Santa Barbara California Hotels - City Information

Just north of Los Angeles is a city called Santa Barbara, nicknamed the American Riviera due to a lovely beach setting with incredible mountains all around, perfect surroundings for amazing Santa Barbara, CA hotels, restaurants and attractions. These mountains protect the city, and combined with plenty of sunshine and minimal rain, Santa Barbara has a really comfortable year-round climate.

The Santa Barbara Airport (SBA) makes the city quite accessible and offers several adjacent Santa Barbara, California hotels. This airport has 8 non-stop destinations and 300 one-stop international destinations! Getting around the city, particularly downtown, is aided by open-air trolleys, buses, pedicabs and open-air electric shuttles which runs along State Street and along the waterfront. Known as an artists’ colony, you will want to browse the many local galleries and museums. The Santa Barbara Museum of Art is really special with 27,000 works of art and more Monet paintings than any other West Coast museum.

A major point of interest is the Stearns Wharf, California’s oldest working wharf. You can enjoy the beautiful waterfront and explore its Sea Center, operated by the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. The Center works hard to be very child-friendly. Another “must-see” is Old Mission Santa Barbara, founded in 1786 by a Franciscan Friar. This mission is a historic landmark and quite interesting to visit with a church, museum, cemetery and landscaped gardens. For more gardening wonders, enjoy the exquisite 65-acre Santa Barbara Botanic Garden in Mission Canyon.

Enjoy the pleasant Mediterranean climate at Channel Islands National Park where you can observe seals and whales. Drive through the amazing Santa Ynez Valley for vineyards and cattle ranches; consider a stop at the Village of Solvang where the movie “Sideways” was filmed and relax with a glass of wine. Plan to swing your club at one of six public courses with amazing ocean views or play a set at one of the local courts. Of course, the ocean is just waiting for you to enjoy swimming, sailing and beach activities.

As you are planning your visit, be sure to check out the hotel and attraction tabs at the top of this City Guide. You can read about all the things to do in the area and choose a hotel which meets all your needs, from those meeting basic traveler needs to those fulfilling maximum luxury amenities. Treat yourself to an incredible Pacific Ocean view, making this a very memorable trip.

A visit to Santa Barbara will be a laid-back, California-style vacation. Get your reservations in order and then just let it happen, naturally. OneTravelSource is here to help.