Frequently Asked Questions

The Wine Train is near several airports, including San Francisco International Airport, Oakland International Airport, and Sacramento International Airport. Regional airports Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport and Napa County Airport are also a short distance away. Visit our getting here page for more travel information.

The Napa Valley Wine Train  is primarily composed of 2 trains:

Main Train

• 7 passenger cars
• 1 kitchen car
• 2 power cars
• 1 or 2 locomotives

Legacy Train

• 2 passenger cars
• 1 open-air car
• 1 locomotive

The Napa Valley Wine Train is owned by Noble House Hotels & Resorts — a collection of luxury hotels and resorts.

Our rail line was built in 1864 by San Francisco’s first millionaire, Samuel Brannan, to transport visitors to his spa resort of Calistoga. Shortly afterwards, the railroad became the property of California Pacific Railroad. Visit our Saving Napa’s Rail Line page to learn more about this history.

The Napa Valley Wine Train began gourmet dining service September 16, 1989. 

• 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. 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.
  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, 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.

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.

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.

The Wine Train operates year-round, largely comprised of 2 trains daily for lunch service and 1 train on select nights for dinner. The smaller Legacy Experience train hosts everyone on board enjoying the same experience departing daily at 10:15 am. The larger train hosts a variety of different experiences in our 9-passenger cars for lunch departing at 11:30 am and dinner at 6:20 pm.

Children are welcome on board, and select packages have special rates. We do not offer a children’s menu on board the train. However, we can adapt many of our menu items. Our reservation agents are happy to provide parents with more information.

Wine Train guests are greeted with a welcome glass of sparkling wine upon boarding. Additional wine, wine flights, cocktails, beer, specialty drinks, and bottled water is available for purchase on board throughout your journey. A selection of experiences includes wine with your experience such as Tasting on the Rails, Legacy and Grgich tastings. Additional wine, wine flights, cocktails, beer, specialty drinks, and bottled water is available for purchase on board throughout your journey.

The Napa Valley Wine Train offers the Legacy Experience and Grgich Hills Estate Tasting, which includes disembarking and winery tours and tastings. Explore our experiences to learn more about these journeys.

After checking in at the reception desk, feel free to explore the station. Before boarding the train, visit the Artist’s Cafe for a mimosa or cup of hot coffee, stroll through the Wine and Retail Gift Store and snag some Instagram-worthy photos at one of our compelling spots while anticipating the arrival of the train to the station. Please wait for your seating section to be called before proceeding to the platform to board and then smile for our photo team in front of the train at boarding to receive a complimentary digital photo with every journey.

Our smaller consist called the Legacy Train operates a daily 6-hour quintessential journey through Napa Valley. All other experiences are featured in our Main Train consist of a 3-hour lunch or a 2-hour 45-min dinner.

• 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. 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.
  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, 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.

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.

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.

The Napa Valley Wine Train  is primarily composed of 2 trains:

Main Train

• 7 passenger cars
• 1 kitchen car
• 2 power cars
• 1 or 2 locomotives

Legacy Train

• 2 passenger cars
• 1 open-air car
• 1 locomotive

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 are not required. It is always a good idea to bring an extra layer to make sure you are warm enough on board.

Per state law, animals are not allowed on board the Napa Valley Wine Train, with the exception of service animals. If you will be bringing a service animal, please see our FAQ page for more information.

Children are welcome on board, and select packages have special rates. We do not offer a children’s menu on board the train. However, we can adapt many of our menu items. Our reservation agents are happy to provide parents with more information.

Our seasonal fare is prepared fresh in our onboard kitchen car. We invite our guests to explore the train during their journey and stop by the kitchen car to see their exquisite courses come to life.

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, but some advance notice helps handle special menu requests. When making your reservation, please alert your booking agent of your needs. When you arrive, remind your server which member of your party has the allergy. Rest assured, we handle hundreds of allergies weekly with ease.

Currently, the Napa Valley Wine Train offers multiple lunch and dinner winery packages which include tours and tasting experiences. See the “Our Experiences” page for full details or speak to an events specialist.

 Beverage packages are available for your group. Please speak to an events specialist for further details.

The Napa Valley Wine Train welcomes groups of all sizes. Gatherings of 20 guests and under are encouraged to conveniently reserve online through our booking platform, while gatherings of 21 or more guests are asked to get in touch with our event services team at 800-427-4124. Don’t hesitate to reach out to our team for guidance on your event, no matter the size.

This depends on the nature of your event. Please discuss options for your group with your dedicated event specialist.