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Napa Valley

Napa Valley is exactly what you expect when you think of Wine Country: hillside chateau wineries, bold cabernets, vast expanses of perfectly ordered grape vines, grassy slopes speckled by the tungsten sun, restaurant dinners that go on for hours, and some of the finest and most luxurious small-scale boutique hotels anywhere in California.

Beyond the typical, Napa has some great hiking in the hillsides, exhilarating mud baths up north in the more working-class town of Calistoga, and plenty of small shops, wineries and classy bistros in the tony village settings of St Helena and Yountville.

Most journeys here start and end in the city of Napa proper. In the town center there are tasting rooms, live jazz and plenty of fine-dining options, plus the option to party late into the night at down-home pubs and eateries that draw a young local crowd.

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Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Napa Valley.

  • Winery

    Tres Sabores

    At the valley’s westernmost edge, where sloping vineyards meet wooded hillsides, Tres Sabores is a portal to old Napa – no fancy tasting room, no snobbery…

  • Winery

    Robert Sinskey Vineyards

    The fabulous hillside tasting room, constructed of stone, redwood and teak, resembles a small cathedral – fitting, given the sacred status here bestowed…

  • Winery

    Hess Collection

    Art-lovers: don’t miss Hess Collection, whose galleries display mixed-media and large-canvas works, including pieces by Francis Bacon and Robert…

  • Winery

    Frog's Leap

    Meandering paths wind through magical gardens and fruit-bearing orchards surrounding an 1884 barn and farmstead with cats and chickens. The vibe is casual…

  • Arts Center

    di Rosa

    West of downtown, scrap-metal sculptures dot Carneros vineyards at the 217-acre di Rosa Art and Nature Preserve, a stunning collection of Northern…

  • Market

    Oxbow Public Market

    Showcasing all things culinary (produce stalls, kitchen shops and everywhere something to taste), Oxbow is foodie central with an emphasis on seasonal…

  • Zoo

    Safari West

    Giraffes in Wine Country? Whadya know. Safari West sprawls over 400 acres and hosts wildebeests, zebras, cheetahs and other exotic animals, which mostly…

  • Winery

    Schramsberg

    Napa’s second-oldest winery, Schramsberg makes some of California’s best brut sparkling wines, and in 1972 was the first domestic wine served at the White…

  • Winery

    Pride Mountain

    High atop Spring Mountain, cult-favorite Pride straddles the Napa–Sonoma border and bottles vintages under both appellations. The well-structured Cabernet…

  • Farm

    Long Meadow Ranch

    Long Meadow stands out for olive-oil tastings ($10), plus good estate-grown cabernet, sauvignon blanc, chardonnay and pinot noir, served inside an 1874…

  • Winery

    Cade

    Ascend Mt Veeder for drop-dead vistas, 1800ft above the valley, at Napa’s oh-so-swank, first-ever organically farmed, Leadership in Energy and…

  • Winery

    Vincent Arroyo

    The tasting room is a garage, where you may even meet Mr Arroyo, known for his all-estate-grown Petite Sirah and Cabernet Sauvignon. They're distributed…

  • Winery

    Artesa

    Begin or end the day with a glass of bubbly or Pinot at Artesa, southwest of Napa. Built into a mountainside, the ultramodern Barcelona-style architecture…

  • State Park

    Robert Louis Stevenson State Park

    At this undeveloped state park 8 miles north of Calistoga, the long-extinct volcanic cone of Mt St Helena marks Napa Valley’s end. It's a strenuous 5-mile…

  • Center

    CIA at Copia

    The former food museum beside Napa's famous Oxbow Public Market has been revived as a center of all things edible by the prestigious Culinary Institute of…

  • Winery

    Mumm Napa

    You probably have a bottle of Mumm's well-known sparking wine at home. Why not try it at the source? The valley views are spectacular and the respectable…

  • Wine

    Stony Hill

    Perched high above the valley in the misty pine trees, this is one of the oldest wineries in the region, and perhaps the first producer of Chardonnay in…

  • Winery

    Grgich Hills Estate

    The esteemed owner of this longstanding winery put Napa on the map when his Chateau Montelena Napa Valley Chardonnay earned a stunning victory in the…

  • Winery

    Castello di Amorosa

    It took 14 years to build this perfectly replicated, 13th-century Italian castle, complete with moat, hand-cut stone walls, ceiling frescoes by Italian…

  • Museum

    Sharpsteen Museum

    Across from the picturesque 1902 City Hall (originally an opera house), the Sharpsteen Museum was created by an ex-Disney animator (whose Oscar is on…

Top experiences

Whether it’s a guided tour of a historic landmark, private tasting of local delicacies, or an off-road adventure — explore the best experiences in Napa Valley.

  • Activities