One of the best side trips you can take from Los Angeles or Santa Barbara is a trip to Solvang and the Santa Ynez Valley. Brimming with interesting architecture and delectable wines, the Santa Ynez Valley is one of the more eclectic destinations in California. It can also be quite expensive to visit, but don’t you worry! I have a couple of tips that can help you have a great visit without breaking the bank. So without further ado, let’s dive into how you can visit Solvang on a Budget.
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Make it a Day Trip
While staying overnight allows you to explore the Santa Ynez Valley region and Solvang at a more relaxed pace, the biggest way you can save money is by foregoing a hotel stay altogether. This is especially true if you’re visiting on a weekend. Hotel prices tend to skyrocket on Saturday night, with some of them reaching $300 to $400 a night. So best to avoid this if you’re trying to visit Solvang on a budget.
You should be able to do most, if not all, of the main attractions in one day. It would just necessitate you leaving bright and early in the morning of your day trip and coming home late at night. You can still get a wine tasting or two done, visit some museums, take a quick peek around the nearby towns, and maybe even have a nice dinner in the 12 hours you’ll spend in the Valley.
If Staying Overnight, Stay in Buellton
But let’s say you don’t want to get up early or spend 4 hours driving in one day. That leaves you no choice but to stay in a hotel. While there are a plethora of options in the entire Santa Ynez Valley, the town that will have the cheapest hotel prices is most probably going to be Buellton.
Solvang will probably have the highest hotel prices, especially for last minute trips. It’s the largest town in the valley and attracts the most tourists, so that’s to be expected. But hotel prices in Buellton tend to be about $100 to $150 cheaper. Buellton isn’t the most spectacular town. It actually looks like any other suburb in America. But it is relatively close to Solvang so it shouldn’t make a difference time wise to get to Solvang from there. Also, if you want to be sure you save money and do Solvang on a budget, the earlier you book your hotel the better.
Visit in the Middle of the Week
Another thing you can do is to visit during the middle of the week, especially if you want to stay overnight. Hotel prices drop midweek and there will be a lot less tourists visiting during the week. I would even say that you would probably have Solvang and its various attractions all to yourself.
The only negative of going midweek would be that some of the attractions close for 1-2 days during the week. But as long as you keep their opening hours in mind and plan accordingly you should still be able to fully enjoy your day. Plus, getting to have the different towns all to yourself would definitely be an amazing experience.
Rent a Car Over Doing Tours
This one is a no-brainer, but should still be mentioned given that a lot of people still go on tours when visiting Solvang. While tours can enhance your experience of a place as it gives you some background on the history and culture of a particular area, you don’t really need that in Solvang and the surrounding towns. I learned a lot about Solvang from visiting the Elverhoj museum, which I visited for free instead of paying for a guide.
If you’re using a tour to get you to Solvang and back, might I suggest that renting a car for the day might actually save you more money than doing the tour, especially if you’re in a group of two or more people (meaning you aren’t a solo traveler). Tours to Solvang can run up to $150 dollars or more, which is ultimately going to hurt your wallet. If you want to save money, renting a car is your best bet.
Visit Free Attractions
As I usually recommend in these types of posts, utilize free attractions whenever you can. I would say that Solvang and the Santa Ynez Valley is a destination where walking around and soaking up the atmosphere is an attraction in and of itself. This is true especially in Solvang where you can admire the Danish-style architecture and the windmills from just about anywhere.
But in terms of attractions, free highlights include the towns themselves (Solvang, Santa Ynez, Los Alamos, and Los Olivos), the Elverhoj Museum, the Hans Christian Andersen museum, the Olive Oil and Lavender Farm, and the Santa Ynez Mission (although it’ll cost you to enter the mission’s museum). But even the paid attractions aren’t that expensive. Wine tastings will set you back a little bit but are generally affordable, as are Ostrichland and the Santa Ynez Mission Museum. On the whole, you won’t spend a lot of money on attractions in Solvang.
So in the end, it is possible to do Solvang on a budget. Now get out there and go exploring! You won’t regret it.
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