Santa Barbara Trolley Tour in Santa Barbara booking from $30.00

Santa Barbara Trolley Tour

Overview

All Aboard Santa Barbara’s Original & Longest Running Trolley Tour and Charter Services

See the American Riviera in 90 minutes

Santa Barbara sightseeing at its finest on the original, fully narrated Santa Barbara Trolley Tour. For 30 years, we've been providing trolley tours in the Santa Barbara community. Join us as we visit local hot spots such as the Santa Barbara Courthouse, Santa Barbara Zoo, Museum of Natural History, the historic Santa Barbara Mission, and more, all fully narrated by our energetic and knowledgeable tour guides! Our pick up location is only a 10 minute walk from Stearns Wharf, at the Visitor Center located at 1 Garden St.

City: Santa Barbara

Tue 24 Dec

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Starting at $30.00

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Tue 24 Dec

Starting at $30.00

Make a reservation

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What's Included

Narrated Tour

Additional Info

Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
If wheelchair assistants is needed, please call our office 24 hours in advance (805) 965-0353.
Hand sanitiser available to travellers and staff
Regularly sanitised high-traffic areas
Transportation vehicles regularly sanitised
Contactless payments for gratuities and add-ons

What To Expect

Stearns Wharf

Enjoy the seaside sights and sounds of Stearns Wharf, one of Santa Barbara’s most iconic landmarks. Named for builder John P. Stearns and located at the end of State Street, it is California’s oldest working wharf and the perfect spot to soak up the sun, salty breezes and stunning views of the impossibly blue Pacific. The Wharf was completed in 1872 and served the passengers and freight shipping needs of California’s south coast for more than 25 years. Today it’s one of Santa Barbara’s most visited attractions and a mainstay of the Waterfront district.

East Beach

East Beach is a favorite spot for locals for volleyball (including pro tournaments), skating, paddle sports, art shows and just plain relaxing. It also has a great panoramic view of the Santa Barbara mountains.

Andree Clark Bird Refuge

Andrée Clark Bird Refuge is a 42-acre open space park that includes a 29-acre lake that is an artificially modified estuary that supports brackish wetlands. Three islands are located in the lake. The park provides passive recreation opportunities such as bird watching, hiking, and biking. Boating and fishing are prohibited, as is feeding the wildlife. The Bird Refuge is a scenic resource with views to and from scenic highways (East Cabrillo Boulevard and Highway 101) and provides a view of aquatic and terrestrial habitats.

Butterfly Beach

Located in the chic and laid-back village of Montecito, Butterfly Beach is a favorite among Santa Barbara locals. The beach’s pristine shoreline is ideal for swimming, surfing and sunbathing, and its unique east-west orientation makes for some truly spectacular sunrises AND sunsets. Spend the better part of your day lounging with a good book, or venture into the ocean and take on the waves in a kayak. Keep your eyes peeled and you might even see a star or two—Montecito is home to several celebs. Whatever activities you include in your day by the sea, Butterfly Beach is the perfect setting.

Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History

The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History has a rich history dating back to 1876. Exhibits and collections change throughout the year to educate and entertain children and adults alike. Make sure to check out the iconic 73-foot Blue Whale skeleton displayed out front!

Old Mission Santa Barbara

Old Mission Santa Barbara is a community of many parts, but one spirit. The Mission has served as a gathering place and spiritual home for many since its establishment in 1786. Today the Mission operations include a museum, gift shop, cemetery and mausoleum, and several historic gardens, as well as being the home to a community of Franciscan Friars on about 15 acres. The Mission is also home base for Saint Barbara Parish, which operates under the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, the Santa Bárbara Mission Archive-Library, a separate Franciscan-sponsored non-profit, and a Novitiate which provides the first year of education for Friars in training from across the United States.

Santa Barbara County Courthouse

or a firsthand look at one of the country’s most beautiful public buildings, look no further than the Santa Barbara County Courthouse. Designed in the Spanish-Colonial style and completed in 1929, the fully operational Courthouse is an iconic Santa Barbara landmark with its distinctive four-faced clock tower, red tile roofs, elegant arches and verdant sunken garden and grounds. Through the self-guided tours, visitors can get a visual history lesson from the elaborate hand-painted murals, marvel at ornate wrought-iron chandeliers and climb to the top of the clock tower for an incredible panoramic view of Santa Barbara and beyond.

El Presidio de Santa Barbara State Historic Park

Located in downtown Santa Barbara, El Presidio de Santa Bárbara State Historic Park (El Presidio SHP) is a 5 1/2-acre park that preserves the site of the last Spanish fortress, or presidio, founded in Alta (Upper) California in 1782. Two of the fort‘s original adobe buildings still exist and are open to the public — El Cuartel and the Cañedo Adobe.

Santa Barbara Harbor

At Santa Barbara Harbor you will find interesting stores, delicious seafood restaurants and the occasional celebrity yacht. Naturally sheltered by mountains and islands on a southward facing coastline, it is one of the best harbors in the world.

Show 6 more stops

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Traveler Photos

Reviews (416)

MSWMom50

Aug 2013

Three adults and two small children in our party took this 90 minute trolley tour while visiting in Santa Barbara a few weeks ago. This was a great way to see the main points of the city. Our tour guide did an excellent job of narrating the history, culture and local lore of the places that we drove by. Our tour included driving by the wharf, harbor, zoo, bird refuge, Montecito with its luxury homes and golf courses, beaches, the main thoroughfare (State Street), the courthouse and other historic buildings, the Museum of Natural History and the Mission. This is a hop on, hop off tour which is nice if you want to get off and explore further and catch a later trolley. The trolley has a 15 minute stop at the Santa Barbara Mission and since there is much to see here, we decided to stay an extra hour and catch the next trolley which worked out great. The mission is the only location where the trolley makes a stop. We enjoyed the fresh air and sunshine coming into the open trolley windows as we cruised along. The cost for the tour is $19.00 and is good for two days, a great opportunity. One free child pass (under 12) is included with each adult ticket. Extra child tickets are $8.00. You can get on the trolley near Stearns Wharf (the street in front of the wharf) with the time from 10:00 to 4:00 and stops on the hour. I would highly recommend that you ride the trolley while visiting Santa Barbara. You will see many points of interest that you would maybe miss otherwise!

nshugg

Jun 2013

My husband and I caught the Trolley right in front of Stearns Wharf. It leaves at the top of the hour. As we boarded 15 minutes prior to the tour the driver (with his cute little earring...not) barely bothered to look at us as he was doing his personal mail. We asked him if he accepted credit cards for the $19. per person fare. With that he finally acknowledged us and said I don't think so. When I asked again about if, he held up a small portable credit card machine and explained that it didn't work because he couldn't see a lit screen. After that he directed us an ATM machine across the street. A tour like this should always take credit cards if they have a machine. The 11:00 a.m. tour actually began at 11:10 a.m. while he stood outside the vehicle leisurely eating an ice cream bar and talking to people. The tour was nice and makes a series of brief stops to let people board to see something if they want and then catch another tour an hour later. You have free on/off priveleges. None of us got off except at the Santa Barbara mission for a restroom stop before continuing. The bathroom was very littered and there were lots of other tourists there. Not a quiet place. The driver talked on microphone about the places we were passing. His lame attempt jokes brought no laughs. We enjoyed seeing the area and learning some things about the history of Santa Barbara as well. At the end of the tour the tip jar was front and center; we chose to pass based on his attitude. Hopefully you'll get a more customer interested driver. We liked the tour but gave a 3 rating because of the driver.

PandAWebb

Apr 2013

Santa Barbara's a bit of a dull place, especially if the weather's overcast. We stumbled upon this tour, and for $19 each, it changed our opinion of the place - it's really quite interesting. Well done to the driver, Richard Garrett - there was only 4 of us on the bus, but his customer service was excellent.

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Santa Barbara Trolley Tour

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