Santa Barbara
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It's easy to get around in Santa Barbara. There is a bus stop near the Student Home, and the Santa Barbara Transit Center (the bus terminal with buses in and around Santa Barbara) is also nearby. You can also get around very conveniently by bicycle.
Bicycles are ideal to explore Santa Barbara and to get to school, restaurants and shopping. There are many places to rent or buy an inexpensive bicycle.
There are many buses in Santa Barbara, so it is really easy to get everywhere.
Local bus: local buses are ideal to get around Santa Barbara or to visit neighboring cities. There is a bus stop near the Student Home, and the bus terminal (Transit Center) from where all buses leave is also nearby. Ask your school about a FREE bus pass.
State Street Shuttle: the State Street Shuttle is an open-air bus that runs through downtown Santa Barbara (State Street) and to the beach. The shuttle stops every 10 minutes on every block on State Street (downtown) from Sola Street to the beach from 10:00 to 18:00. The fare is $0.25.
Waterfront Shuttle: the Waterfront Shuttle is an open-air bus that runs along the beach. The shuttle goes every 30 minutes along the beach between the harbor and the Santa Barbara Zoo from 10:00 to 17:45. The fare is $0.25.
Airbus: the Santa Barbara Airbus offers rides from/to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and sight-seeing trips. This is an excellent way to get from LAX to the Student Home. You can also take the Airbus for trips to Los Angeles (Disneyland and more).
Roadrunner Shuttle: the Roadrunner Shuttle van is a convenient way to get to and from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The Roadrunner Shuttle will go directly to/from the Student Home.
Greyhound: the famous Greyhound bus is a cheap way to travel long-distance. The Greyhound bus terminal is not far from the Student Home – from here you can travel throughout the USA.
Taxis are easily found at the Santa Barbara airport, at the bus terminal and in downtown Santa Barbara. You can also call a taxi to the Student Home or to any other location. Taxis in the USA are usually very large, so you can share one taxi between four or more friends.
Rose Cab: (805) 451-0426
Absolute Cab: (805) 898-1669
It seems that almost everybody in the USA has a car, and driving is the most popular form of transportation. It's also easy and not expensive to rent a car. Often, you can get the cheapest price if you make a reservation through an agency in your own country because their price will usually include insurance (which is otherwise an expensive extra). Note that most car rental companies have a minimum age requirement of 21 or 25 years of age.
Enterprise car rental | Alamo car rental
You can take the train along the California coast north to San Francisco and further, or south to Los Angeles and San Diego. A train ride is a nice way of seeing the California coast. The train station is located in downtown Santa Barbara, only a short bicycle ride from the Student Home.
The easiest and most popular way of traveling long-distance in the USA is by airplane. Santa Barbara has its own domestic airport; the nearest international airport is in Los Angeles.
SBA: the nearest airport is the Santa Barbara Airport (SBA); it is located in the nearby city of Goleta. From SBA, you can take a taxi to the Student Home; the ride takes about 20 minutes.
LAX: the nearest international airport is Los Angeles (LAX). Since the bus ride from LAX to Santa Barbara can take 3 hours or more depending on traffic, we recommend you fly into SBA.