FAQ

Every journey on the napa valley wine train is different and each season brings a new view to be seen.

From the pops of gold of the mustard blooms in the spring, lush green vines in the summer or festive harvest hues in the fall you’re sure to soak in stunning Scenery.

For our dinner experiences, the Spring and Summer offer the backdrop of an enchanting sunset of the valley while the Winter and Fall treat guests to an evening under the stars. No matter the season or the experience the Train provides an elegant ambiance to every journey.

Per state law, animals are not allowed on board the Napa Valley Wine Train, with the exception of service animals. If you have a service animal, please see the next question.

Yes, The Napa Valley Wine Train accommodates service animals.

While we do not discourage guests with service animals from coming on the train, guests should be aware of the following factors:

1. The motion of the train, and the unnatural, high-pitched metallic sounds that the Train makes as it goes over joints in the tracks may make some animals very uncomfortable.
2. The entire Train is only about 8 feet across and a walkway runs through it. This means that service animals will always be within about 3 feet of a frequently used walkway. Animals not accustomed to heavy and frequent foot traffic may be very uncomfortable. Service animals must not sit or lay down in a walkway as this presents a hazard to other guests and the animal.
3. Napa Valley Wine Train staff have been trained not to touch the service animal, but other customers may not understand the role of a service animal and may want to touch the service animal.
4. The owner of the service animal must provide all of the care that the service animal requires. Any food or water which the animal requires, and appropriate containers for serving food and water to the animal, should be provided by the owner. Sanitary toilet arrangements must also be made by the owner of the animal, and, in the interest of the health and safety of our guests, the staff of the train will not handle or dispose of animal droppings or urine for the owner.

Please reach out to us with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your service animal.

Yes, the Napa Valley Wine Train is wheelchair accessible, but it is an antique train, and as such there are some unique challenges that persons with mobility limitations should be aware of:

1. It is a few hundred feet from the ADA accessible Parking spaces to the Front Desk.
2. Boarding the train requires passengers to climb some rather steep stairs (photo of the stairs). The tallest of these steps is 9.5 inches tall. The steps are slightly recessed, which some guests may find challenging. There are both right and left handrails. Passengers unable to climb stairs may board the train via a manual lift (photo of manual lift #1)(photo of manual lift #2).
3. Because we cannot guarantee that personal wheelchairs will fit on the Train, if you require the assistance of a wheelchair, we strongly recommend that you use our transfer chair (photo of our transfer chair), since this is the only wheelchair that we are confident will fit in the train.
4. The Gourmet Car is accessible with our transfer chair.
5. There is no way to access the Vista Dome car without climbing stairs. Inside the Vista Dome car there are seven steps, each 8 inches tall. There is a handrail on the right side only.
6. Moving in a wheelchair while the train is in motion is difficult, and guests who require a wheelchair should move only when advised to do so by our staff.
7. If a guest with a mobility limitation wishes to move about the train, they must be assisted by a member of their party.
8. At this time, we cannot accommodate guests with mobility preferences on any of our tours.
9. The restrooms on board the train are not wheelchair accessible. You will need to be able to get out of your chair in order to use the restrooms.

Despite the unique challenges presented by our historic train, many guests with mobility limitations ride the Napa Valley Wine Train. If you have specific needs or concerns, please contact us by phone at +1-800-427-4124.

View our Terms and Conditions.

Our cuisine is prepared fresh for our guests in our onboard Kitchen car. We invite our guests to walk around and explore the train during their journey and stop by the kitchen car to see our exquisite courses come to life by our expert culinary team.

Yes, we recognize that many people have special wines they would like to enjoy on their journey. The Napa Valley Wine Train charges a corkage fee of $30 per 750ml bottle, $50 for a magnum-sized bottle, and $15 for a half bottle. If you bring one bottle of wine on board and buy a bottle on board, we’ll waive the corkage for the bottle brought on.

At the Napa Valley Wine Train, we have a Wine Shop with a large selection of wines available for purchase as well as an extensive onboard wine list.

The Napa Valley Wine Train began gourmet dining service September 16, 1989. The railroad itself, however, was built and operated by Samuel Brannan in 1864 as a tourist railroad to take visiting San Franciscans as they arrived by ferry in south Napa to his resort town Calistoga.

2014 marked the 25th Anniversary for the Napa Valley Wine Train and the 150th Anniversary for the rail corridor.

Every day, we serve a variety of guests with different dietary restrictions and food allergies. All of our menu choices are prepared fresh and made to order on board the Train, but some advance notice helps handle special menu requests. When making your reservation, please alert your booking agent of your needs. The agent will submit your information to our kitchen staff and to our onboard manager. And when you arrive, remind your server which member of your party has the allergy. Rest assured, we handle hundreds of allergies weekly with ease. You’re in good hands.

Children are always welcome, and some packages have special rates. Caution is recommended to parents of toddlers who might have a difficult time ‘relaxing’ for three hours. Due to the general movement of the train or the rare potential for a sudden stop, children cannot walk about the cars unattended. Diaper changing is not permitted in the railcars due to food service and the bathrooms are somewhat small. McKinstry Street Station has a diaper changing station in the restroom. Due to safety issues, strollers and carriers are not permitted on board, but booster seats are available. Please check with your Reservation Agent for special handling for infants. +1-800-427-4124

Children’s rates are only available for select packages. Please call +1-800-427-4124 if your party includes children age 12 or under in order to secure the children’s rate.

We do not offer a children’s menu on board the train, however, we can adapt many of our menu items to suit your child’s tastes.

The Napa Valley Wine Train is owned by Noble House Hotels & Resorts, Ltd.—a collection of luxury hotels and resorts—and Brooks Street, a California-based real estate development and investment company.

We encourage our guests to dress for the occasion, though we do not have an enforced dress code. Dinner can be dressier; some guests prefer cocktail party attire. Jackets are suggested on cool nights, but not required. It is always a good idea to bring an extra layer to make sure you are warm enough on board.

Due to state regulations, smoking is not permitted in the Station, on board the Napa Valley Wine Train, or on the outside observation deck of the train.

The Napa Valley Wine Train consists of Twelve railcars and and Four engines on point:

Lounge cars (4)

Gourmet Express Dining Cars (2)

Vista Dome Dining Car

Grappa Power Car

Chef de Cuisine Kitchen Car with Glass Observation Corridor

Vintage Rail Car 1052

Vintage Rail Car 1013

Open Air Car

 

Most Train tours and packages typically take three to six hours. Lunch and Dinner journey without a winery tour stop are typically 3 hours. 1/2 Day Winery Tour packages are 3 to 4 hours. Full Day Winery Tours are 5-6 hours.

We can process AMEX, MasterCard, Visa, Diner’s Club, Carte Blanche, Discover, Novus, and JCB over the phone. Our online reservations system is capable of processing either Visa or MasterCard. Gift Certificate numbers must be provided at point of reservation as payment method and must be presented upon check-in to secure boarding passes.

Most of the Napa Valley Wine Train’s rail cars are equipped with a restroom.

No, you do not have to drink wine on board the Napa Valley Wine Train. For our guests who do not want to drink wine, we also offer juice, soda, beers, cocktails and brandies.

Wine Train guests are greeted with a welcome splash of sparkling wine upon boarding. Our Tasting on the Rails experience includes seven wines paired with seven courses along your voyage.

Additional wine, wine flights, cocktails, beers, specialty drinks, and bottled waters, is available for purchase on board throughout your journey.

Optional tipping is solely based upon guests’ experience on board. Tipping should be based on the meal price of $65-$81 and beverages purchased while on board the train.

Prices posted and charged for all food and beverage items served on the Napa Valley Wine Train include sales tax, which will be paid to the California State Board of Equalization.

Also included with your specific package:

Gourmet Express: Train fare, a multiple course gourmet meal, and on-board coffee, tea, and pitcher water service.

Vista Dome: Train fare, a multiple course gourmet meal, Vista Dome upgrade, (1) glass of sparkling wine, and on-board coffee, tea, and pitcher water service.

Winery Tours: Train fare, a multiple course gourmet meal, welcome glass of bubbles (served only on Legacy, Collective, Estate and Famiglia tours),  on-board coffee, tea, and pitcher water service,  and one or more tours and tastings at the specified winery or wineries.

Special Events: Train fare, a multiple course gourmet meal, on-board coffee, tea, and pitcher water service and event programs and features as specified in the event package details.

Currently passengers can only disembark as a part of one of our winery tours or special events.

Currently the Napa Valley Wine Train offers multiple lunch and dinner Winery Tour packages which include winery tours and tasting experiences. See our “Our Tours” link for full details.

Your journey will begin in the Napa Valley Wine Train Station in Downtown Napa. After checking in at the Reception Desk, feel free to explore the Station. Visit our Wine Shop and discuss some of our rare, boutique wines with our knowledgeable wine educators. See the story of our founding on the TV monitors or just sit and relax with wine, coffee, or friends. Thirty minutes before boarding the lunch train, our wine specialists will give an introductory lecture on the Napa Valley and the Napa Valley Wine Train. The arrival of the Napa Valley Wine Train will be announced one half hour before the scheduled departure. Please wait for your seating section to be called. It takes quite a while to board an antique train, so don’t feel the need to rush. We won’t leave without you.

Our Reservations Department phone lines are open from 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. daily and can be reached by calling 800-427-4124.