Santa Barbara
THE AMERICAS · BEACH · CALIFORNIA
An entire city rebuilt in Spanish Colonial Revival after a 1925 earthquake, wedged between mountains and a south-facing beach. White walls, red tiles and bougainvillaea everywhere, with a wine region an hour inland that Sideways made famous. Ninety minutes from Los Angeles and considerably more relaxed than it.
The plan
The Courthouse clock tower
A 1929 Spanish-Moorish courthouse with painted ceilings and a free tower with the best view of the city.
Funk Zone wine trail
Twenty tasting rooms in old warehouses between the beach and the station. Walkable, and no driving required.
Old Mission Santa Barbara
The 1786 Queen of the Missions, on a rise above town, with a rose garden in front of it.
Cycle the Cabrillo bike path
Flat, along the sand from the harbour to the bird refuge, with a stop at the Sunday arts show.
Santa Ynez Valley
Forty minutes over the pass for pinot noir, Danish-themed Solvang and the ostriches at Buellton.
Book before you fly
Funk Zone tasting rooms
Walk-in, no booking — the wine trail is the one thing here you don't need to plan.
Channel Islands day trips
Island Packers ferries from Ventura, capped and booked ahead in summer.
Getting there
Fly Santa Barbara (SBA)
Fifteen minutes from downtown, tiny and pleasant, with connections through most western hubs.
Take the Pacific Surfliner
Two and a half hours from Los Angeles along the water, and one of the best train rides in America. Sit on the right.
Getting around
Downtown, the Funk Zone and the beach are walkable, with a $0.50 electric shuttle along State Street. A car is only for wine country.
When to go
Best time to go
September and October, when the June gloom is long gone and it's 25°C with clear evenings.
Cheapest months
January to March — mild, green from the rain, and the cheapest hotel rates of the year.
Priciest & busiest
July and August at weekends, when Los Angeles arrives and State Street parking disappears.
If you've got one day
Morning
The Courthouse clock tower
Late morning
Funk Zone wine trail
Lunch
La Super-Rica Taqueria
Afternoon
Old Mission Santa Barbara
Evening
Dinner at The Lark, then Cycle the Cabrillo bike path
If you've got a week
Day 1
Arrive, settle in around San Ysidro Ranch, and take it slowly — La Super-Rica Taqueria for dinner.
Day 2
The Courthouse clock tower.
Day 3
Funk Zone wine trail. Dinner at The Lark.
Day 4
Day trip — Santa Ynez Valley.
Day 5
Old Mission Santa Barbara. Santa Barbara Shellfish Company at some point.
Day 6
Cycle the Cabrillo bike path.
Day 7
Santa Ynez Valley. Finish with Bettina.
Staying longer?
Nearby & day trips
Santa Ynez Valley
Forty minutes over the pass for pinot noir and Solvang.
Ojai
An hour east, an artists' valley with a pink glow on the mountains at sunset.
Ninety minutes south, or two and a half hours by train.
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