What to Expect on the Napa Valley Wine Train

What to Expect on the Napa Valley Wine Train – The Napa Wine Train is just one of the many fun things to do when visiting Napa. Whether you’re looking for delicious food, wine tasting, or seeing the sights of the Napa country side, the wine train is a great way to incorporate them all.

Visiting the Napa Valley in California is really a must do for anyone that enjoys wine, food, or just beautiful scenery. There is a ton of history around the Valley itself as well as the pride and history of each of the wineries themselves.
My husband and I recently had a weekend getaway to Napa where we decided it would be the perfect time to try the wine train.

WHAT TO EXPECT ON THE NAPA VALLEY WINE TRAIN

Our hotel had a shuttle that took us to and from the Napa Train depot, so that we didn’t have to even worry about the added expense of an Uber or Lyft.

There are a number of different types of tours you can take on the train.

Lunch and Dinner Train Tours
- Typically runs for 3 hours and serves you a multi-course meal and drinks while you watch the wine country side
1/2 Day Winery Tours
- Typically runs between 3-4 hours, includes one winery stop and a multi-course meal with drinks.
Full Day Winery Tours
- Typically runs between 5-6 hours and includes different winery stops and multi-course meal with drinks
Special Events
- These vary depending on the event. There is a murder mystery dinner, romance dinners and a Santa Train.

WHERE DOES THE NAPA TRAIN GO?

We went on the Full Day Winery Tour – The Estate Tour that took us to Domaine Chandon, Louis M. Martini and Inglenook.

Obviously depending on the tour, you could stay on the train the entire time or you could get off and tour some wineries. I enjoyed getting off the train and seeing new wineries and tasting their different blends.

For the Estate Tour we visited three wonderful wineries.

DOMAINE CHANDON

Delicious California sparkling wine

LOUIS M. MARTINI

Known for their incredible pinot noir.

INGLENOOK

Their grounds were spectacular.

WHAT IS INCLUDED ON THE WINE TRAIN?

Multi-Course Gourmet Meals – With almost every wine tour there is a gourmet meal included. The food was delicious, but fair warning it is quite gourmet including caviar and duck sausage.
Wine, beer and spirits on the train as well as the tastings at each of the wineries.

HOW WAS THE EXPERIENCE ON THE NAPA WINE TRAIN?

Overall the experience on the Napa Valley Wine Train was exceptional.

The setup of the train is beautiful and fun as we sat across from other couples where we could eat, drink and socialize.

The wait staff for the train was exceptional. They worked fast and efficient to serve everyone in our cabin timely.

The folks who drove us from the train to the wineries were great at keeping track of us all and making sure we enjoyed ourselves.

The wineries were all very welcoming and had incredible tour guides showing us through each of their beautiful facilities.

The only thing critique I could have for experience is to offer alternative options for those with certain dietary restrictions. I do not eat dairy and there were many aspects of the meal that I just could not eat. Of course, I knew that going in and so I was fine, but it might be something for them to accommodate in the future.

PLAN THE PERFECT NAPA VALLEY WINE TRAIN EXPERIENCE

If you are looking for a fun way to visit the Napa Valley, then I would highly recommend the wine train. It is a time to see the beautiful wine soaked country side and not worry about a thing.