Valle de Guadalupe Day Trip Itinerary

If you cross the San Diego- Tijuana border and drive south a few hours you’ll end up lost in the mountains and acres of vineyards for as far as your eye can see. That area, called the Valle de Guadalupe, and nicknamed “La ruta del vino” (wine road) is known for its wineries and farm to table restaurants. Today I’m sharing my Valle de Guadalupe day trip itinerary.

I’ve always heard great things about the area and had never had the opportunity to go. I figured that it was now or never considering that it’ll be a little harder to make a Seattle –> Mexico weekend trip happen. The drive down was one of my favorite parts– I felt like I was driving through Big Sur.

Before starting out our day of winery adventures, we stopped for some pre-afternoon snacks in Ensenada. I adore ceviche so what better place to have some than Mexico?  Ensenada is a little farther south than Valle de Guadalupe, and right on the water. It’s a little touristy for my tastes, but it did have some good restaurants and taco stands!

Anyone from the area will tell you that if you really want to get to know Valle, it will definitely take more than a weekend. There’s at least ten must-visit vineyards (you can read about those here) but I picked out Las Nubes and Monte Xanic. Not only did they have beautiful ambiances and great wines, but each were very different.

LAS NUBES

We started at Las Nubes. You really feel like you’re sitting on a cloud looking down on the vineyard from the patio. It reminded me of Tuscany and a traditional vineyard experience. It was a great place to sit and decompress and just enjoy the warm breeze and chilled wines.

MONTE XANIC

If Las Nubes was Tuscany, Monte Xanic was Sicily. There was something about the patio on a lake surrounded by trees reminded me of a olive grove in the middle of Sicily. It was also a great spot for a cheese and chorizo platter.

Something about Valle de Guadalupe that was so Sicily was the heat. I’m not much of a summer weather girl, but I went with some light and airy clothes that in my mind screamed “vineyard.”

Linen palazzo pants are one of my favorite summer pieces, along with straw hats. They keep the sun out while keeping you cool! There you have it, my Valle de Guadalupe day trip itinerary.

Looking for a full Valle de Guadalupe weekend itinerary? You can check it out here.