The Church and Museum
A self-guided tour through the museum, the courtyard gardens, the church and the cemetery.
Mission Santa Barbara
The "Queen of the Missions", the best loved of California's 21 Spanish missions, with twin bell towers, a rose garden in front and the Santa Ynez Mountains behind.
Founded in 1786, Mission Santa Barbara is called the Queen of the Missions, and it looks the part: a pale stone church with twin bell towers and a classical front, set on a rise above the city with the Santa Ynez Mountains behind. It is the tenth of California's 21 Spanish missions, and Franciscan friars have lived here ever since.
Inside are a museum of mission life, a painted church still used every day, a cemetery garden where thousands of Chumash people are buried, and a sacred garden. Across the road, a rose garden and the ruins of the mission's waterworks complete the picture.
- Best Time
- Year-round; spring and fall are least foggy
- Time Needed
- 2 hours
- Cost Level
- $$$$
- Open
- Every day; check santabarbaramission.org for tour hours
- Getting There
- About two miles above downtown Santa Barbara, which is 90 minutes up the coast from Los Angeles by car or Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner.
What to See
2 of 3 are freeMission Rose Garden
Across the street, more than 1,000 rose bushes in front of the mission, with the best view of its facade.
Mission Historical Park
The stone ruins of the mission's dam, aqueduct and reservoir, built by Chumash workers.
Know Before You Go
- The church is a working parish. The tour route may close during services and weddings.
- The missions were built with Native labor, and many Chumash people died in them. The museum tells some of that story.
Where to Stay
Stay in Santa Barbara.
Where to Eat
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Last checked 2026-10-31. Part of the California list.