Travelling Santa Barbara
Before You Travel
The city of Santa Barbara is located on the California coast approximately 90 miles (150 km) north of Los Angeles. It is somewhat sheltered from Pacific Ocean weather by a group of uninhabited rocky isles, known simply as the Channel Islands, situated 30 miles to the west across the Santa Barbara Channel. Its beautiful beaches and sheltered waters offer a great weather for swimming, boating and sunbathing.
- Santa Barbara, The American Riviera
A low ridge of hills with spectacular views of the harbor nearly surrounds the city. Many beautiful but costly homes adorn these ridges and hillsides. A few miles further inland, the great wall of the Santa Ynez Mountains forms a picturesque eastern backdrop. This part of the California Coast is often called the American Riviera, as it is a beautiful vacation destination but a very expensive place to live.
You can get to Santa Barbara by driving about two hours north from Los Angeles on Highway 101. On the way, you will pass some great scenery as the road snakes between the coastal mountains and many isolated surfing beaches.
- Beautiful Beaches in Santa Barbara
The major attraction in Santa Barbara is its beautiful broad beach fringed by rows of palm trees and pristine parks. It resembles the gorgeous beach at Santa Monica in northern Los Angeles, but without any of the surrounding congestion, traffic or air pollution. It even has a long pier accommodating restaurants, shops and amusement attractions. On a Saturday afternoon in August, this beach had only a handful of sunbathers scattered about its vast sandy surface. This is what makes Santa Barbara a favorite weekend getaway destination for residents of all southern California including many Los Angeles natives.
To the north and south of downtown Santa Barbara, there are numerous narrower beaches ideal for surfing. Near Carpentaria, about 15 miles south of Santa Barbara, Rincon Point is reputedly the finest surfing spot in California. Several surfing schools in Santa Barbara offer to teach you how to surf like a real California beach bum in a single day.
From the harbor basin in Santa Barbara, you can rent kayaks or sailboats. You can go on whale-watching cruises, on fishing charters or on boat excursions to the Channel Islands nature preserves. You can rent bicycles and pedal cars nearby.
Santa Barbara Tours
