Santa Barbara Introduction Walking Tour, Santa Barbara

Audio Guide: Santa Barbara Introduction Walking Tour (Self Guided), Santa Barbara

A popular weekend location and coastal city, Santa Barbara, has some of Southern California's top locations. Originating as a Spanish mission in 1782 and incorporated as a city in the state of California in 1850, the city enjoys great popularity for its beaches and beautiful architecture.

This city's name comes from the original Spanish mission's name, and the mission property and parish are still available to visit. The city's Spanish heritage is still very evident in the architecture, with terra cotta and stucco being popular building materials.

Santa Barbara is a city that has shown remarkable resiliency since its recovery from the 1925 earthquake. Today, the city is filled with historical and cultural attractions that are always worth visiting.

Some of the historical icons to see include Santa Barbara County Courthouse, the Arlington Theater, Our Lady of Sorrows Church, and the Moreton Fig Tree. The Santa Barbara Museum of Art is an excellent place to visit for its exhibits and educational programs. Anyone interested in taking full advantage of shopping and dining opportunities will want to visit Paseo Nuevo, State street, or Stearns Wharf.

Take this self-guided tour to get acquainted with the unique historical, cultural, and shopping and dining attractions in this beautiful coastal city in California.

Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Photopippo.

How it works: Download the app "GPSmyCity: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store to your mobile phone or tablet. The app turns your mobile device into a personal tour guide and its built-in GPS navigation functions guide you from one tour stop to next. The app works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.

Download The GPSmyCity App

Create Your Own Self-Guided Walks in Santa Barbara

Map Instructions: (1) Click the "Nearby Sights" button to view the nearby attractions; (2) click a map pin to see sight information.

Guide Name: Santa Barbara Introduction Walking Tour
Guide Location: USA » Santa Barbara (See other walking tours in Santa Barbara)
Guide Type: Self-guided Walking Tour (Sightseeing)
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.4 Km or 2.1 Miles

Sights Featured in This Walk

WalkBuilder (customize this walk)

Use the WalkBuilder tool below to customize this walk to suit your interests. Instructions: click

at the upper right corner in the map above to view other sights in the city. To learn more about a sight, click a map pin. Click the “+” or “–” to add or remove a sight from the walk. To reorder the selected sights, simply drag and move them up or down the list in the left column.

Click here to view route map

Enter a name for your custom walk, along with your email address, in the fields below. You will receive the instructions for retrieving your custom walk in the GPSmyCity app by email. The GPSmyCity app offers turn-by-turn travel directions to guide you from one attraction to the next.
Walk Name*:
Email*:

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do I access my walking tour in Santa Barbara?
Save your walking tour on the website. Then download the GPSmyCity app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and sign in to your GPSmyCity account. Next, download “Santa Barbara Map and Walking Tours” within the app. Your walk will appear on the Walks screen.

2. How do I view other attractions in Santa Barbara?
At the upper-right corner of the map above, click the “Nearby Sights” button to show or hide other sights in the city. Click a map pin to view details about a sight. To add a sight to your walk, find it in the right column of the WalkBuilder tool above and click the “+” button next to it.

3. How do I re-arrange the sight order?
In the left column of the WalkBuilder tool, drag a sight to move it up or down the list. Then click “Click here to view route map”. Repeat this process until the route meets your needs.

4. Can I add my hotel to a walking tour?
Yes. You can add your hotel as the starting point, the ending point, or both (creating a loop route). This feature is currently available only in the GPSmyCity app.

5. Can I add my own sights to a walking tour?
Yes. You can add sightss that are not in our database and include them in your walk. To do so, sign in to your GPSmyCity account on the website or use the GPSmyCity app.

6. How many sights can be included in a walking tour?
For technical reasons, the number of sights in a walking tour is currently capped at 20. This limit may be increased over time.

Walking Tours in Santa Barbara, California

Create Your Own Walk in Santa Barbara

Creating your own self-guided walk in Santa Barbara is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.

Historical Buildings Walking Tour

Ranking as one of the most attractive places on earth, if only in terms of climate and geography alone, Santa Barbara boasts a wealth of historic architecture tastefully and seamlessly accommodated into the city's modern-day incarnation. To a first-time visitor to Santa Barbara, even the most cursory observation reveals the predominant role that these historic locations play in the identity... view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.0 Km or 1.2 Miles

Santa Barbara Shopping Tour

Shopping in Santa Barbara, California is a serious affair! To those who may take it lightly, one can say (jokingly paraphrasing Oscar Wilde) that it is so shallow of them:) Indeed, from boutique-lined streets to charming courtyards, this coastal city boasts a wide retail spectrum, spanning from world-class stores to a multitude of local crafts shops fit to please even the most discerning and... view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.9 Km or 1.2 Miles