All aboard

GETTING THERE:

From Union Station in Los Angeles, the Pacific Surfliner train has five daily departures to Santa Barbara at 7:30 a.m., 9:05 a.m., and 12:30, 2:55 and 7 p.m. Also, Amtrak buses run at 9:05 or 9:20 p.m. All have earlier stops in Orange and San Diego counties and subsequent stops in the Valley and Ventura County. See www.amtrak.com for full schedule.

Discounted tickets must be purchased three days in advance but are valid for travel for six months (except for blackout dates around the holiday weekends). Use promotion code H636 during purchase at tickets.amtrak.com.

GETTING AROUND:

Bicycles are welcome on Amtrak trains. Train cars with racks have a bike symbol next to the door. In Santa Barbara, bikes, tandems and pedal-driven surreys are available from Wheel Fun Rentals, 23 E. Cabrillo Blvd.; (805) 966-2282, www.wheelfunrentals.com. The Car Free discount is 30%. High-end touring cycles are available ($55 a day, two-day minimum, no discount) from Open Air Bicycles, 224 Chapala St., behind the Santa Barbara station; (805) 962-7000.

Buses: The Downtown-Waterfront shuttle runs north on State Street from the pier. The Seaside Shuttle runs along Cabrillo Boulevard from the marina to the zoo. Either costs 25 cents. The Metropolitan Transit District’s 22 line connects downtown to the Mission, Natural History Museum and Botanical Gardens. Fares are $1.25. Complete bus schedules at www.sbmtd.gov.

Segway of Santa Barbara, 24½ E. Mason St.; (805) 963-7672, www.segwayofsb.com. We did the sunset special, which was $119 for two people for two hours. Rental is regularly $40 an hour. The discount is 20% off hourly rentals and 10% off special tours.

Fun Cars, mopeds and electric jeeps, some with GPS-triggered audio tours, can be rented at another outlet of Wheel Fun Rentals, 101 State St.; (805) 962-2585, www.wheelfunrentals.com.

WHERE TO STAY:

There are 18 hotels in Santa Barbara that offer varying discounts through the Car Free program. I stayed at Hotel Oceana, 202 W. Cabrillo Blvd.; (800) 965-9776, www.hoteloceana.com. Our room was $210 before the discount. Hotel Santa Barbara, 53 State St.; (888) 259-7700, www.hotelsantabarbara.com, is a bit farther from the train station, but is closer to the heart of downtown.

TO LEARN MORE:

Santa Barbara Car Free, P.O. Box 60436, Santa Barbara, CA 93160; (805) 696-1100, www.santabarbaracarfree.org. For current lists of the available discounts, click on “news and promotions.” The Amtrak discount is good through Dec. 13, 2007, but participants and discounts may change for 2007.

— Robin Rauzi