In Detail 3-Day Sonoma County Itinerary

Sonoma County is a beautiful wine region of California, often overshadowed by its more expensive neighbor to the east, Napa Valley. I love them both, but they’re very different so depending on what you are going for should depend on where you go. If you want more information on Sonoma, check out the Best Of Sonoma travel guide. If you don’t want to have to plan anything, keep reading for a detailed Sonoma itinerary.

This itinerary is built by staying in a hotel in southern Sonoma County, in the city of Sonoma. If you are staying in a different area you may want to work forward or backward, but this will give you a good insight into how I plan it. If short-term rentals are more your thing, check out this post for amazing VRBO options in Sonoma County.

Note this wine country itinerary is alcohol friendly, and California is spread out so you’ll need to drive. With lots of options, I suggest hiring a private driver or taking a Lyft, and always remember to drink responsibly. Without further adieu, here is what to do for 3 days in Sonoma for a first time visitor.

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St Francis Winery Sonoma County California in late summer — St. Francis Winery

Day 1 | No time like the present to experience wine country.

Day

If you are planning on having a leisurely full day of paced drinking, I suggest having a proper breakfast so you aren’t drinking on an empty stomach. However I usually don’t like to have anything too heavy either so a quintessential Californian breakfast is perfect, and if you are staying at El Dorado Hotel then the Kitchen there will fit the bill.

To not pack too much into the trip, I recommend only two wineries per day. I’ve done more, oh it can be done, but for your first time, I recommend taking it a little slower. This will allow you to enjoy experiencing the vineyards, the view, and the wine. Order some charcuterie for an afternoon snack and relax, it’s truly what Sonoma is about.

I try to group the wineries I want to visit in similar locations. So Day 1 will stay in the more southern part of Sonoma County, and pick a couple of wineries to try there. Some I recommend are:

Night

If time allows (which this should) I like to take some time to go back to the hotel and freshen up before dinner. The Girl & The Fig is back in the city of Sonoma, right on the square, a short walk from El Dorado. It’s like a little piece of France in California and it’s so nice.

Day 2 | There’s more than wine!

Day

Today starts with a stop by Avid Coffee for a cup of caffeine and a light bite, and then off to the shore. Which beach you pick should depend on what you want to do. Want to go hiking? Try Sonoma Coast State Park. Want to go horseback riding? Try Bodega Bay.

After expending a little energy it’s time for lunch and you probably aren’t that far away from Russian River Brewing Company. They have two locations, one is a brewpub and one is also a brewery. Told you there was more than wine…there’s beer! The brewery may or may not be open due to state and local public health orders in which case stop by either location for a drink and pub fare, but if the brewery is open nothing like a good brewery tour.

If you haven’t done enough hiking for the day take a stroll through the Petrified Forest on a self-guided tour and see trees that are over 3 million years old. There are a few of these forests in existence but the one in Sonoma County is home to the largest petrified trees in the world.

Night

Since you’ve been communing with nature I would go back to the hotel to freshen up, which is no problem because tonight’s dinner is a 30-minute drive away. The parking lot is small, and the inside isn’t spacious, but Wishbone is worth the wait. The flavors are seasonal and fresh, I recommend getting a few things to share.

Amista Vineyards Sonoma County California — Amista Vineyards

Day 3 | A change of scenery, more wine, naturally.

Day

The northern part of Sonoma County has a very different feel nestled among the trees and that’s where we’ll spend today. Again, I recommend two wineries in this area, some of my northern Sonoma County winery recommendations are:

Night

A cool experience in wine country is to eat a luxe meal at a vineyard. Some wineries offer private events for dinner and if you will be there during this time, book it. If not then I would recommend having lunch at one of the wineries since most offer lunch. If you do that then go for a lighter dinner since lunch would have been multi-course.

A multi-course meal at a winery will need to be something you book in advance so do your research on which wineries you want to go to and what days you’ll be there and see what fits with your schedule. Some wineries that offer meals are:

Sonoma – Northern California’s laid-back wine country

I hope this has been a good starting point for your Sonoma County itinerary. This is by no means exhaustive…if you don’t like wine then you can fill your days with more nature or hit up some museums. But if wine is your thing then you can fill ALL your days with wineries.

Have a travel bug? Check out this honest Excellence Playa Mujeres review.

Wanting to try an itinerary to a new place? Try this 3 day Chicago itinerary.

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