| Traveling to the Napa Valley? Here are some | | | | or leaving about 3:00 PM or traveling after about 6:00 |
| important travel tips to keep in mind as you prepare | | | | PM you will be DEEP in the middle of commute traffic. |
| your trip. | | | | On a good day the trip will be about an hour and 15 |
| The Napa Valley is Northeast of San Francisco and | | | | minutes. On a bad day it can be over 3 hours of travel |
| about the same distance from SFO airport, Oakland | | | | time. |
| airport and Sacramento airport. | | | | No, that's not a typo, both airports are about the same |
| Speaking of distances, here are some travel times to | | | | distance from the Napa Valley and use the same |
| other Northern California destinations: | | | | freeways. So, plan according to your arrival time. Or, |
| - Napa to San Francisco about an hour and a half to | | | | better yet, use the Sacramento Airport. |
| two hours. | | | | Other considerations include whether a major sports |
| - Napa to Carmel/Monterey about three and a half | | | | game is being played on the day you are arriving or |
| hours. | | | | leaving or whether there is major earthquake retrofit |
| - Napa to Yosemite Valley about 4 hours. | | | | work going on one of the bridges you are crossing. |
| - Napa to Mendocino about 3 hours or so. | | | | Speaking of bridges, tolls are $5 on the Golden Gate, |
| - Napa to Reno about 4 hours but more in the Winter. | | | | $3 on the Bay Bridge and the Carquinez Bridge. Both |
| - Napa to Los Angeles about 6 and a half hours. | | | | the Bay and Carquinez toll rates are currently under |
| Sacramento Airport - This is definitely your airport of | | | | review and will likely go up. |
| choice if you are flying in AND your local airport has | | | | Some freeways allow you to use a commute lane if |
| flights that go there. It is so much easier to exit the | | | | you have two or more and sometimes three or more |
| terminal, get a rental car, be on your way and drive to | | | | people in your vehicle. Watch for the sign to tell you if |
| Napa (about one hour door to door). | | | | you have to have two or three total occupants in your |
| If you arrive early on a weekday, you will encounter | | | | vehicle. The ticket costs a minumum of $271 if you are |
| some commute traffic as you head toward Napa - so, | | | | pulled over by the Highway Patrol. |
| your drive will take more than an hour. | | | | If you have more time or are already in San Francisco |
| If you are leaving Napa mid-afternoon on a weekday, | | | | or neighboring towns, another beautiful drive is to travel |
| ADD extra time to your travel plans to make sure you | | | | over the Golden Gate bridge. |
| are able to get to the airport on time. | | | | It is typical urban traffic in town, can be congested |
| Can't avoid San Francisco or Oakland airports? | | | | during weekday commute times, but is a nice scenic |
| Here are some travel tips. | | | | drive once you head East on Hwy 37 and turn North |
| These airports are on major commute corridors. | | | | on to Hwy 121. This route is about 10 miles longer but |
| SFO - Unless you are arriving around noon or leaving | | | | can be about the same time or even less than the |
| about 3:00 PM or traveling after about 6:00 PM you will | | | | other routes because of less commute congestion. |
| be DEEP in the middle of commute traffic. On a good | | | | The Napa Valley is a gorgeous international destination |
| day the trip will be about an hour and 15 minutes. On a | | | | to visit. |
| bad day it can be over 3 hours of travel time. Plan | | | | With a little thought and preparation, you will have a |
| according to your arrival time. | | | | wonderful visit. |
| Oakland Airport - Unless you are arriving around noon | | | | Have a great trip. |