Yountville is a small town in Napa Valley, California named for its founder Georg Calvert Yount. It is now home to many world class restaurants and wineries as well as fantastic boutique shopping.
Get in
By car
From San Francisco:
Highway 101 North over the Golden Gate Bridge, to Highway 37;
Highway 37 East towards Vallejo/Napa, to Highway 121;
Highway 121 North towards Napa to Highway 29 North to Yountville.
By bus
The regional VINE Trasit bus system provides services from Napa as well as Vallejo and El Cerrito, with connections to ferries and local rail from San Francisco. There are also several dedicated bus services included in hotel packages.
Get around
A free door-to-door bus service, nicknamed Yountville Trolley (dead link: January 2023) is provided by the town of Yountville. While mainly catering for the many retirees in the Veterans Home, the service is open for visitors too.
See
- Napa Valley Museum, 55 Presidents Cir, 38.394949°, -122.364948°, +1 707 944-0500. Daily except Tu, 9AM-5PM. Exhibits range across history, art and natural science of the area. $4.50, 7-17 $2.50.
- Lincoln Theater Performing Arts Center, 100 California Dr, 38.394351°, -122.366029°, +1 707 944-4600.
Do
- Vintner's Golf Club, 7901 Solano Ave (off Hwy 29 at the Veterans Home), 38.393831°, -122.359748°, +1 707 944-1992. Nine holes, par 34, 5,573 yards.
- Napa River Ecological Reserve. East of Yountville on the north side of Yountville Cross Road. Over seventy acres of raw Napa Valley are preserved here, including riverbank meadows where over 65 species of birds nest and over 80 more pass through. Species seen include herons and egrets, hummingbirds, quail, golden eagles, falcons, woodpeckers, and great horned owls. More than 40 species of butterflies also make the Reserve their home.
- Napa Valley Bike Tours, 6795 Washington St (inside Washington Square at Washington & Madison Streets), +1 707 944-2953. Offer three levels of support to visitors who want to pedal to Napa's boutique wineries: 1) Fully Guided & Supported Bike Tours, 2) Self-Guided Bike Tour (includes box lunch and wine purchase pick-up service) or 3) Bike Rentals.
Wine Tasting
Buy
- Farmer's Market, 6539 Washington St, +1 707-944-0904. Wednesdays, June-Sept, 4PM-8PM.
Eat
Mid-range
Splurge
- Bouchon Bistro, 6534 Washington St, 38.402599°, -122.361970°, +1 707 944-8037. Fantastically delicious French cuisine is served up in this atmospheric bistro by Thomas Keller. Some of its specialties are pan-roasted trout, classic French onion soup and duck foie gras. Reservations are necessary. It is open daily for lunch and dinner. The bakery next door turns out bread and pastries that'll knock your socks off. Prices are much more moderate than the neighboring French Laundry.... dinner for two will likely run around $175-250 without alcohol.
- The French Laundry, 6640 Washington St, 38.404421°, -122.364912°, +1 707 944-2380. Dinner daily, Lunch F-Su. Considered one of the best restaurants in the United States — if not the best. Reservations can only be made via the restaurant website; they open at 10 am local time on the first day of each odd-numbered month, and fill up very quickly. Additionally, reservation windows cover a two-month period, starting two months after the opening of reservations. This means, for example, the January 1 window is for booking tables in March and April. Very expensive French cuisine by chef Thomas Keller, who was voted by Time Magazine as the best chef in the country in 2001. Three prix-fixe menus. Dinner for two will start at around $650, without alcohol and before menu upgrades. Note that a 20% tip is included in the price, so any further tipping is purely optional.
- Bistro Jeanty, 6510 Washington St, 38.401032°, -122.359849°, +1 707 944-0103. Daily 11:30AM-10:30PM.
Drink
- Pancha's Of Yountville, 6764 Washington St, 38.406433°, -122.366674°. A locals bar and arguably the closest thing to a dive bar in all of Napa Valley.
Sleep
Budget
Mid-range
Splurge
- Vintage Inn, 6541 Washington St, 38.403129°, -122.364069°, +1 707 944-1112. Four-Diamond elegant French-style inn with fireplaces and whirlpool bathtubs in each guestroom. Outstanding gardens with a central watercourse. Excellent breakfast and afternoon tea. Lovely pool.
- Villagio Inn & Spa, 6481 Washington St, 38.399939°, -122.360110°, +1 707 944-8877. Four-Diamond Tuscan style inn and spa with beautiful gardens, fountains and watercourse.
- Bardessono Hotel, 6526 Yount St, 38.403150°, -122.360282°, +1 707-204-6000.
- Hotel Yountville, 6462 Washington St, 38.398134°, -122.357428°, +1 707-967-7900. along Hopper Creek, Hotel Yountville delivers the perfectly curated romantic vacation experience. Custom designed rooms & suites from 475-1100 square foot, include signature "Dream Beds," fieldstone fireplace, private gardens, vaulted ceilings, Spa tubs, HDTV, WiFi and European linens and amenities all combining to make the quintessential Napa Valley retreat. The Resort boasts the 4000 square foot Spa Acqua, the Grand Salon events center and amazing dining experiences at Hopper Creek Kitchen, all for the exclusive use of the guests.
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