Solvang is a small town of about 6,000 people in the Santa Ynez Valley, founded in 1911 by Danish-American settlers who wanted a folk school in the California sun. It sits about forty-five minutes north of Santa Barbara over the San Marcos Pass. The first day stays in the village on foot, with Danish bakeries, half-timbered streets, the Spanish mission at the edge of town and the holiday lights after dark.
Aebleskiver on Copenhagen Drive
Where to eat: Aebleskiver with raspberry jam at Solvang Restaurant.
Start the morning on Copenhagen Drive, the main street of the village, with a plate of aebleskiver, the round Danish pancake puffs dusted with powdered sugar and served with raspberry jam. Solvang Restaurant has made them at a window counter for decades, and you can watch the cooks turn each one in a cast-iron pan with a knitting needle. Sit on the bench outside, look up at the gabled rooftops and plan a slow walk.
Windmills, storks and half-timbered streets
Where to eat: Kringle and coffee at Mortensen's Danish Bakery.
Walk the few blocks around Copenhagen Drive, Alisal Road and Mission Drive, where half-timbered buildings, copper roofs, wooden storks on the chimneys and four windmills give the town its look. Shops sell Danish clogs, glassware and Christmas ornaments, and the small Hans Christian Andersen Museum sits upstairs at The Book Loft. Wander without a plan; the village is compact and flat, and it is easy to cover slowly as a pair in a morning.
Mission Santa Inés
Walk east on Mission Drive to Old Mission Santa Inés, founded in 1804 as the nineteenth of the California missions. The long adobe church, the arched corridor and the quiet garden look out over the valley toward the mountains. A small museum holds vestments, paintings and objects from the mission's early years. It is a calm counterpoint to the bustle of the bakeries, and the late afternoon light on the white walls is lovely.
Julefest lights after dark
Where to eat: Glogg or hot cider from a Julefest stand in Solvang Park.
In November and December the village celebrates Julefest, its Danish Christmas season, with a lit tree in Solvang Park, strings of lights along the streets and windmills outlined against the night. Walk the lit blocks after dinner with a warm drink, look into the shop windows and stop by the park. On select evenings there are candlelight walks, carolers and a small parade, so check the event calendar before you arrive.
Where to eat and stop
- Breakfast · Solvang Restaurant — Copenhagen Drive, window counter Why here: Danish pancake puffs made to order since the 1980s, a classic first taste of the town.
- Lunch · Copenhagen Sausage Garden — Copenhagen Drive Why here: Danish-style sausages on a sunny patio, a hearty middle of the day.
- Dinner · Sear Steakhouse — Mission Drive Why here: A warm dining room for the regional style of oak-grilled beef, steps from your inn.
- Quick stop (bakery): Mortensen's Danish Bakery — Alisal Road Why here: A buttery pretzel-shaped pastry to share mid-morning.
Solvang is about forty-five minutes north of Santa Barbara on State Route 154 over the San Marcos Pass, or a little longer by US Highway 101 through Buellton. Park once in a public lot off Copenhagen Drive and walk the whole first day.
Where to stay
- An inn in the village center — Several small inns and hotels sit on and around Copenhagen Drive and Mission Drive, a short walk from the bakeries, the windmills and the tasting rooms, so the car can stay parked all evening.
- A country inn in Los Olivos or Santa Ynez — Quieter inns in the neighboring towns of Los Olivos and Santa Ynez sit among vineyards and ranch land about ten to fifteen minutes away, with porches, gardens and dark skies at night.
Dinner: Oak-grilled tri-tip at Sear Steakhouse, a short walk from the village center.
Tomorrow: Drive the wine roads to Los Olivos and Los Alamos, stop for bread and pie on the way, and finish with dinner at a Buellton grill.
Bad-weather plan
On a rainy day, spend longer inside the Elverhoj Museum and the mission museum, linger over coffee at a bakery and save the Julefest walk for a dry evening.
Copenhagen Drive · The windmills · Mission Santa Inés · Julefest lights
Good to know: Winter days are mild but evenings drop into the forties in the valley; bring a warm layer for the Julefest walk after dark.
