Santa Barbara Spanish colonial style architecture and quaint neighborhoods makes it a perfect city to take great photos. Bougainvillea laden walls, red tiled roofs, colorful buildings, palm trees and cacti are some great backgrounds in Santa Barbara. Here is a guide to some of the most instagrammable places in Santa Barbara. If you’d rather spend a day exploring like everyone else ;), check out my guide to an epic day trip to Santa Barbara!

Santa Barbara Courthouse

Santa Barbara Courthouse

Inside the Courthouse

Santa Barbara Courthouse

View from clock tower

Courthouse Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara Courthouse, located right in the downtown is a great starting point to take amazing photos. It is probably the most popular and photographed place in Santa Barbara. I’d even seen numerous wedding photoshoots here on the same day! Explore the inside as well for some great shots.

Paseo Nuevo Shops & Restaurants

Paseo Nuevo Mall

Paseo Nuevo mall staircase

Paseo Nuevo Mall

Yes, a shopping mall but with stunning Spanish details that will brighten your Instagram feed. The Paseo Nuevo mall is on Chapala Street and is fun to visit and shop!

Chromatic Gate

Chromatic gate Santa Barbara

Chromatic Gate is a colorful art installation right across the beach at the intersection of El Cabrillo Blvd and Calle Puerto Vallarta. You will see many instagrammers doing photo shoots here.

Four Seasons The Biltmore

The Four Seasons entrance Santa Barbara

Bella Vista restaurant

The Four Seasons Santa Barbara

Another great instagrammable place in Santa Barbara is the Four Seasons. This hotel is located a few miles away in Montecito. Best spots to take photos here are the gardens outside, interiors and the Bella Vista restaurant. If you are there, also stay to watch sunset at Butterfly beach and probably have another photoshoot.

State Street

Christmas lighting on State Street

State street is a fun place with so many restaurants, bars and museums. Take a stroll along the street and you will find cool places like the MOXI Museum on one end and Hotel Milo on the other.

Mission Santa Barbara

Old Mission Santa Barbara

Cacti garden Mission Santa Barbara

Inside Old Mission Santa Barbara

Mission Santa Barbara is not only a historical landmark but also a beautiful place with so many picturesque locations. Some of my favorites are the entrance, cacti garden at the entrance and the inside courtyard.

El Zapato Rojo

El Zapato Rojo Santa Barbara

I found this house at a random intersection and found the colors so eye catching. If you are interested, you can also rent this colorful home!

A few other places that are definitely instagram worthy are Lotusland (Wed and Sat by tour only), Casa Harrera and many cafés (Cajé coffee roasters) and restaurants (Los Agaves, Santo Mezcal). I also have a list of restaurants and other places to visit in another post about day trip to Santa Barbara.

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