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Naramata Bench: The Slow Wine Weekend

Day Trips & Getaways

Naramata Bench: The Slow Wine Weekend

Forty-plus boutique Okanagan wineries on a 16-km lakeside road, best done by e-bike so nobody has to drive.

The move in Okanagan wine country is not Kelowna; the move is crossing the lake to the Naramata Bench, a 16-kilometre ribbon of road above Okanagan Lake lined with more than 40 small-batch wineries and fruit-stand peaches and a sleepy lakeside village at the end that looks suspiciously like a secret. The classic method is renting e-bikes and pedalling the old Kettle Valley Rail trail between cellar doors, which solves the designated driver problem permanently. It is a four-and-a-half-hour drive from Vancouver, which is the universe's way of telling you to make it two nights: arrive Friday, spend Saturday sipping and swimming with the lake doing most of the heavy lifting, and leave Sunday feeling like a better, more thoroughly tasted version of yourself. Book the accommodation before the Kelowna crowd discovers this plan.

romanticwinescenicrelaxingoff-the-beaten-pathsummer
Duration
Full day
Best time
Daytime
Price / person
~$350–700 / person
Setting
Outdoor
Neighbourhood
Naramata Bench
Best season
spring, summer, fall

Estimated ~$350–700 / person for per person for a weekend (travel, a night's stay, food), as of 2026-06-22. A ballpark, not a quote. Call ahead or check the website for exact pricing.

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Plan your getaway

Naramata Bench, BC (Okanagan) · from Vancouver

door to door

~4.5 hours

from Vancouver

395 km

how long

2 nights

best window

June to October (harvest energy and warm lake swims late August to September)

Getting there

Drive Hwy 1 to Hope, then the Coquihalla (Hwy 5) over to Merritt and Hwy 97 south through Summerland and Penticton, then 15 min up Naramata Rd. Or fly YVR→Kelowna (~1 hr) and drive ~50 min south to the bench, faster but you'll want a rental car to winery-hop.

If you fly, rent at Kelowna (YLW) airport, you need wheels to reach Naramata and move between wineries. If driving from Vancouver, bring your own.

No car? There's a route for that↓

No useful transit to Naramata. Once there, rent e-bikes and ride the Kettle Valley Rail trail between cellar doors, or book a small-group wine tour so nobody drives.

books out

Summer weekends sell out on the bench, book your stay 3 to 4 weeks ahead and reserve a couple of winery tastings (and any wine tour) in advance. Note the Naramata Inn is closed and slated to reopen May 2026.

Don't miss

  1. 1Cycle the Kettle Valley Rail trail between bench cellar doors by e-bike
  2. 2Tastings at Therapy, Moraine, JoieFarm, Lake Breeze or La Frenz
  3. 3Swim and sunset glass off the Naramata village wharf
  4. 4Peach milkshake from a roadside Similkameen/Okanagan fruit stand
  5. 5Lakeview patio lunch with a charcuterie board
  6. 6Stand-up paddleboard or a slow morning on the beach

Where to eat

The Patio at Lake Breezerestaurantlunch★ 4.7

Naramata's number one table is a lunch-only patio tucked among Mediterranean style buildings, serving spinach salad grown on the winery's own two acre homestead farm. Everyone leaves already planning tomorrow's lunch here too. Lunch service only, kitchen closes mid-afternoon; seasonal, check days before visiting

~$25-45/person
The Restaurant at Poplar Groverestaurantdinner★ 4.7

Perched on the slopes of Munson Mountain with the whole of Okanagan Lake arranged below, which is an unfair amount of scenery for one dinner. The kitchen keeps up anyway. Book golden hour and gloat.

~$40-60/person
Bistro Lapin Perdu at the Naramata Innrestaurantdinner

A proper French bistro named for a lost rabbit, installed in a lakeside inn standing since 1908. Steak frites and confit de canard upstairs, a tiny aperitif bar called The Burrow below. Paris, minus nine time zones. Dinner Thursday to Monday from 5 pm; seasonal, 2026 season opened May 1

~$50-80/person
The Bistro at Hillside Wineryrestaurantlunch or dinner★ 4.4

The upper open-air patio catches an Okanagan Lake sunset that makes grown adults forget their entrees, and regulars call it the best sundown seat on Naramata Road. The 65 seat dining room copes with the overflow.

~$30-50/person
Just Baked: Naramata Street Coffeebakerysnack★ 4.8

The village's morning headquarters, where the cheese scones come from family recipes and locals rank the espresso among the South Okanagan's top three. The carrot cake alone justifies the drive out from Penticton.

~$5-15/person
Rocky's Real Things Pizzarestaurantdinner★ 4.6

This village pizzeria delivers to your door, the beach, your boat, or a KVR trail crossing, which tells you most of what you need to know about Naramata. The pies earn the logistics. Phone ahead in July. Very busy in summer, phone in orders ahead

~$15-25/person

Where to stay

The Inn at Therapy Vineyardsvineyard innromantic

King rooms with soaker tubs, an outdoor hot tub and vineyard-to-lake views, sleep where you sip. Verify 2026 rates/dates at booking.

see this spot →book / details →
from ~$290/night
Sandy Beach Lodge & Resortlakeside cabins & rooms

Log-cabin summer-camp vibe right on the Naramata village beach, docks, canoes, pool and hot tub. Verify current rates before booking.

see this spot →book / details →
lodge rooms from ~C$235/night off-season, ~C$325 peak; cottages ~C$4,000/week in summer
HI Penticton Hostelhostelbudgetsolo

15 min from the bench in Penticton, social and cheap for a solo wine-country reset. Confirm 2026 rates.

see this spot →book / details →
from ~$50/night (dorm bed)

Trip details as of 2026-06-22. Prices and ferry schedules change, so confirm when you book.

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