San Francisco - car hire, Napa valley advice

[KitKat]

Hi, will be in San Fran in February for about a week.
Plan to go to Napa valley.
Any tips on car hire, journey, places to eat much appreciated.

have never hired a car or driven in the us
planning to go to French Laundry

 

[ozbeachbabe]

1. Book your tickets to Alcatraz ahead of time

You can do this on the official site www.alcatraz.com to avoid hawkers try to flog off expensive day trips that include a visit to the Island.

2. Do a double decker bus tour

It sounds touristy however it's a great way to see the city & soak up all the history & other interesting facts the tour guides tell you. Keep in mind everytime you hop on or off the bus the guides expect a tip. The ticket is usually valid 24 hours which allows you to do a pm tour one day then an am tour the next.

3. Don't leave any valuables in the rental car unattended at any time

I heard about an Aussie who parked their rental car on the Marin County side of the Golden Gate Bridge with their passport etc inside the vehicle - not sure if it was hidden in the boot or not.

When they returned their vehicle's window was smashed & the contents stolen however the (non) rental car either side were untouched. Although rental cars do not have any advertising stickers on the rear window there is a barcode which serves as an open invitation to would be thieves.

 

[Edge]

Did the same last year. If you're returning to SF and flying out on the same day make sure you give yourself plenty of time, traffic can be rediculous.

Good luck with French Laundry. We tried waking up at 3am two nights in a row and best we could get was the waiting list. I assume you know the process for booking?

You won't go wrong with any of the restaurants in Napa / Yountville.

If you know anyone who works in the wine industry grab some of their business cards and pretend to be them for the day. Saves around $25 per winery.

 

[BAM1748]

Hire a car, stay there a couple of nights.

Guess what my favourite Nappa experience is Unique Napa, California Restaurant and Winery Tours | Napa Valley Wine Train

cheers
Matt

 

[erkpod]

If you're looking for something a little bit different to do in SF, hire a Go Car! Part car, part motorcycle, I had a blast on one earlier this year. It has a selection of guided audio tours of the city but mine didn't work. So I just hooned around the city instead & the guy gave me a discount because the tour audio didn't work.


2 people can sit in it if you are a little more fun sized than I am. It handles the hills very well for its size & following the cable cars up the hills is awesome!


San Francisco - GoCar Tours

 

[TheRealTMA]

or driven in the us
planning to go to French Laundry

Driving in the US is a doddle although the roads into and out of SF can be quite rough, tired and somewhat hectic with more road rage issues than in quieter areas. Napa and Sonoma are great places and very easy to drive around.

We prefer Sonoma to Napa but this is hotly debated topic

We went to French Laundry in May and SYD friends went there in April. Both groups were quite underwhelmed. Neither of us would bother going back. We've eaten at many many 3*s and found the FL very pretentious and overpriced. Interesting food for the first 3 courses but after that it became a battle of the squeeze bottle and coloured blobs. If you do want to go you must book 2 months days in advance to the day at 10am Californian time by phone. Our SYD friends managed this after spending 2 weeks trying but we were unable to do so as we gave the concierge at the hotel a span of a 5 day period and they did manage a booking for us. (Brilliant service.)

The Fairmonts in Sonoma and SF are very good places to stay. If you do get a booking at the FL, the Napa Valley Lodge is within walking distance of the restaurant (plus there's a free SF tram shuttle).

SF restaurants that we highly recommend are the 1 stars - Luce at the intercontinental (we enjoyed 2 meals there much more than the FL), and Campton Palace.

The concierges at hotels (in Napa, Sonoma or SF) can organize excellent wine tours for you - some wineries require booking if you wish to do the full tour. I'd highly recommend Corison (brilliant Cabernet Sauvignon - one of best in the valley IMHO), Opus One (if for nothing than the spectacle - note must book), Ravenswood Zinfandel moto "No Wimpy Wines"), and of course Stag's Leap Wine Cellars (not to be confused with Stags' Leap and Stags Leap) for their fabulous Cabernet Sauvignons CASK 23, S.L.V., and FAY and great Merlot, and, of course, the history of the Judgement of Paris.

Don'r forget to visit the Cowgirl Creamery in the San Francisco Ferry Building. A must for fabulous local cheese and anoutlet to buy bottles of Grace & I Rasberry+Peach Champagne Preserve to bring home!

 

[Daver6]

I thought the French Laundry was brilliant and worth every cent.

If you can't get in on the day bookings open, keep trying back.

 

[TheRealTMA]

I thought the French Laundry was brilliant and worth every cent.

If you can't get in on the day bookings open, keep trying back.

Try Fat Duck or 11 Madison Park, or even Luce and compare, then comment.

Edit: Sorry, bit ill-mannered of me. I didn't mean to impugn your reply!

I also must add that the 'feted' couple at the next table were most annoying, especially the female who kept taking three photos of every disk with a digital SLR and using flash every time but the restaurant staff never approached her to suggest that such behaviour was not done in a restaurant, let alone a three star.

 

[KitKat]

Thanks everyone. Lots of food for thought

hmm. Having second thoughts on French Laundry

have been to EMP (which I thought was my best meal in 2011)

looks like French Laundry is not going to trump El Celler, Ryugin or Narisawa this year...
anyway if I get a spot will give it a go

 

[TheRealTMA]

As a consolation, spend your money on Attica in MEL maybe.

 

[boomy]

As a consolation, spend your money on Attica in MEL maybe.

The best restaurant in Australia IMO, better then some Michelin star restaurants I tried in the US.

 

[Julesmac]

Alcatraz tour was really interesting, then come home and watch "Birdman of Alcatraz"! Bus tour of the city is worthwile, and of course tramcar ride & chowder at Fishermans' Wharf - hackneyed and probably way too expensive but fun. Ghiradelli Chocolates. The fabulous homewares store Williams Sonoma. In the Napa Valley, which is lovely, there are some great restaurants in Yountville (and frankly I thought the French Laundry was over rated - and especially for top dollar restaurant). We ate at Chandon winery which we enjoyed very much.

 

[raleyoz]

One of my favourite citys of the world. Fishermans Wharf is cool if you have not been before, make sure you have a clam chowder in a bread bowl, mmmmm.
I you are going to Napa the definitely hire a car, a great day trip. take the Hwy101 across the bridge from SF to Petaluma exit on Hwy116 to Napa. nice drive though the Sonoma county . This will turn into Hwy121 take that east to Napa, this is also known as the Carneros Hwy . About 5 mins down the road is a killer retro roadside cafe (famous in these parts)called the Fremont Diner. Great Burgers but best known for their BBQ Pork Rolls.
Head to Napa on the 29, drive straight past Napa the city and head into the Valley towards St Helena, Yountville once you start to see Wineries you are there, wineries all the way to Calistoga.

Wine tasting in Napa will cost you though, around $20-25 a tasting, but this will take you all though their range , also usually have premium tastings for an extra $5-10. Don't miss Sattui at 1111 White Lane (at Hwy 29)St. Helena, amazing Italian Deli inside, this place does it right.

Drive all the way to Calistoga and then come back down the Valley via the Silverado trail , if you want to keep cost down then do your wine tasting on this road this road goes parallel to HWY 29 but is quieter and less tourist driven. Great wineries here too.

If your happy to spend a little on a bottle to bring home, I can recommend Liparita CabSav 2009 Yountville about $60, just superb Napa. You can get this at the Napa Valley Tasting Room on Hwy29 between Napa and St Helena.

Or you could cut through between valleys and come home via Sonoma Valley on HWY 12, everything is cheaper than Napa re wine tasting, but just as good.

February in SFO can be bitterly cold though, especially on Alcatraz so make sure your ready, and I do mean bitterly.

Hope this Helps

 

[AVC]

The Cable Car Museum is worth a look.

Book Alcatraz NOW . They open 3 month in advance. You will not get walk up tickets.

The Rainforest Cafe near the Wax Museum (Fishermans Wharf area) is an interesting experience.

 

[gphamor]

For what it's worth we will also be there, in January and I have arranged a car from SFO to Napa via Alamo car rentals. Haven't used them previously but significantly cheaper than the majors.
Happy to give feedback on our return.

 

[gphamor]

What a great post! Thanks.

 

[hazel]

I would suggest just hiring a car for the drive to Napa and back. You can easily get around SF without a car & parking is either non-existent or expensive. On your way to Napa stop in Sausalito for breakfast.

 

[AVC]

Yes, the public transport in SF is great. You can get a weekly/3 day ticket too that covers cable cars/street cars/ buses and train (we used all except the train, there was no real need as there is so much road transport)

 

[raleyoz]

But wait there's more!!!
If you are into golf you are in golf heaven, even if you don't play the Monterey peninsula 7 mile drive is amazing. Easy driving, stunning coastline .
Santa Cruz is just nearby also