lynn

has anyone done this trip, saw it mentioned somewhere. Is it expensive - we will be 4 adults so it may work out cost effective?

andy

You really do not need to spend the money on a tour-

All you need is a MAP and a CAR- the wineries are basically free or charge $3 for a glass of wine....

If you are driving by yourselves, you can stop at the OAKWOOD Grocery and grab a gourmet picnic lunch and then lunch on the wineries grounds--they do not charge for this....

Both Napa and Sonoma are only 1 hr from SF by car.....

We have done both valleys and never needed a tour leader.....

Suzie

I think you were looking for a private limo so that there would be no issue of drinking and driving. If this is correct here is the limo service I contacted regarding that matter http://www.napalimo.com/car.html After researching many companies I found this company to be friendly and helpful. Of all others their prices were the most reasonable for the service they provided. We didn't ultimately engage them as one person in the party offered to be the DD.

At $45 to $75 per hour you be the judge regarding the expense. We thought that it beat the expense of a DUI.

cd

Can you do both Napa and Sonoma in one day? If not, which is superior?

Patrick

We once did an "extended family" to Sonoma by private bus from San Jose area -- neary 20 of us in all. I was certainly glad that none of us were doing the driving, because we did a substantial amount of drinking that day. It was a blast, even when the bus some how broke down and we had to wait a few hours for another one to come meet us. We just broke out a couple of cases of the purchased wines and extended our party. I think we got home about 1 AM.
Frankly I think it would be a great idea with four people -- no designated driver. If you add in the possible costs of a DWI ticket, it is certainly cost effective!!!

J_Correa

Patrick - which bus charter company did you use and do you remember about how much it cost?

banana89

I agree with Andy. I live about an hour away from Napa/Sonoma and have never needed to take a limo or bus tour. It all depends on how much you plan on drinking. If you have a good breakfast and lunch, drink water and truly just "taste" each wine you won't need to worry about drinking and driving. The less you taste of each wine the more wineries you can visit. I would recommend renting a car and picking up a free winery map and doing it yourself, this way you can customize your "tastting" experience! Another thing is if you are planning on visiting on a weekend and having a nice dinner, call ahead and make reservations. Have fun!

lynn

thanks again for the great advice. we don't actually want to drive though, we are picking up a hire car on leaving SF for Yosemite as all advice says ditch the car in SF, so we don't want to be hiring then re-hiring. Because there are 4 of us we thought it was a stylish way to do the tour rather than on abus picking up everywhere, probably cost not much more either with 4 clubbing together.

winexpert

Just don't use California Wine Tours (the limo tour anyway). They weren't clear on what was included in the charges (we all tipped the driver - why? I don't know - he was boring) even though it was included in the fee we paid ($69 plus tax plus tip!). We didn't know until later. Stopped at tourist trap wineries like Sattui - waste of time.

LLindaC

I'm sorry- she posted that she wanted to travel by lime, not limo.I know of no limes that drive in CA, there are plenty of lemons on the road, tho.
In Napa: Napa Winery Shuttle (www.wineshuttle.com) runs about 40 bucks a person. They will customize tour, too
Royal Coach Limousine- ask Matt if you want custom
In Sonoma (my choice)
California Wine Tours has a 5 hr tasting tour for 45/person or customized begin at 55 per hour.www.californiawinetours.com
pacificlimo.com is 45 an hour
While there last month, I met a couple traveling with Just D-vine (www.winelimo.com) They cost 199/person for 2 people, 6 hours and were really cool folks
Heaven on Wheels (707-838-7778) ask for Greg, he customizes tours
I hope this info helps. I've never done tours, we prefer to drive and always eat well so we don't get wasted. The drive up 101 from SF is a lot nicer to Sonoma that other routes, very easy.Enjoy!

wanderfully

ttt

Suzie

Why topping a 6.5 year old thread?

janisj

Suzie: "Why topping . . . "

wanderfully has topped several old threads about Napa/Sonoma Wineries.

wanderfully: Instead of topping all these old/moldy threads -- a better way to do this -- see the yellow/gold star up at the top of the thread?? You click that to add any thread to your favorites. That way we don't have to open all these old threads only to see it isn't someone asking for help/advice/suggestions but just a 'topping'.