There are 6 ways to get from San Francisco to Santa Barbara by bus (Flixbus), train (Amtrak), car, plane, bus (Amtrak), or subway
Select an option below to see step-by-step directions and to compare ticket prices and travel times in Rome2Rio's travel planner.
Bus (Flixbus)
best- Take the bus from San Francisco to Santa Barbara Bus Stopbus FlixBus 2005
6h 35m$50–80BART to Oakland International Airport, fly
cheapest- Take the subway from Powell Street to Coliseumsubway
- Fly from Oakland International Airport (OAK) to Santa Barbara Municipal Airport (SBA)plane OAK - SBA
4h 14m$42–260Caltrain, train
- Take the train from San Francisco Caltrain Southbound to San Jose Diridon Caltrain Southboundtrain Local Weekday / ...
- Take the train from San Jose to Santa Barbaratrain Coast Starlight
10h 3m$180–282Drive 322.2 mi
- Drive from San Francisco to Santa Barbaracar 322.2 mi
5h 50m$59–85Fly from San Francisco International Airport
- Fly from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to Santa Barbara Municipal Airport (SBA)plane SFO - SBA
4h 8m$161–444Bus via Lake Merritt (Amtrak)
- Take the bus from Oakland to Santa Barbarabus Amtrak Thruway Connecting Service
10h 38m
San Francisco to Santa Barbara by bus (Flixbus)
Comparing Your Travel Options
The cheapest way to get from San Francisco to Santa Barbara is to bus which costs $50 - $80 and takes 6h 35m.
The fastest way to get from San Francisco to Santa Barbara is to fly which takes 4h 8m and costs $160 - $450.
Yes, there is a direct bus departing from San Francisco and arriving at Santa Barbara Bus Stop. Services depart four times a week, and operate Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. The journey takes approximately 6h 35m.
No, there is no direct train from San Francisco to Santa Barbara. However, there are services departing from San Francisco Caltrain Southbound and arriving at Santa Barbara via San Jose. The journey, including transfers, takes approximately 10h 3m.
The distance between San Francisco and Santa Barbara is 326 miles. The road distance is 324 miles.
The best way to get from San Francisco to Santa Barbara without a car is to bus which takes 6h 35m and costs $50 - $80.
The bus from San Francisco to Santa Barbara Bus Stop takes 6h 35m including transfers and departs four times a week.
San Francisco to Santa Barbara bus services, operated by Flixbus USA, depart from San Francisco station.
San Francisco to Santa Barbara train services, operated by Caltrain, depart from San Francisco Caltrain Southbound station.
The best way to get from San Francisco to Santa Barbara is to bus which takes 6h 35m and costs $50 - $80. Alternatively, you can Caltrain and train, which costs $180 - $290 and takes 10h 3m, you could also fly, which costs $160 - $450 and takes 4h 8m.
What companies run services between San Francisco, CA, USA and Santa Barbara, CA, USA?
Flixbus USA operates a bus from San Francisco to Santa Barbara Bus Stop 4 times a week. Tickets cost $50–80 and the journey takes 6h 35m. Alternatively, you can take a train from San Francisco Caltrain Southbound to Santa Barbara via San Jose Diridon Caltrain Southbound and San Jose in around 10h 3m.
- Website
- united.com
Flights from San Francisco International Airport to Santa Barbara Municipal Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 19m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $30–210
- Website
- southwest.com
Flights from Oakland International Airport to Santa Barbara Municipal Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 11m
- When
- Monday, Thursday, Friday, Sunday, Tuesday, and Wednesday
- Estimated price
- $35–250
- Phone
- +1 800-660-4287
- Website
- Cal Train
Train from San Francisco Caltrain Southbound to San Jose Diridon Caltrain Southbound
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 17m
- Frequency
- Every 30 minutes
- Estimated price
- $9–12
- Website
- Cal Train
- Schedules at
- Cal Train
- One-way Adult
- $9–12
Rome2Rio's guide to Amtrak
Contact DetailsContact Details
- Phone
- +1 800-872-7245
- Website
- Amtrak
Train from San Jose to Santa Barbara
- Ave. Duration
- 7h 46m
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Estimated price
- $170–270
- Website
- Amtrak
- Phone
- +1-510-464-6000
- Website
- BART
Subway from Powell Street to Coliseum
- Ave. Duration
- 23 min
- Frequency
- Every 15 minutes
- Estimated price
- $3–5
- Website
- BART
- Phone
- +1 (855) 626-8585
- Website
- Flixbus USA
Bus from San Francisco to Santa Barbara Bus Stop
- Ave. Duration
- 6h 35m
- Frequency
- 4 times a week
- Estimated price
- $50–80
- Schedules at
- Flixbus USA
Rome2Rio's guide to Amtrak
Contact DetailsContact Details
- Phone
- +1 800-872-7245
- Website
- Amtrak
Bus from Oakland to Santa Barbara
- Ave. Duration
- 9h 10m
- Frequency
- 3 times a day
- Website
- Amtrak
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Booking & Getting There
San Francisco to Santa Barbara bus services, operated by Flixbus USA, arrive at Santa Barbara Bus Stop station.
San Francisco to Santa Barbara train services, operated by Caltrain, arrive at San Jose Diridon Caltrain Southbound station.
Yes, the driving distance between San Francisco to Santa Barbara is 324 miles. It takes approximately 5h 50m to drive from San Francisco to Santa Barbara.
Book your San Francisco to Santa Barbara train tickets online with Omio.
Book your San Francisco to Santa Barbara bus tickets online with Omio and FlixBus.
There are 331+ hotels available in Santa Barbara.