SFO to Yountville - How's my driving?
July 3, 2018 2:14 PM   Subscribe

I will be travelling alone to Yountville via SFO (and back again) and I was thinking about renting a car.... tell me this is a good and safe idea?

I will basically be on a small getaway by myself for about 3 days. Looking at how to get to Yountville (not using public transportation) I find expensive car services and 1 possibility for a bus. So, my thoughts turned to renting a car. I can drive, and have gone on road trips here in Denmark but never in the US and this is my 1st visit to SF. So, can anyone guide me as to how relatively "easy" this drive would be? traffic-wise, confusing routes/roads, no or super expensive parking in Yountville, etc? My starting point would be SFO. Any info that could let me know that "you got this, just go straight and you'll be fine" would be appreciated - also the opposite "don't do this! you'll definitely die in the wilderness you poor naive child!"
posted by alchemist to Travel & Transportation (22 answers total)
 
Best answer: What day will you be arriving/leaving and around what time?

It's a well-travelled route - most of the routes cross a toll bridge requiring around $5 in cash. The bigger concern will be traffic which can easily extend a 90 minute drive into 3 hours. IME there will be traffic every day in the morning/afternoons and still baddish on Sunday from about 10am to 6pm.

My choice time for leaving the city in any direction is about 7pm at night.
posted by muddgirl at 2:22 PM on July 3, 2018


Best answer: Easy relative to driving in most places in the world, possibly with better signage than you're used to at home.

Just know that you're likely to hit traffic - worst at commute times and at "weekend getaway times" (eg, most of Friday going up, Sunday afternoon coming down). You just have to have some patience.

Parking in Yountville is unlikely to be a huge problem - you might have traffic meters in downtown areas.

Me personally, I would aim for getting out of SFO between about 10am and 2pm for best results You can drive at night as the previous poster recommends but if you're unfamiliar with the area, it might be better to have daylight. Plus it's a fairly pretty drive no matter what route you take.

Look at traffic before you leave - taking 80 (through the East Bay) is shorter and faster, but sometimes the traffic can on 80 can be heinous, and if it's not too much out of the way, driving across the Golden Gate Bridge (taking 101) is memorable.
posted by vunder at 2:32 PM on July 3, 2018


Best answer: I'd call it an easy drive. I'm guessing you'd head from SFO to the Bay Bridge (busy freeway, probably a fair amount of traffic, but straightforward. Toll would be on your way back to SFO) then the only navigationally sticky point is going from highway 80 to 37 to 29 but it's not that bad. I've missed exits in this area before and it's no big deal to loop around and correct your course.

From there it's pretty much a straight shot up to Yountville. You will not be anywhere that could be properly classified as "wilderness." I haven't been to Yountville in ages but I wouldn't worry about parking.

Unless you have a lot of anxiety about driving, this should be a very manageable short road trip. It'll probably take about two hours each way under normal conditions.
posted by prize bull octorok at 2:33 PM on July 3, 2018


Best answer: If you are fine driving in very slow traffic you are ready for this drive. I’ve driven around SFO and Yountville many times, the route is easy to follow and even if you do get lost it’s easy to correct. If your rental car agency offers a fast pass to automatically pay tolls take it, the lines to pay tolls can be ridiculous. But you shouldn’t have a problem getting there. Free parking is easy to find if you are willing to walk a few blocks or move your car every few hours, but the city is extremely walkable so it’s never been a problem for me.

Also check out the Bouchon Bakery! And have fun, it’s a beautiful area.
posted by lepus at 2:35 PM on July 3, 2018


Response by poster: thank you for the answers already! OK, just some quick details and then I will bow out.

I plan to drive up on Sunday, Sept. 30 mid-morning (I can choose the time), and then drive back on Thursday, Oct 4 quite early as my flight back home departs at 7:30 am from SFO.

all your help is very appreciated. thanks again.
posted by alchemist at 2:35 PM on July 3, 2018


Best answer: Are you locked into flying into SFO? Flying into Sacramento would be a much shorter drive.
posted by bleep at 2:36 PM on July 3, 2018 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: quick response to @bleep: Yes, my flight is to and from SFO. There is no opportunity to change this.

ok, now i'm out for realsies....
posted by alchemist at 2:37 PM on July 3, 2018


Best answer: Pretty easy, just don't go through San Francisco unless you specifically want to spend time in San Francisco. I'd cut east across the bridge, take 880 up to 80, then head up into Napa from there.

Seeing your travel times, those should be easy times to drive. I would be careful on Thursday AM as some East Bay residents commute to Silicon Valley early in the morning. But still maybe not quite that early.
posted by slidell at 2:38 PM on July 3, 2018 [1 favorite]


Best answer: Another thing to factor in to your time estimates is that some rental car agencies are located "on site" which means that it is a short train ride from the terminal to the rental car center. And some rental car agencies are actually located about 5-10 minutes away by shuttle bus, although they advertise as being "at SFO." For these agencies you actually have to take both the train and the shuttle.
posted by muddgirl at 2:41 PM on July 3, 2018 [1 favorite]


Best answer: You will definitely not die in the wilderness! This is not a drive down an abandoned country road without another soul in sight. The roads between SFO and Yountville are (too) well-travelled, well-maintained, and clearly signed. Most of the trip, you will be on 5- or 6-lane freeways. There will be cell service along the entire length of the route.

Traffic will be pretty terrible no matter what--that's just the way it is around here. Be especially aware that even before 6:00 am, there will be rush hour traffic going west into San Francisco via the Bay Bridge. I'm on that route at 5:45 am, and it takes me about 40 minutes to get through the traffic at the toll plaza.
posted by jesourie at 2:41 PM on July 3, 2018 [3 favorites]




Best answer: With this additional information, you have pretty good timing to avoid the worst of the traffic.

The 7:30 am flight out is tricky - you'll be leaving Yountville at about 3:30am or earlier? You might consider an overnight near the airport instead.
posted by vunder at 2:43 PM on July 3, 2018 [6 favorites]


Best answer: I agree that you should be able to avoid traffic on Sunday, which will be very helpful (earlier in the morning will be better than later). But when you leave, I agree that it might be better to come back down near the airport the night before. I've left for the airport from a different direction at 4am, and there was still terrible commuting traffic.
posted by pinochiette at 3:01 PM on July 3, 2018 [1 favorite]


Best answer: If you give yourself plenty of time I don't think you will have any trouble at all. Driving is driving. Plus, we have a lot of helpful signs here - much more than you'll be used to. I'm American and every time I drive in Europe I can't believe how limited the signage is and how most of it is symbols and pictures - if you don't know what all those things mean it takes a bit to figure it all out. In the US there are way more signs in general, and most of them have words on them helpfully explaining where to go and what to do.

I've done that drive from SFO to Yountville and it's not too crazy.
posted by something something at 3:19 PM on July 3, 2018


Best answer: No worries. A bit of traffic getting through the City, but it'll be a beautiful drive.

If I were in a hurry, I'd take the Bay Bridge to 880, Vallejo, etc.

If I were visiting from afar, I'd travel through the City, cross the Golden Gate (it's free going north!) and continue north to Novato and cut over to Napa that way.
posted by notyou at 4:09 PM on July 3, 2018 [6 favorites]


Best answer: This is definitely doable and I would absolutely recommend it. The drive really isn't bad if there's not a ton of traffic. Like the other recommendations note, I would drive back to San Francisco the night before rather than the morning of. If you do drive back the morning of and are taking an international flight, I think you need to leave no later than 3:30 AM (and 3:00 AM might be better) to leave enough time to drop the car and get to security two hours ahead of your flight.

If you take the highway 80 route (not as nice, but faster) you're going to hit a bridge toll on each end, so make sure you have US dollars. On the drive out, the toll will be about 40 miles from San Francisco and cost $5. On the drive back using highway 80 the toll will be coming in to San Francisco and cost $6. Make sure not to drive in the carpool lane or the nice, empty Fastrak lanes leading up to the bridges. Fastrak lanes are for transponders you won't have, or the rental car may charge you extra to use. (Ask them!)

If you do go across the Golden Gate Bridge along the Highway 1/101 route, most of the drive is just a straight line up to Napa. Note that you don't stop for tolls on the Golden Gate Bridge. Not sure how this works with rental cars, but they should be able to tell you. Definitely bring your smartphone, a charger and a mount to use in the car. Magnetic mounts and car chargers are inexpensive and worth it, even for a short trip like this.

I don't want to scare you off, but the rental car business in the US is filled with scams, absolutely including the major companies. Some tips:
* Rental car companies frequently assess bogus damage claims. Check the car thoroughly, inside and out, for any scrapes, dents, stains or other problems. Pull on the bumper covers. They're often loose from other drivers running into things at low speeds. Check the roof. Note any damage at all, no matter how minor, on the car form before you leave the lot. Assuming you don't have your own car insurance that covers rental cars, make sure you take the additional insurance.
* Rental car companies also assess bogus cleaning claims. Take photos of the entire car, inside and out, including the odometer and gas gauge, both when you pick it up and when you drop it off. Make sure to photograph the front undercarriage and the roof as well as all of the seats. (Roof dents are a common false damage claim. )
* If you return the car early, you'll be assessed a fee.
* If you don't fill the gas tank, you'll be assessed a fee. If you prepay the gas, you'll be charged for a full tank, whether or not one is actually needed.
* If you return the car to another location, you'll be assessed a large fee.
* Any addons, like GPS or the rental car company paying your bridge tolls are assessed an extra fee.
* Don't let anyone else drive the car unless they're added to the policy (extra fee!). If there's a collision, they'll come after you.

Basically: take photos before and after, understand the gas options and take the insurance, and you'll be fine.

Yountville and Napa Valley are beautiful, and I'm sure you'll do fine and have a great time!
posted by cnc at 4:43 PM on July 3, 2018 [2 favorites]


Best answer: In my rental car, they told me just to drive through the Golden Gate Bridge toll plaza so I wouldn’t worry about that part.

As a (former) Marin resident, I’d encourage you to drive from SFO along 380/280 to 19th Ave and cross the GG Bridge. Then hit 37 after San Rafael to 29, which goes straight through to Yountville. It’s scenic and not a terrible route if you have to do this drive. Personally, I’d avoid 80 at all costs but I also hate the Bay Bridge with the fire of a thousand suns.

However. One caveat I’d add to this advice is that this is a long drive (as are all the routes) and you’re likely to be totally exhausted. If this were my trip, I’d take the Marin Airporter from SFO to Novato (the last stop), walk across the street to the hotel (Embassy Suites I think?), sleep, then get an uber to a rental car place and drive the rest after having slept. I’d do the same going back - stay in Novato the night before and return the car, then take the earliest shuttle to SFO.

But there is no way on God’s green earth that I’d drive from Yountville to SFO for a 7:30 am flight. That’s a HELL NO.
posted by guster4lovers at 6:16 PM on July 3, 2018 [4 favorites]


Best answer: One other thing to be aware of. You may want to have a look at the map prior to the drive and use your smartphone's navigation while you travel. Several of the highways in Napa county have multiple numbers for the same stretch of road. For instance, Hwy 12 and 121 run concurrently before splitting off. 12 and 29 do this as well. Not too big an issue, but it can be confusing.
posted by ericales at 7:39 PM on July 3, 2018


Best answer: As a resident of a town about 10 mins north of Yountville I highly recommend the suggestion to consider leaving Yountville Wednesday evening and staying at a hotel close to SFO. If you don’t you’re looking at leaving Yountville at 3:00 or 3:30 am which is about when I would leave. I am super familiar with driving in the Bay Area as a life long resident, so you might be comfortable with more time to travel. The drive up to Yountville is long but it is very pretty if you go throughout SF and over the Golden Gate Bridge. You will have zero problem parking in Yountville, and street parking is free and town is very walkable.
posted by Swisstine at 8:29 PM on July 3, 2018 [2 favorites]


Response by poster: this information is SO GREAT! Thank you everyone :)
posted by alchemist at 11:01 PM on July 3, 2018


People who bike are fewer and farther between than in Denmark (from what I've heard). I biked through that area recently and the routes for people on bikes are terrible. I would expect that people will be biking on roads where you might not expect people to have to be riding. Keep an eye out! Sometimes there are signs to warn you, but not usually.
posted by aniola at 2:11 PM on July 5, 2018


I agree with other that the Golden Gate Bridge is likely to be a prettier drive. There's no toll from San Francisco going north over the bridge. If you end up coming back south across the Golden Gate Bridge into San Francisco, though, there is a toll (I think $8 now) and there's no way to pay in cash; you have to either have a FasTrak pass or pay up to 30 days in advance or 48 hours after online. (And you'll need your car's license plate number, so make sure not to turn in the rental car without writing it down if you haven't paid yet!)
posted by lazuli at 2:20 PM on July 5, 2018


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