THREE FOR THE ROAD St. Helena: Culinary cycling

Napa Valley’s pace slows down post-harvest, so why not yours? Walk or bike along St. Helena’s charming Main Street, served by two Vine Transit routes, to savor wineries and restaurants.

Get there: From San Francisco on weekdays, take BART to El Cerrito del Norte ($4.30, 33 minutes), then catch Vine Transit’s express Route 29 to St. Helena ($5.50, two hours). On weekends, take the hour-long ferry to Vallejo ($13.40 one way), then Vine’s Route 11 bus to Napa; transfer to Route 10 to St. Helena ($1.60 and 60-70 minutes each).

Doze: The express bus stops just across from the chic yet comfortable Wydown Hotel (www.wydownhotel.com), where the 12 well-appointed rooms start at $270 weekends and $220 weekdays.

Dine: Duck into Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen, named for owner and doyenne of Wine Country cuisine Cindy Pawlcyn, and check out the similarly seasonally inspired

but smokier menu at stylish Archetype, known for its wood-burning grill and oven.

Do: Buy a Passport St. Helena ($60, www.sthelena.com/passport-st-helena) to enjoy wine tastings and nibbles at eight nearby wineries, including Clif Family Winery at Velo Vino, which can also arrange daylong wine-tasting bike tours ($75-$120, wheels provided). To explore on your own, rent a bike from St. Helena Cyclery, a block from the Wydown.

Good to know: On weekends, the on-call St. Helena Shuttle (www.ridethevine.com/st-helena-shuttle) operates door to door within a wide area for $1; call (707) 963-3007 for pickup within 30 minutes.