We do not allow animals on board the Napa Valley Wine Train, with the exception of service animals.  If you have a service animal, please consult our FAQ on service animals.

The Napa Valley Wine Train is an antique train, and as such there are some unique challenges that persons with mobility restrictions should be aware of.

1. Boarding the train requires passengers to climb some rather steep stairs. Passengers unable to climb stairs can board the train via a manual lift that we have.
2. If you require a wheelchair, we strongly recommend that you use our transfer chair, since this is the only wheelchair that we are confident will fit in the train. We cannot guarantee that personal wheelchairs will fit on board.
3. The Gourmet Car and Silverado Car are both accessible with our transfer chair.
4. There is no way to access the Vista Dome car without climbing stairs.
5. Moving in a wheelchair while the train is in motion is dangerous, and guests who require a wheelchair should move only when advised to do so by our staff.
6. If a guest with a mobility restriction wishes to move about the train, they must be assisted by a member of their party.
7. At this time we cannot accommodate guests with mobility restrictions on any of our tours.

Despite the unique challenges presented by our historic train, many guests with mobility restrictions 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

Lunch trains are great for guests interested in winery tours, and are fantastic in the winter and spring. Dinner trains are amazing during the summer and early fall because the sun sets mid-journey, which is stunning.

At the Napa Valley Wine Train, we pride ourselves on the quality of our food. Our executive chef, Kelly Mcdonald, buys only fresh, local produce, line caught fish, and humanely raised meats. All of our entrees are prepared onboard, and guests are more than welcome to observe our kitchen car in action.

Wine lovers may wish to visit our wine tasting car, have our wine expert pour a sample of Napa's more famous wines, or let them help you discover new favorites. $10 buys four selections, but no purchase is necessary for the advice and stories that our wine expert can provide.

Seating is limited in many of our special events due to their popularity. Thus, in keeping with railroad tradition, parties of two might be combined to sit together at a table of four. When seated with another couple, you and your guest will be seated on the same side of the table. Parties of four will always be seated at the same table. We seat parties together for special events such as Murder Mystery, Vintners Lunch, Appellation Dinner, Varietal Voyages and Winery Tours.

Although we have a wine shop with almost 300 kinds of wine and onboard have approximately 100 kinds of wine, we do recognize that many people have special wines that they want to have for a 'special occasion'. The Napa Valley Wine Train charges a Corkage fee of $15.00 per 750ml bottle.

The Napa Valley Wine Train began gourmet-dining excursions September 16, 1989, however the Napa Valley Railroad 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'.

The Silverado, Gourmet and Vista Dome cars each have their own kitchen and specific menu. Award-winning Executive Chef, Kelly Macdonald, and his culinary staff do not cook each meal until it is ordered. Some of the side dishes and desserts are prepared in the Napa Valley Wine Train’s Culinary Arts Center and 'finish' cooked or baked onboard during the three hour excursions. Even the sorbets are made by us!

Learn more about our food

We currently cannot offer children's rates for online reservations. Please call +1.800.427.4124 if your party includes children age 12 or under in order to secure the children's rate.

Children are always welcome and some programs have special rates and menus. 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 onboard, booster seats are available. Please check with your Napa Valley Wine Train Reservationists for special handling for infants.

The Napa Valley Wine Train is family owned and operated.

Attire is generally casual, depending on time of year or which special event passengers are participating. Dinner can be more dressy with some guests preferring ‘cocktail party’ attire. Jackets are suggested on cool nights, but not required. It is always a good idea to bring an extra layer to ensure that you are warm enough on board.

No smoking is permitted in the Station, on board the Train or on the outside observation deck of the train.

The Napa Valley Wine Train consists of nine rail cars and a double-sided Alco Diesel Engine:
Lounge Cars (3)
Lounge Car with Wine Tasting Bar (1)
Gourmet Express Dining Cars (2)
Silverado Car (1)
Vista Dome Car (1)
Chef de Cuisine Kitchen Car with Glass Observation Corridor (1)

Lunch and Dinner trains typically take three hours. Our Ambassador Winery Tour generally returns to the station between 4:00pm and 4:30pm, and our Domaine Chandon Winery Tour generally returns at 3:30pm.

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

All but one of the Napa Valley Wine Train's rail cars is equipped with a restroom.

Many guests enjoy coming to the Napa Valley Wine Train and being served wine with their meal ... still many others do not. We also offer juice, soda, non-alcoholic wines, beers, cocktails and brandies.

Gratuities or ‘tips’ are not a part of the price you have paid for your meal, winery tour, or special event.

However: Prices posted and charged for all Food and Beverage items served at the Napa Valley Wine Train are inclusive of sales tax that will be paid to California State Board of Equalization and a twelve percent service charge delegated toward the funding of higher wages and medical insurance for all employees.

Optional tipping is solely based upon the guests’ experience onboard. It is not unusual for guest to leave 3%-8% additional based upon receiving excellent service. Your tip should be on your food and beverage service, and not the train fare.

Pricing: Prices posted and charged for all Food and Beverage items served at the Napa Valley Wine Train are inclusive of sales tax that will be paid to California State Board of Equalization and a twelve percent service charge delegated toward the funding of higher wages and medical insurance for all employees.

If you are riding in the Silverado car, your price is strictly the train fare.

In other cars, or for wine tours and special events, your price will include your train fare, your meal, the cost for the tour or event, and in the case of the Vista Dome, an upgrade to this experience.

Currently passengers can only disembark as a part of the Ambassador Winery Tour, Domaine Chandon Winery Tour and Grgich Hills Winery Tour packages.

Wines are included during the Friday’s Vintner's Lunch, the monthly Appellation Dinners, the monthly Moonlight Escape Dinners and for all guests over the age of 21 during the informal Wine Seminar prior to boarding the Lunch train.

Wine is not included in the price of regular lunch or dinner packages.

Cocktails, beers and wine can be purchased onboard throughout your journey. Over 100 wines are on the wine list and in the Wine Tasting Car.

Currently the Napa Valley Wine Train offers three lunch packages which include winery tours. Passengers can choose the Grgich Hills Winery Tour (everyday except Saturday), the Domaine Chandon Winery Tour (Friday, Saturday and Sunday), or the Ambassador Winery Tour (Monday through Thursday).

Your journey will begin in the Napa Valley Wine Train station. After checking in at the reception desk, feel free to explore the station. Visit our Wine Store and discuss some of our rare, boutique wines with our knowledgeable Director of Wines, Ryan Graham. See the story of our founding in the photographs on the wall or just sit and relax with wine, coffee, or friends. Thirty minutes before boarding the lunch train, glasses will be passed out and one of our wine specialists will give an introductory lecture on wine tasting and the Napa Valley's special climate and geography. 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.

The Napa Valley Wine Train occasionally accommodates service animals on the train. We would appreciate it if you could have the service animal's certificate of service available for our conductor's inspection prior to boarding.

While we do not discourage guests with service animals from coming on the train, guests must be aware that there are several factors which guests must consider before deciding to ride with their service animal.

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. 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.

The Napa Valley Wine Train urges all owners of service animals to carefully consider the points listed above before deciding to bring your service animal aboard the Wine Train.