Napa Valley is a famous wine region located in the area known as North Bay, about 90 miles north of San Francisco, California. The valley hosts about 300 wine producers spread over 48 square kilometres through the counties of Napa, Yountville, Rutherford, St. Helena, and Calistoga. A visit to Napa Valley is the perfect excuse rent a car, cross the Golden Gate and an ideal opportunity to enjoy a lovely day trip.

We recommend stopping at the city of Napa to eat at the Ubuntu restaurant, which offers vegan haute cuisine – it’s not cheap, but has great food that should convince even the most hardened carnivore! The restaurant was considered one of the top 5 new restaurants int the US in 2008, and while it’s not cheap, Ubuntu is certainly worth the experience. While in Napa, be sure to visit the tourist information centre, where the friendly staff will advise you on where to go and what to see on that day.

There are activities on offer for everyone: flying on a balloon over the Chandon vineyards, a visit to Alexander Valley in a horse-drawn chariot, the Napa Valley Train for a culinary tour of 3 hours between Napa and St. Helena, or simply choose one of the multiple vineyards that offer tours and wine tasting.

Two of the most famous vineyards by reputation and tradition are the Robert Mondavi and Rubicon Estate. The Rubicon Estate winery now belongs to Francis Ford Coppola, who is soon to launch a brand of wine under his own name and is a place worth visiting for its main building – pure Falcon Crest style – and also to test some of his best-known wines such as Sofia, Cask Cabernet, and especially its star wine, the incredible Rubicon 2005.

Immortalized by the movie Sideways, Napa Valley receives nearly 8 million visitors a year, and is becoming one of the most popular destinations in California.