Getting There
There are three area airports that represent every major domestic airline and several discounters.
San Francisco International Airport (www.sfoairport.com) provides hundreds of daily flights with nonstop or direct service on low-cost carriers like AirTran (www.airtran.com) and Spirit (www.spiritair.com), as well as American (www.aa.com), United (www.united.com), Continental (www.continental.com), US Airways (www.usairways.com), Northwest (www.nwa.com), and Delta (www.delta.com) to more than 50 destinations. The airport is 45-60 minutes from Napa by car.
Oakland International Airport (www.flyoakland.com) is another option, offering less possibility of being fogged in and slightly less traffic. A dozen airlines, including JetBlue (www.jetblue.com), Southwest (www.southwest.com), ATA (www.ata.com), American (www.aa.com), United (www.united.com), Delta (www.delta.com), US Airways (www.usairways.com), and Alaska/Horizon (www.alaskaair.com) fly here daily from 50 cities. It's roughly an hour to Napa.
Sacramento International Airport (www.sacairports.org) is less well-known, but often features lower fares and eliminates bridge tolls along the 75-minute drive. Another dozen airlines service it daily, including JetBlue (www.jetblue.com), Alaska (www.alaskaair), United (www.united.com), Southwest (www.southwest.com), Frontier (www.frontierairlines.com), US Airways (www.usairways.com), and American (www.aa.com).
You can also arrive by train: Amtrak (800/USA-RAIL; www.amtrak.com) provides service between Chicago and Oakland on the California Zephyr.
Once here, we recommend booking the best rental car rate for ultimate savings and flexibility to explore (designate a sober driver). Major airport rental car agencies include Avis (800/984-8840; www.avis.com), Dollar (800/800-4000; www.dollarcar.com) and Thrifty (800/FOR-CARS; www.thrifty.com). Budget (800/527-0700; www.budget.com), Hertz (800/654-3131; www.hertz.com) and Enterprise (800/261-7331; www.enterprise.com) also have downtown Napa branches.
GETTING INTO & AROUND NAPA
Evans Transportation (707/255-1559, 800/294-6386; www.evasntransportation.com) offers an Airporter and Premier Bus Shuttles several times daily to/from SFO and OAK. The fee to their Napa terminal is $29 one-way. Some hotels will pick you up there.
Napa County Transportation Authority/VINE (707/255-7631; 7am-7pm; www.nctpa.net) runs a free Napa downtown shuttle every 45 minutes. There are also free Yountville and St. Helena shuttles and an on-demand Calistoga HandyVan for seniors and the physically challenged as well as regular bus routes (schedules vary depending on route, usually 6am-6pm; $1-$2.50 depending on the zone, with an unlimited ride $6 day pass).
