Seasons & Practical
When to come, how to get here, getting around and what each month brings.
When to come to Santa Barbara
June is grey, September is gold, and a clear day in February can be the best of the year. A plain guide to the city's seasons, crowds and festival weeks.
Santa Barbara without a car
The old town, the waterfront and the Funk Zone sit within an easy walk of one another. Here is how to cover them, and the rest of the coast, on foot, by bike and by bus.
Old Spanish Days: Fiesta week in Santa Barbara
Every August since 1924, Santa Barbara puts on its Spanish past: horses on the boulevard, dancers in the plaza, and confetti from eggshells that stays in your hair for days.
Also in Seasons & Practical
Santa Barbara in winter
The crowds leave, the rains come in a few great storms, and the air afterwards is so clear the islands look close enough to swim to. The case for the city's quiet season.
Three days in Santa Barbara
One day for the Spanish town, one for the shore and one for the valley over the mountains: a long weekend that covers the city's three faces without rushing any of them.
Santa Barbara for free
The best view in town costs nothing, and so do the beaches, the gardens and the mountain trails. Eleven ways to spend a day in Santa Barbara without opening your wallet.