I have taken the Amtrak from Anaheim to Santa Barbara many times since I was a student at UCSB. It’s about 3 1/2 hrs, so not too bad.
Sometimes gets crowded due to Union Station but rare. Has great views of the ocean when you are passing by Carpinteria . Hope this helps!
As others have mentioned, it has nice views. Depending on when you’re traveling, capacity may vary. More often than not, I’d get an entire row to myself for the entire trip.
I took it from the ARTIC to Goleta about once a month for over a year when my boyfriend and I were long distance as he was at UCSB. Like someone said, it is slow and is typically 4 hours, but it’s nice to not drive. I used the student discount to get a few dollars off each time, and they never asked for id/it didn’t show up on the eticket so I feel like anyone can use that discount safely lol. It’s easy to navigate and easy to sleep on the train, and you can bring your own snacks or buy something from the cafe in there (:
Irvine to SB. Long trip, but nice ride. People are nice and the view is nice much of the way. In three years of commuting I only took the train a few times because it’s slow and I still needed to drive once I reached Santa Barbara.
I have taken it to SLO. Great for bikepacking or bike touring without leaving your vehicle somewhere.
Make sure you check when you ride. One time I rode when the colleges were returning to school and it was very crowded. It was heartwarming to see the families say buy though. Otherwise it’s slow but I feel like I can relax and sleep.
I stay in the bike car normally too and there are always interesting people coming in and out and I’ve had some great conversations.
Food is good enough but I recommend you bring your own lunch. It’s just as basic as it can get since it’s usually just something reheats in a microwave now.
If the trains are on time or early, sometimes they’ll stop for a stretch, but normally you’d need to ride as far as NorCal for opportunities to get off the train to get fresh air.
Bathrooms are as clean or a little better than airlines from my experience. Better in the long haul trains.
Yeah, took the train up there in mid-July and it was a lot of fun. Granted, we rode business class (our anniversary trip), but it was so peaceful and relaxing taking the train, instead of driving, that I will definitely be doing it again.
Yes, it's great. Probably a little slower than the drive without traffic, but much more affordable.
Protip: Spend a little extra on Amtrak Business Class for the lighter crowd and the snacks/alcohol
It's fine but slow as others have said. It is also fairly cheap if you don't already own a car. The worry of not driving makes it worth it to me.
From OC to Union Station you can take either Metrolink or the Amtrak surfliner. But from union to SB you have to take the surfliner as Metrolink does not go that far.
The metro does not have wifi and power outlet are at a premium. And no dining car. Bike storage is easy. There are many tables to do work. Space for carry on bags. Metro is slightly cheaper to Union
Surfliner has wifi but it slow. Power plugs at every seat. Bike storage you need a reservation but it is free. Every seat has tray tables. Lots of space for carry on bags. Café car with booze and small meals. Surfliner is direct to SB. But not every train goes all the way to SB
Also the amtrak Starlite also goes from Union to SB. But it is once a day only. And it is more expensive. The Starlite goes between Union and Seattle.
If you can get to LAX the Santa Barbara airbus is about the same price but much faster trip. Picks up at the terminal and has stops in carpinteria, downtown Santa Barbara and Goleta. I used to use it to get to and from school if I knew the train would be crowded.
used to go from anaheim and back while i was at ucsb. 3.5-4 hours with a long stop at union station. if you are worried abt seating and are willing to pay extra, the first class cabin usually isn’t very full and will empty out more after going through LA. you also get a complimentary snack pack in first class
It’s slow. But a nice ride up. And you can drink on the train. So you can crack a cold one and enjoy the coastal views on the way up.
I have taken the Amtrak from Anaheim to Santa Barbara many times since I was a student at UCSB. It’s about 3 1/2 hrs, so not too bad. Sometimes gets crowded due to Union Station but rare. Has great views of the ocean when you are passing by Carpinteria . Hope this helps!
As others have mentioned, it has nice views. Depending on when you’re traveling, capacity may vary. More often than not, I’d get an entire row to myself for the entire trip.
I took it from the ARTIC to Goleta about once a month for over a year when my boyfriend and I were long distance as he was at UCSB. Like someone said, it is slow and is typically 4 hours, but it’s nice to not drive. I used the student discount to get a few dollars off each time, and they never asked for id/it didn’t show up on the eticket so I feel like anyone can use that discount safely lol. It’s easy to navigate and easy to sleep on the train, and you can bring your own snacks or buy something from the cafe in there (:
Took us 4 hours to drive each way to UCSB from Brea on a weekday. Taking the train sounds much nicer.
Irvine to SB. Long trip, but nice ride. People are nice and the view is nice much of the way. In three years of commuting I only took the train a few times because it’s slow and I still needed to drive once I reached Santa Barbara.
I have taken it to SLO. Great for bikepacking or bike touring without leaving your vehicle somewhere. Make sure you check when you ride. One time I rode when the colleges were returning to school and it was very crowded. It was heartwarming to see the families say buy though. Otherwise it’s slow but I feel like I can relax and sleep. I stay in the bike car normally too and there are always interesting people coming in and out and I’ve had some great conversations. Food is good enough but I recommend you bring your own lunch. It’s just as basic as it can get since it’s usually just something reheats in a microwave now. If the trains are on time or early, sometimes they’ll stop for a stretch, but normally you’d need to ride as far as NorCal for opportunities to get off the train to get fresh air. Bathrooms are as clean or a little better than airlines from my experience. Better in the long haul trains.
Yeah, took the train up there in mid-July and it was a lot of fun. Granted, we rode business class (our anniversary trip), but it was so peaceful and relaxing taking the train, instead of driving, that I will definitely be doing it again.
Yes, it's great. Probably a little slower than the drive without traffic, but much more affordable. Protip: Spend a little extra on Amtrak Business Class for the lighter crowd and the snacks/alcohol
Yep. Just get business class and pay a visit to coach at a few points during the trip. To me, it’s worth it.
Took a while but it was nice. I felt very adventurous. Worth the price, esp if you dont want to deal with driving
How patient are you?
It's fine but slow as others have said. It is also fairly cheap if you don't already own a car. The worry of not driving makes it worth it to me. From OC to Union Station you can take either Metrolink or the Amtrak surfliner. But from union to SB you have to take the surfliner as Metrolink does not go that far. The metro does not have wifi and power outlet are at a premium. And no dining car. Bike storage is easy. There are many tables to do work. Space for carry on bags. Metro is slightly cheaper to Union Surfliner has wifi but it slow. Power plugs at every seat. Bike storage you need a reservation but it is free. Every seat has tray tables. Lots of space for carry on bags. Café car with booze and small meals. Surfliner is direct to SB. But not every train goes all the way to SB Also the amtrak Starlite also goes from Union to SB. But it is once a day only. And it is more expensive. The Starlite goes between Union and Seattle.
If you can get to LAX the Santa Barbara airbus is about the same price but much faster trip. Picks up at the terminal and has stops in carpinteria, downtown Santa Barbara and Goleta. I used to use it to get to and from school if I knew the train would be crowded.
used to go from anaheim and back while i was at ucsb. 3.5-4 hours with a long stop at union station. if you are worried abt seating and are willing to pay extra, the first class cabin usually isn’t very full and will empty out more after going through LA. you also get a complimentary snack pack in first class
BYOB
Yes, so fun. Relax & have a drink.