California Wine Country Walking Tour
Overview
Highlights
- Enjoy daily wine tastings, including an indulgent sampling of Benziger Family Winery’s vintages paired with a tour of their vineyards.
- Stay in the charming Gaige House, a boutique hotel in the heart of Sonoma, which boasts fireside public rooms, tranquil gardens, and easy access to wineries and hiking trails.
- Savor a picnic basket of local specialties at Buena Vista Winery, the oldest vineyard in the entire region.
- Explore Bothe-Napa Valley State Park, a beautiful landscape of oak and redwood chaparral laced by burbling creeks.
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Trip includes
- Breakfast daily and one lunch (day 4); beverages not included
- Four winery tours and tastings (days 2, 3, 4, and 5)
- All accommodations while on tour
- Local transfers as noted in the itinerary
- Luggage transfers between the hotels
- Detailed Route Notes and maps (mailed to you approximately one month prior
- to your departure)
- Orientation phone call with a Country Walkers representative
- 24-hour tour-related support provided by Country Walkers’ local partner
- 24-hour One Call International Emergency Hotline and Travel Assistance
- The unbeatable and cumulative experience of the Country Walkers staff
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Itinerary
Your adventure begins in sophisticated St. Helena, a charming town in the heart of the Napa Valley. After settling into your centrally located hotel, get acquainted with the area’s shops, galleries, and wine-tasting rooms, relax at your hotel’s pool and spa, or visit the culinary marketplace at Greystone, the castle-like former Christian Brothers monastery.
Today’s walk winds from beautiful Bale Grist Mill State Historic Park into Bothe State Park, a large natural area encompassing stands of coastal redwood, Douglas fir, madrone, and oak chaparral. Following a creekside picnic, partake in a tour and tasting at Schramsberg Vineyards before shuttling back to St. Helena.
Transfer this morning to historic Sonoma, whose vast central plaza is home to the northernmost of California’s 21 Spanish missions. This afternoon’s loop on the Overlook Trail affords spectacular views of the entire Sonoma Valley. Descend to the historical Sebastiani ...
Stroll through Bartholomew Park’s lovely manicured grounds and vineyards to a 19th-century villa founded by exiled heirs to the Habsburg throne. Later, enjoy a picnic hamper and wine tasting among the beautiful stone walls of historic Buena Vista Winery. Your return walk leads past the heritage homes of Sonoma’s elegant East Side, leaving time to explore the plaza’s shops or relax by the pool.
Enjoy fine views of the Sonoma Valley as you walk through historic Jack London State Park, visiting a 2000-year-old ancient redwood tree and the cottage where the author wrote several of his famous novels. After a tour and tasting at the Benziger Family Winery, return to appreciate your hotel’s tranquil gardens, swimming pool, and riverside hammocks.
After breakfast, depart at your leisure.
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Dates & Availability
Check Current Availability, prices, specials with Country Walkers.
The total tour cost includes the tour price (regular or promotional) and the compulsory local payment. The promotional price is subject to change. Check directly with the operator for the latest price offer. The tour operator requires you to pay only the tour price to purchase your travel. The compulsory local payment will be paid when you join the trip. All prices are based on double, twin or triple share occupancy. Solo passengers will be accommodated in a double, twin or triple room according to availability with a passenger(s) of the same gender. Single supplement only needs to be paid if the passenger does not want to share and requests their own room. Discounts can only be applied at the time of booking and cannot be added at a later date, regardless of any changes made to the original booking.
Prices may vary due to local taxes and trip seasonality. Click "Request Info" to inquire directly with the tour operator for the final trip price.
Country Walkers Reviews & Ratings
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Awards from the likes of Travel + Leisure, National Geographic Traveler, and Outside are gratifying, but it’s our thousands of repeat guests that really make us proud. Ask any of them and they’ll tell you why we’re different: Wine tastes better when you drink it with the vintner. Tagines taste better when you prepare them with a top Moroccan chef. Landscapes are more beautiful when you share them with friendly locals. And exotic lands are more stunning when they begin to feel like home.
Our 35 years of experience, meticulously researched itineraries, hyper-local, virtuoso guides, and worldwide network of colleagues ensure that your next Country Walkers trip will bring you into a destination’s beating heart—and leave it lingering in yours for years to come.
At Country Walkers, our well-traveled staff works hard to handcraft unique and creative experiences that immerse you in a destination. We’re also committed to keeping your experience worry free—guaranteeing all Country Walkers departure dates no matter the group size and maintaining itineraries free of hidden costs. Add to that our commitment to customer service and individualized care—before, during, and after your trip—and you’ve got a recipe for unforgettable adventures.
No one shows you the world better than Country Walkers. We've been leading the way in active travel for 34 years!
At Country Walkers, we want you to experience the best the world has to offer, whether that means midnight kayak rides through Icelandic lagoons or games of khuru with Bhutanese villagers. That’s why our intrepid staff travels the world to handcraft unique and creative experiences to immerse you in a destination. It’s also why we’re so committed to keeping your experience worry free—guaranteeing all Country Walkers departure dates no matter the group size and maintaining itineraries free of hidden costs. Add to that our commitment to unparalleled customer service and individualized care—before, during, and after your trip—and you’ve got a recipe for unforgettable adventures.
At Country Walkers, we love sharing the world with travelers like you. That’s why we’re so committed to creating exceptional guest experiences, day in and day out. From the first moment when you call (you’ll be greeted by a real person, not a push-button directory!) through your final, joyful recap of your adventure’s highlights, we’ll be there for you. We’re dedicated to helping create a travel experience that exceeds your expectations.
Group Departures: If you’re looking to experience the best of a place without worrying about managing logistics or wrangling maps, then our guided Group Departures are the perfect choice for you. In the care of our “best in the business” local guides, you’ll be perfectly positioned to experience the best of a place—with an intimate group of travel companions to share in the adventure. Since our trips boast a 1:7 guide-to-guest ratio, with two guides leading each group of eight or more, you’ll have plenty of one-on-one time with guides and fellow guests alike, perfect opportunities to learn about the local lore, history, and culture that make destinations come alive. And you never have to worry about what’s included: we handle virtually every breakfast, lunch, and dinner (except where clearly noted), along with all gratuities, portages, and snacks on the trail. We even include beer and wine. Cheers!
Private Departures: Looking for a private trip? Our Private departures are the way to go. We’re happy to turn any of our Guided Walking trips and most Safaris into a unique travel experience just for you and your handpicked travel companions. A great way to celebrate special occasions, mark birthdays, enjoy a romantic getaway, or simply savor the pleasure of traveling at your own pace, Private departures are a breeze to book: simply pick a destination, departure date, and companions—we’ll do the rest. Also, we think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how advantageously priced Private departures can be!
Solo Travel: Guests love traveling solo with us. Along with the comfort and camaraderie they enjoy on our Guided Walking trips, Safaris, and Small Boat cruises, we offer a number of incentives to make sure our single travelers never feel like they’re on their own.
Custom Departures: If you’re hoping travel with a group—be it a reunion of friends, office retreat, travel-focused club, or something else entirely—you’ve come to the right place. We happily accommodate all sizes of groups (got a unique situation—just ask us!) on virtually any of our itineraries.
Each of our Group departures feature:
--24/7 assistance
--A handcrafted daily itinerary with ample time to relax
--A comprehensive suite of essentials and extras that covers every last detail
--The expert care of best-in-the-business guides
--Special bonus experiences—like hot air balloon rides—to make your trip extra memorable
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What's excluded
- International Flights
- Passport and Visa Charges
- Personal Expenses
Accommodation
Napa Valley, St. Helena
Your two night stay will be Ideally located in the heart of historical St. Helena. This welcoming hotel boasts spacious rooms with vaulted ceilings and fireplaces, small “Juliet” balconies overlooking the courtyard, spa, or hillsides, and classic décor and furnishings. A full-service spa and fitness center is on site. Within walking distance of the town with its many shops, restaurants, and cafés, the hotel also offers complimentary car service to its sister property, The Restaurant at Meadowood (reservations required)—recipient of three Michelin stars (one of only two restaurants with this rating west of Chicago!).
Sonoma
A contemporary boutique hotel on Sonoma Plaza, fabulously situated among art galleries, wine-tasting rooms, and cafés. Spacious luminous rooms have modern décor with French doors opening onto a private balcony with views of either the plaza or garden courtyard. An outdoor swimming pool, heated from May to October, has private cabanas and daybeds for relaxing. The restaurant sources local produce for its sophisticated cuisine, and serves in a warm main dining room, the garden courtyard, or fireplace lounge. Steps from the hotel are the numerous historical buildings surrounding Sonoma Plaza—a National Historic Landmark.
Glen Ellen
With the feel of a sophisticated home, this inn invites relaxation in its fireside public rooms and tranquil grounds and gardens, with an outdoor swimming pool and hot tub. Guest rooms are contemporary with Asian-inspired accents and furnishings, muted colors and fabrics. Included are a bountiful breakfast in the dining room, an evening wine and cheese reception in the sitting room, and fresh-baked cookies and refreshments throughout the day. Spa treatments are offered in-room, in the spa loft, or in a private outdoor cabana. In the heart of Sonoma wine country, Glen Ellen is at the intersection of vineyards, hiking trails, and state and historical parks and gardens.
This tour is one of our Self-Guided Walking Adventures, rated easy to moderate, with an average of 4 to 7 miles per day and limited options. The walks have elevation gains and losses from 500 to 900 feet. You often walk along paved walking paths, dirt roads, and quiet country lanes, or transition to gravel and earthen trails through vineyards and valleys and alongside creeks, and also access single-track hiking trails with some roots and stones in state parks. Classic Wine Country scenery includes rolling vineyard-covered hillsides, state parks with varied California forest of redwood, firs, eucalyptus, and chaparral. Towns visited have elegant 19th- and 20th-century architectural treasures, including Landmark Sonoma Plaza, heritage homes, and grandiose stone winery buildings. Winery visits to well-known vintners and tastings are included on each full day
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