Day Trips from Santa Barbara to Solvang

Drive Santa Barbara wine country yourself, with a GPS audio guide that plays automatically as you go. Your booking unlocks the whole region in the free Wine Trails app: pick your date and starting point — Solvang, Los Olivos, Buellton or downtown Santa Barbara — choose the cellar doors you want from 63 across the valleys, and the app builds your personal route with turn-by-turn narration. 86 stories cover the county's people and places: as you roll past the Santa Ynez Valley's tasting rooms you'll hear how, in 2004, a film called Sideways turned these quiet rooms into international pilgrimage sites overnight. No group, no schedule, no guide — pause for a long lunch in Los Olivos, replay anything, and the audio keeps working when the signal drops on Foxen Canyon Road. You'll need a car and a designated driver; tastings are booked and paid directly with the wineries.

Join me for an unforgettable cycling journey through one of California’s most picturesque wine regions—the Central Coast’s stunning Solvang and the surrounding Santa Ynez Valley. The tour begins in charming downtown Solvang, known for its unique Danish-inspired village atmosphere, and quickly rolls out into rolling vineyard country. From there, we ride into the heart of wine country, passing through the welcoming town of Los Olivos, where oak-studded landscapes and boutique tasting rooms set the tone for the day. We continue along the scenic backroads of Foxen Canyon, a legendary route framed by sweeping vineyard views and quiet rural beauty, before making our way to the historic town of Los Alamos—a perfect blend of rustic charm and modern wine-country culture. The ride then carries us through the dramatic terrain of Drum Canyon, where winding roads, open skies, and breathtaking vistas showcase the raw natural beauty of the region.

Ride through the towns and vineyards of the Santa Ynez Valley wine region on this e-bike tour with transport from Santa Barbara. With a guide, you'll pedal a Rad Power E-bike to wineries, a lavendar farm, the town of Solvang, and other spots for wine and olive-oil tastings and lunch. A bike tour allows you to enjoy better views of the scenery than from inside a car.

Avoid the stuffy minivans and tour buses that go from winery to winery; instead, enjoy the wind in your hair as you cycle around the picturesque Santa Ynez Valley on this charming cycling tour. Head out from Los Olivos and explore the parks, villages and rural landscapes of the Valley. Enjoy a pair of wine tastings and sample locally-grown, locally-produced food at local farms and vineyards.