Tour Details - San Francisco and Wine Country Delights 2012

Welcome to San Francisco and Wine Country! Take a complimentary transfer to your tour hotel. Your Travel Director is at the hotel this afternoon to answer any questions. At 6 p.m., gather at the hotel with your Travel Director and fellow travellers for a Welcome Reception.

After a leisurely breakfast, begin your day with the locals and a visit to San Francisco’s famous Saturday morning Ferry Plaza Farmers Market. Browse Northern California’s bounty of organic produce and flowers from small regional farmers and ranchers, artisan specialities and gourmet street fare. Continue to San Francisco’s favourite attractions -- Union Square, crooked Lombard Street, Golden Gate Park and Fisherman’s Wharf. After some time on your own for lunch, set out for a real insider's experience of Haight Ashbury, ground zero for the hippie generation in the ‘60s. Join a local guide to walk in the footsteps of Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, The Grateful Dead and learn about the impact of the alternative rock culture on San Francisco and the world. This evening, join your Travel Director on a walking tour through Chinatown, exploring the neighbourhood’s fascinating history. Inhale the pungent scents of the tea and herbal shops, admire the Chinese-style buildings, and stop at the Golden Gate Cookie Factory to watch (and sample) how fortune cookies are made. Save room for tonight’s Highlight Dinner, a traditional banquet at a popular Chinese restaurant.(Full Breakfast / Highlight Dinner)

You have the entire day to explore glorious, exciting, eccentric San Francisco on your own. Ride the cable cars, shop Union Square, visit the museums and gardens of Golden Gate Park or take a boat ride to visit the former prison on the island of Alcatraz. If you’re a foodie, you can eat your way through San Francisco’s eclectic neighbourhoods on an optional Tastes of the City tour. You can also venture further away on optional trips to Carmel and Monterey, Muir Woods National Monument or Yosemite National Park. Your Travel Director will be happy to help make any arrangements for you.(Full Breakfast)

Leave your hearts in San Francisco as you set out in search of Bacchus in California’s world-renowned Wine Country. Join a local guide for a walk through the Asia-inspired woodland of Quarryhill Botanical Garden in Sonoma’s Valley of the Moon. Pass through the quaint towns of Glen Ellen and Kenwood before arriving in Sonoma for some free time and lunch on your own. Stroll historic Sonoma Plaza, flanked by the Presidio and Mission San Francisco de Solano – the last California mission built – and browse the unique gift shops. This afternoon, retreat to a private blending lab at Ravenswood Winery and create, taste and bottle your own perfect combination of Carignane, Petite Sirah and Zinfandel.(Full Breakfast)

Starting with a visit to downtown Napa and the Oxbow public market, today is a day devoted to tasting the savoury, sweet, salty and spicy s of California Wine Country. Sample creamy, pungent and delicate locally produced artisan cheeses; nibble on cured salami and speciality sausages; and sate your sweet tooth with a tasting of decadent chocolates. You’ll have a chance to shop for your own treats before travelling on to the quaint town of St. Helena and the V. Sattui Winery. After touring the winery, prepare your palate for tasting an outstanding selection of wines and relax at a picnic Highlight Lunch on the beautiful grounds. This afternoon, the tables are turned as you join a hands-on cooking class at a famous culinary school and take your turn at preparing your own dinner. You’ll group into teams with your fellow travellers and prepare a delicious four-course gourmet meal alongside top chef instructors. When finished, toast your efforts with a glass of champagne and hors d'oeuvres before enjoying the fruits of your labour at a Highlight Dinner paired with locally produced wines.(Full Breakfast / Highlight Lunch / Highlight Dinner)

You have a free day to explore Napa on your own! Spend the day around town, enjoy a leisurely lunch at one of the charming restaurants or shop for antiques and crafts. If you are feeling extra adventurous, join an optional sunrise balloon flight over the vineyards or a journey through the bucolic countryside with lunch aboard the vintage rail cars of the Napa Valley Wine Train.(Full Breakfast)

Travel the scenic drive north to St. Helena and visit Bale Grist Mill State Historic Park, the site of a water-powered grist mill where early Napa Valley settlers gathered. Then, join a guided private tour of Castello di Amorosa, a 107-room, Tuscan-style castle and winery, complete with a moat, chapel and torture chamber. Learn how the castle vintners combine traditional wine making methods with modern technology to produce wines similar to the hand-crafted wines from Italy’s Tuscany and Umbria regions. And, you’ll taste the wine, of course! Lunch is on your own in bubbly downtown Calistoga, noted for its hot springs and geyser. Continue on to explore the art and vineyards of the award-winning winery Clos Pegase and sample some of its estate wines. This evening, celebrate a wonderful vacation with a Be My Guest Farewell Dinner at a winery where you’ll also enjoy a private tour and sample estate-produced wines and olive oil.(Full Breakfast / Be My Guest dinner)

Wrap up your Wine Country sojourn this morning with a tour of the beautiful chateau and vineyards of Domaine Carneros. Learn the secrets of sparkling wine production and toast your fellow travellers with a seated tasting of sparkling wines. Before you know it, it will be time to say one last ‘Cheers’ in California – take your complimentary transfer to San Francisco International Airport, or to the tour hotel in San Francisco if you wish to extend your stay.(Full Breakfast)