I wanted to get some feedback and advice on this working itinerary:
Day 1:
Arrive at Oakland airport at 11:00, drive to Napa and get lunch on the way, 3:00 tour and tasting at Del Dotto, 6:00 dinner at Celadon in Napa.
Day 2:
Wake up and go north to Calistoga to visit V. Arroya, Frank Family, Larkmead, head south and visit Yountville, dinner at Ad Hoc
Day 3:
Would like to head towards Tiburon to stay one night? Perhaps visit COPIA and then head that direction. Are there winery suggestions along the way? How long does it take to drive? If we left after lunch, could we see Muir Woods in the afternoon?
Day 4: Visit Muir Woods if unable to the day before and drive into to San Francisco for the day (Alcatraz, Union Square, etc).
Day 5: Fly home to Houston
I am wondering if we should spend three nights in Napa, or would it be better to spend two nights and then spend part of the 3rd day in Napa and head towards San Francisco and stay in Tiburon.
Thanks for any advice in advance.
Karen
itinerary questions??
Karen-
Hard for us to comment on the 2 days vs 3.
Why Tiburon? (perhaps your reply to this question will make it easier for us to give you feedback).
Other days look like fun, and are not overplanned. :)
-The Innkeepers
Napa Old World Inn
itinerary questions??
Well, I chose Tiburon based on a trip report that I read. The traveler stayed at the Waters Edge Hotel. I just thought it would be nice to be closer to San Francisco.
I go back and forth about staying in Napa or driving to be closer to S.F. If we were in Tiburon on the 3rd night, then we might visit Muir Woods first thing in the morning on our 4th day. I read that it is good to go early to beat the crowds. How long of a drive is it from Napa to Muir Woods? Thanks so much.
Karen
We had dinner at Ad Hoc last Satuirday - truly wonderful meal and good food. Hope the designated menu you get is as good as ours.
We had a really nice tour at Chateau de Montelena (2:00 p.m. tour and tasting) and just wanted to pass that along as a place to potentially book in advance and enjoy. ALso consider just driving in and seeing Castello di Amarosa - unique castle - and fun to see (close to Calistoga.
GIven the fantastic things to do in Napa, I%26#39;d recommend all 3 in Napa or do 2 in Napa and one in San Francisco. Tiburon is nice but a little dull in comparison given hyour short trip.
Enjoy.
We agree w/mini-- stay 3 days in Napa, book a flight that leaves late in the day, and head out to see Muir Woods on your way to the airport (Muir woods is about 1 hr 20 min from the town of Napa, and another 45-60 min or so from there to the airport, depending on traffic).
We%26#39;d second Castillo di Amarosa, and/or Chateau Montelena (bring some bread for the fish/turles/ducks if you go to Montelena ;)
If you%26#39;d like something different on your 3rd night, look a the Mountain Home Inn in Mill Valley-- it%26#39;s up on Mt Tam, and very close to Muir Woods. Views from the Inn are spectacular:
http://www.mtnhomeinn.com/
If you stay there, either eat a late lunch and bring snacks for dinner, or plan on dinner at the Inn (the drive from there to anywhere else is no fun in the dark!).
Hard to go wrong either way . . . :)
-The Innkeepers
Napa Old World Inn
Thanks for the information. I will check out those places. After your suggestions, I think we will stay 3 nights in Napa. It sounds like the drive to Muir Woods won%26#39;t take as long as I thought originally.
I think you read my trip report. Here%26#39;s a little more info.
We stayed 2 nights in Napa. We were then going toward SF and spend 2 nights around there. We left Napa, drove toward Sonoma (visited Nicholson Ranch and Gundlach Bundschu- liked them both), then to Muir Woods. We didn%26#39;t get to Muir Woods until 1:30 and it was pretty crowded. We had to park in overflow parking, but wasn%26#39;t very crowded once we were on the trails. We hiked for awhile and enjoyed some beautiful sights. It was a short drive to Tiburon from Muir Woods.
When we were planning our trip, we wanted to stay near SF, but not in the city. I heard Sausalito was a neat place, but everything was booked when we were making reservations. We ended up going to Tiburon, because it looked interesting as well. They have ferry service to Angel Island and SF. We ate dinner at Guaymas Restaurant on the balcony. The food was delicious. Every Friday in the summer they have a festival on Main Street. They close down the street and have music and food.
We stayed Water%26#39;s Edge Hotel and thought it was great!
They have a great balcony that overlooks the bay, wine and snacks in the evening, and a great room service breakfast. Each evening you fill out a card with choices for breakfast. (Muffins, fruit, cereal, juice, coffee, tea, etc) You put the card outside your door with an approximate time you would like your breakfast. The breakfast is delivered to your room with the morning paper at the time you request.
We drove in to SF the next day. It took about 15 min. We did all of the tourist stuff along with going to Alcatraz. If you go to Alcatraz, buy your tickets before you go. We purchased and printed ours online. We went on a Saturday. Some people were trying to purchase tickets but nothing was available.
We flew out of Oakland and it took about 45 min to drive there.
Hope this helps!
Thanks so much for the info. I enjoyed reading your trip report. How long did you spend at Muir Woods? How long did you spend going to and from Alcatraz and visiting there?
We were at Muir Woods for about 3 hours. There are lots of trails, some more difficult than others.
We took the 6:40 pm tour to Alcatraz. We heard going later in the evening was a better tour. I don%26#39;t know what the other tours were like, the one we went on was very informative. They had the hospital wing open, which I don%26#39;t think is open for all of the tours.
I think any time you go would be good. The ferry ride over is 15-20 min. long. You get off the ferry and a guide takes you inside Alcatraz. They have audio equipment that you wear and tour around the prison. You can go as slow or fast as you like, just press the pause button on your audio equipment. If you go straight through without pausing, the tour lasts about an hour. They have optional sessions you can attend and of course a gift shop.
The ferry boats leave every 1/2 hour throughout the day, so you can leave when you%26#39;re ready and the boat is there. To do it again, I%26#39;d go earlier in the day. We wished we had more time to walk around Tiburon and enjoy the sights.
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