Amtrak from San Diego to Santa Barbara? (San Jose, Oceanside: hotels, buy)

[PatanjaliTwist]

I have 2-mos left in SD & wanted to visit as many places as I can since I may not return... boo! I now have a car & can drive to Santa Barbara (it would be a Fri-Mon visit), but was wondering if anyone ever took Amtrak (Pacific Surfliner) from SD to SB & would recommend it?

I'd like to take the train as long as the station is walking distance to hotels & beaches... it will be more restful & I really don't plan on doing more than hanging out at the beach, walking for local coffee a few times/day & picking up meals at local restaurants or a market. It's only 5-hrs & $51 for a biz class ticket, $17 less for a standard seat. Since downtown SD hotels charge $20-30/night parking, I'm guessing many SB hotels do, as well.

I'm unsure how large SB is, so it's a bit hard for me to judge if it has a walkable area near the beach & train station. Can anyone who's visited lately give me an idea if you'd visit again without a car? Also, should anyone have a don't miss restaurant or a hotel they prefer, I'm all ears. I'll be going sometime this month & would like to keep hotel costs below $100/night, if possible.

Thanks very much!

[Jenkay]

Originally Posted by PatanjaliTwist

I have 2-mos left in SD & wanted to visit as many places as I can since I may not return... boo! I now have a car & can drive to Santa Barbara (it would be a Fri-Mon visit), but was wondering if anyone ever took Amtrak (Pacific Surfliner) from SD to SB & would recommend it?

I'd like to take the train as long as the station is walking distance to hotels & beaches... it will be more restful & I really don't plan on doing more than hanging out at the beach, walking for local coffee a few times/day & picking up meals at local restaurants or a market. It's only 5-hrs & $51 for a biz class ticket, $17 less for a standard seat. Since downtown SD hotels charge $20-30/night parking, I'm guessing many SB hotels do, as well.

I'm unsure how large SB is, so it's a bit hard for me to judge if it has a walkable area near the beach & train station. Can anyone who's visited lately give me an idea if you'd visit again without a car? Also, should anyone have a don't miss restaurant or a hotel they prefer, I'm all ears. I'll be going sometime this month & would like to keep hotel costs below $100/night, if possible.

Thanks very much!

The train is a great way to travel! I have friends in SLO and I always elect to take the train up there instead of driving if I can help it. It takes a smidge longer than the drive *without* traffic but if you hit traffic in LA the train is actually faster, and you can kick back and have a glass of wine and read a book instead of staring at brake lights in front of you

I can't speak to how close the train station is to everything in SB, though.

[futbol]

I've never ridden on the Amtrak California route.

A few years ago I called them about using it to commute to San Jose from SD. They (Amtrak) warned me that it would take a long time and is not as pleasant as it seems. It is not a coastal route except in a few places. A lot of time is spent in industrial areas.

People I know use it for getting between LA/Irvine/SD. That is a pleasant route with a reasonable fare that you can read a book and drink wine.

[oddstray]

Google Maps shows that the Amtrak station in Santa Barbara is about 1/3 of a mile from Stearns Wharf.

You can look at this page: Santa Barbara Beach Guide and use Google Maps to find the distance to the beaches they list.

[loveautumn]

I took the Amtrak from Solana Beach to SB quite a few years ago. I took 5 hours one way because there are alot of stops. If you buy 1st class, the seats are nicer and they have coffee, etc. available as I recall. However, you'd have to offset the time spent on the train vs the drive plus you would have the advantage of having your car there so you could freely explore the area. The train station is basically right in the DT area and there are restaurants and shopping there. But we had someone to drive us around and I got to see alot more that way.

[Mugsy]

Just a heads up there is also the Metrolink from Oceanside that will have a station in SB someday:

Interactive Map

[Jenkay]

Originally Posted by futbol

I've never ridden on the Amtrak California route.

A few years ago I called them about using it to commute to San Jose from SD. They (Amtrak) warned me that it would take a long time and is not as pleasant as it seems. It is not a coastal route except in a few places. A lot of time is spent in industrial areas.

People I know use it for getting between LA/Irvine/SD. That is a pleasant route with a reasonable fare that you can read a book and drink wine.

I just did that trip a couple of months ago. It takes about 12 hours, as opposed to 9 driving. It's actually quite pleasant. It's coastal from O'side to SLO, and that part is amazing. After that it goes through some beautiful SoCal country- it's like riding through a Steinbeck novel with rolling grassy hillsides and the occasional town. One section you pass through is dotted with those crazy mantis-looking oil rigs, not exactly pretty but kind of a cool and surreal and post-apocalyptic landscape that's in harsh contrast with the bucolic vistas you see most of the way. The seats are *very* comfortable, but I spent most of my time in the observation car sipping wine and reading, and chatting with other passengers. There's not a lot of industrial areas except through LA and maybe a couple of other short stretches, and even those can be kind of cool to watch from a window high up as you pass through.

The "rails and trails" volunteer docents ride along in the observation car for a few hours of the trip and narrate the landscape for you, it's pretty awesome.

The only thing lacking is the food offering- the dining car is mediocre at best, but you can bring along snacks for the trip if you like. (on the way back down I packed meats, cheeses, bread, fruit and had quite a spread! even shared it with a few other people riding in my car who were pretty stoked)

I met some neat people and had a great time. I think it was *totally* worth a couple of extra hours traveling to have the stress of driving completely absent- it really gives you a chance to enjoy the journey as well as the destination.

[PollyGlott]

[quote=Jenkay;17769727]I just did that trip a couple of months ago. It takes about 12 hours, as opposed to 9 driving. [quote]

It takes about 6 hours, versus 4 driving, from San Diego. Were the times you posted meant to be round trip?

It is, indeed, a very nice ride. And in Santa Barbara, it's very easy to get from the station to State Street (shopping, restaurants), or to the Mission (not to be missed), or the beach (very close).

[oddstray]

I think the 12/9 hours was for SD to San Jose. SD to Santa Barbara sounds more like 6/4 hours

[PollyGlott]

Originally Posted by oddstray

I think the 12/9 hours was for SD to San Jose. SD to Santa Barbara sounds more like 6/4 hours

You're right - I missed the "San Jose" part...