Napa & New York Guides
Two tastings a day leaves a lot of hours. Napa is much better at filling them than its reputation suggests.
By The Reservation Desk Editorial Team · Published November 10, 2025 · Last updated · 10 min read
Hot air ballooning over the valley at dawn is the region's signature non-wine activity, and it earns the cliché. Flights launch at first light and are finished by mid-morning.
Book well ahead and accept that weather cancellations are common. The alternative sunrise activity is a walk in the vineyards, which is free.
The Napa Valley Vine Trail is flat, paved and runs through Yountville. Rentals are widely available and an hour on it before breakfast changes the whole day.
Serious cyclists head for the Silverado Trail early, before the traffic and the heat.
Calistoga at the northern end is built on geothermal springs and has been a spa town for well over a century. Mud baths there are cheaper and stranger than the resort spas further south.
A spa afternoon is the ideal counterweight to a tasting-heavy day, and it leaves you in far better shape for dinner.
The Oxbow Public Market in Napa and the delis of St Helena are where to assemble a picnic, which remains the best lunch in the valley.
Farmers markets run seasonally in several towns and are worth timing a morning around.
The Napa Valley Museum, the di Rosa contemporary art centre and the region's small galleries fill a hot afternoon well. The Wine Train is touristy and, on the right day, quite enjoyable.
For history, the valley's older estates offer tours that are as much architecture as agriculture.
The most underrated Napa activity is an afternoon on a terrace with a book. The valley is not large and the pleasure of it is atmospheric rather than itinerary-driven.
Especially on the day of a long dinner, this is the correct plan.
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