Weekend Travel Guide: Santa Barbara California
Overall vibe of Santa Barbara, California:
Santa Barbara is an adorable, upscale (while still laid back) beach town along the coast of California, about 2 hours north of Los Angeles. There’s tons of great restaurants, beautiful beaches, wine rooms and hiking!
My little sister and I did a trip to Ojai and Santa Barbara for my 28th birthday in February 2020 and it was one of my FAVORITE trips ever. The whole trip was beautifully synchronistic and we flowed and wandered into so many amazing nature spots, restaurants and magical experiences. I’m so excited to share them with you!
Butteryfly Beach
Quick Guide to Santa Barbara:
Overall vibe: adorable, upscale beach town
How long to stay: 2 nights
Where to stay: Lower State, Downtown
Getting around: I recommend renting a car so you can adventure to the nearby hikes and beaches but the downtown area is pretty walkable
This post may contain affiliate links which means we may receive a commission for purchases made through these links (at no cost to you). All affiliate links are from companies we personally recommend and trust.
Where to stay In Santa Barbara California
Hotel Californian: beautiful, boutique hotel super close to the Funk Zone, steps from the beach and amazing pool! Find the best rates here.
Harbor View Inn: trendy hotel along the ocean near the Lower State neighborhood with a great pool & hot tub. Find the best rates here.
Simpson House Inn: adorable, Victorian bed and breakfast in downtown. Find the best rates here.
El Encanto, a Belmond Hotel: luxury hotel with ocean views, great pool and on-site restaurant/spa. 5 minute drive from central Santa Barbara. Find the best rates here.
Best restaurants in Santa Barbara
Zaytoon (Instagram: @zaytoonsb): amazing Lebanese restaurant with the most beautiful patio covered with string lights and tables with fireplaces in the center!! The food and cocktails were both SO good!!! HIGHLY recommend going here!
Milk & Honey Tapas (Instagram: @milknhoneytapas): super cute, really yummy, craft cocktail and tapas bar!
Mesa Verde (Instagram: @mesaverdesb): amazing vegan restaurant. We loved the mushroom burger!
The Lark (Instagram: @thelarksb): Great New American restaurant with awesome cocktails and a cute patio!
Lucky Penny (Instagram: @luckypennysb): cool, casual spot for good pizza!
La Super-Rica Taqueria: casual spot for great Mexican food!
Best coffee shops
Dune (Instagram: @dunecoffee): Great matcha lattes & coffee drinks in the heart of downtown State Street! My sister and I went every day (sometimes multiple) and still to this day call each other and say “I wish I had a Dune-y”.
Best things to do Santa Barbara
Walk around State Street/Downtown
So many great shops, restaurants and cafes!
Go To The Beach
Our favorite was Butterfly Beach - it’s so beautiful!!
Butterfly Beach
Ride Bikes
You can rent bikes all over Santa Barbara and a lot of the hotels have them available. Head to the pier to ride along the beach!
Wine Tasting
Head to the urban wine trail, in the Funk Zone downtown. There’s tons of tasting rooms and wineries to flow and wander into!
Go Hiking
Distance: 4.5 miles
Elevation: 1,587 ft
Route type: Out & back
Difficulty: Hard
Distance: 3.7 miles
Elevation: 1,177 ft
Route type: Loop
Difficulty: Moderate
Where Else To Visit On Your Santa Barbara Trip
I recommend spending a few days in Ojai! It was the perfect addition to the trip. Check out the Ojai travel guide here!
Google Map of All Santa Barbara Recommendations
I saved all of my recommendations for you in the map below to make it super easy to get around! Here’s the full link so you can save it: https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/4/edit?mid=1VZsoEU-eXGOQrZ1U7Dgr_1q6Stvu3zY&usp=sharing.
Pin It For Later
