Napa Valley & Sonoma Self-Guided Audio Driving Tour
- 2–4 hours
- Free cancellation up to 24h before
- 2 languages
- Instant confirmation
Highlights
Cruise through California wine country with this scenic self-guided driving tour of Sonoma and Napa Valley. As you drive, you’ll get tips about the wineries in the valleys, when to visit, and what to try. Stop by Charles Krug Winery, the birthplace of Napa Valley’s wine industry. Learn about the Mondavi family feud. And so much more! Each stop offers unique stories, beautiful scenery, and unforgettable experiences! Purchase one tour per car, not per person. Everyone listens together! After booking, check your email/text to download the separate Audio Tour Guide App by Action while connected to WiFi or mobile data. Enter the password, download the tour, and enjoy it offline. Follow the audio instructions and route from the designated starting point. New, Lifetime access, no expiry. Use it anytime, on any trip, as many times as you want.
Inclusions
What's included
- Just bring your car and phone; the app guides your tour.
- Support is available via chat, email, or phone if you need help.
- Planning tools, route maps, scenic stops, and area previews included.
- Private tour experience for your family, in your own car.
- Lifetime access: use the tour anytime and keep it for future trips.
- Works offline with GPS route guidance and automatic audio stories.
- One purchase covers everyone in your car, not per person.
- Flexible tour: start, stop, and pause anytime during your trip.
- Access your tour in our separate audio tour app after booking.
- Hidden gems and local stories included along the route.
What's not
- No live guide. Entrance fees, parking, food, and car rental are separate.
Itinerary
We’ll be passing by lots of wineries on this tour, most of which are open for tastings. This tour isn’t affiliated with any of the wineries, but I’ll let you know their opening hours in case you’d like to stop by. If you do indulge in some tastings, just remember you should never drink and drive! New, Lifetime access, no expiry. Use it anytime, on any trip, as many times as you want. The tour is over 76 miles long, with more than 82 audio stories, and takes about 2-4 hours to complete.
Maybe we’ll trust Mariano Vallejo, a statesman who founded the city of Sonoma. Vallejo claimed that the word ‘Sonoma’ meant ‘Valley of the Moon.’ Supposedly, indigenous peoples observed the moon bobbing strangely between the tall, sharp peaks on the east side of the valley. Some nights, the moon seemed to rise seven times as it disappeared and reappeared between the mountains!
London Ranch Road to visit Jack London’s Ranch or the Benziger Winery.
The Benzigers moved to Sonoma in the ‘70s and started to gain attention in the 90s as they transitioned to biodynamic farming.
We’re passing through the small village of Glen Ellen. If you think Glen Ellen looks a little sleepy today, imagine this spot in the 1800s!
One of the winery’s biggest draws is its volcanic wine caves. Volcanic eruptions sent lava tumbling through this area five million years ago. Some of that lava burrowed underground and hollowed out huge caves perfect for storing wine! And that’s not all. The minerals left behind by this eruption worked their way into the soil. Now, that volcanically-charged soil gives the Kunde wines a totally unique flavor!
Ahead is Kenwood Vineyards, which actually owns land that once belonged to Jack London’s ranch! This vineyard now grows grapes on that soil that London looked after so well.
The gorgeous chateau dates back to 1920, when a pair of mining and lumber magnates moved here from Michigan. They wanted to grow grapes for wine, but Prohibition dashed those hopes pretty fast. What did they do instead? They grew prunes and walnuts!
Barker Ledson was born to English nobility, but he yearned for the wildness of the West. He came out here and worked long, sweaty days in the Mojave as a surveyor for the railroad. A far cry from his cushy origins! Ledson used the money to buy a ranch, and eventually turned that ranch into this vineyard!
This peaceful community was once the site of a very strange cult. Thomas Lake Harris led a religious movement called the Brotherhood of the New Life in the late 1800s. Harris held all sorts of unusual beliefs. Although he was a Christian, he also claimed to communicate with fairies.
A real California treasure lies about a mile ahead: The Petrified Forest! Here, you can walk between ancient, perfectly preserved redwood trees. But how did these enormous, rock-hard monuments come to be?
We can trace the story of this mountain back to the same eruption that created the Petrified Forest! After the eruption, much of the volcanic ash hardened into a rock known as welded tuff. Over time, tectonic forces squeezed the earth together and drove this rock upwards… creating Mount Saint Helena!
Cancellation
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.
Reviews
4.4
- 533
- 412
- 33
- 20
- 13
Ratings come from 51 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.
Know before you go
- Meeting point
- Begin from 31 E Napa St, Sonoma, CA 95476, USA. After booking the tour, search your emails and texts for "audio tour". Your tour is VALID FOREVER, so follow these instructions NOW to finish setting up the tour while you have Wi-Fi/data. Do NOT wait until you are onsite.
- Pickup
- Everyone meets at the starting point; there is no pickup.
- Ticket type
- Mobile or paper ticket accepted
- Operated by
- Drive with Action
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Easy to use: GPS-triggered audio plays automatically along the route for a hands-free experience.
- Private tour: Explore in your own vehicle without crowded buses or large tour groups.
- At your own pace: Start anytime and pause for hikes, picnics, photos, or scenic stops.
- Works offline: Once downloaded, the tour works using GPS without Wi-Fi or cellular service.
- Good value: One purchase covers everyone in your vehicle, not each person separately.
- More ways to save: Choose a single tour, a nearby bundle, or access to 200+ tours.
How it compares in Napa & Sonoma
- Its from-price is 94% below the median of the 230 experiences we list in Napa & Sonoma.
- It is shorter than most of them.
- By number of reviews it ranks 37 of 230.
- The operator lists free cancellation on it.
About Napa & Sonoma
Napa and Sonoma are California's best-known wine valleys north of San Francisco, a landscape of vineyards, oak hills, small towns and tasting rooms.
Napa Valley is a narrow valley about fifty kilometres long, running north from the town of Napa through Yountville, St Helena and Calistoga, with vineyards on the valley floor and hills on either side. Sonoma Valley lies to the west, over the Mayacamas range, with the historic Sonoma Plaza, a Spanish mission and the village of Glen Ellen. Both are known worldwide for wine, especially Cabernet Sauvignon in Napa and Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in the cooler parts of Sonoma.
Top-ranked sights in Napa & Sonoma: Madonna Estate Winery, Jacuzzi Family Vineyards, Oxbow Public Market.
Special offers in Napa & Sonoma
Was/now prices come from the operator, never from us.
