Solvang & Santa Ynez Valley: Bike Tour & Wine Tasting

Ride Solvang's Vineyard Roads, Stop for Wine Three Times

You cycle from Solvang through Los Olivos, Foxen Canyon, and Los Alamos on quiet vineyard roads, stopping for three wine tastings and a prepared lunch along the way. The guide handles the route and timing, so you just ride and taste. Plan for a full day—around ten hours total—and bring fitness for rolling terrain and some climbing.

Step-by-step itinerary

Cycling and wine tasting in Solvang

• Meet at Solvang Park and review safety
• Cycle to Los Olivos for first wine tasting
• Ride through Foxen Canyon vineyards
• Stop for second wine tasting and lunch
• Cycle through vineyards to Los Alamos
• Have third wine tasting in Los Alamos
• Ride through Drum Canyon back to Solvang

The Experience

Most wine tours in Santa Barbara keep you in a van, watching the landscape roll past a window. This one puts you on a bike, moving slow enough to actually feel the shift from Danish village streets to open vineyard country. You start at Solvang Park early in the morning, get a safety rundown, and then you're rolling toward Los Olivos—the first real climb, the first real payoff. By the time you reach the tasting room there, you've earned the first pour.

The route doesn't take the obvious path. After Los Olivos, you're on Foxen Canyon's backroads, the kind of quiet stretch where you can hear gravel under your tires and see oak trees scattered across the hills. Your guide knows which wineries to hit and when—the second tasting and lunch happen somewhere along here, depending on the day and the group's pace. It's not rushed. You eat, you taste, you sit for a minute. Then back on the bike through more vineyard country toward Los Alamos, where the third tasting waits at another family-run spot.

The final push takes you through Drum Canyon, where the terrain gets dramatic—winding roads, bigger views, the kind of riding that makes your legs remember why you showed up. You roll back into Solvang maybe ten hours after you started, and the whole thing—three tastings, lunch, the guide, the route planning—is already paid for. No surprises at the end, no separate bills at each stop.

What’s included

• Three wine tastings at different wineries throughout the day.
• a prepared lunch.
• full-day guide (up to 10 hours).
• route planning and safety briefing at the start.

Good to know

Demanding physical levelNot for pregnant travelersNot for heart conditionsNot for back problems

Operated by Yankee Cycle Works

Is this one for you?Right for experienced cyclists who want to taste wine without sitting in a van, and who have the fitness for a full day of riding over rolling terrain with some climbing.

Top questions

How difficult is the cycling?

The tour covers rolling vineyard terrain with some climbing, particularly on the approach to Los Olivos. It's designed for riders with solid fitness and cycling experience.

What's included in the price?

Three wine tastings at different wineries, a prepared lunch, and the guide for the full day (up to 10 hours). You don't pay separately at any stop.

How many people go on each tour?

Groups stay small—up to 10 riders—so the pace stays manageable and the guide can adjust the route if needed.

What's the route like?

You start in Solvang, ride to Los Olivos for the first tasting, then through Foxen Canyon's backroads, stop in Los Alamos for the third tasting, and finish through Drum Canyon back to Solvang.

What time does it start?

The tour meets at Solvang Park in the morning. Exact start time should be confirmed when you book.

Can I do a shorter version?

The itinerary is structured as a full day (up to 10 hours). Shorter options aren't mentioned in the tour details.