Day Trip From San Francisco to Healdsburg

For the best that California’s famous Sonoma Wine Country has to offer — fine wine, farm-to-table cuisine, art, music, natural beauty, small-town charm, world-class shopping, and relaxation — plan to spend a day in Healdsburg during your San Francisco visit.

Located about 65 miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge (typically about a 90-minute drive), trendy Healdsburg (pop. 11,541) leads the way in savoring the good life with charm and laid-back style.

Morning

Healdsburg’s historic central plaza was named by Travel + Leisure Magazine as one of “America’s Most Beautiful Town Squares.” The plaza’s outdoor bandstand hosts free concerts, antique fairs, and festivities.

Make your first stop at the Costeaux French Bakery, a Healdsburg institution since 1923 and celebrated for its artisan bread, fresh pastries, and yummy breakfasts. This inviting bakery is a great starting point for an enjoyable day exploring Healdsburg.

The stores and galleries around the Plaza are a shopper’s delight, offering everything from antiques and fine art to clothing, books, crafts, and gifts. For art lovers, some two dozen art galleries are within walking distance of the Plaza. A few blocks off the Plaza, the 4,000-square-foot Modern Antiquarium overflows with treasures from more than 30 antique vendors.

When you’re ready for a bite to eat, the options range from down-home goodies to farm-fresh gourmet delights.

You can walk to more than two dozen winery tasting rooms in downtown Healdsburg — this is the heart of Sonoma Wine Country. Strolling is the very best way to sip, savor, and shop for extraordinary wines.

You can take a memorable (and delicious!) guided walking tour with Healdsburg Wine & Food Walking Tours, Let’s Go Wine Walk, or Savor Healdsburg Food Tours to get an inside view of the notable food, wine, and rich history of this renowned region.

Afternoon

Healdsburg sits at the juncture of three prime winegrowing regions — the Alexander Valley, Dry Creek Valley, and Russian River Valley wine appellations. With more than 100 world-class wineries and tasting rooms within a short drive, you can take a scenic cruise on country roads through rolling hills to find that perfect vintage.

Stretch your legs between winery visits on a free, self-guided vineyard walking tour at Francis Ford Coppola Winery. Or, meander through five acres of dazzling garden-scapes at Ferrari-Carano Vineyards and Winery.

The Healdsburg area offers gorgeous cycling routes due to its acres of vineyards, stunning vistas, and quiet roadways. Ace It Bike Tours offers a Healdsburg Wine Country Cycling tour, Getaway Adventures offers a Healdsburg Sip ‘N Cycle tour, or check our listings of Outdoor Activities in Sonoma County and click on Bike/Segway Tours.

For something a bit different, Bike Healdsburg offers tours on a party bike, which is powered by the pedaling of 10 people. Cycle with your friends or make new ones as you eat, drink, and pedal your way around downtown Healdsburg.

Perhaps pampering indulgence is more your style. A Simple Touch Spa offers herbal spa facials, body scrubs or wraps, and aromatherapy baths. Or, check our listings of Sonoma County Spa & Wellness Centers and click on Healdsburg.

Evening

Sip wine before dinner at several of the tasting rooms on the Healdsburg Plaza, which are open later, like Thumbprint Cellars.

When you’re ready for dinner, the possibilities are deliciously diverse. The hyper-local Barndiva chooses the best ingredients from Sonoma County farms and serves its mouthwatering dishes in a mahogany barn with pitchforks on the walls.

Sample small plates designed for sharing at Willi’s Seafood & Raw Bar or Bravas Bar de Tapas. Or find more cuisine you crave by checking our listings of Sonoma County Restaurants and clicking on Healdsburg.

For a bit of Healdsburg nightlife, check out Spicy Vines, a fun, stylish tasting room that offers wine by the glass, a curated flight, a small bites pairing, or craft wine cocktails. Enjoy an intimate live music experience live music here most Saturday nights and be sure to make reservations at least 24 hours in advance for dinner with the show.

Enjoy a classic cocktail or glass of wine, bistro menu items, and a classic French supper on Sunday evenings at Barndiva Gallery + Bar. The gallery serves as an art gallery by day and offers stylish dining and drinks most nights.

Duke’s Spirited Cocktails specializes in amazing craft cocktails made to order. Almost all of the liquors and bitters at Duke’s are made from local Sonoma County products, as well as ingredients from their own gardens.

Or, check out the local watering hole John & Zeke’s Bar, which has a fun pool table and shuffleboard.

If you decide to spend the night, enjoy sweeping vineyard views at The Madrona, a historic showpiece and boutique hotel that boasts a seasonal saltwater pool, electric bikes for a jaunt to town, and farm-fresh complimentary breakfasts. 

Or browse our listings of Sonoma County Lodgings and click on Healdsburg.

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Written by Sonoma Insider Patricia Lynn Henley