Getting to Santa Barbara

Visitors destined for Santa Barbara can choose from a variety of options for getting here, with the city’s airport offering domestic destinations only. Santa Barbara is the busiest airport along the California coast between Los Angeles and San Jose. The nearest international airport is in Los Angeles, 85 miles south. The road network is well-developed, making driving by private or hire car a good option and also providing good conditions for coach services coming from North American cities. The city is also served by the efficient Amtrak railway network.

By car

Highway 101 intersects Santa Barbara and travels north to San Francisco and along the coast to all major destinations including Los Angeles. The route in either direction offers fantastic coastal scenery and views.

By rail

Santa Barbara’s train station is located on 209 State Street, and it has connections to and from major US destinations. From Los Angeles, the journey can be made by train in 2 hours, 40 minutes; from Seattle, in 32 hours, 30 minutes; while from Sacramento, it takes 11 hours, 40 minutes. For more information on schedules and services, visit the rail provider’s website at: www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/HomePage; or call them on: +1 800 872 7245.

By bus

Santa Barbara is connected to the extensive Greyhound coach network, which serves most major US destinations. The Greyhound bus terminal is on the corner of Carrillo and Chapala Streets. Phone: +1 503 243 2310; website: www.greyhound.com.

By air

Santa Barbara Airport is located eight miles from the centre of the city and is a modern facility offering daily scheduled flights to and from a large number of US destinations. Bus services, which operate at 30-minute intervals, run between the airport and the city centre. Meanwhile, taxis are on hand, as are car hire companies. The airport offers decent passenger facilities including dining facilities and a lost and found counter. There is an ATM located in the south lobby of the terminal.

Santa Barbara Airport

Santa Barbara Airport operates a single terminal with two levels. The first floor handles all arrivals and departures, while the second floor houses the restaurant. Flights operate daily to 10 international airports within the US including San Francisco, Dallas, Denver, Portland, Phoenix, Seattle, Las Vegas, San Jose, Salt Lake City and Los Angeles. An airline terminal improvement project is underway to provide facilities, which will accommodate present and future air transportation needs.

Santa Barbara airport transportation

A public bus stop is located on Moffett Road, across from the terminal. Bus schedules are available in the terminal’s south lobby and online at: www.sbmtd.gov/. The number 11 bus will take passengers to and from the airport from downtown Santa Barbara. Other transportation options include door-to-door shuttle services, taxis and car rentals. The Santa Barbara Airbus shuttles passengers between Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Santa Barbara 14 times daily.