Travel from San Francisco to Napa Valley

Napa Valley is a fertile land known for its wine production. Napa lies just {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} outside of the city of San Francisco. A trip to Napa Valley is a popular San Francisco excursion for locals and visitors alike, because of its accessibility, hotels and gastronomic culture. You can travel to Napa Valley through a number of methods, by car, ferry, bus or shuttle tour. By taking into account rush hour, cost and pace, you can choose a method that will fit your trip. This article will tell you how to travel from San Francisco to Napa Valley.

Steps

Travel by Car

  1. Depart from Napa Valley around 10 a.m. This will allow you to miss rush hour traffic in San Francisco.
  2. Ask friends, neighbors or a concierge at a hotel for the best route from your starting point to the Golden Gate Bridge, if you do not already know. You can also take the Bay Bridge to get to Napa Valley; however, if you are visiting San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge is a more scenic route.
  3. Drive across the Golden Gate Bridge, which continues onto Highway 101.
  4. Continue down Highway 101, driving north through Marin County, until a few miles before the exit to Novato.
  5. Watch for the Napa 37 East Exit for Sonoma/Napa. Take the turnoff and watch for signs leading to Napa Valley.
  6. Continue down Highway 37 East and exit again at Highway 121/Sonoma. Follow Highway 12, moving further towards Napa.
  7. Take a left turn at Highway 29/Napa. This will lead you to Napa, Yountville, St. Helena, Calistoga and surrounding wineries.

Travel by Ferry

  1. Check the BayLink Ferry site for the schedule that goes from San Francisco to Vallejo on the north eastern side of the San Francisco Bay. Choose the time you would like to catch the ferry. Note that commuters take the ferries, so commuting times before 10 a.m. and after 4 p.m. will need to be booked well in advance and may be crowded. Ferries leave approximately between 30 minutes and 1 hour of each other.
  2. Buy your BayLink Ferry ticket at the San Francisco Ferry Building, 1850 Broadway and at some Safeway stores. Tickets cost approximately $13 (9 euros, 8 pounds) for adults. You can buy your ticket by going to the San Francisco Ferry Building 30 minutes to 1 hour ahead of time.
  3. Go to the San Francisco Ferry Building. The ferry will depart from the large, white Ferry Building at the beginning of Market Street. This is also called the Embarcadero. Most forms of public transportation and all taxis will take you to the Ferry Building. Leave early in case of delays.
    • You can also depart from Pier 41 in Fisherman's Wharf. There are only 3 departures from this dock per day, as opposed to 12 departures from the Ferry Building.
  4. Enter the Ferry Building and go through to the ocean-front side. There will be a docking point for ferries and you will see signs telling you where the Vallejo ferry is located at Gate B. Wait in the line for the ferry if you are early.
    • Make sure you do not board the Tiburon Ferry. It also boards at Gate B.
  5. Ride the ferry for approximately 1 hour before arriving in Vallejo.
  6. Debark in Vallejo and find the marked sign for public transportation.
  7. Board The Vine Route 10. The Vine is the transit system that connects the Napa Valley. You can choose to get off at Napa, Yountville, Rutherford, St. Helena or Calistoga. The cost is approximately $3 (2 euros, 1.8 pounds) for the regular route.
    • This is the best method to choose if you do not want to drive, or if you would like a 1 hour view of the bay and have planned a leisurely trip.

Travel by Shuttle

  1. Search the Internet for "Napa Valley Tours." A bevy of companies offer shuttle tours of Napa Valley. They usually depart early in the morning, cover wineries entrances and bring you back in the early evening. You can also find shuttles that do more activities than wine tasting, like hiking, sightseeing and theme parks.
  2. Book your shuttle in advance. You can also book the shuttle while you are in San Francisco, but there may be limitations if you only book it a few days before.
  3. Depart early in the morning on the day of your Napa Valley trip. Enjoy the Napa Valley on a shuttle tour.

Tips

  • You can also peruse Napa Valley on the Napa Valley Wine Train. The train runs on {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} of track through the Napa Valley. You need to arrive at the train station in Napa by car or catch the BayLink Ferry early in the morning and take the Napa Valley Wine Train Shuttle from the Vallejo Ferry Building.
  • Check the weather: The Napa Valley is often much hotter than San Francisco. Wearing too warm clothes might make experience less enjoyable.

Things You'll Need

  • Car (optional)

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Sources and Citations

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