Los Angeles to Santa Maria Pacific Coast Audio Drive

Venice to Santa Maria: 11 stops, one road, stories that arrive as you drive

A self-guided audio road trip along the Pacific Coast Highway from Los Angeles to Santa Maria, with stories playing automatically through your smartphone as you pass Venice, Santa Monica, the Getty Villa, Malibu, Point Mugu, Ventura, Santa Barbara, and the Santa Maria Valley. Download the audio before you leave. No cellular signal is required during the drive. You control the pace, choose which stops to visit, and can start from either end and travel in either direction.

Step-by-step itinerary

Drive Pacific Coast Highway highlights

• Pass Loyola Marymount University
• See Marina del Rey harbour
• Pass Venice beachfront neighbourhood
• Follow Santa Monica and Will Rogers beaches
• Pass Getty Villa and Pacific Palisades
• See Tuna Canyon and Topanga State Parks
• Travel through Malibu coastline
• Pass Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area
• Discover Malibu and Adamson House
• See Zuma Beach and Point Dume
• Look at El Matador State Beach
• Pass Nicholas Canyon Beach
• View Harrison’s Reef
• Follow Santa Monica Mountains foothills
• Pass Point Mugu State Park and Boney Peak
• View Point Mugu Missile Park
• Pass Port Hueneme city and port
• Travel through Oxnard coastal plain
• Cross Santa Clara River
• Follow Ventura County coast
• Pass Mission Basilica San Buenaventura
• Trace Solimar and Emma Wood beaches
• See Pitas Point coastal feature
• Spot Rincon Island and Richfield Pier
• See Carpinteria Bluffs Nature Preserve
• Pass Carpinteria coastal city
• View Channel Islands viewpoint
• See Channel Islands National Park
• Pass Channel Islands Harbour
• Enter Santa Barbara and Chumash history
• Discover Santa Barbara city
• Pass Goleta coastal community
• Follow Santa Ynez Mountains backdrop
• Pass University of California, Santa Barbara
• View Los Padres National Forest
• See El Capitan State Beach
• Pass Refugio State Beach
• See Gaviota State Park and trestle
• Discover Nojoqui Falls Park
• Pass Buellton town
• See La Purísima Mission State Historic Park
• Discover Lompoc murals
• Pass Vandenberg Space Force Base
• Travel through Los Alamos and Salomon Pico
• Enter Santa Maria Valley wine region
• View San Rafael Wilderness
• Finish in Santa Maria city
• See Presqu’ile Winery
• Pass Pacific Conservatory Theatre
• Discover Rancho Sisquoc Winery
• See River View Park in Buellton

The experience

The route runs 11 named stops across roughly 4 to 5 hours of driving, though you set the actual timeline. Stories trigger automatically as you approach each location: Loyola Marymount University overlooking Los Angeles, Marina del Rey's sailboat-filled harbor, Venice's boardwalk and canals, Santa Monica and Will Rogers State Beaches, the Getty Villa and Pacific Palisades, Tuna Canyon and Topanga State Parks, then 21 miles through Malibu's surf culture and dramatic coastline. The audio continues through the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, past Zuma Beach and Point Dume, El Matador State Beach with its sea stacks and rock formations, and Nicholas Canyon Beach, which sits within the much older Chumash trading networks.

North of Malibu, the drive passes Point Mugu State Park and its open coastal parkland, then moves through Ventura County's fertile plain and the Mission Basilica San Buenaventura in downtown Ventura. The coast traces past Solimar and Emma Wood State Beaches, Pitas Point, and Rincon Island with its remarkably long pier. Santa Barbara arrives as a full stop: Spanish-influenced architecture, a lively waterfront, and the story of the Chumash people who lived there centuries before European settlement. From there, the route follows the Santa Ynez Mountains, passes UC Santa Barbara beside the Pacific, and reaches Refugio State Beach and Gaviota State Park at the western end of the Santa Barbara coast.

The final stretch turns inland toward the Santa Maria Valley wine region, passing through Lompoc with its outdoor murals, the fully restored La Purísima Mission State Historic Park, Vandenberg Space Force Base, and old ranching country linked to the legendary Californio bandit Salomon Pico. You finish in Santa Maria itself, a city founded amid farmland and ranching tradition, with optional stops at Presqu'île Winery, Rancho Sisquoc Winery, and other valley landmarks. Download the audio file before you leave home. Once it's on your phone, no cellular signal or data is required during the drive. You own the tour indefinitely and can complete it at your own pace, stopping whenever a beach, viewpoint or town catches your eye.

What’s included

• Audio guide in English.
• no time constraints (take as long as you like to complete the tour.
• one booking covers one vehicle.
• flexible dates) the tour is yours to keep and enjoy anytime.
• no signal required or data used during the drive once downloaded.
• wheelchair accessible routes and surfaces throughout.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day

GroupPrivate

Audio guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends at a different place from where it starts.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 10 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportStroller-friendlyPets welcome

Operated by Tripvia Tours

Is this one for you?Solo drivers and small groups traveling together in one vehicle will find this format ideal, since one booking covers the car and everyone in it. The self-guided format works best if you want to set your own pace, linger at beaches or viewpoints without a schedule, and explore inland detours (wine country, state parks, small towns) without being locked into a group departure time or a fixed itinerary.

Traveler reviews

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Top questions

What happens if I want to stop and explore a beach or town along the way?

The audio guide plays automatically as you pass each location, but you control when and where you stop. Pause the tour whenever something catches your eye (a beach, a viewpoint, a town), and pick it up again when you're ready to drive. There are no time constraints. The tour is yours to complete at whatever pace suits your day.

Do I need a cell signal or data plan for the audio to work?

No. Download the entire audio file to your smartphone or tablet before you leave home using a WiFi or mobile connection. Once it's downloaded, no signal or data is required during the drive. The audio plays from your device's storage.

Can I start from Santa Maria and drive south toward Los Angeles instead?

Yes. The route works in either direction. Start at either end, travel whichever way suits your plans, and the audio stories will play as you pass each location. One booking covers the entire route for one vehicle.

What is the Getty Villa, and do I need a ticket to see it?

The Getty Villa is a Roman-inspired museum of Greek and Roman antiquities in Pacific Palisades, currently open with free timed reservations. The audio guide will tell you about it as you pass, but entry tickets and reservations are not included and must be arranged separately if you want to visit.

How long does the drive actually take from Los Angeles to Santa Maria?

The route spans roughly 4 to 5 hours of driving time, but that's only if you drive straight through without stopping. Most travelers take longer, pausing at beaches, viewpoints, towns and attractions along the way. You set the actual timeline.

What do I need to bring or arrange before I start?

You'll need your own vehicle, a smartphone or tablet with the audio file downloaded, and parking money for any stops you choose to make. Attraction tickets, parking fees, and meals are not included. Bring a good mobile or WiFi connection at home to download the audio before you leave.