Southern California Los Angeles
Film studios, beach towns and hilltop views spread across a vast, sunny basin — a city you plan by neighbourhood, not by map.
Things to see in Santa Barbara
Seven places that show the city, its shore and the valley behind it.
1. Old Mission Santa Barbara
Founded in 1786, the tenth of California’s Spanish missions, and known as the “Queen of the Missions” for its twin bell towers and classical façade. It is still home to a community of Franciscan friars. The self-guided visit includes the church, cloister garden, cemetery and museum.
2. Santa Barbara County Courthouse
A working courthouse of 1929 that looks like a Spanish-Moorish palace, with painted ceilings, hand-made tiles, a sunken garden and a mural room. Take the lift up the clock tower for a 360-degree view over red roofs to the sea and mountains.
3. Stearns Wharf
A wooden pier of 1872 at the foot of State Street, lined with seafood restaurants, shops and a small sea-life centre. Walk to the end for the view back to the city.
4. State Street and the Funk Zone
The city’s main street runs from the wharf through the centre, with much of it given over to pedestrians, cafés and shops. Beside the railway station, the Funk Zone is a former warehouse district now packed with wine-tasting rooms, breweries, galleries and murals.
5. Beaches and waterfront
A paved path runs for several kilometres along the shore, from the harbour past West Beach and palm-lined East Beach to Butterfly Beach in Montecito. Hire a bike or a four-wheeled surrey; on Sundays an arts-and-crafts market sets up along the seafront.
6. Santa Ynez Valley wine country
Over the San Marcos Pass, a wide valley of vineyards, oak-dotted hills and small towns — Los Olivos, Santa Ynez, Los Alamos — known for pinot noir, chardonnay and syrah. It was the setting of the film Sideways. More relaxed and cheaper than Napa.
7. Solvang
A town founded by Danish-Americans in 1911 and rebuilt after the Second World War in half-timbered Danish style, complete with windmills and bakeries selling aebleskiver. Kitsch but cheerful, and a handy lunch stop in the valley.
Destinations
Combine it with
Southern California 
Central Coast Big Sur & Monterey
The most dramatic stretch of the California coast: Highway 1 clinging to the cliffs of Big Sur, with Monterey’s aquarium and Carmel’s cottages at its northern end.
Southern California Anaheim & Disneyland
The original Disney theme park, its newer neighbour and a second classic park down the road — with Orange County’s surf beaches 30 minutes away.
Plan your trip
Book tours in Santa Barbara
Compare real-time prices and availability on GetYourGuide. Most tours can be cancelled free of charge up to 24 hours ahead.