Napa WinoEvery trip enters through Napa — the valley's biggest town, its front door, and the only place here that stays awake after dinner. Skip it and you miss the food hall, the music, and half the value in wine country lodging.
The vibe
Napa is a real working town that happens to anchor the world's most famous wine valley. The revitalized downtown hugs a bend in the Napa River: the Oxbow Public Market food hall on one bank, the restaurant row of the Historic Napa Mill on the other, and the Rail Arts District's murals in between. The Napa Valley Wine Train departs from its downtown depot, and dawn balloon pickups leave from half the hotels here. It's the practical choice that turns out to be the fun one.
Tasting from a Napa base
You're 15 minutes from three different wine worlds. Southwest, Carneros does bubbles and Pinot — Domaine Carneros's château terrace and Artesa's hilltop are the classic pair. North on the Silverado Trail, Darioush's Persepolis columns and Jarvis's all-underground winery make the drama stops, with Trefethen's 1886 wooden winery in Oak Knoll between them. And the Stags Leap District — Clos Du Val, Chimney Rock, Pine Ridge, Stag's Leap Wine Cellars of 1976 Paris fame — begins just up the trail. Browse all of them in our winery directory, or let the sommelier pick three and order the drive.
Eat & drink
Graze the Oxbow stalls for the valley's best casual hour, then choose your evening: Angèle's French riverfront patio, Grace's Table's globe-trotting menu, Compline for serious wine with dinner, Morimoto on the river walk, Bounty Hunter's BBQ and forty wines by the glass, or Sky & Vine's rooftop at sunset. Most of it is walkable from downtown hotels — a luxury nowhere else in the valley offers.
After dark
This is the town that gave the valley its nightlife: the historic opera house at 1030 Main now runs as Napa Music Hall, the 863-seat Art Deco Uptown Theatre books national touring acts, JaM Cellars Ballroom handles the club-scale shows, and the open-air Oxbow RiverStage carries summer concerts on the riverbank. Every May, BottleRock takes over the Napa Valley Expo for Memorial Day weekend.
With your dog
Napa is the valley's easiest dog town: Alston Park's 157 acres and off-leash Canine Commons sit just west of downtown, and the riverfront patios — Angèle, Napa General Store, Bounty Hunter, Grace's Table — all welcome leashed dogs. Full list in the dog-friendly guide.
Staying here
Widest range of lodging in the valley, from motels to river-view resorts, generally the best prices — and you can walk to dinner. First trip, tighter budget, or a music-and-food-led itinerary: stay in Napa. Compare all four towns in Where to Stay.