Sonoma Plaza

Sonoma is the town at the south end of the Sonoma Valley, built around an eight-acre plaza laid out by Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo in the 1830s. The square is still the center of everything. City Hall stands in the middle among lawns and old trees. Adobe buildings from the Mexican era line one side. The other sides hold tasting rooms, restaurants and small hotels. You can spend a full day here without moving the car.

For choosing between Napa and Sonoma and planning tastings across both valleys, read our Napa and Sonoma guide. This page is only about the plaza: getting there, the history, the tasting rooms you can walk to, places to eat, parking and a sample day.

Getting there from Palo Alto

Sonoma is about 70 to 80 miles from Palo Alto depending on the route. Plan on 1.5 to 2 hours each way.

• Through San Francisco and Marin: take US 101 north through the city and across the Golden Gate Bridge, then Highway 37 east and Highway 121 north to Highway 12 into town. This is the usual way to Sonoma and the toll is paid only southbound, on the way home.
• Through the East Bay: cross the San Mateo or Dumbarton Bridge, take Interstate 880 and Interstate 80 north, then Highway 37 west and Highway 121 into the valley. It can be faster on weekday mornings when the city is jammed.

Highway 37 along the north edge of the bay is a two-lane bottleneck in places and slows on weekend afternoons. Check a live traffic map before you choose. Our bridges and tolls guide lists the current toll rates.

The plaza and the state historic park

Sonoma is where Spanish and Mexican California made its last northern push. Mission San Francisco Solano, founded in 1823, was the 21st and last of the California missions and the only one built under Mexican rule. Vallejo founded the town around it and commanded the Mexican garrison here. On June 14, 1846, a group of American settlers seized the garrison and raised a homemade flag with a grizzly bear and a star. The Bear Flag Republic lasted only weeks, but the flag became California's. The plaza is now a National Historic Landmark.

The main historic buildings are part of Sonoma State Historic Park. One ticket covers the sites:

• Mission San Francisco Solano, 114 E. Spain Street, with its adobe chapel and museum.
• The Sonoma Barracks, the two-story adobe that housed Mexican troops and later U.S. soldiers. The park's gift store is inside.
• General Vallejo's home, called Lachryma Montis, about half a mile west of the plaza.

The park lists daily hours of 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Allow about an hour for the mission and barracks together.

Tasting rooms on and near the plaza

Sonoma's plaza is ringed by tasting rooms. A few confirmed for late 2026:

• Three Sticks, in the 1842 Vallejo-Casteñada Adobe at 143 West Spain Street. It pours its Pinot Noir and Chardonnay by appointment only.
• Sebastiani, a few blocks northeast of the plaza, with a barrel room of antique redwood tanks. Its site says it is open seven days a week from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. for seated tastings, with walk-ins at the tasting bar and the last reservation at 3:30 p.m.
• Gundlach Bundschu, a family winery on a 165-year-old property a short drive east. Its site lists daily hours of 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., last seatings at 4 p.m. and a Thanksgiving Day closure.

The Sonoma Valley Visitors Bureau also sells a Sonoma Valley Tasting Pass that bundles tastings at selected wineries, which saves paying each fee separately. Check its site for current prices and participating rooms.

Tasting fees

Fees in Sonoma generally run lower than in Napa, but most rooms still charge per person and change prices by season. Seated or reserve flights cost more than a bar tasting. Many waive the fee for club members or with a purchase. Everyone tasting must be 21 or older with photo ID.

Where to eat

• the girl & the fig, 110 West Spain Street on the plaza, a French country restaurant with an antique bar, a Rhône wine list and a garden patio.
• El Dorado Kitchen, in the El Dorado Hotel at the corner of First Street West and Spain Street, serving California food all day.
• EDK Cantina, the hotel's takeaway outpost on Spain Street for tacos, enchiladas and burritos. Its site lists takeaway daily from noon to 8 p.m.

The plaza lawns make a good picnic spot if you would rather assemble lunch from the shops around the square. Restaurant hours change with the season, so check each site before you go.

Best time to go

Spring and fall are the nicest months. Harvest, from late August through October, is busy and lively. November brings gold and red vines and thinner crowds. The visitors bureau lists a free Lighting of the Sonoma Plaza event for the 2026 holiday season, so check its date if you want the square at its most festive. Summer afternoons are hot, often far warmer than Palo Alto. Weekdays are calmer all year. Our weather guide explains how inland valleys heat up.

Parking

California State Parks says free public parking is available behind the Sonoma Barracks, off First Street West. Street parking around the plaza has posted time limits and fills by midday on weekends. Wineries outside the center, such as Gundlach Bundschu, have their own lots. Park once near the plaza and walk to everything in the center.

Plan a sober ride home

California's legal limit for adult drivers is 0.08 percent blood alcohol. A few flights over an afternoon can add up quickly. The drive home crosses a bridge and busy freeways. Choose a designated driver before you leave. Spit or share pours and eat a real lunch. A guided tour is the simplest fix, since the driver is part of the deal. You can compare Sonoma wine tours, many of which start in San Francisco, an easy Caltrain ride from Palo Alto.

A sample day

1. 8 a.m. Leave Palo Alto through San Francisco and over the Golden Gate Bridge.
2. 9:45 a.m. Coffee near the plaza and a walk around the square.
3. 10:15 a.m. Mission San Francisco Solano and the Sonoma Barracks.
4. Noon. Lunch at the girl & the fig or El Dorado Kitchen.
5. 1:30 p.m. A booked tasting at Three Sticks or Sebastiani.
6. 3 p.m. Short drive to Gundlach Bundschu for a second tasting while your driver enjoys the grounds.
7. 4:30 p.m. Head home before the evening traffic on Highway 37.

To slow down, stay the night and compare hotels near Sonoma Plaza. Nearby, Jack London State Historic Park in Glen Ellen is about 15 minutes up the valley and Petaluma is a short drive west. Farther north, Healdsburg makes a good second day. Browse all day trips from Palo Alto.

Frequently asked questions