellars, I admit that I have always been fascinated by Napa Valley!
Wow, this is such a gorgeous place! I can’t wait for COVID to be over, so I can get back to travelling again.
Wow….how much is a ticket on the wine train? I promise I won’t be unruly.
My eyes is now blessed with these wonderful sights! I wish i can go there.