48 Hours in Sonoma, California

Breakfast on the Plaza

The downtown plaza is an eight-acre tree-filled oasis surrounded by unique shops, restaurants, tasting rooms, and historic sites. The plaza park itself offers lush green lawns, a gorgeous rose garden, two playgrounds, a duck pond, picnic tables, an outdoor amphitheater, and a 1908 City Hall building.

The Basque Boulangerie Café offers breakfast all day, including croissant, roll, and panini breakfast sandwiches, waffles, French toast, crepes, and quiche, as well as tasty pastries.

The Sunflower Caffé serves omelets and scrambles, waffles, and eggs Benedict. Both of these welcoming eateries also offer lunch if you want to come back for an afternoon bite.

Stretch Your Legs

Sonoma is a delightfully walkable town. Within the Plaza Park, you’ll find a monument to the Bear Flag Revolt, one of the first steps towards California becoming part of the United States. You’ll also spot a bronze statue of town founder Gen. Mariano Vallejo sitting on a park bench. 

The Sonoma State Historical Park includes excellent sites to peruse, including Mission San Francisco Solano, the Sonoma Barracks, the Toscano Hotel, and General Vallejo’s Home. For more details, read Exploring California History in Sonoma.

The Depot Park Museum is housed in a former railroad depot, now filled with vivid displays and artifacts illustrating local and California history.

One of the most striking buildings around the Plaza is the majestic and beautifully restored Sebastiani Theater, which opened in April 1934 when admission was 34 cents! Outside, its distinctive marquee and clock tower make it a landmark, and its interior evokes a bygone era, with lush red draperies, soaring ceilings, and impressive chandeliers.

Ready to be inspired by art? The non-profit Arts Guild of Sonoma displays work by its 40+ members, with exhibits changing monthly.

The Sonoma Valley Museum of Art features local, regional, national, and international artists. Past exhibits have included everything from student work to masterworks from the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco and ceramics by Pablo Picasso.

For a bit of retail therapy, Sonoma Plaza is a perfect place to wander. Discover boutique stores and specialty shops like The Sign of the Bear for kitchen gadgets and décor, Global Heart Fair Trade for treasures from around the world, and Tiddle E. Winks Vintage 5 & Dime for fun toys, candy, collectibles, and nostalgic finds.

It’s easy to explore downtown Sonoma on your own, but if you’d prefer a more focused approach, Sonoma Food Tour and Gourmet Food and Wine Tours-Sonoma offer guided walking tours that let you sample amazing food and wine and learn a little local history.

Lunchtime

the girl & the fig offers innovative country food with a French passion in a ‘sit and be served’ setting, which includes garden patio seating. 

OSO Sonoma offers urban-chic décor and serves delicious and creative small gourmet plates.

Tasca Tasca features fresh, flavorful tapas with Portuguese flair.

Scandia Bakery carries many tasty, simple lunch favorites, like sandwiches, salads, and soups of the day. Don’t forget dessert — fans rave about the bakery treats here, like ‘Princess Cake’ with raspberry jam, vanilla custard, and whipped cream.

For more ideas, check our listings of Sonoma County restaurants and click on the city of Sonoma.

Wine and More

With more than two dozen wine-tasting rooms within easy walking distance, Sonoma Plaza is a wonderful way to sip and stroll without driving.

Stop in at Sigh, Sonoma’s only “bubble bar” to sample sparkling wines.

Three Sticks Wines pours Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Rhône-style blends in a meticulously restored Vallejo-Casteñada adobe with period-style details.

Discover Sebastiani Vineyards & Winery, a historic winery with a popular tasting bar and special tasting experiences that offer food and wine pairings with a bit of history.

A short drive will take you to Buena Vista Winery, California’s oldest premium winery, founded in 1857 and now a captivating California Historic Landmark.

Gundlach Bundschu Winery is a beautiful winery where six generations of family winegrowers have embraced sustainable farming practices.

For more options, read Guide to Wine Tasting in Sonoma and check our listings of all Sonoma County Wineries.

If you want to taste further afield but prefer to leave the driving to others, the Sonoma Valley Wine Trolley offers trips to local wineries in a replica of an 1890s San Francisco cable car. Find more Sonoma County Wine Tours.

For afternoon exercise, download the Sonoma Bicycle Map and take in the scenery. To cover more ground, cruise the back roads for more challenging routes through the rolling vineyard hills. Bicycle rentals and guided cycling tours in the Sonoma Valley are available from Sonoma Adventures, Sonoma Valley Bike Tours, and Wine Country Cyclery.

Stretch your legs and walk through nature — the Sonoma Overlook Trail offers a pleasant three-mile round-trip trail to the top of the hillside, with great views of Sonoma Valley and San Pablo Bay. An off-shoot trail takes you west to the Montini Open Space Preserve, which also has beautiful vistas.

If you’re visiting with little ones, be sure to check out TrainTown. It boasts a quarter-scale railroad that takes passengers on a 20-minute ride along winding tracks through tunnels and over bridges with a fun stop at a miniature town and petting zoo. 

Settling In

When you’re ready to check in for a relaxing night, here are some excellent options.

Sonoma’s Best Guest Cottages is an enclave of four one-bedroom cozy cottages with luxuries like goose-down comforters, private gardens, comfy robes, and fully equipped kitchens.

Slightly off the beaten track at the Sonoma Creek Inn (239 Boyes Blvd., Sonoma), you can choose from 16 affordable and casual hotel rooms, many with private outdoor patios or porches.

For elegant luxury, there’s the historic and iconic Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn and Spa (100 Boyes Blvd., Sonoma).

For more options, visit Sonoma County Hotels & Lodging.

Time to Dine

As you might expect in a foodie town, the dinner options are many and delicious.

Santé, the acclaimed restaurant at the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa, uses the freshest local ingredients to create elegantly simple dishes that highlight natural flavors.

LaSalette on the Plaza features Cozinha Nova Portuguesa (“new Portuguese cuisine”) that celebrates the varied and complex flavors of Portugal and blends them with fresh Sonoma County ingredients.

For more options, check our listings of Restaurants in Sonoma County.

Nightlife

For entertainment after dinner, the Sonoma Speakeasy offers blues, country, and Americana music in its cozy spot in an alley off the Plaza. 

Hopmonk Tavern and Murphy’s Irish Pub typically feature live acoustic music and a variety of brews in a relaxed, neighborhood-pub atmospheres. More excellent spots to kick back and sample craft beers await at Olde Sonoma Public House and Sonoma Springs Brewing Company.

Starling Bar Sonoma offers classic cocktails, wine, and beer in a casual, friendly setting. Or enjoy a quiet nightcap in the sleek 38 Degrees North lounge at the luxurious Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn.

The town of Sonoma is the perfect home base for exploring renowned American Viticultural Areas, the charming towns of Glen Ellen and Kenwood, and nearby San Pablo Bay.

Breakfast

Start the day with delicious croissants, brioche, turnovers, quiche, and more at Les Pascals, an authentic French pâtisserie in Glen Ellen.

In the North

In Glen Ellen, you’ll find Jack London State Historic Park. Once the renowned author’s beloved Beauty Ranch, this scenic destination includes 1,400 acres of trails of lush redwood groves, meadows, and breathtaking views.

One of the best ways to visit this state park is on a horse. You can bring your own, or the Triple Creek Horse Outfit offers a variety of guided horseback rides in the park.

As you leave the park, stop at Benziger Family Winery, which offers tractor-drawn tram tours through its Biodynamic vineyards (reservations recommended). The 45-minute tour goes through the grapevines, visits the fermentation facility and crush pad, and offers the chance to check out the barrel caves — all capped by a wine tasting. 

Ready for a soothing dip? Morton’s Warm Springs Resort offers three mineral spring pools, with temperatures between 85 and 88 degrees Fahrenheit and depths of one to nine feet. The property includes a large lawn area with picnic and barbecue sites, an organic café, and places where the artesian warm springs still bubble.

If following winding paths surrounded by amazing plant life appeals, check out Sonoma Botanical Garden, with 25 acres of flowering plants from Asia. Discover ponds, waterfalls, vistas of the valley, and hidden places to sit and relax.

Next, head toward the quaint town of Kenwood. Watch for Sugarloaf Ridge State Park tucked into the Mayacamas mountains. The park includes the headwaters of the 33-mile-long Sonoma Creek, 25 miles of trails, a 25-foot seasonal waterfall, and the 2,729-foot Bald Mountain.

As you come into Kenwood, it’s easy to spot Swede’s Feeds Pet Garden Gifts— watch for a 14-foot welded-metal giraffe, a 12-foot dinosaur, or perhaps a stagecoach with horses. The menagerie changes from time to time, but it’s always eye-catching and colorful at this one-of-a-kind store.

To the South

Learn about the Carneros wine region while admiring gorgeous views on a free, self-guided half-mile vineyard tour through estate-grown Pinot Noir and Chardonnay at Schug Carneros Estate Winery.

Wander through the gardens and stores at Cornerstone Sonoma, a wine country marketplace that offers boutique wine tasting, a distillery tasting room, live music, unique shops, artisanal foods, and the inspired Sunset magazine test gardens and outdoor kitchen.

Nearby, get an amazing view on a vintage biplane ride from Vintage Aircraft Co. at the Sonoma Valley Airport (often called the Schellville Airport by locals). Both classic and vintage planes are often open for inspection, with owners eager to chat about their aircraft.

If speed is your thing, take a turn around the Sonoma Raceway. The raceway hosts NASCAR, Full Throttle Drag Racing, and other exciting races.

To commune with nature, head to the San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge, home to large populations of resident and migrating birds. Bike, walk, or run over levees on flat, graded trails in this delightful wildlife refuge.

Lunch

Yeti Restaurant in Glen Ellen serves Nepalese-Indian fusion cuisines with fresh seasonal produce, meats, and seafood, along with local and international beers and an extensive wine list.

In Kenwood, Palooza Brewery & Gastropub has burgers, pizza, and other New American cuisine.

Salt & Stone is a global California eatery and oyster bar that invites you to savor and enjoy.

Lou’s Luncheonette offers southern-inspired delights made fresh daily with locally sourced ingredients. 

Angelo’s Wine Country Deli showcases sandwiches with housemade cold cuts, sausages, and condiments; fans love their beef jerky, garlic sausage, and garlic mustard. Watch for the red and white cow on the roof!

The Carneros Deli offers a wide variety of delicious deli food (try the hot chipotle chicken sandwich on sourdough), plus a small wine-tasting bar.

Afternoon

Savor an afternoon in Sonoma Wine Country sampling the wines that make this region famous. Don’t miss St. Francis Winery, Chateau St. Jean, Kunde Family Winery, Deerfield Ranch Winery, and Ledson Winery & Vineyards.

In the south, visit Ram’s Gate Winery, Gloria Ferrer Caves and Vineyards, Viansa Sonoma, Cline Cellars, and Robledo Family Winery.

For more details and options, read Bennett Valley Wine Region and Appellation, Carneros Sonoma Wine Region and Appellation, Moon Mountain AVA, Sonoma Mountain Wine Region and Appellation, and Sonoma Valley Wine Region and Appellation.

For an afternoon of pampering, the Kenwood Inn and Spa showcases anti-aging grape-derived extracts in wine baths, wine wraps, and custom-made lotions and oils.

The Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa was rated among Travel + Leisure’s top 25 spas. Its ancient source of natural thermal waters comes from springs 1,100 feet under the inn.

Find more spas on our listings of Sonoma County Spas & Wellness.

For more things to do in the area, check out the Guide to the Sonoma Valley, 10 Must-Dos in Sonoma Wine Country, and 10 Best Highlights.

Dinnertime

When it’s time to dine, there is a lot to choose from.

The Glen Ellen Star chef Ari Weiswasser offers Cal-Mediterranean bistro cuisine from a wood-fired oven.

Gather with the locals at Salt & Stone, a casual-chic California eatery and oyster bar in Kenwood, serving rustic California Mediterranean cuisine.

For more options, check our listings of Sonoma County Restaurants.

Stay Another Night!

Many find that 48 hours is not enough time to explore the town of Sonoma and Sonoma Wine County.

Relax and stay in the 22-room Jack London Lodge for affordable comfort in a quiet, peaceful setting along Sonoma Creek.

The boutique Glen Ellen Inn features seven secret cottages along Calabazas Creek, just steps from the property’s restaurant and bar.

Gaige House offers an elegant blend of vintage and contemporary in 23 guestrooms thoughtfully appointed with Asian inspiration.