Flying in
Santa Barbara Airport (SBA) is the closest option, about 25 minutes from campus. The terminal is at 500 James Fowler Road. Rideshare cars pick up in front of the terminal, several taxi companies serve it, and a public bus stop sits on Moffett Road across from the terminal. If you rent a car, Westmont's directions send you south on Highway 101 to exit 94B for Hot Springs Road and Cabrillo Boulevard, then left on East Cabrillo, through the roundabout onto Hot Springs Road, left on Sycamore Canyon Road, right on Cold Spring Road, and into the main entrance on La Paz Road.
LAX is the larger option farther south. Westmont puts the drive at about 90 minutes without traffic. The Santa Barbara Airbus runs scheduled shuttles between LAX and the Santa Barbara area and picks up at the orange SHARED RIDES signs outside terminals 2, 3, Tom Bradley, 4, 6 and 7; reservations are online or at (805) 964-7759. Westmont is clear that it does not provide transportation between campus and LAX.
Burbank is about 95 miles away, per Westmont. There is also an Amtrak station in downtown Santa Barbara near the waterfront.
How your student gets around
Because first year students cannot get a parking permit, transit matters. The Westmont Shuttle runs weekday and weekend schedules; the fall 2026 weekend schedule runs from the VK and Page stop to Vons, East Beach, the train station, downtown and Trader Joe's. Students can sign up for schedule alerts at shuttlealerts+subscribe@westmont.edu. For places the shuttle and MTD do not reach, including the airport and train station, The 955 is a free ride service students reserve in the myWestmont portal.
At holidays, Westmont runs a free shuttle to SBA for Thanksgiving, Christmas and spring break and at the end of the school year. The holiday page notes that the regular shuttle stops Wednesday at 7 p.m. before Thanksgiving, runs until 7 p.m. on the last Friday before Christmas Break, and does not run during breaks. Schedules go out in an all student announcement each year.
Driving and parking on campus
Coming from Los Angeles, take 101 North to the Olive Mill Road exit, then Hot Springs Road, Sycamore Canyon Road and Cold Spring Road up to La Paz Road. A lower entrance on Cold Spring Road serves the observatory and athletic fields.
Westmont's vehicle regulations say visitors receive a written notice on the windshield that serves as a temporary parking pass, handed out by traffic enforcement officers and the Housing Office. The campus speed limit is 15 mph. The surrounding Montecito streets are off limits to student parking, with $50 fines, so if your student borrows your rental, keep it on campus.
Where parents stay
Westmont keeps a short hotel list of properties that offer discounts to Westmont visitors and parents, and it notes that discounts change with season and availability. The listings cluster in a few areas:
- Montecito and Coast Village Road, at the foot of the hill below campus: the Montecito Inn lists $20 off.
- Summerland, just down the coast: the Inn on Summer Hill lists 15% off Sunday to Thursday from October to May 1.
- The waterfront along Cabrillo Boulevard and Bath Street: Casa Del Mar Inn, Best Western Beachside Inn and the Santa Barbara Inn.
- Downtown near State Street: Hotel Santa Barbara, The Upham and Bath Street Inn.
- Carpinteria, farther south: a Best Western Plus with posted starting rates.
The same page lists a few vacation rentals, one of them 2.4 miles from campus. The Franciscan Hotel gives 20% off online with the code "westmont."
Big weekends
Westmont does not publish a sellout timeline. New Warrior Family Weekend (Oct 30 to Nov 1, 2026) and commencement (May 8, 2027) are the two weekends to book as soon as your plans are firm, and ask for the Westmont rate when you call.