Santa Barbara Trolley Tour

Recommended by 90% of travelers

Santa Barbara, USA

Trending

Booked 10+ times in 12 hours.

1 hour 30 minutes (approx.)
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Why travelers loved this

4.6

· Deborah_Q ·

Mar 2026

Great tour with lots of information about the history of Santa Barbara. The brief stop at the Mission was nice. Joseph did a great job educating us about the history of Santa Barbara. He was a safe driver and was patient when drivers/trucks blocked his way or when 2 passengers returned late at the Mission stop.

· Kelly_B ·

Feb 2026

Enjoyed the 90 minute tour with our driver Rusty through Santa Barbara and Montecito. Not a whole lot of big sights to see, but we hit the highlights and were able to spend about 20 minutes at the one stop, the Mission. Rusty shared some interesting history of the town, and we were able to get a feel for the layout. Would recommend.

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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)

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

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Reviews

4.6

based on 804 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

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Santa Barbara Trolley tour

Deborah_Q, Mar 2026

Be selective about your guide

Kathryn_T, Mar 2026

I have done this tour previously (twice) and it has been great. This time was poor because of the tour guide. Rusty spent a large part of the tour talking about his experiences growing up and none of them had anything to do with SB history This is not why we took the tour. There was about 60% devoted to history and it was decent but he missed so much that the other previous guides had The other 40% was devoted to "how Santa Barbara is not affordable anymore" or "Rusty's personal life". If you can, ensure you don't have him as a tour guide.

Canadian traveller

paul_l, Mar 2026

One stop to stretch your legs. *********************************************************************

Great tour

Jisel_L, Mar 2026

The trolley tour gave us a great overview of the town. We also appreciated the 15 min stop for a bathroom break.

Great tour!

Caroline_C, Mar 2026

Joey our guide was great and tour was informative and pleasant. Great way to get to know Santa Barbara!

This is an informative...

Dana_D, Mar 2026

This is an informative tour of Monticeito and Santa Barbara. There is a stop halfway at the Spanish Mission. Very pleasant.

Enjoyable to learn about...

Earl_B, Mar 2026

Enjoyable to learn about the history of this beautiful city by a tour guide who genuinely enjoys his job.

So much information for...

JANICE_P, Feb 2026

So much information for someone who has never been to this arra before. He- unfortunately I cannot remember his name- spoke so well and clearly.

Trolley tour Santa Barbara

Jay_S, Feb 2026

Very informative,very interesting and just the right length. The guide did a great job!would definitely recommend it

Highly recommend

Colleen_K, Feb 2026

Very nice and relaxing ride to see the highlights of Santa Barbara. Remember to bring cash to tip the driver.

Great way to learn about Santa Barbara

Kelly_B, Feb 2026

Fun SB Trolley

Luke_J, Feb 2026

Great time on the Trolley seeing all the sights in Santa Barbara and Montecito. Our driver was wonderful.

A Local Perspective on a Town Full of History

Terrie_L, Feb 2026

I've been to Santa Barbara many times, so it was nice to have a very knowledgeable tour guide who was born and raised in Santa Barbara, show us around different areas such as Montecito. So much history in this town!

Great Guide and Sites

R_M, Jan 2026

Joey was a friendly informative guide. Claimed historical relationship to the area as well. Great ride, wonderful sites!

Great ride

Debbie_D, Jan 2026

Rusty our tour guide was very knowledgeable. The tour was very comprehensive and showed some beautiful parts of Santa Barbara- beaches. I would recommend this tour.

Great tour! Nice overview of Santa Barbara

Nicole_C, Jan 2026

It was a great experience as a first time visitor to Santa Barbara. Tour guide was very knowledgeable and provided good information while showing us the beautiful sights. I would recommend to anyone! Great for any families, couples, etc

Excellent overview of...

Bruce_M, Jan 2026

Excellent overview of Santa Barbara and the surrounding areas. Our driver and tour guide was very knowledgeable about the city.

A very informative tour

TEE_M, Jan 2026

I learned a lot about the city of Santa Barbara, it was a very informative tour. The tour guy was great.

It was very informative...

Cynthia_L, Jan 2026

It was very informative and the guide was so knowledgeable about the area. Thank you for the rest stop in the middle of the trip

Great way to see SB

Stephanie_H, Dec 2025

Chuck was a great guide. We saw so much on the trolley vs walking or driving ourselves. Butterfly Beach looks so cool and Chuck recommended a few places to eat. Los Agaves was great!

Time well spent!

Michelle_M, Dec 2025

It’s an open-air trolley so dress in layers depending on the time of year that you visit. Driver was knowledgeable about the area (history, etc.). Would recommend to others, however, if you have small children who have trouble sitting & listening for 90 minutes, may be best to book another activity in the area.

Awesome Tour of Santa Barbara

LIZA_M, Nov 2025

Very nice tide and Rusty was an awesome tour guide and very informative. He gave some good history on Santa Barbara which I appreciated! I will definitely becoming back!

My Santa Barbara Trolle Tour.

James_A, Nov 2025

Very cool. Great tour guide. Would recommend this to anyone. The only that needs to improve is the bench seats. Need some padding.

Great time

Merle_S, Nov 2025

Great tour guide, Rusty, saw things would not have seen on our own. Learned about history. Loved the experience

Nice little tour for...

ERNAMARIE_A, Nov 2025

Nice little tour for Santa Barbara for a quick stop on the way to Solvang. Driver was good and informative!

Need a warmer tour guide

Kevlin_K, Nov 2025

Our tour guide was hard to understand because lack of enunciation and he spoke fast while blending words together. It seemed as if he was reading from a script with lack of enthusiasm and care. Not one smile, and no warm greeting or farewell.

I love Santa Barbara and this trolly ride too

laurie_w, Nov 2025

It was great! The weather was perfect. And such a nice way to see many streets of Santa Barbara and get a real feel for the people and culture So fun too! The driver was an excellent tour guide.

Highly recommended!!

Naomi_V, Nov 2025

The Trolley is a great way to learn about any destination. Our guide, Joey, was so knowledgeable and professional. I highly recommend the Santa Barbara Trolley Tour!

A day-trip to Santa Barbara

Oliver_F, Nov 2025

Santa Barbara Trolley is a tour that every visitor, first-timers especially must do when visiting SB. The trolley goes around the city of Santa Barbara and neighboring Montecito with our knowledgeable tour guide/driver who knows every corner of the city. It is reasonably priced and well worth anyone's time for a chance to see important places in SB in hour and a half time.