Santa Monica to Santa Barbara drive

Here's a sample itinerary for a drive from Santa Monica to Santa Barbara. If you're planning a road trip to Santa Barbara, you can research locations to stop along the way. Make sure you check road conditions to double check the weather. Traveling with a dog or cat? Find pet-friendly stops. Camping along the way? Search for RV campgrounds. Find the best hotels, restaurants, and attractions based on the most talked about places recommended by Trippy members.

10:00 am  start in Santa Monica
drive for about 15 minutes

10:15 am  Mulholland Drive
stay for about 1 hour
and leave at 11:15 am
drive for about 32 minutes

11:47 am  Thousand Oaks
stay for about 1 hour
and leave at 12:47 pm
drive for about 14 minutes

1:01 pm  N Wendy Dr
stay for about 1 hour
and leave at 2:01 pm
drive for about 23 minutes

2:24 pm  Oxnard
stay for about 1 hour
and leave at 3:24 pm
drive for about 21 minutes

3:46 pm  Ventura
stay for about 1 hour
and leave at 4:46 pm
drive for about 24 minutes

5:10 pm  Rincon Point
stay for about 1 hour
and leave at 6:10 pm
drive for about 19 minutes

6:29 pm  Montecito
stay for about 1 hour
and leave at 7:29 pm
drive for about 9 minutes

7:37 pm  arrive in Santa Barbara
eat at McConnell's Fine Ice Creams
stay at Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore Santa Barbara

driving ≈ 2.5 hours

Are you going straight to a hotel, or looking for a vacation rental or Airbnb?

The best resource on neighborhoods, areas, and hotels is the Trippy page on where to stay in Santa Barbara.

If you're looking for a quick answer, you can check out Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore Santa Barbara, which was mentioned 15 times on Trippy.

Here are some more hotels people talk about:

Want to research more popular hotels in Santa Barbara? Click the blue button below.

Need some recommendations on somewhere to get food?

Trippy members suggest McConnell's Fine Ice Creams, which was mentioned 5 times.

Here are some more restaurants people talk about:

Want to research more popular restaurants in Santa Barbara? Click the blue button below.

This section could be endless, so rather than trying to suggest every local activity or attraction, we'll leave it open-ended.

These are some of the places people talk about on Trippy:

Of course, Trippy is the perfect place to ask questions because there's an entire community of travelers talking to each other and sharing tips and advice. Trippy is where you can get answers personalized for your tastes, budgets, trip dates & more!

For example, here are some questions people have asked about Santa Barbara. Click on any question to see answers from the community!

 Veronica from San Francisco asked:
Favorite restaurants in Santa Barbara?  (9 answers)

 Kay from Vermont asked:
Bachelorette Weekend Getaway in Santa Barbara  (6 answers)

 Darren from Jersey City asked:
Best Beach in Santa Barbara?  (5 answers)

 Stephanie from Venice Beach asked:
24 hours in Santa Barbara, what do I have to see/eat/do?  (5 answers)

 Valerie from asked:
How far from santa barbara to palm springs and PS to Phoenix?  (1 answer)

Click the button below to explore more questions and answers related to Santa Barbara.

Yes, even this step is optional, because if you're on vacation who wants the trip to end? It's okay, you can start planning your next trip!

Want to plan the trip back? Get the reverse directions for a Santa Barbara to Santa Monica drive, or go to the main page to plan a new road trip.

Looking for ideas for more destinations within driving distance of Santa Monica? Try searching for places within 1.5 hours of Santa Monica.

You can also compare the travel time if you're flying or driving by calculating the distance from Santa Monica to Santa Barbara. Or get a full Santa Monica to Santa Barbara flight plan.

Don't forget about exploring your own hometown with a staycation. You can also find some cool day trips or get away for a weekend. Maybe try typing in a faraway location like London, Hong Kong, or Sydney, and get inspired for your dream trip around the world.

And if you know Santa Monica well, please help your fellow travelers and answer their questions about Santa Monica!