Wine Country Insider
Northern California Wine Country offers the ultimate feast for the senses. Just an hour's drive north of San Francisco, this stretch of vine-covered valleys, fertile farmland and majestic redwoods offers a world of pampering few destinations can match. While the vineyards have long been a favorite destination of wine connoisseurs, luxury spas and gourmet restaurants now vie for attention as the area's top attractions. Our Insider Trip unlocks Napa and Sonoma's secrets, with winery visits, olive oil tastings, acclaimed restaurants and insights from our local experts punctuated by casual scenic walks, spa treatments and shopping opportunities. Experience the wine country exclusively with Backroads: the good life doesn't get any better than this.
Sniff, Swirl - Salud!
Whether you're a connoisseur or a more casual consumer, you'll enjoy raising your wine IQ in visits to both world-renowned and up-and-coming wineries. With hundreds to choose from, we introduce you to a few standouts, including popular Ravenswood (whose motto, "No Wimpy Wines!" says it all) and Arista Winery, known for its pinot noir.
Award-Winning Hotels
Our elegant wine country hotels have won praise from the likes of Travel+Leisure and Condé Nast Traveler. The pampering starts at the serene Hotel Healdsburg and continues with the exquisite Villagio, home to a superb spa.
Stellar Cuisine
The region's countless restaurants offer everything from multicourse gourmet meals to homespun specialties. You'll enjoy seriously good food inspired by the region's colorful, fresh ingredients and complemented by its wines. You can also don a chef's hat for our visit to Ramekins Cooking School and find out what all this organic fuss is about during a tour of Long Meadow Ranch.
Spa Country
As much as the Wine Country is famed for its rolling vineyards and sumptuous wines, it's also known for its warm spring-fed pools and a myriad of spas. Indeed, the region could just as easily be called California's "Spa Country." You'll have plenty of chances to discover the joys of this pastime, indulging in massages and invigorating treatments to your heart's desire.
A Second Taste
Grapes have been put on notice: olives are moving in. Introduced by Franciscan monks in the 1700s, today olive groves are popping up all across Northern California, thriving in the same microclimate as the vineyards. There are 150 olive oil producers in Napa and Sonoma Counties alone. Savor the robust flavor of California's olive oil in our private tasting at Round Pond.
Art a la Carte
Explore the many galleries in the towns we visit, and get ready for a few special Insider art encounters along the way. The delicate relationship between art and nature is illuminated during your visit to the di Rosa Preserve. And we can hardly wait to introduce you to our special friend Barbara Necchis, a local watercolor artist who has been welcoming us to her studio for years.
WINE COUNTRY CLASSICS : Premiere Inns
Hotel Healdsburg (1 night): With contemporary interiors and plush amenities, this boutique hotel rises to the top of the class, making Condé Nast Traveler's Gold List, and earning kudos from Travel+Leisure, which called it a "new star" in Sonoma with "the downiest bed you'll ever sleep on."
Villagio Inn & Spa (2 nights): In the heart of Napa Valley, a Travel+Leisure favorite with a pool, spa, spacious guest rooms and proximity to world-class dining.
2008 DATES
CLASSIC TRIPS
2009 DATES
CLASSIC TRIPS
- 6/18-21Price: $2298 pp dbl. occ., (+ $520 for sgl. occ.)
- 7/23-26Price: $2298 pp dbl. occ., (+ $520 for sgl. occ.)
- 8/20-23Price: $2298 pp dbl. occ., (+ $520 for sgl. occ.)
- 10/8-11Price: $2298 pp dbl. occ., (+ $520 for sgl. occ.)
Reserve early for the best available price. Prices may change during the course of the year--if they do change, the best prices are available earlier. Once you book your trip, your price is guaranteed.
Trip praise
Backroads is really excited to add our latest way to explore the world - Insider Trips - to our award-winning biking, hiking and multisport vacations. These are experiences you cannot have behind the wheel of a car, or on a train or a tour bus, or in a few excursions from a cruise ship or a secluded resort.- Backroads President and Founder