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Napa Valley Airport Choices
Airports Serving Napa and Sonoma Wine Country:
Choosing the Best One
This page gives you the pros and cons of the various airports that serve Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley—the California Wine County. You’ll be able to pick the one best for you.
Although you won’t find commercial airports in the Napa and Sonoma valleys, there’s one nearby in Santa Rosa.
Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport (STS)
Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport reopened to commercial flights in 2007. This is often called Santa Rosa Airport and sometimes Wine Country Airport.
Yes, that’s Charles Schulz in the airport name, as in Charlie Brown and Snoopy. Charles Schulz lived and worked in Santa Rosa and nearby Sebastopol for more than 30 years.
In March, 2007, Alaska Airlines’ Horizon Air started nonstop service from Seattle and Los Angeles (LAX). In October, Horizon (owned by Alaska Airlines) launched nonstop service from Portland. Delta may begin flights soon.
Convenient to Wine Country
Santa Rosa’s Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport puts you close to the towns of Napa and Sonoma. You’ll pass vineyards nearly all the way. You’ll also avoid Bay Area congestion.
For easy access, you’ll find Sonoma Airport just west of the U.S. Highway 101 freeway along Airport Boulevard 4 miles north of Santa Rosa.
Via very scenic Highway 12 from Santa Rosa, a route lined by wineries—some world-renowned—you’re just 1 hour from Napa and 45 minutes from the Sonoma Plaza. This is part of our Napa Valley scenic drive. St. Helena in the upper Napa Valley is just over 30 minutes from Sonoma Airport.
You may pay more
Although most convenient to the heart of the Wine Country, Sonoma County Airport suffers from just 3 car rental choices, few commercial flights, and lack of airline competition, all of which can lead to both high fares and high rental car prices.
Near less expensive hotels
On the other hand, garden-filled Santa Rosa and adjacent Petaluma and Rohnert Park near Sonoma County Airport usually offer considerably less expensive hotel rates (sample prices) than Napa Valley or Sonoma Valley.
You’ll generally pay significantly less for the same quality hotels than in Napa or Sonoma, but still be close to the action. This area is also available for Priceline.com Hotels "name your own price" bidding to save even more.
Alternative Wine Country airports
Most travelers access the Wine Country from San Francisco International, Oakland International, or Sacramento Airports. These offer numerous airline and car rental choices.
You can reach Napa within 45 minutes from Sacramento via Winters, CA.
Oakland and San Francisco are just over an hour from the town of Napa OUTSIDE of a rather long rush hour.
Sacramento Airport (SMF)
Although least used to reach the Wine Country, Sacramento International Airport enjoys important advantages.
Unlike Oakland or San Francisco airports, you don’t have to drive through urban areas to reach Napa Valley or Sonoma. You don’t even drive into Sacramento.
That means no worries about rush hour congestion.
With a metro area population now nearing 2 million, Sacramento benefits from extensive air service. This includes budget airlines like JetBlue and Southwest, which help keep the fares of all airlines down.
San Francisco International (SFO)
San Francisco International Airport offers the most nonstop flights into Northern California.
With Southwest Airlines again serving “SFO,” as well as often-cheap AirTran and Frontier, San Francisco no longer deeply deserves its higher fare reputation compared to Oakland.
When using San Francisco International, congestion is your biggest concern.
Incorrectly time your drive and you’ll face the morning rush hour into San Francisco or the afternoon “rush” out of it. And, that is just traveling toward Napa.
From the airport, we suggest driving via westbound Interstate 380, which starts just north of the rental car terminal, the northbound I-280 freeway, northbound Highway 1, and then the Golden Gate Bridge for better scenery, even though you’ll encounter some stop and go driving on Highway 1 in San Francisco. You will avoid downtown San Francisco, though.
Beyond the Golden Gate Bridge, your route depends on your first stop, but see the Napa Valley scenic drive for suggestions.
Oakland International (OAK)
Oakland International gives you all freeway access to near Napa, but you may face considerable congestion.
Traveling toward Napa on weekday mornings, you’ll battle the rush hour going toward San Francisco, even though you’re not entering the city. On weekend afternoons, you’ll battle the rush from San Francisco on another portion of your drive.
Returning, the situation is the same.
Best to avoid rush hours when traveling to or from Oakland Airport.
Moreover, the drive from Oakland International to the southern Napa Valley is the least scenic from any of these airports. In fact, as you approach the valley, you’ll pass downright ugly suburban sprawl.
On the other hand, Oakland offers your greatest chance of budget airfares into Northern California.
