Santa Barbara Day Trip: Things to Do, See and Eat

Planning a Santa Barbara day trip is one of my favorite things to do.

When we want to escape the big city but are time-constrained, Santa Barbara is the default choice. At this point, we do not even plan that much. We visit our favorite places, search for new spots while on the road or go to the visitors center for recommendations.

In other words, we like to mix the familiar with the unfamiliar (since we want to keep things fun and exciting).

The good news is that I have amassed tons of knowledge about what to do, see, eat ad drink. Here I am giving you plenty of ideas to plan the perfect day trip to Santa Barbara.

Please note: This article contains affiliate links, meaning I may earn a commission if you make a purchase by clicking a link. Of course, this comes at no extra cost to you and helps me to keep offering solid information to readers.

Table of Contents

Starting Points

Santa Barbara is doable as a day trip from different places. Here is a list of distances and driving times from major cities in Southern California.

Ventura – 27 miles (0.5 hour)

Los Angeles – 95 miles (less than 2 hours)

Thousand Oaks – 56 miles (1 hour)

Santa Monica – 92 miles (less than 2 hours)

Long Beach – 115 miles (2 hours)

Anaheim – 121 miles (2 hours, 20 minutes)

Newport Beach – 137 miles (2.5 hours)

Keep in mind distances are approximate and depend on specific starting points. Driving times are influenced by traffic, accidents, and other road conditions.

What about Santa Barbara as a day trip from San Diego? I do not believe you should attempt to visit Santa Barbara as a day trip from San Diego. The distance between cities is over 200 miles or almost 4 hours of driving. And, that is not taking into consideration the incredible slow down that you can encounter when passing Los Angeles. If you want to visit from San Diego, stay the night (or longer) in Santa Barbara.

Santa Barbara Day Trip – What to Take into Consideration

To make the most out of your time in Santa Barbara, try to leave the starting point as early as possible.

If you are driving from Los Angeles or Orange County, I recommend leaving really early. And early means 6:00 a.m. In that way, you will be in Santa Barbara before 8:00 a.m., have breakfast at leisure, and start sightseeing.

The other option is to leave at or after 9:00 a.m. and arrive around 11:00 a.m. You will arrive for lunchtime and head back late (7:00 or 8:00 p.m.)

Don’t be fooled into thinking that weekend traffic is lighter than week traffic. You may be stuck in traffic on a Saturday too.

Traffic tends to be heavier during the summer months. As an example, it has taken me over 3 hours to drive from Santa Barbara to Los Angeles on Sunday afternoons. This is because a lot of people are driving back home after spending a day at one of the beaches located along the coast.

Santa Barbara is a year-round destination. The weather is always good. If you are into taking pictures, you may want to skip the summer season. That is when the California Coast is hit by a phenomenon called “June Gloom.” Fog or a marine layer covers the area till late afternoon.

There is a lot of alcohol to drink in Santa Barbara. My advice is to choose a designated driver before arriving in town. Also, know your limits. A lot of people think that drinking wine is like drinking beer. Big, big mistake!

I know this is an article focused on one day in Santa Barbara but you can use this article to plan a San Francisco to San Diego road trip (or Pacific Coast Highway road trip, or specific road trip to Santa Barbara), Santa Barbara weekend getaway, a weekend trip to Santa Barbara, or occasion-specific Santa Barbara trip. I am packing a lot of info here!

If you have never visited Santa Barbara and want to get a good feeling of the city, here are my top recommendations.

Breakfast

My favorite breakfast spot is Jeannine’s Bakery. They have two locations in Santa Barbara, one in Goleta and one in Montecito (I prefer this one). If you have a sweet tooth, do not miss the Banana Kahlua French Toast. They are open for lunch too.

The Helena Avenue Bakery has insanely delicious bread and pastries (my husband is a baker, I know what I am talking about), biscuit sandwiches (you need to get one), ricotta toast, sandwiches, and more. Take some goodies to go (and devour them later).

Mexican food lovers should head to Lito’s for legit breakfast burritos, chilaquiles, and menudo. They serve the entire menu starting at 6:00 a.m. You can go as heavy as you want there (rice, beans, tortillas, etc.)

Morning

After breakfast, head to the Mission Santa Barbara, the Queen of Missions. You can admire the pink exterior or pay a fee to see the garden, cemetery, and church’s interior. Do not forget to check out the rose garden in front of the Mission.

It is time to explore Downtown. For this, you will need to leave your car at one of the municipal lots. Do not leave the car on the street since most meters have a max time of 90 minutes.

There is a lot to see in Downtown Santa Barbara but if you are visiting for a day I recommend doing a short walk around the most notable and photogenic sites.

You can start your walk at the intersection of State Street and De La Guerra Street. On the De La Guerra Street, you can see the Casa de la Guerra, the De La Guerra Plaza, the Santa Barbara City Hall, and the Santa Barbara Historical Museum.

A block north, on Santa Barbara Street, you will find the Old Presidio (military post) with its different structures.

Another block north, you will encounter one of the most beautiful buildings in the city, the Spanish Revival Courthouse. Admiring the sunken gardens and climbing to the top of the building (free) are a must. Make sure you go down the stairs so you can see the courtroom covered in historical murals.

Once done, head to State Street (the main thoroughfare) and take a look at the Granada Theather, the Arlington Theater, La Arcada, the Paseo Nuevo shopping complex, and dozens of stores, eateries, and coffee shops.

Lunch

For lunch, I recommend The Blue Owl, a place where you can get banh mi sandwiches and Thai basil cheeseburgers. They have an awesome fried rice bar (you select the ingredients and they prepare on the spot).

Another place I like is the South Coast Deli. I have dreams about their meatball, mozzarella and pesto sandwich. Portions are monstrous so share if you can.

Other places to get sandwiches and salads include Savoy Cafe and Pickels & Swiss.

If you want to get fancy, have lunch at Bouchon or Finch & Fork.

Save some room on your belly for ice cream. McConnell’s is a Santa Barbara original and you cannot miss having a cone or cup of their inventive flavors.

Afternoon

Well, it is time to hit the beach! Or, at least, the coast.

You can either drive your car or take the trolley that connects Downtown to the beach. Walking is possible too. However, you may not want to kill time doing this.

Before laying on the sand, stroll around the Stearns Wharf and capture a picture or two featuring the city, ocean, and mountains.

In terms of beaches, you can pick East Beach or West Beach. Each has its own amenities.

If you are not into beach bumming, there are several museums to visit on the Stearns Wharf and Harbor (Santa Barbara Maritime Museum, Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History). In addition, you can rent paddleboarding, kayaking, and sailing equipment.

Another option is to set camp at Leadbetter Beach. This strip of sand is still located very close to town but feels a little bit more secluded. From the beach, you can walk to Shoreline Park and get great views of the city from Santa Barbara Point.

Dinner / Evening

Before heading home, you may want to grab something to eat in the Funk Zone. This part of the city has the hippest restaurants, breweries, and wine tasting rooms.

People rave about The Goat Tree, Loquita and Tyger Tyger. In terms of beer, you should definitely check out Lama Dog Tap House, Topa Topa Brewing, and Figueroa Mountain Brewing Company.

Santa Barbara Day Trip – Repeating Visitors

If you have been to Santa Barbara before, it is possible that you have visited most or a lot of the places featured in the above Santa Barbara itinerary.

Here are some additional ideas targeted towards repeating visitors.