Santa Barbara walking tour & city guide

Spanish Colonial Revival style

After an earthquake in 1925, Santa Barbara rebuilt its downtown in a unified Spanish Colonial Revival style. The finest example is the Santa Barbara County Courthouse, with hand-painted ceilings, tiled staircases and a clock tower whose top offers views over the red roofs to the sea.

Old Mission Santa Barbara, founded in 1786, is known as the Queen of the Missions, with its twin bell towers and rose garden.

The waterfront

Stearns Wharf, built in 1872, stretches out into the ocean with shops and seafood stands. Long sandy beaches run on both sides, and a bike path follows the shore along Cabrillo Boulevard. The Funk Zone, a former industrial area near the beach, is now full of wine-tasting rooms and galleries.

A classic walk from the mountains to the sea

Start at the courthouse and climb its tower, then walk down to State Street, the main shopping street, much of it now a pedestrian promenade. Visit the historic El Presidio de Santa Bárbara, the Spanish fort of 1782, and the shops of Paseo Nuevo along the way.

Continue down State Street to the beach, then walk out along Stearns Wharf before ending in the Funk Zone. The walk is about 3 kilometers. The Old Mission is a short drive or bus ride uphill.

Visiting tips

Santa Barbara is pleasant all year, though late spring mornings can be foggy. The Santa Ynez Valley wine country is 45 minutes away, and the city is about two hours north of Los Angeles along the coast.