Disclosure: our stay at the Naramata Inn, our dinners at its restaurant, Bistro Lapin Perdu and our e-bike rentals from Revive Velo were hosted. Everything else we paid for ourselves, and all opinions are our own.
We live in Kelowna, about an hour and a bit up the lake, and somehow it took us years to spend a proper weekend in Naramata. We’d driven through for a winery or two, said “we should stay here sometime,” and then gone home.
This time we stayed – thanks to Grant Communications. Two nights in a 118-year-old inn, a day on e-bikes along the old railway line, a couple of wineries, and a lot of walking around a village where nobody seems to be in a hurry. Naramata is one of Canada’s official “slow towns” (more on that below), and after a weekend there we get it.
Here’s exactly how we spent our weekend, plus everything you need to plan your own.
We went at the end of September, and the weather was a mix of cloud and sun. Warm enough to be outside all day, cool enough that a cozy inn felt like the right call. It made for a perfect fall getaway.
Where is Naramata
Naramata is a small village on the east side of Okanagan Lake in British Columbia’s South Okanagan, about 15 km north of Penticton. The road in is the Naramata Bench, a stretch of vineyards and orchards sitting above the lake with wineries every few hundred metres.
The road ends not far past the village, so nobody passes through Naramata on the way to somewhere else. You come here on purpose, and that’s a big part of why it feels so calm.
How to get to Naramata
By car
This is how most people arrive, and it’s what we did. Every route goes through Penticton first, then up Naramata Road.
- From Penticton: about 20 minutes
- From Kelowna: about 1 hour 15 minutes down Highway 97
- From Vancouver: roughly 4.5 to 5 hours, depending on your route and stops
Give yourself extra time on Naramata Road. It’s winding, there are cyclists, and you will want to pull over for the view at least once.
By plane
Penticton Regional Airport (YYF) is the closest, around 25 minutes from the village. Kelowna International (YLW) has far more flights and is about an hour and a half away by car. Either way, you’ll want a rental car.
By bus
BC Transit runs a local bus between Penticton and Naramata, but service is limited, so check the current schedule before you count on it. For a weekend trip, a car makes life much easier.
Best time to visit Naramata
- Spring (April to June): orchards in blossom, tasting rooms reopening, and comfortable temperatures for biking. Quieter than summer.
- Summer (July and August): hot, busy and lively. Everything is open, but book well ahead and plan to be on the trail early, before the midday heat. Wildfire smoke can be a factor in late summer.
- Fall (September to mid-October): harvest season, golden vineyards and warm days without the crowds. If we had to pick, this is it.
- Winter (November to March): very quiet. Many wineries close or go appointment-only, so check before you go.
How to see Naramata in a weekend
We arrived Friday evening and left Sunday afternoon. That gave us one full day and two slow half days, which felt right. Naramata isn’t a place for a packed schedule.
Friday: arrive and settle in
Check in at the Naramata Inn
The inn has been in the middle of the village since 1908, when it opened as the Hotel Naramata. It has been a hotel, a private home and a girls’ school since then, and after closing at the end of 2024, it reopened in 2025 with a new bistro and wine bar.
There are only twelve rooms, with original woodwork, deep soaker or clawfoot tubs, and a veranda that wraps around the building. Our room was every bit as cozy as we’d hoped. It opened onto the veranda, which is shared with the neighbouring rooms, so you can step straight outside from your door. And the small things were all taken care of: a bedside table on each side of the bed, each with its own lamp and charging station, plenty of towels, and robes for two.
Walk the village and the lakefront
The village is tiny, and you can walk from the inn to the lake in a few minutes. We dropped our bags and went straight out for a wander before dinner. We ended up at Wharf Park, right on the water, and it was an easy, quiet way to shake off the drive and start the weekend.
Dinner at the inn
The restaurant at the inn is Bistro Lapin Perdu, and not having to drive anywhere after a glass of wine is a real luxury on the Bench. The menu is classic French bistro cooking, the kind of food that suits a candlelit room in an old inn.
We started with two plates to share. The Salade Niçoise came with seared albacore tuna, a soft egg, green beans, tomato, olives and roast peppers on gem lettuce, all dressed in a white anchovy vinaigrette. Alongside it, the Pâté de Campagne: a thick slice of country pâté on a wooden board with bread, grainy Dijon, cornichons and a pickled raisin jam.
For mains, one of us went for fish and the other for beef. The Blanquette de Morue is lingcod and shrimp in a creamy sauce with carrot and fingerling potatoes, finished with a walnut persillade and beurre noisette (brown butter). The Carbonnade de Boeuf is braised beef shank with caramelized onion and pain d’épices, served with frites and greens. Proper comfort food for a cool fall evening.
And yes, we ordered both desserts. The Pot de Crème is dark chocolate with griottine cherries and soft crème, and the Pouding Chômeur is a warm maple pudding with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.
Tip: book your table when you book your room. It’s a small dining room in a small village.
Saturday: e-bikes, the KVR Trail and wineries
Breakfast at the inn
Breakfast is a simple, French-style spread laid out in the dining room, and you help yourself. Think a basket of croissants, sliced baguette with butter and jam, boiled eggs, and yogurt with granola. It’s not a big cooked breakfast, and it doesn’t need to be. A croissant, an egg and a slow start was exactly the right amount before a day on the bikes.
Pick up e-bikes from Revive Velo
We explored Naramata on e-bikes from Revive Velo, and it was the best decision of the weekend. The Bench is hillier than it looks from a car, and the e-assist means you arrive at a winery looking like a person and not a puddle.
The best part is that the bikes are right on site at the inn, so there’s no pickup to organise and no driving to a rental shop. Revive Velo runs through its own app: you download it, book a bike, and the electric lock opens from your phone. Finish breakfast, walk outside, and you’re riding.
Ride the KVR Trail to Little Tunnel
The Kettle Valley Rail Trail follows the old railway line high above the lake. Because it was built for trains, the grade never goes above about 2%, so it’s an easy, steady climb on a gravel path.
From the Smethurst Road trailhead it’s 4.4 km each way to Little Tunnel, a short tunnel blasted through the rock with one of the best views in the Okanagan on the other side. On e-bikes, allow about an hour for the return trip with photo stops. Walking, it’s closer to three hours.
Good to know: there’s very little shade, so bring water and go early on hot days. There are outhouses along the trail but nothing else, and there are steep drop-offs on the lake side, so stay well back from the edge for photos.
Nichol Vineyard
Nichol is right by the Smethurst Road trailhead, which makes it a very natural stop on the way back down. It has some of the oldest plantings on the Bench and a tasting room that doesn’t try to be fancy. There’s a record player going and a covered area where you can eat your own picnic.
Daydreamer Wines
Daydreamer is practically next door. It’s a small family winery run by Rachel and Marcus Ansems (Marcus is a Master of Wine), farming organically and making small batches. Tastings are by booking, so reserve before you ride over.
A note on bikes and wine: you’re still riding on a road afterwards. We kept it to two wineries, shared tastings and took our time.
Back to the inn, and dinner
Sunday: a slow morning
Breakfast, the gardens and one last walk
Check-out at the inn is at 11, which gave us just enough time for an unhurried morning. We had breakfast, wandered around the inn’s gardens, and then walked down to Wharf Park one more time. It’s a short loop, but it was a nice way to say goodbye to the village before packing up.
Check out and drive home along the Bench
We checked out around 11. The drive back to Penticton takes you past dozens more wineries and fruit stands.
Naramata weekend itinerary map
[ADD: embed your Google My Maps here with the inn, Revive Velo, Smethurst Road trailhead, Little Tunnel, Nichol and Daydreamer pinned]
Where to stay for a weekend in Naramata
We stayed at the Naramata Inn and would do the same again. You’re in the middle of the village, a short walk from the lake, with dinner downstairs. For a slow weekend, not needing the car once you’ve parked is the whole point.
If the inn is full, or you’re after something different, there are a few other places to stay right in Naramata. We haven’t stayed at these ourselves, but they’re the ones we’d look at next:
- The Village Motel: a small renovated motel in the middle of the village, with studios and suites set around a courtyard. A good pick if you want to stay central and walk everywhere.
- Naramata Courtyard Suites: studios and one- and two-bedroom suites, also in the village. The larger suites have kitchenettes, which is handy for longer stays or if you’d like to cook.
- Sandy Beach Lodge: a lakefront resort with a log lodge, cottages, its own sandy beach and a pool. The one to choose if being right on the water matters most.
Some of these are seasonal, so check dates before you plan around them. And if everything in the village is booked, Penticton is 20 minutes away with far more choice at lower prices.
How to get around Naramata
- On foot: the village itself is completely walkable. Inn, lake, parks and the general store are all within a few minutes of each other.
- By e-bike: our pick for the wineries and the KVR Trail. You cover a lot of ground without worrying about parking.
- By car: useful for wineries further down the Bench. If you’re tasting, sort out a designated driver or book a wine tour from Penticton.
FAQ
Yes. Two nights gives you one full day for biking and wineries and two relaxed half days in the village. You could happily add a third night if you want to visit more of the Bench.
It’s a member of Cittaslow, an international network that started in Italy for small towns that protect their local food, traditions and unhurried pace of life. Naramata joined in 2004.
No. The trail is a gentle railway grade, and on an e-bike it’s very manageable even if you rarely ride.
For some, yes. Smaller places like Daydreamer take tastings by booking, and summer weekends fill up. Check each winery’s site before you go.
Discover more of the Okanagan
- [ADD: links to your other Okanagan / BC posts]
