Visit Napa Midweek

Napa Valley has only two main roads: Highway 29 and Silverado Trail. Both can be slow-go on weekends. While the valley traffic pales in comparison to that of Los Angeles or San Francisco, you still may be sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic on weekends when you’re trying to go from winery to winery. During the week, however, valley traffic is much lighter and flows more smoothly on both main roads — which means that you may be able to squeeze in another winery tour or tasting room.

The lighter weekday traffic is especially important for bike riders. If you plan on touring wine country via bicycle (or if you get nervous sharing the road with bicyclists), you’ll appreciate having a lot less competition on the road during the week.

Do you prefer to leave the driving up to someone else while you’re tasting great wines, beers or whiskeys? Uber and Lyft rates tend to be a bit lower during the week and higher during high-traffic weekends. So save some cash and book your visit to Napa Valley midweek.

If you’re flying into the area, you can also find less-expensive fares on most airlines during the week. Access to Napa Valley via commercial aircraft is through San Francisco International Airport, Sacramento International Airport, Oakland International Airport, San Jose International Airport and Sonoma County Airport.

Sunday through Wednesday, you’ll usually have an easier time getting into wineries that are normally booked up on weekends — or closed. Shafer, Spottswoode, Fantesca, Far Niente, Joseph Phelps, Schramsberg and other prominent wineries tend to book up weeks in advance.

By visiting Napa Valley midweek, you can often secure an appointment at one of these hard-to-get-into locales. Even during Cabernet Season, which can be extra-busy due to such happenings as the Napa Valley Film Festival, Restaurant Week and the holidays, Napa Valley midweek visits translate to better availability.

If you’re interested in the Napa Valley Wine Train‘s wine and dine options (Quattro Vino tours), you may have more of a selection during the week. These popular winery and lunch tours frequently sell out on weekends.

Whenever you decide to travel to wine country, Archer welcomes you to his downtown Napa residence. Contact the concierge team in advance of your visit and they can provide recommendations based on your preferences, as well as setting up winery and tasting room visits, making spa and restaurant reservations and answering any questions you may have about this idyllic part of the country.

And don’t forget to start planning your Napa Valley midweek (or weekend) trip early. Look to Archer’s Favorite Finds list for his recommendations for wineries, tasting rooms, beer scenes, yummy cocktails and romantic spots.

Visit Napa Valley is also a great place to start planning your vacay; check out its blog post, “The Best Time to Visit Napa Valley,” for month-by-month highlights and “Annual Events in Napa Valley” for even more details on what happens when in wine country.