Planning some trips are a piece of cake because there are obvious attractions you go to, but I’ve got to admit that planning a weekend in Napa was pretty tricky. With over 400 wineries in Napa, everyone had an opinion of which one you should go to. I started to stress because I didn’t want to miss out, but I finally told myself that missing some good wineries would give me the perfect excuse to go back. Here is my Romantic Weekend in Napa Itinerary. Cheers!
Where do you fly in?
The best place to fly in is Oakland International Airport, 50 miles south. & San Francisco International Airport, 55 miles south.
Napa County Airport is the closest airport to Napa.
CLICK HERE TO FIND AN AMAZING FLIGHT
DAY 1
After spending a lovely night in San Francisco at the Hotel Zetta (Read all about our stay here), we took an Uber up to Napa.
We checked into the fabulous Hotel Archer, located right in downtown Napa. The Archer is located within walking distance to over 20 tasting rooms, cute boutiques, and trendy restaurants. As soon as we walked through the doors, I knew we made a good hotel choice!
We couldn’t be happier with our room selection!
And take a look at this enormous balcony with a fireplace.
(Read my full review of The Archer here!)
Ok…time for our first winery!
Silverado Winery
Mother Nature decided to throw a kink in all my plans with scattered showers the entire time we were in Napa, so since we had clear skies, I only had two requirements…good wine and a view. We decided to check out the Silverado Winery
(6121 Silverado Trail, Napa, CA)
After getting suggestions from the bar, we chose our wine and headed outside to enjoy the view.
We had such a fun afternoon talking and laughing while staring out at the picture-perfect view.
We headed back to the Archer to check out their rooftop bar. We ordered an appetizer and delicious Moscow mules, and played a little Jenga until it was time for dinner.
We decided to walk to dinner since there were so many options around us. I was craving sushi so were headed over to Morimoto for a delicious meal. The sushi was excellent and the cocktails were creative.
After a great first day it was time to head back to rest up for another fun day in Napa.
Day 1 was a perfect introduction to Napa. When I was doing the planning, I chose way too many wineries to do in a day, and thankfully Mother Nature made us slow down and rethink our itinerary.
Day 2 started off by sleeping in (exactly what I needed since I didn’t have any kids or puppies on this trip) and some coffee on our deck.
Jarvis Winery
Later that morning we headed to Jarvis Winery (my favorite one on the trip) and had an amazing tour of the caves.
We couldn’t believe how massive the cave was and the architecture was so impressive.
My favorite spot in the cave is their spectacular waterfall! I could have sat here all day listening to the water flowing.
Our final stop was the Tasting Room, where we sampled six Jarvis Estate and Reserve Collection wines. (I’m still kicking myself for not having sent home some bottles.) (Read all about our Jarvis Winery experience here.)
After a quick lunch, (nothing to write home about), we headed back to downtown Napa.
Alpha Omega’s tasting room
Our next stop was Alpha Omega’s tasting room, located across the street from the hotel. If you stay at the Archer, ask the concierge about any free/discount tastings coupons to places in the area.
Alpha Omega had some yummy wine and was a nice stop before heading back to our room to relax before dinner.
We had a short walk to Basalt for dinner, and the food and atmosphere were incredible.
Off to bed to rest up for our final day in Napa.
Castello di Amorosa
After another morning of coffee in our room, we headed over to Castello di Amorosa, which is a replica of a 13th century Tuscan castle. (4045 St. Helena Hwy, Calistoga, CA) This was the winery I was most looking forward to seeing, but I’ve got to admit that it wasn’t my favorite. Maybe the rain was responsible for the huge crowds, but it was so congested in the castle that it lost some of its charm. However, it is a beautiful, unique place and I’m glad we stopped in.
The courtyard was lovely, even in the rain.
And we did a tasting of five premium wines in the castle’s main tasting bar.
It was fun to walk around the castle
And even see the vineyard.
Darioush Winery
Our next stop was Darioush Winery. (4240 Silverado Trail, Napa, CA) I was so amazed how different each winery was and loved that we chose a diverse selection. This winery is inspired by the owner’s Iranian culture and they have chosen to share it with visitors. The torch outside of the winery will take your breath away
And the pillars are amazing.
Our concierge booked us a reservation for bar stool seating at the tasting bar and the wine tasted fabulous.
Afterwards, we walked outside and explored the vineyard,
the gardens, and the fountains.
Chimney Rock Winery
Our final stop was Chimney Rock Winery (5350 Silverado Trail). The outside of the main building was so pretty
and we headed inside to have our walk-in tasting at the bar.
The wine was delicious and the staff was so knowledgeable.
I peeked at the private wine rooms on my way to the restroom
and when I returned, I found out my husband liked the wine so much he had a case sent back to New Hampshire. (Since then we’ve several bottles while entertaining, and they have been just as incredible as we remembered.)
We had such a fabulous day exploring Napa that we wanted to enjoy the rest of the day at our hotel. We headed down to the Charlie Palmer Steakhouse in the hotel and had the best meal of our trip here. (Read all about our experience.)
What else can you do in the area?
Wine Country Hot-Air-Balloon Ride
Small-Group Wine-Tasting Tour through Napa Valley
Custom 6-Hour Napa Valley Wine Tour in a Luxury Vehicle
Napa Riverside Food & Wine Tour
Half-Day Napa Valley Bike Tour
Private Guided Napa and Sonoma Wine Tour and Tasting
Tips on a great trip to Napa:
Do your homework! There are so many wineries to visit you’ll want to focus on ones that most intrigue you.
Don’t try to fit in too many wineries in one day. I loved that we took our time and relaxed at each one rather than running to the next.
Make reservations at the wineries you’re most excited about visiting. Some wineries have fun tasting rooms that offer walk-ins, but if you want tours you’ll usually need reservations.
If you can’t get a reservation, ask the concierge at your hotel if they can help. They often have connections.
Make sure you eat something before your tastings.
I didn’t list our lunches because since I hadn’t planned them out, we ended up just stopping at random places that weren’t great. Next time I will plan ahead.
We loved staying downtown since it was easy to walk to dinners.
I heard so many different opinions on transportation. We used Uber for all the different locations and it worked out perfectly. We never had any problems and it allowed us to create our own schedule as we went.
Have a backup plan if the weather doesn’t cooperate. There are plenty of wineries to visit that have fabulous indoor facilities.
Buy wine to take home with you or send it back. It’s a great way to relive your experience.
Put some downtime in your plans. We loved lounging around on our patio each morning drinking coffee, and having a glass of wine and cheese in our room in the afternoon watching reality tv…lol.
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