Temecula Voyage Tips and guide

Temecula is a city in Riverside County in Southern California. Temecula is known for its wine and Balloon and Wine Festival.

• Temecula Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau, 28690 Mercedes Street, Suite A, ☏ +1 951-491-6085, toll-free: +1-888-363-2852. Pick up maps, visitors guides, event listings, coupons and get the inside information on where to visit from the staff. Open daily. (updated Dec 2015)

33°30′12″N 117°7′25″W

Map of Temecula

Temecula is about an hour north of San Diego on Interstate 15. It is an hour south of San Bernardino on Interstate 15, and about an hour south of Riverside on Interstate 215. State Route 79 also passes through the town, heading north to Hemet and south to Julian.

The closest airports are in San Diego (SAN ^IATA), 45 minutes south, and Ontario (ONT ^IATA), 45 minutes north.

French Valley general aviation airport is north of town. It is a popular location for small aircraft.

Though Temecula is serviced by some buses, they are unreliable at best. Thus, Temecula has virtually no public transportation. If you are visiting, you should either have your own car or rent one, as the city is very spread out and the lack of public transport makes driving a necessity.

• Old Town Temecula (west of the I-15, exit Rancho California and turn right on Jefferson/Old Town Front Street). This is the oldest and most historic part of town, complete with old western architecture and charming shops and restaurants. There is a lot of new development going on and it's worth taking half a day exploring Old Town. 
• Temecula Olive Oil Company, 28653 Old Town Front St, toll-free: +1-866-654-8364. Retail shop and olive oil tasting; a unique experience with helpful hosts who are happy to explain the differences in olive oil in detail. 
• 33.4974-117.15091 Temecula Valley Museum, 28314 Mercedes St, ☏ +1 951-694 6450.  (updated Jul 2021)
• Little Temecula History Center and Vail Ranch Headquarters, 31870 Redhawk Pkwy (east on Temecula Pkwy to shopping plaza on right). Ranch complex open every day. Museum open Sundays 1-5PM. The site encompasses a small history museum covering the Temecula Valley, in the historic Vail Ranch Headquarters complex. The old Vail Ranch Headquarters buildings were preserved and used as commercial buildings with displays and historic equipment scattered throughout. The Mormon Battalion marched through town when laying out the Southern Emigrant Trail that the Butterfield Stage line and the pony express later used. Emigrants came through town and stopped at Wolf's Store and stage stop (located at the ranch headquarters) on their way to northern gold rush towns. Free. (updated Jun 2024)
• Temecula Duck Pond (Temecula Duck Pond & Veterans Memorial), 28250 Ynez Rd (near a freeway exit, right after this hotel). A nice little area to visit, it's a duck pond with a walking sidewalk so its good to walk as well and next to OBC restaurant too. It has a few memorials like a veteran memorial and a 9/11 one. (updated Apr 2025)

• Wine Tasting. The Temecula valley has 30 or more wineries with tasting rooms, including Callaway (owned by the same family as the golf club company) other popular choices include Thornton, Stuart Cellars, Mount Palomar, Wilson Creek and Falkner. The Grapeline Wine Country Shuttle picks up at all local hotels and takes you out for a full day of wine tasting. 
• Out and About. Though there are a fair few shops and restaurants, Temecula (especially downtown) is not known as a late night club/bar scene, with the exception of Pechanga. Much of that is changing as many of the restaurants and bars are providing night time entertainment, such as karaoke at Texas Lils or live music at The Edge and The Collective. 
• 33.456-117.1071 Pechanga Resort and Casino. A Las Vegas gaming experience in Southern California home to a modern night club, several up-scale restaurants and food court, and theatre which plays host to many famous acts touring across the country  
• 33.49316-117.149422 Old Town Temecula Community Theater, 42051 Main St, ☏ +1-866-OLD-TOWN (653-8696) (653-8696).  
• 33.355833-116.8653 Palomar Observatory.  

• Vail Ranch Park, 32965 Harmony Ln. For teens and kids, this is a great spot to stop at, mainly what sets this apart from your average park is that this park has a free Zipline and a wild west theme. The park also has a very long trail perfect for sightseeing, dogwalking, relaxation, scootering, and biking. (updated Apr 2025)

• Temecula Valley Balloon & Wine Festival. Held annually in May at the Lake Skinner Recreational Area, east of the major wineries. Enjoy food and wine, hot-air balloons, and live music acts of multiple genres.
• The Temecula Rod Run. Annual hot rod festival in Old Town Temecula in February. 

• Old Town Temecula. Considered the best area for tourists looking to pick up that nice little souvenir of Temecula. This area has many quaint and charming shops. 
• The Promenade. A conventional shopping mall. The mall has gone under extentsive redesign to set itself as an upscale mall with shops including Coach and Apple. Apart from shopping it's a very good place to sit down in the plaza. 

Temecula has more than its fair share of '50s-style diners, most located on the west side of the freeway, along Main Street. If you are looking for something less local, a drive up along Rancho California or Temecula Parkway/79 has numerous options for chain restaurants.

• 33.5226-117.15861 The Broken Yolk Cafe, 26495 Ynez Rd, toll-free: +1-855-229-YOLK (9655), [email protected]. M-F 6AM-2PM, Sa Su 6AM-3PM.  (updated Jun 2020)
• 33.5187-117.16382 Mo's Egg House, 27405 Jefferson Ave, ☏ +1 951-506-7708. Daily 7AM-1PM.  (updated Jun 2020)
• 33.5237-117.15023 Original Pancake House, 41377 Margarita Road Suite F101 (in the outer circle of the Promenade Mall near Macoroni Grill), ☏ +1 951-296-9016.  (updated Jun 2020)

Lots of locally produced wine.

• Temecula Beer & Wine Garden (in Old Town near the bus depot and Sweet Lumpy's Barbeque). Small and friendly outdoor bar. 
• 33.49341-117.148571 1909 Fluid & Fare Gastropub, 28656 Old Town Front St. M-Th 9AM-10PM, F 9AM-1AM, Sa 8:30AM-1AM, Su 8:30AM-10PM. A popular place in Old Town Temecula, centrally placed and hard to miss. Full bar, extensive food menu including brunch every day.  (updated Aug 2024)

Wineries:

• 33.513-117.01882 Altísima Winery, 37440 De Portola Rd, Temecula, CA, ☏ +1 951 422 2525. Pronounced with an accent on the first "i", this is the current most-popular winery on weekends on the De Portola trail. Parking can be a challenge but generally worth it for the views of the winery and the people-watching. The restaurant, wines, and service will keep you coming back.  (updated Jun 2026)
• 33.5403-117.044493 Bottaia winery, ☏ +1 951 365 3388. A newer winery, pleasant to visit, great service, offering good appetizers and good wines overlooking the vineyards. Offers a wine blending lab by appointment. Co-located with a pool with open bar that's open in the warm months.  (updated Jun 2026)
• 33.5233-117.08634 Europa Village, 41150 Via Europa, ☏ +1 951-506-1818. A new development encompassing food and wine varietals from Spain (Bolero Winery), Italy (Vienza), and (under construction) France. The property also includes an inn.  (updated Aug 2024)
• 33.5237-117.01845 Leoness Cellars, 38311 De Portola Rd, ☏ +1 951-302-7601. Great wines, excellent restaurant, picturesque grounds with a view of the valley. Located near the newest winemakers in Temecula, but with many years of successful winemaking history.  (updated Aug 2024)
• 33.5183-117.02136 Oak Mountain Winery, 36522 Via Verde, Temecula, CA, ☏ +1 951 699 9102. The winery has bored a cylindrical tunnel into the hill on the property to create a man-made cave. In the cave are an excellent restaurant and a distillery that's open late on weekends. The wines and service are very good too.  (updated Jun 2026)
• 33.5368-117.05047 Ponte Winery, 35053 Rancho California Rd (in the Ponte Vineyard Inn next door to the winery), ☏ +1 951-694-8855. Wine tasting by day, and wine country's first full bar by night: The Cellar, in the basement of the Ponte Inn next door to the winery. Excellent service throughout the grounds, top-notch wines, and beautiful grounds.  (updated Jun 2026)
• 33.539-117.04678 Wiens Cellars.  
• 33.547-117.04539 Wilson Creek Winery. Well-known and trendy. Crowded and hard to find parking on most weekends.  (updated Aug 2024)

Breweries:

• Iron Fire Brewing Co, 42095 Zevo Drive Suite #1. Daily 3-8PM.  

• Best Western Country Inn, 27706 Jefferson Ave, ☏ +1 951-676-7378, fax: +1 951 699-7995.  
• Holiday Inn Express, 27660 Jefferson Ave, ☏ +1 951-699-2444.  
• Motel 6 Temecula - Rancho California, 41900 Moreno Dr, ☏ +1 951-676-7199, fax: +1 951 676-2619.  
• Quality Inn, 27338 Jefferson Ave, ☏ +1 951-296-3788.  
• Embassy Suites Temecula, 29345 Rancho California Rd.  (updated Feb 2021)

Temecula is considered to be one of the safest cities in all of California. Virtually every area of town is considered safe to walk, but caution should be taken walking at night in the area around the apartment complexes on Pujol Street near Old Town, and the area of the apartment complexes just east of the Rancho California/Ynez intersection across from the Temecula Town Center.

Though still relatively safe, there has been an increase in gang activity and the usual related crimes: drugs, car thefts and assaults.

• Los Angeles and Orange County are accessible via 15N to 91W. Try to avoid travel during rush hours.
• San Diego, to the south, is accessible via 15S.
• Oceanside and Carlsbad are among the closer beach communities and can be accessed via 15S to 78W.
• Idyllwild is a nearby mountain resort.

Riverside (Via spur ) ← Lake Elsinore ←

N  S

→ Fallbrook → San Diego