Denver Breweries to Napa Vineyards - SOLD OUT See our Sept 7 departure

Let’s meet in Denver for a guided tour of the incredible craft beer scene. Then we’ll board Amtrak’s California Zephyr for a ride across the Rockies to San Francisco in First Class sleeper accommodations. On the way we’ll have tastings and group lessons on the art of wine led by another special guest, a renowned wine expert with connections to the best exclusive wineries in Napa Valley where we’ll have tastings. Once we arrive in San Francisco, we’ll explore this magnificent city’s cultural highlights in our private van and driver. Before heading to wine country we’ll enjoy a visit to Muir Woods. Then on to Napa, with an overnight stay at a hotel in downtown Napa. We’re going in August during Crush Season so we can experience the region during harvest and grape processing!

Overview

Experienced travelers say the Amtrak California Zephyr is one of the most beautiful train trips in all of North America. As you climb through the heart of the Rockies, and further west through the snow-capped Sierra Nevadas, you’ll understand why. The Zephyr runs between Chicago and San Francisco, but we’ll be onboard through the most scenic part, starting in Denver! We’ll spend our time in Denver exploring the hip districts of LoDo to RiNo, checking out the cool art, craft brews, and eclectic cafes and shops. On our full day in Denver we’ll take a private van with driver to explore the scenic vistas at foothills of the Rockies, and maybe even get to see a concert at Red Rocks Ampitheater (pending future concert schedules TBD). Since Denver is considered the Napa Valley of craft beer, we’ll fit in brewery/bar hoppings, and beer tastings at several places via a Pedal Bar Tour! We’ll get onboard the Zephyr early the next morning for a 33-hour train ride to San Francisco. We’ll have private room with sleeping berths, and access to bathroom with showers in our car. We can roam around the Zephyr, enjoying the views of the majestic Rockies and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges in the observation deck, or go to the lounges to enjoy beverages. All meals will be provided on the Zephyr with first class service! We’ll even get some wine tastings and wine education while on the train, led by our wine expert, to prepare us for Napa! We’ll arrive in San Francisco the next day, at 5 in the afternoon, ready for our San Francisco and Napa Valley adventures.

In San Francisco we’ll spend 2 nights in the city, exploring main city attractions such as Fisherman’s Wharf, Alcatraz, and ChinaTown. Then we’ll go in our private van with a driver to Napa Valley (stopping on the way at the Golden Gate Bridge and Muir Woods for a short hike). We’ll check into our lovely Napa Valley inn for 1 night and have the afternoon and following day to enjoy private tastings of wines at exclusive vineyards, led by our renowned wine expert Brad Morley (see the More About Brad tab for his bio). Brad has curated some amazing tastings we’ll be able to do these 2 days we’re in Napa, wineries/vineyards that aren’t on the standard Napa Wine Tasting track. We’ll then be transported back to San Francisco to check into our airport hotel and have our farewell dinner in a highly rated restaurant close by. In the morning we’ll be taken to the airport to board our flights home..

If you’re looking for a unique travel experience that offers breathtaking views of some of North America’s most beautiful landscapes, starting with Rocky Mountain Brews and ending with Napa Valley Wines, then this Zephyr trip is for you!

Trip Highlights

Denver hip districts of LoDo or RiNo for brews, arts, and eclectic cafes and shops, with pedal bar tour
Scenic Foothills of the Rockies private half day tour
Possible Red Rocks Ampitheater concert depending on TBD schedule
Amtrak Zephyr Train Ride from Denver to San Franscisco, with private rooms with sleeping berths, access to bathrooms with showers, and all meals with first class service
San Francisco Fisherman's Wharf
Alcatraz Tour
Muir Woods Hike
Chinatown
Napa Valley private van with driver
Napa Valley private tastings in 5 or more exclusive vineyards

Day 1 :

Arrival in Denver

Today is the arrival day into Denver. We’ll begin activities in the late afternoon, after checking into our accomodations. We’ll head off to two very cool neighborhoods. the LoDo and RiNo districts. There are all sorts of eclectic shops, cafes, and historic buildings to explore. We’ll provide access to an optional bike tour of these areas. We’ll have a welcome dinner in one of the cool speakeasies in one of these hip areas, and sample some craft beers Denver is famous for.

Note: schedule is now changed due to concert at Red Rocks Ampitheater today instead. The activities above will now be on Day 2.

Day 2 :

Full Day in Denver

Today we’ll enjoy the scenic vistas surrounding the city as we do a Foothills of the Rockies Tour. After lunch we’ll continue with exploring the hip areas of Denver with a Pedal Bar Tour! Welcome Dinner will be tonight after our Pedal Bar Tour.

Breakfast

Day 3 :

Aboard the Zephyr

Today we board the California Zephyr for our 33-hour train ride. But don’t worry, we’ll be entertained with majestic views for much of the morning and afternoon. We’ll get first class service with all meals provided, and we have access to lounges for drinks anytime we want. Our rooms contain sleeping berths, and the sleeping cars have bathrooms with showers.

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 4 :

Arrival in San Francisco

We’ll continue our train ride until late afternoon, with special entertainment just for our group. We’ll present a wine sommelier’s lessons in wine tasting, so we’ll be prepared to know how to properly taste wines like an expert!

Our Zephyr train ride ends at 5pm in Emeryville, CA, so we’ll take bus transportation to downtown San Francisco. Our 2 night accommodations are right on Fisherman’s Wharf – the Hotel Zephyr!!! That evening is free with no planned activities, so you can eat somewhere on Fisherman’s Wharf and stroll along the piers.

Breakfast, Lunch

Day 5 :

Full Day in San Francisco

This morning we head out to visit Alcatraz Island and tour the island and facilities, and learn the fascinating history of this iconic prison and its infamous inhabitants. Once we ferry back, we’ll take a street car to Chinatown, where we can enjoy a lunch of authentic Chinese food (dim-sum, anyone?). Then walk it off by exploring the unique shops and markets there. In the evening we will have dinner at Jim’s Favorite – The Stinking Rose! The rest of the night will be yours to explore as you see fit.

Breakfast

Day 6 :

Muir Woods, then onto Napa Valley

We have private drivers and vans lined up for these next two days as we venture out of San Francisco. We’ll stop at the Golden Gate Bridge to see the views and take obligatory pictures, then drive into the magnificent Muir Woods, where we can do an easy hike for about an hour. Then its back into the van, stopping at 2 exclusive wineries where we have private tastings booked. We’ll check into our luxury boutique hotel in Napa for the night. We can take in the views at the outdoor patio in our hotel, before heading out to one of the fine restaurants in the area for dinner.

Private Tastings at Salvestrin Winery and Spire Collection (or similar)

Breakfast

Day 7 :

Napa Valley Wine Tastings

We’ll continue with 3 more exclusive wine tours and tastings, in unique and luxury wineries. We’ll learn about the history of wine making in the area and visit some historic places. The vans will then take us back to San Francisco to our airport hotel for our last night before we fly home in the morning. We’ll have our farewell dinner tonight, included in the tour, at a very nice restaurant, to cap off our wonderful week.

Private Tasting (or similar)

Private Winery Tastings at Freemark Abbey Winery, Lokoya Winery, Cardinale Winery in St. Helena (or similar)