Santa Barbara Private Tour With Driver: How to Get to Santa Barbara by Car From LAX, Malibu and Los Angeles

How do you get to Santa Barbara by car?

Santa Barbara sits on a narrow coastal shelf between the Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific, facing south, which gives the city its mild winters and its sunsets over the water. After a major earthquake in 1925, the downtown was rebuilt in a Spanish Colonial Revival style, and the red-tiled roofs, white walls and arcades that define the city today date largely from that period. The Santa Barbara tourism board's site lists the County Courthouse among its headline attractions, with Spanish tiles, a sunken garden and an observation tower that many describe as one of the country's most beautiful government buildings.

For travelers considering a Santa Barbara private tour with driver, or planning how to get to Santa Barbara by car from Los Angeles, the useful decisions are when to leave, which stops to choose, and whether to make it a long day or an overnight. The notes below give distances, drop-off and parking guidance, and an example schedule.

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The US-101 drive north, in three stretches

From Los Angeles, the road to Santa Barbara is essentially one highway, US-101, though the character changes along the way.

1. The valley section. Out of the Los Angeles basin through the San Fernando Valley and into Ventura County, past Calabasas and Thousand Oaks to Camarillo. This stretch is the slowest at commuter peaks (about 6:30 to 9:30 am heading north is lighter than 3:30 to 7 pm).
2. Ventura. The highway meets the coast, and the road passes through the city of Ventura. Traffic eases here on most days.
3. The Rincon coast. From Ventura County into Santa Barbara County, US-101 hugs the shoreline for roughly 20 km (12 mi), with the Pacific close on the left. The scenery is the reward, and a collision or a landslide here can stop traffic for hours.

Typical distances from the usual starting points:

• Los Angeles International (LAX). About 160 km (100 mi), 1 hour 45 minutes to 3 hours. See our LAX transfer page.
• Malibu Pier. About 125 km (78 mi), 1 hour 40 minutes to 2 hours 30 minutes. See the Malibu guide.
• Hollywood and Universal City. About 145 km (90 mi), 1 hour 40 minutes to 2 hours 45 minutes.
• Ventura. About 45 km (28 mi), 35 to 55 minutes.

The best way to avoid the delays is to leave Los Angeles before 8:30 am heading north, or to start after 9:30 am and accept a lunch stop in Ventura. Sunday afternoon is the worst time for the return, because weekend visitors leave at the same time.

Airport, train or road: choosing the way in

Santa Barbara has its own airport, Santa Barbara Airport (SBA), at Goleta, which the city's visitor site puts at about 10 miles (16 km) from downtown, with other sources giving 8 to 10 miles and 15 to 25 minutes by car. For travelers who can fly in, it removes the 101 drive entirely, and a chauffeur can meet you at the terminal. Direct service depends on the airline schedule, so check what connects from your origin.

The Pacific Surfliner train runs between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara along the coast, with scenic sections near Ventura. It is slower than driving in good traffic, takes roughly 2 hours 30 minutes to 3 hours, and can be a comfortable way to see the coast without worrying about the freeway. Many visitors take the train one way and a car the other.

Where the car goes downtown

Downtown Santa Barbara is compact and pleasant on foot. State Street, the main spine, has a pedestrian promenade through its central blocks. Cabrillo Boulevard runs along the waterfront. Chauffeurs generally work as follows.

• Drop-off near the courthouse, on the surrounding side streets such as Anapamu Street, which are quieter than State Street.
• Drop-off at the waterfront, near the foot of Stearns Wharf, where the city runs waterfront lots. The city's schedule lists an initial free period and hourly rates, with a daily maximum, so check the current City of Santa Barbara waterfront parking page before you decide to park rather than be dropped off.
• Mission Santa Barbara, which is about 3 km (2 mi) north of downtown on a hill. It has its own parking, and the surrounding streets are residential.

The driver can stay with the car or return when you message. The city's lots and garages are well signed; the ones closest to State Street fill on weekends and festival days.

The County Courthouse tower and the mission

The Santa Barbara County Courthouse is the first stop for many visitors. Its observation tower, reached by a lift and a short stair, gives a panoramic view across the red roofs to the harbor and the mountains. According to the city's tourism site, the tower is open to the public, the courthouse closes at 5 pm, and visitors are admitted until 4:30 pm. Other listings describe the Clock Gallery on the floor below as docent-led on certain mornings. Because county buildings can change schedules for court business, verify on the Courthouse Legacy Foundation site before you go. Allow 45 minutes to an hour, including the sunken garden and the Mural Room.

Old Mission Santa Barbara, founded in 1786 and known as the "Queen of the Missions," sits above the city. It operates tours for a fee, and the church and cemetery can close for masses, weddings and funerals, so confirm on the Mission's tour page before you build a schedule around it. Hours differ between sources, so use the Mission's own page. Allow an hour.

Stearns Wharf, the Funk Zone and East Beach

The waterfront is the easiest half-day. Stearns Wharf, built in 1872, extends from the foot of State Street and has shops, a seafood restaurant and views back toward the mountains. Its parking is run by the city and rules change with each fiscal year. Next door, the Funk Zone is a former industrial district now filled with tasting rooms, galleries and restaurants, within walking distance of the wharf. East Beach, a long, flat sandy beach, begins a few minutes' walk east of the wharf.

Allow two to three hours for the wharf, a walk through the Funk Zone, and a coffee or lunch. The water is cool, even in August, and the marine layer can hang over the coast until late morning in early summer.

Beyond downtown: Montecito, gardens and wine country

A day in Santa Barbara often includes a short drive out of the center.

• Montecito, about 8 km (5 mi) east of downtown, 15 to 20 minutes, is a residential community with a small village shopping street and several garden estates. Some gardens, such as Lotusland, require advance reservations, so check ahead.
• Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, about 5 km (3 mi) up Mission Canyon, 10 to 20 minutes. The tourism site mentions California poppies in spring.
• Santa Barbara Zoo and the harbor, near the waterfront. The harbor sells fresh seafood from the boats.
• Santa Ynez Valley and Solvang. The tourism site puts Solvang, a Danish-style village, at about 45 minutes from downtown over Highway 154 (about 55 km / 34 mi). Wineries and tasting rooms line the roads around it. If you plan tastings, a chauffeur is the practical choice, since the driver stays sober and the pickup is arranged.

How to reach Santa Barbara, compared

If you are alone and have time, the train is the best-value way in, and the Surfliner's coastal stretches are better than the freeway. A private car earns its place for a day trip that returns the same evening, for a group of four or more, or when the schedule includes wineries or a flight out of LAX.

A day trip from Los Angeles, hour by hour

A realistic one-day plan, leaving by 8 am:

1. 8:00 am, depart Hollywood, Beverly Hills or LAX. About 145 to 160 km (90 to 100 mi).
2. 10:30 am, arrive in Santa Barbara, after a short coffee stop in Ventura if needed.
3. 10:45 am, the Courthouse tower and sunken garden. 45 to 60 minutes.
4. 12:00 pm, lunch in the Funk Zone or on State Street.
5. 1:30 pm, Stearns Wharf and a walk along the waterfront.
6. 2:45 pm, Mission Santa Barbara. An hour.
7. 4:00 pm, depart for Los Angeles, or stay for sunset and dinner.
8. 7:30 pm, return, about 1 hour 45 minutes to 3 hours depending on the hour.

This is a long day, around 10 to 11 hours with 5 to 6 hours in the car. If you can, stay the night and drive back in the morning. The desk can also plan a one-way transfer from Santa Barbara to Los Angeles with stops, and can combine the trip with the Getty Center on the way back into Los Angeles, or with a coastal day through Malibu.

Multi-stop days are laid out on the private tours with driver page, and related destinations are in the North America directory. For a longer coast trip north, the Big Sur guide covers the next stretch of California highway.

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One-way transfers and overnight stays

Not every client wants the round trip. Two arrangements are common. In the first, you fly into Los Angeles, transfer north to a hotel in Santa Barbara, spend a day or two on the coast, and travel on to your next city, with the car meeting you at each end. In the second, you start in Santa Barbara, take the scenic stretch of US-101 south with a stop in Ventura or Malibu, and finish at LAX or a Los Angeles hotel. The Los Angeles limo service page explains how city pickups work, and the attractions hub lists other destinations you can combine. Offshore, Channel Islands National Park is reached by boat from the harbor area and is a separate day.

Seasons and events

Santa Barbara is pleasant year-round. Winter is mild and the mountains are green after rain; spring brings wildflowers; summer has a morning marine layer; autumn is often the warmest and clearest season. The Old Spanish Days Fiesta is usually held in early August and fills the downtown for several days, with road closures, so book the car and any restaurant tables early if you plan to visit then. Heavy rain can cause slides on US-101 and the canyon roads, and wildfire and debris-flow risks affect the area in some years; check Caltrans before leaving.