There are 5 ways to get from Big Sur to Santa Barbara by taxi, bus, train, car, plane, or shuttle
Select an option below to see step-by-step directions and to compare ticket prices and travel times in Rome2Rio's travel planner.
Taxi, bus (Amtrak)
best- Take the taxi from Big Sur to Salinastaxi
- Take the bus from Salinas to Santa Barbarabus Amtrak Thruway Connecting Service
7h 11m$228–289Drive 197.5 mi
cheapest- Drive from Big Sur to Santa Barbaracar 197.5 mi
3h 58m$36–53Taxi, train (Amtrak)
- Take the taxi from Big Sur to Salinastaxi
- Take the train from Salinas to Santa Barbaratrain Coast Starlight
7h 12m$223–339Taxi to Monterey Regional Airport, fly to Los Angeles International Airport, train
- Take the taxi from Big Sur to Monterey Regional Airport (MRY)taxi
- Fly from Monterey Regional Airport (MRY) to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)plane MRY - LAX
- Take the train from Los Angeles to Santa Barbaratrain
6h 50m$405–899Taxi, shuttle to San Francisco International Airport, fly to Santa Barbara Municipal Airport
- Take the taxi from Big Sur to Monterey Shuttle Stationtaxi
- Take a shuttle bus from Monterey Shuttle Station to SFO Airport International
- Fly from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to Santa Barbara Municipal Airport (SBA)plane SFO - SBA
7h 16m$337–609
Monterey Regional Airport (MRY) to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) flights
Questions & Answers
The cheapest way to get from Big Sur to Santa Barbara is to drive which costs $35 - $55 and takes 3h 58m.
The fastest way to get from Big Sur to Santa Barbara is to drive which takes 3h 58m and costs $35 - $55.
The distance between Big Sur and Santa Barbara is 291 miles. The road distance is 198.7 miles.
The best way to get from Big Sur to Santa Barbara without a car is to taxi and bus which takes 7h 11m and costs $220 - $290.
It takes approximately 7h 11m to get from Big Sur to Santa Barbara, including transfers.
Yes, the driving distance between Big Sur to Santa Barbara is 199 miles. It takes approximately 3h 58m to drive from Big Sur to Santa Barbara.
There are 250+ hotels available in Santa Barbara.
What companies run services between Big Sur, CA, USA and Santa Barbara, CA, USA?
There is no direct connection from Big Sur to Santa Barbara. However, you can take the taxi to Salinas then take the bus to Santa Barbara. Alternatively, you can take the taxi to Salinas then take the train to Santa Barbara.
- Website
- united.com
Flights from Monterey Regional Airport to Los Angeles International Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 31m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $30–210
Flights from Monterey Regional Airport to Los Angeles International Airport via San Francisco International Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 3h 40m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $40–230
Flights from San Francisco International Airport to Santa Barbara Municipal Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 25m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $30–210
Flights from San Francisco International Airport to Santa Barbara Municipal Airport via Los Angeles International Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 3h 25m
- When
- Monday, Thursday, and Friday
- Estimated price
- $40–240
Rome2Rio's guide to Amtrak
Contact DetailsContact Details
- Phone
- +1 800-872-7245
- Website
- amtrak.com
Train from Salinas to Santa Barbara
- Ave. Duration
- 6h 6m
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Estimated price
- $80–170
- Website
- https://www.amtrak.com/home.html
Train from Los Angeles to Santa Barbara
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 43m
- Frequency
- Every 4 hours
- Estimated price
- $30–70
- Website
- https://www.amtrak.com/home.html
Rome2Rio's guide to Amtrak
Contact DetailsContact Details
- Phone
- +1 800-872-7245
- Website
- amtrak.com
Bus from Salinas to Santa Barbara
- Ave. Duration
- 6h 5m
- Frequency
- 3 times a day
- Estimated price
- $85–120
- Website
- https://www.amtrak.com/home.html
- Phone
- +1 831-373-7777
- Website
- groometransportation.com
Shuttle from Monterey Shuttle Station to SFO Airport International
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 45m
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- $55–70
- Schedules at
- groometransportation.com
- Standard Rate
- $55–70
- Ave. Duration
- 54 min
- Estimated price
- $90–170
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