Napa Valley & Sonoma is one of my favorite travel locations to date! We went last year as part of a California road trip. Before heading to the Napa Valley we asked a ton of people whose opinions and tastes we trust what we should do on our trip. In this travel guide, you’ll find our favorite wineries and restaurants around Napa and Sonoma, as well as what people recommended to us! If you have something to add leave it in the comments so others can get as many suggestions as possible. It really is so much easier planning trips with friends!
WHERE TO STAY
We stayed at the Fairmont Sonoma & it was dreamy! The grounds of the Fairmont Sonoma are beautiful and it had an incredible common area/bar situation, pool and spa. We only stayed in Sonoma for two nights but I could have spent a week at the Fairmont! A few other great hotels that I researched before we decided on the Fairmont are below!
NAPA HOTELS
Auberge Du Soleil
Fairmont Sonoma Misison Inn & Spa
Farmhouse Inn
Kenwood Inn and Spa
The Carneros Inn
Vintage Inn
WHERE TO EAT
The absolute best restaurants in my opinion were The Girl and The Fig & Gotts. If you want a nice meal out you HAVE to go to The Girl and The Fig & if you want a great lunch you HAVE to go to Gotts. If you want super-duper fancy, break the bank dinner, then The French Laundry is where it’s at. One of the best tips to eat well in Napa is to order food when possible at the wineries. It’s not only delicious and makes for great photos. 🙂
NAPA AND SONOMA RESTAURANTS
The Girl & The Fig
Boon Fly Cafe
Bouchon Bakery
Farmstead
Goose & Gander
Gott’s
Mustards
The Fremont Diner
Oakville Grocery
Soda Canyon
Solbar
The French Laundry
THE BEST WINERIES
Our absolute favorite winery in Napa was Domaine Carneros because of the selection of sparkling wine, the apps, and the view. We also really loved Domaine Chandon because the grounds are beautiful and there are plenty of spots to lounge with a killer view of Sonoma. Definitely get a driver if you are going to do wine tasting! We used Cinnamon from A Limo Excursion and Wine Tours and she was fabulous!
RECOMMENDED WINERIES IN NAPA AND SONOMA
Artesa
Benzinger
Bottega Napa
Cline
Domaine Carneros
Domaine Chandon
Far Niente
Frog’s Leap
Kunde
Kuleto Estate
Larkmead
Ma(i)sonry
MacRostie
Matanza Creek Winery
Mumm Napa
O’Brien Estate
Ram’s Gate
Round Pond Estate
Rubicon Estate
Scribe
Silver Oak
I just moved to Napa to attend nursing school. I’m still getting acquainted to the area, but Gott’s was one of the first places I ate at when I moved here and it’s become a weekly thing! This guide is perfect. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for the post! My husband and I are going for our anniversary in April! Lots of the places you mentioned have been recommended to us as well but you did give us a few new things to look into, too!