Napa Valley First Time Visitor – ULTIMATE ONE DAY ITINERARY! – Updated 2020
In 2020, are you a Napa Valley first time visitor and are you looking for an ultimate one day itinerary which plans your best winery stops one by one so that you can experience what is Napa Valley best known for? READ ON as we put it all together for you. With over 3 million visitors flocking to Napa every year, many are first time visitors to Napa Valley. Everyone wants to know which Napa Valley wineries to visit and is there an ULTIMATE guide for first time visitors to Napa Valley? There are over 500 wineries in Napa Valley and new ones popping up almost daily. Below is your ULTIMATE one-day itinerary for wine tasting if you are a Napa Valley first time visitor. We often see our app users follow this itinerary when visiting wineries. Keep in mind that if you really want to enjoy yourself at each winery then you should stick to visiting maximum of 3-4 wineries in a day. Most wineries will also have tours but its recommended that you only pick 1 winery for tour (because most tours will cover almost same info), you can just do tastings at other wineries you visit. If you plan to use UBER then may also be interested in reading how is UBER in Napa Valley. If you plan to stay overnight then Top 10 Places to Stay with Airbnb Napa Valley is a great read. Your ULTIMATE one-day guide to Napa Valley can be even better with Wine Tasting deals & discount coupons to Napa Valley wineries – Napa Valley on a Budget.
Want Wine Tasting Discount Coupons From Every Winery?
Download Winery Finder App, its FREE!
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8:30 – 9 am – Leave SF
How do I get from San Francisco (SF) to Napa Valley? and how far is it from San Francisco to Napa Valley? It is about 37 miles from San Francisco to Napa and will take you about 1 hour to 1.5 hours. Take the scenic route from San Francisco to Napa via Golden Gate Bridge/101 North to Hwy 37 to Hwy 121/12 to Hwy 29, here is a link to a google map with our suggested route from San Francisco to Napa Valley
10:00 – Arrive at 1st winery
It takes about 1.5 hours from San Francisco to arrive at the 1st winery by 10:30 in the Carneros Region (without traffic, you can arrive here in 1 hour). Most wineries start opening around 10:30 to 11am. If you arrive too early then a great breakfast place is Fremont Diner have some breakfast and then start visiting wineries. In the Carneros Region you can stop and any of these wineries (we suggest stopping at just 1 one of the below wineries and then moving on to the next phase of the itinerary):
Schug Winery –
Small family owned winery with self guided free vineyard tours. Highly recommended because its a fully working winery therefore you get to see/experience everything. If you love Pinot then this is your place, Walter Schug was the first to make Pinots in Napa Valley. Save some money by getting Schug Winery wine tasting discount coupon.
Gloria Ferrer –
If you love bubbly and like incredible views then this is a great a gorgeous winery to visit on the way to Napa Valley. Grab a Gloria Ferrer coupon for 2 for 1 wine tasting. Visa Signature Card or Visa Infinity Card holders get additional discounts at Gloria Ferrer.
Want Wine Tasting Discount Coupons From Every Winery?
Download Winery Finder App, its FREE!
FREE on iPhone: CLICK HERE
FREE on Android: CLICK HERE
Domaine Carneros –
A gorgeous french style chateau, another great stop for bubbly. They have really good tours but only at 11, 1 & 3pm. Outside patio tasting is just out of this world.
Artesa Vineyards & Winery –
A winery with an incredibly view, this winery gets very busy therefore plan ahead on weekends. Here is a Artesa Winery coupon to help you save some money in Napa.
Etude Wines –
A winery with great wines and great utilization of technology in wine making process. A great winery if you like Pinot Noir. The inside is beautiful and contemporary, gardens are gorgeous. Reasonable and the pours are nice. Its off the beaten path but def a worth a stop!
11:30 am.
Robert Mondavi Winery –
After tasting at one of the wineries from above list, you can arrive at Robert Mondavi Winery. Its a MUST visit winery because its THE winery which put Napa Valley on the map and since its one of the most well known wineries it gives you bragging rights to have personally visited. They also have absolutely the best tours for the 1st time visitors to Napa Valley.
1 pm. – Lunch
V. Sattui Winery –
Its an awesome winery with picnic grounds and Italian deli. You can do wine tasting and also have delicious picnic lunch here by purchasing food from their Italian deli. Another advantage of having lunch here is that if you go to a nice restaurant for lunch it will take you at least 1.5 hours to finish, this cuts into your wine tasting because most wineries start closing at about 5 pm. On the weekends they also do barbecues and also make their own yummy home made gelato to die for. Be sure to grab a V. Sattui Winery Coupon to help you do Napa Valley on a budget.
2:30 pm.
Castello di Amorosa –
Yup, there is actually a castle in Napa Valley which is also a winery. You will love this amazing castle with moat, working church and even has a torture chamber:) Castello di Amorosa is now one of the most visited wineries in Napa Valley. You can easily spend a few hours here. You will love the Castello di Amorosa Wine Tasting Discount Coupon to get your tasting fee refunded, this makes visiting the castle winery even more fun while saving money!
3:30 pm.
Sterling Vineyards –
There is nothing else like it in the Napa Valley. This winery is build on a 300 foot knoll and the only way to get up there is via a sky tram. Once up there, you can enjoy panoramic view of the Napa Valley. With this Sterling Winery coupon, a visit to this winery is even more amazing.
Head Back
By the time you finish from here it will be time for wineries to start closing at about 5pm (very few stay open till 6pm). On the way back we see most people going back to SF via the Bay Bridge (Hwy 29 to Hwy 12 to Hwy 29 (Sonoma Hwy) to Hwy 37 to Hwy 80 to SF), this allows them to see both bridges in their perfect one-day itinerary to Napa Valley from San Francisco. Here is a link to the google map with suggested route back Sterling Winery to San Francisco via Bay Bridge
Want Wine Tasting Discount Coupons From Every Winery?
Download Winery Finder App, its FREE!
FREE on iPhone: CLICK HERE
FREE on Android: CLICK HERE
So, have fun and enjoy your being the first time visitor to Napa Valley, take lots & lots of pic and videos to make your first visit a very memorable one. Just a quick reminder again that Napa Valley is getting more and more expensive but if your perfect day also includes doing Napa Valley on a budget then here is list of EVERY wine tasting deal and discount coupons to Napa Valley Wineries.
