Santa Barbara is on US Highway 101, 90 minutes north of Los Angeles and 5 hours south of San Francisco. Driving is the most common arrival, but Highway 101 between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara can be heavily congested on Friday afternoons and Sunday evenings.
Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner runs along the coast from San Diego, through Los Angeles, terminating in San Luis Obispo. The ride between LA Union Station and Santa Barbara takes about 2 hours 45 minutes, costs around $40, and runs almost entirely beside the Pacific — for many people, the most pleasant way to arrive in town.
Santa Barbara Airport (SBA) has direct flights from major western U.S. hubs (Denver, Seattle, San Francisco, Phoenix, Dallas). For most international travellers, fly into Los Angeles (LAX) and either rent a car, take Amtrak, or use the Santa Barbara Airbus shuttle.