A Honeymoon in Napa Valley from The World's Greatest Honeymoons<

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Ballooning in Napa Valley

One of the world’s most famous wine regions, California’s Napa Valley—with its gently rolling hills, extensive vineyards, bright yellow mustard, quaint villages dating back to the 1800s, and dozens of architecturally significant wineries—also ranks among the most beautiful. Despite its wealth and renown, Napa Valley possesses the kind of bucolic beauty that makes you slow down, linger, and stay a while.

But The Valley isn’t just another pretty place: it offers a wealth of things to see and do, with limitless possibilities for romance, outdoor adventure, and indulgences in wine and food. Luxuriate with an all-day spa treatment that includes a rejuvenating mud bath. Enjoy a sunrise hot-air balloon trip. Pedal lazily down woodsy lanes, past wine-country chateaux straight out of Falcon Crest. Learn about the intricacies of wine-making. Take a leisurely boat ride down the Napa River, winding past scenic wetlands and panoramic vistas. And, needless to say, dine on award-winning food and sample the world’s best wines.

The best times to honeymoon in Napa Valley are probably autumn, winter, and spring. Summer, when all the world heads here—or so it seems—can be hectic and crowded. Spring is breathtaking, with mustard covering the Valley floor, vines coming to life, and flowers in bloom everywhere you look. Autumn, when leaves turn and the grape-crush scent permeates the air, is stunning. The hills are covered with high-colored, leafed-out vines, the sun is golden, and the temperatures have tumbled from summer highs. Best of all, the crowds have abated.

Many consider winter to be the best time of all for a visit. It's cold, but rarely freezing—great weather for long tramps through the woods or village lanes. Hearty meals are served in the fabulous restaurants and cafes, winemakers have more time to talk when you come to call (sometimes you'll be the only people in the tasting room!), and day-trips along the back-country roads are achingly beautiful. And then there are those hot mineral baths at the many spas!

Also see: Napa Wine Country Overview | Sonoma County Wine Overview | California's Wine Regions | California Wine Varietals | How Wine is Made | Guide to Winespeak | How to Taste Wine

Napa Valley Honeymoon Ideas

City of Napa: Not that long ago, Napa was a neglected town whose best days seemed long over, but these days the Valley’s gateway and unofficial capital is jam-packed with activity. Numerous tasting rooms make it convenient to sample a wide range of the Valley’s products—and the free downtown trolley lets tasters move around town safely. Stroll through historic downtown, with its authentic Victorian and Art Deco buildings, including the celebrated 1879 opera house (shown here). Shop in dozens of clothing, home décor, gourmet and wine shops; browse art galleries at the ultra-charming 1884 Napa Mill waterside complex—or the 50-store outlet mall; and top off your visit with lunch or dinner in one of Napa's many award-winning restaurants.

Napa Valley Wine Train: The Wine Train is not just a great way to get an overview of the Valley, but a pleasurable activity in itself. On this 3-hour, 36-mile round rail trip between Napa and the ultra-charming village of St. Helena, the Wine Train passes the towns of Oakville, Yountville, and Rutherford—not to mention dozens of famous wineries. You'll lounge in luxury aboard the lovingly restored 1915-1917 Pullman Dining and Lounge cars (or in the 1947 Vista Dome rail car, decorated with rare Honduran mahogany, crystal chandeliers, etched glass partitions, and velveteen armchairs). And while chugging along you'll enjoy gorgeous wine country vistas, sample the region’s wines, and dine on an elegant multi-course meal. If you like, you can choose options that allow you to disembark and take tours at wineries such as Domaine Chandon, Grgich Hills, ZD Wines, and Raymond Vineyards.

Highway 29 & The Silverado Trail: Napa's most famous wine route is Highway 29, which wends for nearly 30 miles from Napa to Calistoga. As you drive along, you'll be surrounded by one of the world’s premier—and most beautiful—wine regions. Each winery is distinct and offers unique pleasures. At luxurious Domaine Chandon you can take in a tour that shows you how champagne is made, indulge in a cuvée tasting, or relax over Tea-Smoked Duck and Lobster Parsnip Bisque at Étoile Restaurant. Or ride the famous aerial tram up the 300-foot rocky cliff at Sterling Vineyards, and enjoy the knockout view from the top. At Francis Ford Coppola's Rubicon Estate (formerly Niebaum-Coppola), you can taste wine, take classes, revel in the gift shop, and browse the Centennial Museum, where you'll find an eclectic mixture of artifacts reflecting Coppola's interests—everything from local wine history to the cinema's early days. Other fun things to do include viewing the famous photographs at Mumm Napa, enjoying a picnic in the olive grove of romantic Clos Du Val, touring the wine cave at Robert Graves-designed Clos Pegase, taking a tour or a class at Robert Mondavi Winery... And that's just a beginning of what Napa's wineries are waiting to show you. ~ First-time visitors tend to stick to Highway 29 with its famed wineries, but there are treasures a-plenty along the more bucolic Silverado Trail. This route, on the Valley's east side, runs parallel to Highway 29 as far as Calistoga. It's home to dozens of fabulous wineries, some of them with pretty amazing architecture. You might find that you prefer this less crowded road, which is also popular with bicycling wine-tasters. »» Browse all of Napa's wineries • Learn more about wineries on the Silverado Trail

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Highway 29/Silverado Trail Map}

St. Helena: The quintessential wine country town, and smack in the middle of the Valley, St. Helena captures the best of the region's past and present. Victorian houses and 19th century brick storefront buildings lend an “Old West” ambience—but the sensational restaurants, upscale shops, and dreamy lodgings they contain are firmly rooted in today. Make the town yours by taking a slow stroll along Main Street, hitting the Farmers Market in Crane Park, or biking along the surrounding country roads with a picnic gathered from Dean & DeLuca’s. Take a one- or two-day course at Greystone, the California Campus of the Culinary Institute of America, complete with lectures, hands-on cooking, and food/wine pairings. Or simply tour the local wineries. Nearly 40 wineries call St. Helena home, including Merryvale, Louis Martini, Flora Springs, Duckhorn, and Charles Krug.

Calistoga: This ultra-charming town, with its slow pace and wooden storefronts, was named one of the nation's Dozen Distinctive Destinations by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. You'll love the historic hot springs, art galleries, spas, shops in old railroad cars, and the many lovely inns. Since the late 19th century Calistoga has been famed for the invigorating and relaxing effects of its natural thermal mineral waters. You'll enjoy the traditional waters and mud baths, certainly, but also the up-to-the-minute spa treatments in dazzling new facilities. Calistoga's wineries include legendary Chateau Montelena—the winery that competed in 1976 against top French wines, won, and changed the course of wine history. Other wineries in town include Sterling, Clos Pegase, Castello di Amorosa, and Madrigal. The Old Faithful Geyser is here, too, sending its water 75 feet or so into the air every 20-30 minutes.

Yountville: The town of Yountville, just off (but discreetly hidden from) Highway 29, is known as Napa's "Culinary Capital." Why? For one thing, it's home to Thomas Keller's French Laundry, a restaurant many critics consider to be the world’s best. That's enough of a reason to be considered a culinary capital right there—except that Yountville is home to an amazing assortment of other world-class restaurants and award-winning chefs. As you'd guess, this is definitely a luxurious destination, filled with expensive hotels and resorts, exquisite spas, and pretty amazing shopping. Vintner's Golf Club is considered the best in Napa Valley. Wineries in town include Domaine Chandon, Cliff Lede, Hopper Creek, and Girard Napa Valley. One of the nicest aspects of Yountville is that it's small and self-contained. If you like to walk, you can stroll everywhere you need to go without ever using your car.

View, RL Stevenson State Park

Robert Louis Stevenson State Park: Work off that wine and great food with a 4-mile roundtrip hike at R. L. Stevenson State Park, traveling to the site where Stevenson and his bride spent their 1880 honeymoon in an abandoned cabin. If you continue on past, all the way to the top of 4,343-foot Mt. Saint Helena—an additional total of six miles added on to your trip—you'll be rewarded with a stunning view that shows off most of the wine country below before stretching clear to San Francisco Bay. ~ A more laid-back alternative: visit Calistoga’s Petrified Forest, where a grove of huge petrified redwood trees was buried beneath volcanic ash 3 million years ago. Walk on your own through the well-marked forest of stone, or take a guided walk with a naturalist. ~ Another idea: the short History Trail (2 miles round trip) at Bothe-Napa Valley State Park, which encompasses a cemetery from pioneer days (restored to its original, mid-1850s appearance), an old stone dam, and an historic water-powered Grist Mill with a 36-foot water wheel. The Mill is actually located in the connected Bale Grist Mill State Historic Park.

Museums²: If you have time for only one museum getaway—and if you're a fan of modern art—head straight to the stunning di Rosa Preserve (photo). You'll be knocked off your feet by more than 2200 contemporary works from 900+ world-renowned California artists, including Roy de Forest, Stephen de Staebler, Squeak Carwath, and Joan Brown. You’ll delight in such things as an actual automobile swinging from a tree or an outdoor shack made entirely of wine bottles. It’s all housed imaginatively in multiple galleries on the 215-acre grounds of a former winery, now a protected preserve. Art isn’t only in the buildings, it’s everywhere you look—even sticking out of the 30-acre lake. ~ At Yountville's respected Napa Valley Museum, the permanent exhibit—"The Land and People of the Napa Valley"—tells Napa's story from pre-history to the present. Delightful temporary exhibits range from art to history to environment (and sometimes combine all three). ~ Calistoga's Sharpsteen Museum showcases the history of northern Napa Valley from pre-history to just after World War I. Exhibits include Wappo Indian artifacts, a stagecoach that once ran from Calistoga to points north, historic photographs, dioramas of life in the mid-19th century (when Calistoga was a major hot springs resort), and lots more. ~ St. Helena's Silverado Museum pays tribute to one of the Valley's most illustrious 19th century visitors, Robert Louis Stevenson. The author of great classics such as Treasure Island and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde spent his 1880 honeymoon nearby camping out in a rundown bunkhouse at the abandoned Silverado Mine; he later wrote about his stay in The Silverado Squatters. On display: original letters, manuscripts, photographs, the author's drawings, some furniture, and many personal artifacts.

Oxbow Market: Modeled after San Francisco’s wildly successful Ferry Building Marketplace, the Oxbow Public Market will wow you with fresh and local organic produce, artisan food and wine purveyors, and plenty of casual eateries—all of which adhere to that galvanizing maxim of forward-thinking foodies: Eat Locally! Situated on Napa's First Street and overlooking the Napa River, the Market consists of more than 30 independent merchants in farm stalls and retail spaces. The modern 40,000 square-foot, glass-and-steel marketplace is a showplace for the best of the region's foods, including charcuterie, grass-fed beef, free-range poultry, seafood, locally-grown olives (and fresh-pressed olive oil), artisan cheese, just-picked produce, sensational breads, wine, flowers, and unique gourmet goodies. A few shops are devoted to food-related items: culinary antiques, linens, cookbooks, ceramics, etc. Special "merchant events" occur frequently, and on Tuesday nights free live music is usually on the agenda.

More Info: Napa Valley Visitor Information Center

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All written material ©WGH ~ Photos: Robert Holmes/CalTour (Napa Valley Wine Train, Opus Vineyards, Ballooning); ©Suzanne Rodriguez (di Rosa Preserve)