Santa Barbara: winery and rental car

Will be sailing to Santa Barbara in about two weeks. I saw the post concerning what to do in Santa Barbara but nothing concerning wineries. I was wondering if there was a rental car company near by and if anyone who has done this would share their experiences and suggestions. Thanks in advance for your comments.

You can enjoy wine tasting in SB without renting a car to drive to the Santa Ynez Valley area.

There are several wine tasting rooms located about a half mile walk from the SB SEA Landing where the ship's tenders drop off passengers.

http://urbanwinetrailsb.com

My favorite is the SB Winery who provides a wine glass with their tastings & was under $15. The wine tasting area is just off State Street & you could also use their great public transportation system to go to other sites such as the SB Courthouse (#1 rated in SB by Trip Advisor) or the SB Mission (#2).

I've only gone on an independent winery tour to Santa Ynez or walked to the SB wine tasting rooms & can't help with renting a car.

Thanks Astro Flyer for the information.

Thanks Astro Flyer for the information.

You're welcome...we're about an hour from SB & we always enjoy a day in port there. :)

Astro Flyer - Not to hijack the thread, but just curious if you have ever sailed with the Paul Gauguin - or ever want to??

Astro Flyer - Not to hijack the thread, but just curious if you have ever sailed with the Paul Gauguin - or ever want to??

I had a friend who many years ago enjoyed sailing them but they're not affordable for us...we prefer sailing as many days as possible.

We can appreciate that, but just wanted to let you know if you can show you are kama'aina in some way, they have been offering very significant discounts on several cruises.

We can appreciate that, but just wanted to let you know if you can show you are kama'aina in some way, they have been offering very significant discounts on several cruises.

Mahalo...will check their website...is there a code number?

When we booked it, our Maui TA sent us the offer. We weren't keen on French Polynesia, but the offer for a two week cruise of the Marquesas, Tuamotos and Society Islands on an all-inclusive ship was too good to pass up. You don't go through Paul Gauguin. You go through a Hawaii TA. If your agent is in Hawaii, ask him/her about the PG Hawaii Kama'aina rates. We would get far more detailed here, but believe that may be against CC rules and hope you have a local TA who is in the know about this.

Thanks

To get back to topic for the OP, while there is wine tasting in SB in the "funk" zone, a trip to the Santa Ynez valley would be much more representative of a visit to the wine country. You could select from a number of wineries as well as consider a visit to Solvang. The latter is worth an hour or two to break up the day. If you drive do be careful, those tastings can add up. Consider a DD in the group.