Why Hire a Driver in Napa and Sonoma? Is it Expensive? Is it Worth It?
Local Wally
In the old days, perhaps not good old days, I will admit that I used to drive from winery to winery and sipping way too much. I mean, everyone did this but that was a long time ago back when Napa was country roads and even on a weekend you might only see a handful of random cars all doing the same thing. That’s not to excuse my poor decision making but things were different back then. Heck, even 5 years ago a lot of people would drive drunk in Napa.
Don’t worry, they hired a driver in Napa!
But today it’s too risky to drive yourself when wine tasting in Napa or Sonoma. It’s busy, so if you don’t hurt yourself you might hurt others and no one wants that. So if you don’t drive yourself what are the options?
UBER: I know, it seems to work just fine back home but in Napa the cell service can get really spotty once you leave Highway 29 or the Silverado Trail so an Uber might get you there but damn, how are you going to request one to pick you up if your phone isn’t working? Add to that there are not enough Uber drivers anyway so even if you stay in the main area of Napa you are rolling the dice you can get one in time for your next winery appointment.
HIRE A DRIVER WHO DRIVES YOUR RENTAL: I work with drivers who claim they can legally drive your rental and this is the cheapest way to go. However you will want to verify their licenses and insurance on your own to make sure you are satisfied with their credentials. There are plenty of drivers who are not doing this professionally and not insured properly so do your own due diligence.
HIRE A DRIVER TO DRIVE YOUR ITINERARY: If you know where you want to go you can hire one of these drivers to pick you up and get you to your next stop on time. They’ll typically wait outside the winery but politely tap you on the shoulder when it’s getting close to exit time. PRO TIP: If you don’t know much about wineries and want me to help you plan it out just email me - I do this for free for my readers.
HIRE A FULL SERVICE DRIVER: Some of my drivers will not only pick the wineries for you (with your input) but will make the reservations. If you are short on time and just want to make sure your trip to Napa goes perfectly then do this.
JOIN IN TOURS: I work with Platypus Wine Tours if you want to just jump in the shuttle and leave all of the details, including lunch, to them. Good for couples, good for groups, even corporate groups or bachlorette parties love this option. FAVOR: They pay me a small commission so please tell them LOCAL WALLY sent you if you book with Platypus.
NAPA WINE TRAIN: OK, this isn’t really transportation but they do have train excursions that stop at a few select wineries. Let me know if you’re interested in this as I have discounts I can show you.
YES, HIRING A DRIVER IN NAPA IS WORTH IT - MUCH BETTER THAN A DUI!
You want to have fun wine tasting, right? So why limit your sips hoping you won’t drink too much? And do you really want to toss that super delicious sip of very expensive wine that you just paid for into the spit jar just because you drew the short straw to be the designated driver?