How to Visit Santa Barbara on a Budget
Known as the American Riveria, the mild winters and warm summers make Santa Barbara a popular vacation spot. Here's how to have the ultimate Santa Barbara vacation without the designer price tag.
Disclosure: My trip to Santa Barbara was provided courtesy of Expedia. All opinions are 100% mine.
Santa Barbara on a Budget
Home to Flying A Studios, Santa Barbara played a pivotal role in the movie industry. Considered "Hollywood North" Santa Barbara County was the backdrop for hundreds of silent movies. It's no surprise that this beach city still draws celebrities.
Despite being home and a playground for the rich and famous Santa Barbara is affordable. Here's how to visit Santa Barbara on a budget.
How to Get to Santa Barbara
Car
You can rent a car and drive to Santa Barbara. Santa Barbara is a:
- 1 ½ hour drive (without traffic) from Los Angeles
- 4 ½ hour drive from San Diego
- 6-hour drive from San Francisco
Pro-tip: If driving during rush hour or on a holiday, it can take twice as long to drive.
Plane
American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, and United Airlines fly to Santa Barbara's municipal airport.
Non-stop flights are available from:
- Dallas (American Airlines)
- Denver (United Airlines)
- Los Angeles (United Airlines)
- Phoenix (American Airlines
- Portland (Alaska Airlines)
- San Francisco (United Airlines)
Shuttle
The Santa Barbara Airbus provides transportation between Los Angeles International Airport and Santa Barbara. You can find the shuttle in the Lower Level at LAX near the Green "FlyAway Bus, Long Distance Van" signs. The Santa Barbara Airbus picks up and drops at the Hyatt Centric Santa Barbara.
Cost is $55 one-way or $100 round-trip for 1 person. Discounts available for two or more passengers.
Pro-tip: Pay in advance and save $5.
Train
Amtrak offers daily service into the downtown Santa Barbara train station. The Pacific Surfliner stops in Santa Barbara five times a day. While the Coast Starlight makes one daily stop in Santa Barbara.
Pacific Surfliner tickets start at $31 from Los Angeles, $42 from San Diego and San Francisco. Tickets on the Coast Starlight from Los Angeles start at $24 from Los Angeles and $31 from San Diego and San Francisco.
You can also book a Superliner Roomette (sleeper cabin with meals) on the Coast Starlight for $104 from Los Angeles and $201 from San Diego and San Francisco.
Pro-tip: Save 20% on your Amtrak ticket through Santa Barbara's Car Free program.
What to Do in Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara offers a wealth of activities for visitors of all ages. From golden beaches, unique museums to award-winning wineries, your visit to Santa Barbara can be action packed or laid back.
Best Views of Santa Barbara
Take the scenic drive up Alameda Padre Serra to Franceschi Park for the best views of Santa Barbara. You can enjoy a picnic, hike the horticultural trails, and see the home of botanist Francesco Franceschi.
Pro-tip: Limited parking.
Funk Zone
For a lively evening head down to the Funk Zone. The Funk Zone is a revitalized multi-block area between State Street and Garden Street where you can shop, eat, and drink to your heart's content.
Pro-tip: Parking is $1.50 an hour. You get 1 free 75-minute parking a day (if you can find a spot). Save money by taking Uber!
Museums
Culture lovers and families will appreciate Santa Barbara's nine museums. There's a museum for every taste from the MOXI, Wolf Museum of Exploration + Innovation to the Santa Barbara Museum of Art.
Pro-tip: Check out the rooftop garden in the MOXI.
Wineries
You can explore the various wineries in Santa Barbara and Santa Ynez. There are over 200 wineries in Santa Barbara County from to Alma Rosa to Zaca Mesa and every winery in between.
Check out all the things you can do in Santa Barbara.
Where to Stay in Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara offers a variety of accommodations for all budgets. If you want to stay in the heart of downtown Santa Barbara consider staying at the Kimpton Canary Hotel.
You can enjoy a beachfront hotel without the beachfront price tag at the Santa Barbara Inn and the Fess Parker Doubletree. Both hotels are across the street from the popular East Beach. East Beach has volleyball courts, a playground, and picnic tables.
On my recent visit to Santa Barbara, I stayed at the Santa Barbara Inn. I loved being able to walk across the street for early morning walks on the beach and see the sunrise over the ocean.
Read my review of the Santa Barbara Inn.
Pro-tip: If heading downtown and didn't rent a car take Uber or the Downtown & Waterfront Shuttles. Shuttles run every 10 minutes and cost $1.75 per person each way.
Conclusion
A trip to Santa Barbara, the American Riveria, doesn't have to cost a fortune. You can save money by booking a vacation package through an online travel agency like Expedia.
Or use your airline miles to fly into Santa Barbara or Los Angeles. Los Angeles is 1 ½ hours from Santa Barbara. You can rent a car and drive or relax and take the train or shuttle.
There are so many things to do in Santa Barbara. Relax on the beach, stimulate your mind at one of the many museums, or go wine tasting, the choices are endless.
Beachfront hotels like the Santa Barbara Inn and the Fess Parker Doubletree are affordable. Rooms are large enough for the entire family to enjoy without feeling cramped. All rooms at the Santa Barbara Inn include free daily breakfast.
What's your favorite thing to do in Santa Barbara?
Pin this to your travel, vacation, and/or California boards:
Comment, tweet, or share this post.
Get the best credit card bonuses.
Follow us on Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram | YouTube
Got a question? Or want help, suggestions, travel tips, learn how to travel for free, find out about travel deals, and maximize your miles and points? Use the subscription box below to sign-up and get post updates by email.
Nice basic fun tips for visiting Santa Barbara. I actually flew into their small airport one time and rented a car. Such a pleasant experience. The sunsets from the beachbelow the cliffs are first rate.
Santa Barbara is so unbelievably beautiful, isn't it? These are great tips for visiting it on a budget. For us Santa Barbara is always "on a budget" because we live only two hours away, so we only do day trips there. I always enjoy reading about this area. It makes me feel very lucky for living so close to it.
Great tips. I have seen advance booking always helps save some money. Good to know it holds good here too. Will check out hiring cars if I am there some day.
Thank you for the tips! I've heard such great things about Santa Barbara. I'd love to wander around and explore. Funk Zone looks fun, and sign me up for those wineries! Time to explore more of California and get to Santa Barbara ASAP.
Coming from Australia, I'd never actually heard of Santa Barbara before, but it looks beautiful and indulgent. I had a little chuckle at the name Funk Zone, although it does sound like a good place to spend an evening with the restaurants and bars. I'm really impressed that there's 200 wineries in the region as well!
Thanks for a detailed guide, it's cool that one can visit Santa Barbara without spending a million. I love the Funk Zone and Museums look pretty interesting!
I'd be all about the Funk Zone. It looks really rad. Great tip about taking an Uber. I hate paying for parking. I also love that there are beachfront options on a budget. I'm a big fan of all the budget options I can get.
Santa Barbara looks so gorgeous and it’s great to learn more about how you can travel there on a budget. I love the view of the town from Franceschi Park—the beach, pier and beach are so pretty! Would love to go shopping and out to eat in Funk Zone too, and the wineries would be a must!
I just want to visit every winery in California at some point. I found this great little wine bar last time I was in Santa Barbara. I can't remember the name but they had a great little patio and an amazing selection of local wine. Great guide on all the public transport options to get to Santa Barbara.
Seems like a gorgeous place for a relaxed holiday by the beach. And the wineries bit spices that up. I wouldnt mind the museums too from what I see. On the whole a holiday, where you do nothing and yet do something,
I love Santa Barbara! These are great tips for making the most of your visit on a budget. Taking the Amtrak train is such a comfortable way to get there. We're planning a trip to Santa Barbara this summer, so it's great to know we can save 20% on Amtrak tickets through Santa Barbara's car free program! Also a really good tip to Uber and save money on parking. As you said, the wineries in Santa Barbara and the surrounding areas are really nice. There are also several wineries in the city on the Santa Barbara Urban Wine Trail. The wine bar on the pier is especially lovely if you can get up there for a tasting around sunset 🙂
Yesss, good ol' Santa Barbara! I love all the nearby hikes (Like Knapp's Castle!). Totally budget friendly too!
Hi Kay,
Gotta love a budget destination. 🙂
Great tips..Looks like an amazing place..Love the pics