Santa Barbara

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What people say

Brandon Roertgen
"Upon leaving Jack London Square, the Coast Starlight travels south along the east side of the San Francisco Bay. Loosely paralleling SR-101, riders learn very quickly why it is called the Coast Starlight after the San Luis Obispo stop. The train proceeds to hug the shoreline for a majority of the next 150 rail-miles and over two hours of travel. In the midst of this travel, the train is mere feet from the water. Arriving in the early evening, the Coast Starlight alights at the Santa Barbara station which is just blocks from West Beach and less than a 10-minute walk to the Santa Barbara Pier. Dropping off in the middle of the dinner rush, there is no shortage of waterfront restaurants to pick from and, depending on the season, you might even be able to catch a sunset cruise from a local vendor."
Raven Patzke
"There’s a special spot in my heart for Santa Barbara. Their downtown area is built Mediterranean-style with white stucco buildings lined with red-tile roofs. Stroll down their cobblestone paths to grab a bite to eat and do some shopping. If you’re looking more to get away, there are some stunning coastal walks that lead to the beach, like Arroyo Burro."

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Ever contemplated a new method of travel? A way to break up all of the traffic-filled roadtrips or miserable treks to the airport, only to wait 2-3 hours for a flight? Fed up with the same old highway views (or lack of views from the plane)? If so, this guide is for you! From the very first time I boarded an Amtrak Long Distance (LD) train in 2016 in Oakland, CA, I was immediately overcome with excitement, which quickly morphed into a passion. I have yet to go on a trip and not catch myself in a trance staring out the window on multiple occasions, failing to read/watch all of the books/shows I thought I would need or having a deep conversation with a complete stranger in the observation car. These experiences are the reason why I write this guide, to share and hopefully inform prospective travelers. If you are not familiar with Amtrak’s LD services, fear not! I intend to offer as much information about the train options, destinations, schedules and anything else I can think of to lead your potential adventure. This is just part one of a three-part guide and will cover the intro as well as the first five long-distance trains (numerically). Be sure to check out the other two sections (below) as well as all my other work on Amtrak and budget-oriented traveling. If for some reason, I don’t cover something or you have questions, feel free to reach out!
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About Santa Barbara

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