Best Beaches & State Streetin Santa Barbara

Open, palm-lined, and effortlessly Santa Barbara — the beach the city built itself around.

East Beach runs along Cabrillo Boulevard from Stearns Wharf east to the Andree Clark Bird Refuge, fronted by towering palm trees and a wide pedestrian/bike path. Volleyball nets line the sand, the Cabrillo Bathhouse anchors the middle, and the views back toward the Santa Ynez Mountains are postcard Santa Barbara. It's one of the easiest beaches in California to enjoy on foot, on a bike, or from a blanket.

Protected, postcard-clean, and built around boats — the gentlest urban beach in town.

West Beach sits between Stearns Wharf and the Santa Barbara Harbor breakwater. The breakwater makes the water unusually calm — perfect for paddleboarding, swimming, and kids. The harbor itself is a working marina with sailboats, fishing boats, the Maritime Museum, and Brophy Bros. upstairs at the end of the pier. The whole area is a single, walkable waterfront experience.

Easygoing, locals-first, and one of the prettiest curves of sand in the city.

Leadbetter is the wide crescent of beach below Shoreline Park and Santa Barbara City College, just west of the harbor. The point break delivers some of the most beginner-friendly waves on the South Coast — every surf school in town teaches here. The grassy bluff above offers picnic tables, walking paths, and one of the best sunset perches in Santa Barbara.

Local, salty, and easygoing — the beach every Santa Barbara resident has a memory at.

Officially Arroyo Burro Beach, universally called Hendry's, this Mesa-side beach is where Santa Barbara comes to walk the dog, surf an easy break, and have brunch on the sand at the Boathouse. East of the creek, the beach is dog-friendly off-leash. West of the parking lot, dramatic sandstone bluffs rise toward Douglas Family Preserve — connecting beach life directly to one of the city's best bluff walks.

Refined coastal elegance — the most photographed sunset on the South Coast.

Butterfly Beach sits across Channel Drive from the Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore Santa Barbara, a narrow strip of golden sand with the Channel Islands silhouetted on the horizon. Tide-dependent — at high tide there's barely any beach, at low tide it stretches for a quiet mile of walking. The Coral Casino sits across the street, and Coast Village Road's shops and restaurants are a 3-minute drive away.

Gentle, friendly, and unhurried — South Coast California in its slowest, kindest form.

A wide, gently sloping beach with an offshore shelf that keeps the surf famously calm — earning its 'world's safest beach' nickname. The state campground sits right on the sand, and downtown Carpinteria (Linden Avenue) is a five-block walk inland. The Carpinteria Bluffs and seal rookery trail are minutes away to the east.

Sheltered, sun-soaked, and quietly tropical — the Central Coast's most photogenic small beaches.

Refugio State Beach is the iconic Gaviota Coast cove where California palm trees grow right down to the sand — a rarity on the West Coast. El Capitán next door has a bigger, sand-and-bluff feel and a long pedestrian path connecting the two. Both have campgrounds, calm water, and the easiest swimming/paddling conditions on the entire South Coast.

Legendary, locals-deep, and one of the most beautiful curves of coast in California.

Rincon Point straddles the Santa Barbara/Ventura County line and is one of the most famous right-hand point breaks in California. When the swell is up, world-class surfers line up on long, peeling waves. When it's flat, it's still a stunning curve of cobblestone and sand, walkable from the Bates Road exit off Highway 101. Easy to combine with Carpinteria for a full South Coast loop.