Cheap bus tickets from San Diego to Santa Barbara
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San Diego to Santa Barbara Bus Schedule
Is it better to travel by bus or train from San Diego to Santa Barbara?
There are usually 11 daily train trips available from San Diego to Santa Barbara.
Bus | Train | |
|---|---|---|
Avg. Price | Avg. Price$45.63 | Avg. Price$49.25 |
Daily Trips | Daily Trips2 | Daily Trips11 |
Duration | Duration8h 27m | Duration5h 54m |
Bus from San Diego to Santa Barbara: Journey Information
There are 2 intercity buses per day from San Diego to Santa Barbara. Traveling by bus from San Diego to Santa Barbara usually takes around 7 hours and 51 minutes, but the fastest Greyhound bus can make the trip in 6 hours and 50 minutes.
| Distance | 188 mi (302 km) |
| Shortest duration | 6h 50m |
| Cheapest price | $25.97 |
| Most frequent service | Greyhound |
| Bus lines | 2 |
How much is a bus ticket from San Diego to Santa Barbara?
Bus tickets for a trip from San Diego to Santa Barbara cost $33.85 on average. Opting to take a bus is a wallet-friendly way to make this trip. If you book your trip ahead of time using Wanderu, you can easily find bus tickets at or below this price.
Monthly avg. prices
Prices as travel date approaches
Most bus companies charge higher ticket prices closer to the date of travel, so it’s a good idea to buy your bus tickets as early as possible. To find the cheapest bus tickets, book your trip at least 17 days in advance. This way, you can save up to $33.26 on your bus ticket compared to booking last-minute.
What bus companies travel from San Diego to Santa Barbara?
There are two bus lines that have daily service from San Diego to Santa Barbara that you can compare and book on Wanderu. Of these two carriers, Greyhound usually offers more choice, with 2 scheduled trips per day.
| Bus | Daily Trips | Avg. Time | Avg. Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amtrak Thruway | 1 | 10h 17m | $51.78 |
| Greyhound | 2 | 7h 13m | $39.28 |
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 San Diego to Santa Barbara start at $51. On average, there are 1 Amtrak Thruway bus trips on this route every day.
Greyhound is the largest nationwide bus carrier in the United States, offering cheap, safe and reliable service across the country. Greyhound has become a household name, serving over 16 million passengers per year with daily trips to over 2,400 destinations. Greyhound performs about 2 bus trips from San Diego to Santa Barbara every day, with the average journey taking around 7 hours and 13 minutes to complete. Bus tickets for Greyhound trips to Santa Barbara usually start from $26.
Frequently asked questions about traveling by bus from San Diego to Santa Barbara
The bus takes an average of 7 hours and 51 minutes to cover the 188 miles from San Diego to Santa Barbara. However, the fastest bus only takes 6 hours and 50 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.
Because many passengers travel from San Diego to Santa Barbara at the beginning of the work week, Monday is usually the busiest day for buses. If you are planning to travel on a Monday, you should make sure to book tickets well in advance as they may sell out.
On the other hand, Thursday is typically the least busy day for bus travel on this route. If you’re looking for a little extra space, a Thursday ticket is the way to go.
The first bus leaves at 6:00am and the last bus leaves at 9:00pm. To see the times for all buses from San Diego to Santa Barbara, enter your specific travel dates in the search bar.
There are usually only 2 buses per day from San Diego to Santa Barbara. However, neither bus offers direct service, so you will have to get off your original vehicle to transfer buses during the trip.
Need more travel options? Consider taking the train from San Diego to Santa Barbara; ticket prices start at $44.00.
City Information
San Diego
San Diego is known as "America's Finest City" for its sunny weather, white-sand beaches, and dazzling attractions from Belmont Park to SeaWorld. San Diego's 70 miles of pristine beaches include such gems as Mission Beach, Pacific Beach, La Jolla Cove, and Coronado Beach. The city's strong surfing culture may even inspire you to rent a surfboard and catch the epic waves, bro.
Visitors can spend days getting lost in Balboa Park, a 1,200-acre cultural hub which features 16 museums, immaculate gardens, and the world-famous San Diego Zoo. The historic heart of the city, Old Town, showcases San Diego's heritage and ties to Mexican culture, while other sights like the USS Midway pay tribute to the city's military and maritime history. Leave time for some evening exploring, too! San Diego is rated the #1 best city for craft beer in America, so don't miss out on the bars in the Gaslamp Quarter: 16 walkable blocks packed with nightlife and young crowds.
Two airports, as well as many bus and train options, mean it is easy to get to San Diego from afar or from nearby cities like Tijuana, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Las Vegas.
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 San Diego?
Image credit: Doug Letterman
Link to image attributionMain departure station: Santa Fe Depot - 1050 Kettner Blvd
The Santa Fe Depot is the main train station in San Diego and one of the end points of the Pacific Surfliner, the only Amtrak train line that serves the city. The station is also used by the Green Line of the San Diego Trolley light rail transit service and the COASTER commuter rail service that connects the city with the central and northern coastal regions of San Diego County. Opened in 1915, the Santa Fe Depot is famous for its Spanish Colonial Revival Style architecture and grand interior space that features natural redwood beam ceilings and ceramic details. The train station is located in the heart of Downtown San Diego, making it easy to reach from all parts of the city.
All bus stations in San Diego:
Santa Fe Depot - 1050 Kettner Blvd
San Diego Greyhound Bus Stop
San Ysidro Transit Center
Where does the bus arrive in Santa Barbara?
Main arrival station: 209 State Street
All buses from San Diego arrive at one main station in Santa Barbara.
All bus stations in Santa Barbara:
209 State Street
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