Visiting Sonoma County doesn’t have to mean renting a car. With charming small towns, award-winning wineries, and plenty of outdoor adventures, you can explore wine country at your own pace using Sonoma County’s variety of transportation options. Whether you’re planning a weekend getaway or a longer vacation, here’s your guide to getting around Sonoma without a car:
Table of Contents
- Book a Guided Tour
- Getting Around Sonoma County Using Ride Shares
- Biking
- Walking
- Sonoma County Public Transportation
🚗 Book a Guided Tour
If you’d like transportation and experiences bundled together, consider a guided wine or food tour. Tour companies often provide shuttles or vans, so you can sit back, relax, and enjoy multiple wineries or breweries in one day without needing to navigate. Platinum Vine Tours, based in Healdsburg, has over two decades of experience in the wine industry and works with you to craft a custom itinerary that suits your needs. From small, boutique wineries to a drive along the coast, Platinum Vine Tours is here to make your vacation planning as stress-free as possible.
Windsor Wine Tours offers private luxury wine tours in Healdsburg, Sonoma, and Napa Valley as well. In addition to creating custom wine tour itineraries, they also offer additional services like dinner transportation to fine-dining restaurants in Sonoma, airport transportation to and from Santa Rosa Airport, and Wine Country wedding transportation.
🚕 Getting Around Sonoma County Using Ride Shares
The most frequently asked question we get is, “Can you get an Uber in Wine Country?” The answer – it depends. Suppose you’re traveling within Sonoma County’s more populated areas, such as Healdsburg, Calistoga, and Santa Rosa. In that case, you’ll have an easier time calling an Uber to get to places within town itself. However, many of Sonoma County’s wineries are located in rural countryside areas, and cell service can be spotty. So yes, Uber is available, but there are more reliable alternatives for your Wine Country vacation.
🚲 Biking Around Sonoma County
Cover more ground and bike your way through vineyards and countryside without worrying about parking. There are several bike rental shops across town that can help you easily navigate Sonoma County’s extensive network of bikeways and trails.
Bike Rentals in Healdsburg
Wine Country Bikes gives you several bike options to choose from, with choices like specialized hybrids to specialized e-bikes. All bikes come with a front pack carrier and lock, and kids’ bikes, kids’ trailers, and dog trailers are available to rent.
Spoke Folk Cyclery offers road, mountain, and hybrid bikes for adults. All rentals include a helmet, lock, pack, and area map. Walk-ins are welcome, but reservations are recommended to make sure you have the correct bike for your needs. Bikes can be rented by the hour, day, or week.
Bike Trails to Explore
West Dry Creek Road, a popular route, winds through world-class wineries and farms, leaving you awestruck every step of the way. For those traveling with kids, the Foss Creek Trail is a 3.5-mile family-friendly trail that is relatively flat. It starts in North Healdsburg, goes through downtown, and ends at the banks of Foss Creek. For avid riders, the Joe Rodota Trail and West County Regional Trail provide car-free routes between Santa Rosa, Sebastopol, and Forestville.
🚶🏼♀️Walking
Once you find yourself in town, getting to the best restaurants, shops, and attractions is doable by walking and scootering. In fact, several of our Healdsburg vacation rentals are within walking distance of Healdsburg Plaza, where all of the action is! You can easily spend an entire afternoon or evening exploring on foot.
🚏Getting Around with Sonoma County Public Transportation
One of the easiest ways to travel between towns is with Sonoma County Transit (SCT). The bus system connects Santa Rosa, Sebastopol, Healdsburg, Petaluma, Sonoma, and more. Buses are affordable, bike-friendly, and a convenient option if you want to visit multiple towns in one trip.
To ride the SCT in Sonoma County, you simply download either Google Maps, Transit App, Transit Navigation, or Rome2Rio to your phone to map out your journey. Adults can pay as little as $1.50 if traveling within one zone, but fares are dependent on the number of zones through which you travel, and which category of rider you are. For more information, visit the SCT website to learn how fares work.
Getting around Sonoma County without a car is not only doable—it can make your trip more enjoyable. From hiring private transportation and exploring scenic bike trails to hopping on a shuttle or strolling through historic downtowns, you’ll discover a slower, more authentic side of wine country. Whether you’re here for the vineyards, redwoods, or farm-to-table dining, Sonoma County transportation options make it easy to explore without ever turning the key to a car.Browse our catalog of Wine Country vacation rentals to find your perfect place to stay, and check out our Sonoma County Activities page to discover more great trip-planning resources.