Santa Barbara Self-Guided Wine Tour - Image 1
Santa Barbara Self-Guided Wine Tour - Image 2
Santa Barbara Self-Guided Wine Tour - Image 3
Santa Barbara Self-Guided Wine Tour - Image 4
Santa Barbara Self-Guided Wine Tour - Image 5
Santa Barbara Self-Guided Wine Tour - Image 6

Photo 1 / 6

Santa Barbara Self-Guided Wine Tour

TourTruth score 7.0 out of 10

Average

1 review · Rated on 1 provider · How we score

  • Santa Barbara
  • Updated November 1, 2026

Explore Santa Barbara wine country at your own pace with GPS audio stories, an offline map, and a route you can shape around your day.

About this tour

Set your own pace through Santa Barbara wine country with a GPS audio guide that brings the region’s roads, vineyards, and stories to life. This self-guided Santa Barbara Wine Tour lets you choose your starting point and shape a tasting day around the places you want to visit.

Use the in-app map to explore Solvang, Los Olivos, Santa Ynez, Foxen Canyon, and Santa Maria, with GPS narration across 56 mapped wineries and 16 points of interest. Hear regional stories about six AVAs, the transverse ranges, and the Sideways effect, then build and reorder your route with the trip planner. Download the audio over Wi-Fi before setting out so it can keep playing when cell coverage fades. Pause for lunch, replay a story, or change your plans without following a group schedule.

The Santa Barbara Wine Tour is self-guided, and one purchase covers everyone in your vehicle. You’ll need your own transportation and a designated driver; tastings, food, and any required winery reservations are arranged separately. Download the app, plan your route, and discover wine country on your terms.

Highlights

  • Explore Santa Barbara wine country at your own pace
  • Follow GPS audio narration through wineries and points of interest
  • Build and reorder a personal tasting-day route
  • Hear stories about the region’s AVAs, landscape, and Sideways effect
  • Replay audio and keep exploring without a cellular signal

What's included

Included

  • Email and in-app chat support
  • Regional stories about six AVAs, transverse ranges, and the Sideways effect
  • In-app map covering Solvang, Los Olivos, Santa Ynez, Foxen Canyon, and Santa Maria
  • GPS audio narration across 56 mapped wineries and 16 points of interest
  • Free content updates as stories and wineries are added
  • Trip planner to build and reorder your tasting-day route
  • Offline download of audio files
  • Unlimited replays with no expiration
  • One purchase covers everyone in the vehicle

Not included

  • Wine tastings and winery tasting fees
  • Food, meals, and snacks
  • Transportation, vehicle hire, fuel, and phone mount
  • Mobile data for the initial tour download
  • Winery appointments and reservations where required
  • Gratuities

Ratings on each provider

The ratings and review counts each booking site shows for this tour.

Important information

  • Download the free Wine Trails app and create an account while connected to Wi-Fi
  • Redeem the booking in the app using the Viator booking reference and booking last name
  • Download the tour over Wi-Fi before driving; coverage in wine country can be patchy
  • A car and designated driver are needed; tastings are booked and paid directly with wineries
Show 4 more
  • Infants and small children can ride in a stroller
  • Service animals are allowed
  • Suitable for all physical fitness levels
  • Providing a phone number may result in up to 2 booking-related text messages; message and data rates may apply

Frequently asked questions

Where can I start the tour?

This is a self-guided tour, so you can start from wherever you are. Suggested starting points include Solvang, Los Olivos, Buellton, and downtown Santa Barbara.

Do I need a car?

Yes. You’ll need a car to drive between wineries, and the provider recommends having a designated driver.

Are wine tastings included?

No. Tastings and cellar-door fees are paid directly to each winery. Appointments may be required.

Will the audio work without cell service?

Yes. Download the tour over Wi-Fi before you leave; the offline audio download lets narration play when coverage drops.

Does the booking expire?

No. One purchase unlocks the region on your account with unlimited replays and no expiration or subscription.

How this score is calculated

This score is based on one provider. Viator rates it 2.00 from 1 review. We place that rating among all Viator ratings and weight it by its review count. If the tour is found on another provider later, both ratings are combined.

How the score works and rating distribution in Santa Barbara
  • Each provider rating is turned into a percentile: the share of that provider's ratings it beats, weighted by review counts.
  • Listings on different providers are combined in proportion to their review counts.
  • Tours with few reviews are pulled toward the average until more reviews come in, so a handful of perfect reviews can't top the list.
  • The result is shown from 0 to 10: this tour scores 7.0.

Provider rating distribution in Santa Barbara

How many tours in Santa Barbara have a provider rating at or below each value. The dashed line is this tour.

  • GetYourGuide
  • Viator

More Wine Tours & Tastings in Santa Barbara

from $24.99

on Viator

Check availability