Santa Barbara Trolley Tour
Recommended by 90% of travelers
Santa Barbara, USA
+3
- 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Visitors who want a quick, fun overview of Santa Barbara's highlights will love this 90-minute trolley tour of the American Riviera. Drive past landmarks like the courthouse, the zoo, the Mission, and the Museum of Natural History. Learn about the town's culture and history from live commentary and note places that you might want to return to independently later.
- Learn more than you would touring by yourself
- Enjoy the convenience of a narrated guided tour
- Ideal for first-time visitors to Santa Barbara
- This is a small-group tour, for your comfort
What's Included
- Narrated Tour
- Food and Drinks
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- 1 Garden St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101, USA
Departs Thursday - Monday at 1 Garden st. Departure times are 10:00am, 12:00pm and 2:00pm.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Itinerary
Stearns Wharf (Pass By)
East Beach (Pass By)
Andree Clark Bird Refuge (Pass By)
Butterfly Beach (Pass By)
Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History (Pass By)
1
Old Mission Santa Barbara
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included
Santa Barbara County Courthouse (Pass By)
El Presidio de Santa Barbara State Historic Park (Pass By)
Santa Barbara Waterfront (Pass By)
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Infants must sit on laps
- Most travelers can participate
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 4 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
This experience is non-refundable and cannot be changed for any reason. If you cancel or ask for an amendment, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.6
based on 934 reviews
Review summary
Last 12 months
122 reviews
Select a theme to learn more
Travelers consistently praise drivers for their safe, patient driving and extensive knowledge of local history, which enhances the tour experience. Guides receive positive feedback for their engaging storytelling, friendly demeanor, and passion, contributing to a memorable understanding of Santa Barbara. Tour planning is noted for punctuality and well-structured routes with considerate breaks, creating a smooth and accommodating overall experience.
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A very convenient way to see Santa Barbara and get much of the history and highlights. Our driver/guide was knowledgeable, friendly, great sense of humor, and fun. This was the perfect way to start our trip to beautiful Santa Barbara. We usually take a ‘Hop on, Hop off bus tour” whenever we visit a new place. This Trolley Tour was a perfect replacement for that initial overview with History and stories. I would highly recommend taking a 90 min tour with this company
The tour was right on time, toured past all the most relevant areas, including Montecito, and finished on time. It was well worth it.
We have done these type of tours whenever we visit a new city and were a little disappointed in this one. For one thing we passed by locations more than once that, I think, could have been used to cover more area. Our tour guide, Joey, wasn't as entertaining as other tours and seemed to just be reciting facts in a rote manner. On a positive note we were able to return to some of the locations the next day for more in depth information. With self guided audio tours becoming more available there needs to be some work done on this tour.
The tour itself was great. However, everyone in the group was confused about where to meet and park. I took the 10 AM tour. The meeting location is at an empty corner building and the bathrooms didn’t open until five minutes before boarding. There are signs on the street for the trolley pickup, but if you’re in the parking lot they’re not visible. The parking lot didn’t have any signage. That’s the down side. For those thinking about taking the tour, look for the street signs, that are located under the trees for pickup.
Date: 10.09.2026
It really worth the 90 minutes tour. It gives you the whole picture of Sta. Barbara and their history
Great way to get an overview of the area along with some history! Yes you can drive around but you can't really look at anything when focusing on traffic, narrow roads and lots of street parking. Joe did a great job of pointing out historical places while driving throughout this lovely area. There was a 15 minute stop at the Old Mission, just long enough to take some pictures outside, use the restroom and peek at the gift shop. For this first time visitor it was a great summary experience! Side note the trolley is a trolley, not a bus so there is no air conditioning but the windows were all open for a breeze
Great way to see Santa Barbara with a great guide and commentary. Covers a good distance with all the best landmarks
Chuck was a wonderful guide. He was very informative, humorous and made our tour very special!! We got to see the best of Santa Barbara in just two hours.
Our driver/guide was very knowledgeable and friendly. His presentation was excellent. The tour was great.
Nice way to see the town! Pickup location very convenient. Tour guide was informative, knowledgeable and personable.
It was so Beautiful sightseeing The Driver so sorry I forgot hus name but he is so Knowledgeable all around these historical City ..he never misses anything ..I learned so much ..now we are exploring our self coz we know where to go and what place to see.the Trolley itself so clean and smooth ride 😀 😎 😉
Fun experience to see the sights
Our driver was fun and informative.
We recommend this to everyone who is visiting.
Recommend change protocols to give individuals whom have paid and have tickets from online, loading priority versus individuals whom purchasing at trolley whom may delay departure due to transactions on-site.
Wonderful introduction to Santa Barbara. Chuck was very knowledgeable and experienced. Easy transaction.
Rusty was a great tour guide. His knowledge and trivia kept us interested and entertained. This tour is highly recommended!
The tour guide is bland no smiles ..my 2nd time doing tour 1st was better. U am NEVER COMING BACK on this Tour.. or Santa barbara
The experience was good, however some of the properties were hard to see due to the high vegetation around them. The tour guide seemed knowledgeable!
Very interesting, worth the time and money. Very friendly driver who make the trip fun. Interesting. You have nothing to loose here but knowing to gain. My favorite spot was the mission.
We had a wonderful time. Rusty was very amusing. He kept the tour very interesting. He is an asset to your company.
The experience was exactly as described. There’s an opportunity for a restroom break at the mission about 1 hr into the trip.
Informative, fun, and helpful in getting to know the area more and figuring out where you may want to explore further. Chuck was outstanding and funny! We actually learned a lot and it was fun and breezy.
Was a good experience! Our tour guide Chuck was really nice and gave good information. This was fun thing to do in Santa Barbara!
Rusty was a fantastic tour guide that was very knowledgeable on the area and provided interesting side notes to the tour.
Joey was an amazing driver and excellent guide. He and his family have lived in the SB area for 10 generations. Lots of interesting facts and tidbits.
Pickup/meeting location is convenient.
Tour is timely. Driver - tour guide is very informative, lighthearted & interactive.
Good overview of the city from a knowledgeable guide, the trolly itself was in good shape. Santa Barbara doesn’t have the most exciting sites, but covered a good distance of the downtown area and saw what there was to see. Overall a good bang for your buck, not too long and not too short.
A nice introduction of Santa Barbara if you have never been. Our guide (chuck) did a great job explaining some of the history of the area. Recommend this tour…..you will not be disappointed.
It is definitely worth it. The trolley traveled through parts of S. Barbara and Montecito that we would have never seen on our own. Our driver Chuck was AMAZING!! very knowledgeable and answered all our questions!!!
A good way to get an overview of Santa Barbara and Montecito. Our driver/guide gave us a great overview of the area's history.
Wear comfortable shoes and bring a light jacket, as the weather can change throughout the day. Arrive a little early to get a good seat, and don’t forget your camera—the views are beautiful! The guides share interesting local history and fun facts, making the ride both relaxing and informative. It’s a great way to see the area without having to drive.”
Member Pricing
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$35.15
per personWas $37.00(-5%)
-You will not receive a refund if you cancel.
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Santa Barbara Trolley Tour
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