Visit Santa Barbara

Since the 1925 rebuild, the historic centre, El Pueblo Viejo, has been subject to strict architectural rules: white plastered walls, red tiles, patios and arcades. State Street runs through it from north to south down to the beach, and several blocks have been pedestrian since 2020, with terraces on the roadway. The signposted Red Tile Walking Tour links the courthouse, the presidio and the paseos, shopping passages with patios, in an hour and a half. The downtown city car parks offer an initial free period.

Cabrillo Boulevard follows the Pacific for nearly five kilometres, lined with palm trees and a continuous bike path to the Andree Clark bird refuge. Facing due south, a rarity on this coast, East Beach and West Beach frame Stearns Wharf, with volleyball courts and kayak rentals. Every Sunday, an artists' market sets up on the seafront lawn. The water stays cool, around 15 to 19 °C depending on the season: a wetsuit is useful for paddleboarding outside summer.

Squeezed between the railway and the beach, five minutes on foot from Stearns Wharf, this former area of warehouses and fishermen's workshops has become the district of tasting rooms, craft breweries and murals. Wineries from the nearby valleys have opened outposts here, forming the Urban Wine Trail, which you can walk in an afternoon. Most rooms open around noon and close before 8 pm: start early. The Amtrak station is two streets away, handy for a car-free day.

North of the centre, the Mission stands on a terrace with views down to the sea. Above it climb the winding streets of the Riviera, a residential area of Mediterranean villas, and the botanic garden, about three kilometres away. Foothill hikes such as Inspiration Point or Seven Falls canyon start from Tunnel Road and take two to three hours round trip. They are exposed and hot in the afternoon: set off in the morning, and check for fire-related closures, frequent in these hills.

Eight kilometres east, Montecito lines up large estates, historic hotels and the small shopping street of Coast Village Road. Butterfly Beach, below the Biltmore hotel, is one of the few Southern California beaches where the sun sets over the water, as the coast here faces south-west. Lotusland gardens can only be visited by reservation. In January 2018, deadly mudslides followed a major wildfire: the community has rebuilt, but heavy winter rain sometimes triggers evacuation orders. Summerland, further on, lines up antique shops and cafés.

Over the San Marcos Pass road, the Santa Ynez Valley is forty to fifty minutes away: oaks, ranches and wineries known for pinot noir and syrah, made famous by the film Sideways in 2004. Solvang, founded in 1911 by Danish immigrants, has kept its windmills and Scandinavian bakeries, and Los Olivos packs many tasting rooms into a few streets. Choose a designated driver or book a guided tour: a tasting day quickly adds up to three or four wineries. It is a classic stop between Los Angeles and San Francisco on a trip around the United States.