Napa bus tour on "Go" card vs. same day return car rental?

[mikeerdas]

In another thread, I've expressed frustration with trying to get a < 24 hour car rental in downtown San Francisco for a day trip to Napa:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1217219

 

Has anyone here taken the 9 hour Napa bus tour included in the San Francisco "GO" pass? Wondering if it's worth the effort to continue looking for a same-day-return car rental, where I can afford the ~$50/night downtown parking fees...

 

I'm fine with bus tours in foreign (to me) countries. But it seems almost a shame to take one in my native country (the US) where I don't mind driving a rental car. I'd prefer to visit wineries that I identify vs. a pre-packaged deal, but the rental situation seems a bit absurd.

[mikeerdas]

Anyone?

[zoncom]

Curious about details (pricing, contact info), of mentioned bus tour or any others. Thank you.

[spanisheyes]

We did the Grayline tour on our Go card to the Napa Valley a couple of years ago, and had a really good day. Think we visited 3 wineries and had time to stop in Napa for lunch. I would recommend it.

[mikeerdas]

We ended up renting a car downtown with Enterprise (O'Farrell Street) early (7:30am) and returned at the same location (was some time before 6:00 pm).

 

Drove over the Golden Gate bridge and hit Muir Woods first (coastal redwood forest where the Ewok Village scenes from Return of the Jedi were filmed). Then we hit about 4 wineries in Sonoma and 1 in Napa. Sonoma wineries were smaller, more intimate, less snotty, and had less expensive tastings. Came home going over the Bay Bridge.

 

I'm very glad we didn't end up doing a bus tour, since we had a lot more flexibility.