Santa Barbara Holiday Guide

Santa Barbara Travel Information

Santa barbara is situated less than 100 miles from the centre of Los Angeles, Santa Barbara is a scenic coastal city featuring perfect beaches, shops, restaurants and highly rated wineries. The locals are very proud of their city and host a number of festivals and events throughout the year, a real draw for tourists looking for a great holiday destination.

In the downtown area numerous museums and art galleries are on display. The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History is a large and impressive museum with some amazing exhibits including a life-size blue whale skeleton. The Santa Barbara Museum of Art is filled with Roman antiques and collections of classical European artworks.

The hilly and mountainous terrains of Santa Barbara offer some breathtaking views and enjoyable trekking and climbing opportunities. There are great walking trails that follow the scenic coastline starting from the pier and marina area, leading around to the Santa Barbara courthouse.

Santa Barbara Tourist Attractions

There are a host of outdoor sports to participate in with surfing, paragliding and kite-boarding available. Numerous golf courses are in the area, with Rancho San Marcos and Hollister being of world-class level.

Santa Barbara has some of California's best restaurants, with a wide range of top chefs from all parts of the globe. The city is famous for its Mexican cuisine, with La Super Rica Taqueria voted as having the best Mexican food in the country by the New York Times newspaper.

Transport Around Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara does have a small commercial airport that services routes to some close-by airports including San Francisco, Las Vegas, Phoenix and Denver. There is a historic railway station in the downtown area, which is serviced by Amtrak. Greyhound has buses arriving daily from all parts of the country. If driving there is one major highway coming in and out of Santa Barbara, the US-101.

Downtown Santa Barbara is considered relatively safe with a low crime rate but as with most tourist cities, some petty theft and pickpockets are present. During the daytime most areas are safe although be careful of your valuables at the beach and at night avoid walking through any places that are quiet and poorly lit. The beaches of Santa Barbara often have strong riptides and undertows, so be careful when swimming. We strongly advise that you purchase adequate travel insurance before your holiday.