taytrum travels

Whether you’re stopping in as part of a big road trip to Santa Barbara, visiting for work, or taking a day trip to Santa Barbara from a nearby California city, Santa Barbara has plenty to fill your time during a quick visit.

If you’re wondering what to see in Santa Barbara in one day, I’ve got you covered with this itinerary.

Deciding how to spend a day in Santa Barbara will depend on your interests. There are many active and outdoorsy things to do, but you could also meander through the many museums or shops if you prefer. In this guide, I mix in a bit of both.

Here’s a local’s guide for visiting Santa Barbara in one day, especially for first time visitors.

One Day in Santa Barbara (Full Itinerary)

Breakfast

For light breakfast in Santa Barabara, I recommend Alessia. Here you can do a quick pastry and coffee stop, or do a sit-down option with a full brunch menu. If you are looking for more of a devoted breakfast space, head to Scarlett Begonia for things like lemon ricotta pancakes and huevos rancheros.

After breakfast, head up the hill to Santa Barbara’s famous Spanish Mission. The Santa Barbara Spanish Mission, established in 1786, was the 10th mission founded by the Franciscans. Today, visitors can explore its church and gardens. There are also guided tour options. You can find a coffee truck with small bites and drinks outside too.

From here, you’ll continue your tour of some of the other preserved Spanish constructions by seeing the Presidio Real de Santa Barbara. Built in 1782, this is a former Spanish military facility. Here you’ll find the second oldest surviving building in California, an adobe structure called El Cuartel. The only older building is the chapel at Mission San Juan Capistrano further south.

The Presidio was notably the last military structure built by Spain the Americas. Today, you can find a museum and historical information here. It is also a popular spot for photographers. It hosts weddings and pop-up markets such as the Mujures Makers Market, which you can usually find on the weekends.

The next stop on this Santa Barbara day trip itinerary is the Santa Barbara Museum of Art. This museum offers visitors a great variety of art in a relatively compact museum. It houses both permanent and loaned collections. You will find wild west sculptures by Fredric Remington and paintings by Dalí, Monet, and more.

A prominent feature of downtown Santa Barbara is the courthouse. It is one of the prettiest buildings in the area. Surrounded by gardens and grassy lawns, this building is a popular location for photoshoots- everything from Instagram to proms to weddings.

You can head up the bell and clock tower for free to get sweeping views of town and the Santa Ynez Mountains. There are very few tall buildings in Santa Barbara, but the tower at the courthouse is one of the tallest features of the skyline.

Lunch

For lunch in Santa Barbara, you’ll head further down State Street. Nearby the courthouse you can find Sama Sama, a mix of primarily Asian cuisines. If you are traveling with a large group, the Santa Barbara Public Market is a perfect option. Here you can find everything from sushi to pizza to burritos to fully vegan falafel bowls. A more budget friendly option is La Super-Rica Taqueria for amazing Mexican food. It’s famous for being a favorite of Julia Child.

Next up in the itinerary is your chance to shop local in Santa Barbara and pick up souvenirs. Diani and Jake & Jones are stylish local boutiques with primarily women’s clothes. The Book Den is great bookstore to browse both new and used books. You could pick up a book and take it to relax and read at Caje, Dune, or Lighthouse Cafe. You could head to any of these coffee shops for a late afternoon caffeine pick me up.

Related: Top 8 Cafes in Santa Barbara

If you’re looking for a treat, you could go for ice cream at McConnell’s or gelato at Tondi’s. McConnell’s was founded in Santa Barbara in 1934 and has since grown tremendously. Tondi’s is great for its dairy free options. If you’re not craving gelato nor ice cream, you could grab a cupcake at Crushcakes. They have a few locations in the area, but for this itinerary, the one on Anacapa Street is most convenient.

After shopping and treats, you’ll head to Lower State Street. Go see the Moreton Bay Fig Tree. This quick stop may just be a tree, but it is a HUGE tree. You cannot climb or get too close to the tree because it is protected by a fence. This tree is 120 years old and thought to be the biggest of its kind in the country.

A visit to Santa Barbara is incomplete without a wine tasting and the best place to do this is the Funk Zone. Here you’ll find great wine tasting rooms like Pali Wine or the SB Wine Collective and breweries such as Topa Topa. It is also part of the Urban Wine Trail. This area is also artsy, so you’ll find tons of murals. Because of the artistic element, this is also cool area to explore before the sun goes down.

The Santa Barbara Harbor itself is a great place to hang out and watch the boats and animals. There are many birds, sea lions, and seals that frequent the area. The seals and sea lions like to hang out around the main dock to catch scraps from the fishermen or sleep on a flat float near the mouth of the harbor and beach.

This is also a great spot for an organized kayak tour if you’d like to get closer to water. I did this when I first moved to the area and kayaking in the harbor is an easy activity that brings you out just past the pier. You’re nearly guaranteed to see seals or sea lions.

From the harbor I recommend renting a bike to ride down to East Beach, the further southeast end of the Santa Barbara city beach front. There is a nice, paved bike trail along this route, as well as space to walk. You’ll pass through Chase Palms Park and see the colorful Chromatic Gate after about 10 minutes by bike.

No visit to Santa Barbara is complete without walking the pier at Stearns Wharf.  It was completed in 1872, although it has gone through several disasters (fires, earthquakes, storms) since then that have required rebuilding. While it originally served an economic purpose by connecting to the railroad station (right next to the fig tree), today it is primarily touristic. This is a great spot to watch the sunset from and you can try Santa Barbara’s famous uni (sea urchin) from a vendor at the end of the pier.

For dinner, I highly recommend Loquita, The Lark, or The Lucky Penny. These restaurants are in the Lower State Street area. They’re listed here from most to least fancy, which mostly corresponds to the price as well. Loquita is an upscale Spanish tapas restaurant. You should make reservations in advance if you’d like to go here on the weekend especially. All three restaurants are in the Funk Zone area.

If you still have energy left after this Santa Barbara 1 day itinerary and are looking for a nightcap, consider craft cocktails nearby at Pearl Social.

When is the best time to visit Santa Barbara?

Almost any time of the year is a good time to visit Santa Barbara because it generally has great weather year-round. However, June through September see the least rain and most sunshine. Winter temperatures are usually between 40-70 °F degrees, including overnight. January is the wettest month on average, with a little less than 4 inches on average. August is the hottest month, with average temperatures ranging between 70 and 90 °F during the day.

Related: 41 Things to Do in Santa Barbara

Getting to Santa Barbara

Flying

If you are flying to Santa Barbara, you’ll use the small regional airport SBA. American Airlines and Southwest frequent the airport several times a day, as do other carriers.

You could also fly to LAX for a cheaper flight and then take the airport shuttle. The Santa Barbara Airbus has many pick up and drop off times at LAX. It costs about $60 one-way and you should budget 3 hours for the journey in case there is traffic. However, the drive usually takes about 2 hours.

Driving

Santa Barbara is located along the 101 Highway, also known as the Ventura Freeway. It is roughly 2 hours north of Los Angeles, depending on the starting point in Los Angeles and an hour north of Ventura and an hour and a half south of San Luis Obispo.

Related: 16 Day Trips Near Santa Barbara

Where to Stay in Santa Barbara

Budget hotels in Santa Barbara:

Unfortunately, there are not very many budget-friendly options for lodging in Santa Barbara. One of the cheapest (but decent) options in the area is Motel 6 in Goleta which is located right next to a cute coffee shop, Dune, as well as a Trader Joe’s and Walgreens. Any Motel 6 in the area will cost about $130 a night. The airport is in Goleta and is a slightly more budget friendly area. That said, it takes about 10-15 minutes of driving to get to the heart of Santa Barbara from Goleta.

Mid-range hotels in Santa Barbara:

For about $180-250 a night, you can find many more options. You’ll likely recognize many of the names of good mid-range hotels in the area. There is the Best Western Plus Santa Barbara, which has older decor but a convenient location in central Santa Barbara. If location isn’t as important, the Courtyard Marriot Goleta, offers an upgrade on renovations and decor. If you prefer a boutique style hotel, try the beachfront Hotel Milo.

Luxury hotels in Santa Barbara:

Hotel Californian is a well-located luxury hotel within walking distance of the beach, wharf, and countless bars and restaurants. Its patio is also a popular venue for weddings and receptions. A new boutique hotel named Drift was built in the old Santa Barbara headquarters of the Church of Scientology. This hotel has stylish, calming boho decor. Drift starts at about $300 a night. A bit further north is one of the most luxurious hotels in the area, the Ritz-Carlton Bacara.

How many days do you need in Santa Barbara?

Ideally, 2-3 days is the best option for visiting Santa Barbara. However, you can pack a lot into a single day visit. A day trip to Santa Barbara will certainly not disappoint and will leave you looking forward to your next visit when you can explore the many things to do.

Related: Two Day Itinerary for Santa Barbara

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