Cheap bus tickets from Salinas to Santa Barbara
Find and compare the best ground travel options in one place.
Millions of travelers trust Wanderu every year to get:
Lowest Prices
We find the cheapest bus & train tickets, so you can wander for less.
Best Travel Options
We partner with 500+ carriers to bring you the most bus & train options.
Quick & Easy Booking
Book trips quickly with a simple, hassle-free checkout – online & on our app.
Fast Customer Support
We don’t monkey around. We respond within minutes to help you out.
See what travelers are saying about Wanderu:
Salinas to Santa Barbara Bus Schedule
Is it better to travel by bus or train from Salinas to Santa Barbara?
There are usually 2 daily train trips available from Salinas to Santa Barbara.
Bus | Train | |
|---|---|---|
Avg. Price | Avg. Price$59.00 | Avg. Price$74.50 |
Daily Trips | Daily Trips1 | Daily Trips2 |
Duration | Duration5h 15m | Duration6h 7m |
Bus from Salinas to Santa Barbara: Journey Information
There is one daily bus from Salinas to Santa Barbara. Traveling by bus from Salinas to Santa Barbara usually takes around 5 hours and 22 minutes, but the fastest Amtrak Thruway bus can make the trip in 5 hours and 15 minutes.
| Distance | 191 mi (307 km) |
| Shortest duration | 5h 15m |
| Cheapest price | $59.00 |
| Trips per day | 1 |
| Most frequent service | Amtrak Thruway |
| Bus lines | 1 |
What bus companies travel from Salinas to Santa Barbara?
There is one intercity bus company available to search and book on Wanderu that operates from Salinas to Santa Barbara. Amtrak Thruway is the only company that has bus schedules available to search and book at the moment. It only makes the trip once a day on most days.
| Bus | Daily Trips | Avg. Time | Avg. Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amtrak Thruway | 1 | 5h 22m | $59.00 |
Amtrak Thruway, also known as Amtrak Thruway Motorcoach, is a system of intercity passenger buses operated by Amtrak to connect train stations to areas that are not served by the carrier’s railroads. On the bus, passengers can enjoy comfortable reclining seats with leg rests and access to onboard restroom facilities. Amtrak Thruway bus tickets from Salinas to Santa Barbara start at $59. On average, there are 1 Amtrak Thruway bus trips on this route every day.
Frequently asked questions about traveling by bus from Salinas to Santa Barbara
The bus takes an average of 5 hours and 22 minutes to cover the 191 miles from Salinas to Santa Barbara. However, the fastest bus only takes 5 hours and 15 minutes. It’s definitely on the longer side, so plan to get comfortable for a long road trip. Keep in mind that your actual bus may arrive earlier or later than scheduled, depending on whether there is more or less traffic than usual.
Sunday tends to be the busiest day for buses, as many passengers take the bus to Santa Barbara at the end of the week. If you are planning to travel on a Sunday, you should make sure to book tickets well in advance as they may sell out.
On the other hand, Monday is typically the least busy day for bus travel on this route. For a less crowded trip, try to book your bus travel for the beginning of the week.
There is usually only one bus per day from Salinas to Santa Barbara. It leaves the station in Salinas at 4:00pm each day. The time might vary for specific dates, so be sure to search on Wanderu for the most up-to-date information.
There is usually only one bus per day from Salinas to Santa Barbara. Fortunately, this happens to be a direct bus, meaning that you do not have to get on a different bus at any point during your trip.
Need more travel options? Consider taking the train from Salinas to Santa Barbara; ticket prices start at $55.00.
City Information
Salinas
Image credit: Unsplash
Salinas is a city in California popularly known as the Salad Bowl of the World- though the nickname is about more than healthy food. The city has a vibrant agriculture industry, pristine farmland, historic sites, and plenty of greenery. As an agriculture-based city, it's not surprising that there are a lot of outdoor areas to visit, from Natividad Creek Park to the Creekbridge Neighborhood Park. In addition, history lovers in Salinas can visit the National Steinbeck Center and Monterey & Salinas Valley Railroad Museum for their interactive exhibits, while Salinas Valley Art Gallery appeals to art lovers.
For wine lovers in Salinas, there is a wide range of wineries and vineyards in the city, with popular choices being the Chateau Sinnet Winery and Vineyard, and SMD Vineyards. Visitors to the city can check out nightclubs, lounges, and bowling centers. Salinas organizes festivals throughout the year, like the Monthly Art Market & Artisan Fair and the Annual Halloween Beer Crawl.
If you're visiting Salinas by train, over 100 cities offer routes by Amtrak. Fewer bus lines are going to the city, provided by Amtrak Thruway. There are also Monterey-Salinas Transit services for transport inside the city.
Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara is a major travel destination along the southern coast of California. Dramatically situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Santa Ynez Mountains, Santa Barbara offers incomparable scenery with a comfortably warm climate year-round. White stucco buildings with Mediterranean-style architecture, gorgeous beaches, and upscale local cuisine give Santa Barbara the nickname "The American Riviera."
There are many kinds of vacations to enjoy in Santa Barbara. You can spend days on the soft sand of Leadbetter Beach, surfing in the swells at Rincon Point, or shopping for trinkets along Stearns Wharf. Or embrace the area's history by visiting the Mission Santa Barbara, a Spanish mission founded in 1786. Highlights from the mission include Spanish architecture, a rose garden, a museum, and even crypts.
Santa Barbara Airport, only a few miles from downtown, serves passengers to the region. Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner stops in Santa Barbara on its way from San Diego to San Luis Obispo, with plenty of connections to other SoCal hotspots. Intercity buses, including FlixBus, offer routes from Santa Barbara to destinations like L.A., San Diego, and Las Vegas.
Station Information
Where does the bus leave from in Salinas?
Main departure station: 11 Station Pl
Most buses depart from the main station in Salinas.
All bus stations in Salinas:
11 Station Pl
Where does the bus arrive in Santa Barbara?
Main arrival station: 209 State Street
All buses from Salinas arrive at one main station in Santa Barbara.
All bus stations in Santa Barbara:
209 State Street
Get around town with Moovit
Need a return trip from Santa Barbara to Salinas?
Search Bus Tickets
Wanderu is the simplest way to book bus and train travel.
With just a quick search on Wanderu, you can compare bus and train schedules and prices from hundreds of travel companies in one convenient place to find the trip that works best for you. Wanderu’s simple checkout process makes it easy to book cheap bus and train tickets hassle-free. Most importantly, as Wanderu is an official partner of all leading bus and train companies, we always have the best bus and train deals out there.