Santa Barbara

The coast here faces south, and the Channel Islands shelter it from the open Pacific, so the surf is gentler than on most of California. East Beach and West Beach run either side of Stearns Wharf in the city itself. Leadbetter and Arroyo Burro are local favourites a short drive west, and Butterfly Beach sits below Montecito. About 20 minutes east, Carpinteria's long, shallow state beach is ideal for small children, and El Capitan and Refugio are further up the coast.

The catch is the water. It reaches about 19-20°C in late summer and drops to around 14°C in winter, so most swimming is short and many locals wear wetsuits. Early summer often brings a grey morning marine layer. Beach life is part of the town without being the reason people come.

Eating here is built on what comes out of the channel and the valleys behind it. Spot prawns, sea urchin and rock crab come off the harbour boats, the farmers' markets are among the best stocked in the state, and the Santa Ynez and Santa Rita Hills wineries supply much of what is poured in town. Tasting rooms fill the converted warehouses of the Funk Zone near the beach, and around the Urban Wine Trail you can taste pinot noir and chardonnay on foot.

The Eastside and Milpas Street have long-established taquerias and Mexican bakeries, which balance the polished farm-to-table dining downtown and in Montecito. The range is narrow for a city of its size, and there is little cheap, late or international food beyond Mexican.

Santa Barbara's main sight is the town itself. After an earthquake in 1925 it was rebuilt in a deliberate Spanish Colonial Revival style, so the centre is all white stucco, red tile roofs and tiled courtyards. The County Courthouse is the finest example, and its clock tower looks out over the town to the mountains. The Old Mission, founded in 1786 and known as the Queen of the Missions, stands on the slope above, and the restored Presidio marks the Spanish fort.

The Museum of Art has a respectable collection, and the Museum of Natural History sits in a wooded canyon near the Mission. Together they make two or three pleasant days rather than a heavy sightseeing programme.

Evenings mostly mean a wine bar or a brewery taproom. The Funk Zone's tasting rooms and breweries are busy in the early evening, and the lower blocks of State Street carry the bars, sports pubs and a few small dance floors where university students crowd in at weekends. Isla Vista, the student town next to the campus, is rowdier but has little for visitors. Most places close early and there is no real club culture, so this suits a long dinner followed by a nightcap.

The Santa Ynez Mountains rise steeply only a few kilometres behind the town. Trails start from suburban streets and climb through chaparral and oak canyons, with Rattlesnake Canyon, Seven Falls, Inspiration Point and the hot springs trail above Montecito among the favourites. They end on ridges with views across the channel to the islands. Beyond the ridge, the huge Los Padres National Forest offers longer hikes and camping.

On the water, boats leave the harbour for whale watching, mostly grey whales in winter and spring and humpbacks and blue whales in summer. You can kayak and paddleboard along the shore, and surfers head to Rincon, a famous point break east of town. Channel Islands National Park is a boat ride away from nearby Ventura and offers sea caves, kayaking and rugged island walks. Summer fires and the haze they bring sometimes close trails.

One day out stands above the rest. It goes over the mountains to the Santa Ynez Valley, about 45 minutes away, where wineries and tasting rooms fill the small towns of Los Olivos, Los Alamos and Santa Ynez and the Santa Rita Hills to the west. Solvang, a town founded by Danish settlers, has half-timbered streets, windmills and Mission Santa Inés. La Purisima, near Lompoc, is the most fully restored of the California missions.

After that the list is short. Ojai is a small arts town in an orange-growing valley about an hour inland, Ventura has its mission and old main street, and San Luis Obispo is close to two hours north. Malibu and the Getty Villa are about an hour and a half away by car. Los Angeles is about two hours' drive without traffic, and the scenic coastal train takes nearly three, so it works better as a separate stay than as a day trip.

For families this is an easy, gentle base. The Santa Barbara Zoo is small and set on a hill above the beach, and the Sea Center on Stearns Wharf has touch tanks. MOXI, a hands-on science museum, sits at the foot of State Street, and the Museum of Natural History has a whale skeleton and a planetarium. Carpinteria and East Beach are calm enough for young children, and the mild weather allows outdoor time all year.

The streets are clean and safe, and a waterfront bike path runs along the shore. Everything is small in scale, though, and children wanting big rides will need the theme parks of Los Angeles, two hours away.

Downtown is compact and flat. From the Mission district, State Street runs straight down to the waterfront, and a level shoreline path links the wharf, harbour and East Beach for walkers and cyclists. A local bus network and a downtown shuttle cover the core, and the coastal train stops near the beach, so you can arrive without a car.

Beyond the centre, though, the Mission sits uphill, trailheads are at the ends of residential roads, and the wine country, Ojai and most beaches outside town really need a car or a tour. Most visitors end up driving at least part of the time.

Shopping is pleasant but limited. State Street holds the chains and some independents, and the Spanish-style arcades and paseos off it, such as La Arcada, hide galleries and small boutiques around fountain courtyards. In Montecito, Coast Village Road and the upper village sell upmarket fashion and homeware to a wealthy local clientele. The Funk Zone adds art galleries and design shops.

The best local purchases are wine and produce from the farmers' markets. There is no department store or market of real depth, and no local craft tradition.

This is an expensive place to stay. Rooms near the beach and in Montecito are among the dearest on the California coast, and summer weekends cost the most. Restaurant meals, wine tastings and tours are priced for a wealthy local and visiting crowd. Budget relief comes from taquerias, farmers' markets, free hikes and beaches, and from staying inland or up the coast in Goleta or Ventura. Visiting midweek or in the cooler months helps more than anything.

For a small city the stage life runs deep, helped by a wealthy, arts-minded population and the university. The Granada Theatre is a restored 1920s movie palace that hosts the local symphony, opera and ballet companies and touring shows. The Lobero, one of the oldest theatres in California, has chamber music and jazz, and the Arlington's Spanish-village interior is a sight in its own right.

The Santa Barbara Bowl, an outdoor amphitheatre in a canyon above town, draws major touring bands between spring and autumn. Each summer, the Music Academy of the West fills the town with concerts by young professional musicians. Opera and theatre seasons are short, though, and there is little local scene of wider renown.

The pace is the main restorative here: mild sun, quiet mornings and nothing urgent to see. The large resort hotels of Montecito and the beachfront have polished spas, and the town has plenty of yoga studios and day spas. There is no public bathing culture, though. The nearest thing is a hike up to small natural hot pools in the hills above Montecito. For a proper retreat, many people drive an hour to the Ojai Valley, which has a long tradition of spa resorts and quiet.