How do you do Napa?  What are your top suggestions for a trip to Napa?  What’s best in the Valley?

These questions are fresh in my mind as I just returned to the lake from a lovely, but all too short, five days in Napa. They are the most frequently asked questions I get asked, after the ones about the wines in our cellar. Travel is always an incredibly expanding experience and traveling throughout Napa Valley is no different!  So before I begin our review of the many wineries we visited this month, let me begin with this.

Travel has also always been extremely enjoyable for me. Early travel was, due to my age, the two-week car trip, which was de rigueur in the ‘50s and early ‘60s.

Then it was farther afield with family and a couple of serious solo trips to Mexico and Chile. Then my world of travel changed seriously when I spent a semester abroad on the Semester at Sea program and sailed around the world. I was well bitten by the travel bug and so it has remained. But this isn’t a history of my travels, it is just about how I choose to create my Napa Valley trips.

There are hundreds of folks out there suggesting how to travel, etc. so all I am going to do is let you know how I craft my Napa trips and hope you will take away a tip or two to help you with your future trips!

Let me begin by saying, from my very first trip, I have been a DIY Napa traveler so my suggestions are for those who like DIY traveling rather than tour groups.

So here are my top suggestions for your trip to Napa Valley:

• Plan ahead – well ahead! Begin your travel plans well in advance of your trip! Frequently this can help with the cost of your trip, not only in terms of the usual such as airline tickets, but it can also help you by possibly adjusting your timing if you find the costs are high. Often times Harvest and holidays are extra costly in Napa Valley so alternative times can save you some serious change. Also plan ahead to eat breakfast every morning! If, like me, your first tasting appointments are for 10 am, you need a good hearty breakfast beforehand!

• Study up! Again, well in advance of your trip take time to study up! Study which wines you like best, what wineries you think you’d enjoy learning more about, and what style you enjoy most. I can’t pick a single favorite winery in Napa because the style of each is so unique when it comes to their wines, atmosphere, tour/tasting offerings, location, etc. Some are huge, some are over-the-top in their marketing, some you’ll visit over the kitchen table, some offer tasting rooms, others winery experiences, and some tastings with gourmet food offerings!  Some specialize in Cabernet Sauvignon, some in Merlot, others in a surprising variety of grapes you might not think of when you think of Napa.

• Scout airports! I am completely at a loss to understand how airlines price their tickets, so I always scout the available airports for my trip. I price San Francisco, Oakland, and Sacramento each time. From month to month and trip to trip the best price varies between them, at least for us as we travel from the Midwest.

• Secure rental car, hotel, or limo/driver! As with the airlines, car rental companies also vary greatly by time of year and airport. Beautifully, you can stay at a huge range of hotels in the Valley as well! From opulent spa-style resorts to quaint inns and from boutique hotels with only half a dozen rooms to international chain offerings. I am sure there are app-based rentals available as well, but I have not utilized those in Napa Valley as I have elsewhere. If you want to splurge on a limo or want to hire a designated driver with their own vehicle or one who will drive yours (even if it is a rental) make those arrangements early as well! The good one book really quickly and often far in advance, again especially at hot times such as harvest, Valentine’s Day, New Year’s, and many others. I have found Uber to be widely available throughout the Valley, however as you get latter into the evenings/nights and farther north up the Valley, wait times can grow, but I have not found them excessive. As my driver this trip told me “I am worth $20 an hour at first, $100 an hour by lunchtime, and $1,000 an hour by nighttime!” Never drink and drive in Napa!

• Make winery appointments! Tastings and tours by appointment are now the norm in Napa and it is absolutely the right way to go! The popular spots get booked up and you will want to set up your appointments early! Most, if not every, winery and tasting room has a license and that license dictates how many guests they can serve in a year. Plus every winery has limited staff so for them to give you an optimal experience they want to know you are coming, how many are in your party, etc. Some request a credit card to hold your reservation or to charge for the tasting. Don’t forget to factor in drive time – and if you are there during high seasons, frequent heavy traffic on St. Helena Highway!

• Don’t forget dinner reservations! Napa Valley is home to some of the most amazing restaurants you will find anywhere! Famous, not-so-famous, well known, and hidden gems. The Valley is filled with them and many offer some of the most luscious and delicious farm-to-table fare I have experienced anywhere! But they get busy so don’t overlook this fabulous aspect of Napa Valley and make those reservations early!

Want suggestions? Our favorites?  What we love and what we avoid? Drop us a comment here, on Facebook, via email, or on Instagram!

Now on your mark, get packed, GO…to Napa!