Solvang Travel Guide
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With Nick’s birthday coming up and the lack of travel we have been able to do this year, I decided to plan a little surprise trip to Solvang. Whether you already knew it was the Danish Capital of America or you only learned about it on Vanderpump Rules when Lala flew all the girls out on a private jet, let me just say that it is worth the visit.
Keep reading for my travel guide for Solvang and the surrounding areas!
I picked Solvang because it’s only about a 2 hour drive from Los Angeles and is nestled in the Santa Ynez Valley, aka wine country. We have explored a lot of Napa and Paso Robles, but hadn’t done much in the Santa Barbara area. To be honest, I looked at Santa Barbara and Montecito areas first for where to stay and the places I wanted to go were either booked or more money than I wanted to spend. I do like staying in those areas, but staying in Solvang was great and I would definitely do it again! The little downtown area is so cute and walkable, with tons of restaurants, shops, tasting rooms / breweries, and views. Not to mention that generally speaking, it is typically less expensive than Santa Barbara hotels and such. I found it about half price or less. We also stayed Sunday - Tuesday which made it a little cheaper too. Make sure that you take note of what restaurants / wineries are closed on Monday or Tuesday though, as this is often a normal day of closure.
The Vinland Hotel
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Looking at hotels, I first looked at the Mirabelle Inn because it was recommended to me, but it was a little more than I wanted to spend and it wasn’t pet friendly. We can usually save money even paying a small pet fee at hotel versus paying boarding for Dino. The Landsby, Vinland Hotel, and Royal Copenhagen were all pet friendly and I just went with the one that felt right. The Landsby was on the pricier end, Royal Copenhagen was about the same as The Vinland Hotel, but The Vinland Hotel was newer, so I just went with that one. All of them are great locations and walkable. Several of the hotels had Moke jeep/cars you could rent / drive around. We had a car, so it wasn’t something we needed, but if we were there with friends, it would have been fun to drive around or take to a winery or two.
Solvang Brewing Co
We left for Solvang right after lunch on Sunday, and arrived right at check in. The Vinland is on the edge of the stretch of downtown, but it honestly just lets you walk more of the cutest downtown! We checked in, then explored the city and stopped for a drink and a snack from the Solvang Brewing Co. After that we just chilled in our hotel room until our dinner reservation at First and Oak. First and Oak is the restaurant at Mirabelle Inn and it was very good! It is Michelin mentioned and features a seasonal menu.
Good Seed Coffee
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Ostrich Land pitstop
On Monday we woke up and got coffee / a little breakfast from Good Seed Co. They have great craft coffee and yummy eats. We received free pastry coupons from the hotel, so we grabbed some danishes from Olsen’s Bakery shortly after. Nick and I both had to work a little on Monday, so we went back to the hotel and worked for a couple hours before having some fun. We quickly ate lunch at the Succulent Cafe, then went on our way. Our first “fun” stop of the day was Pence Vineyards. It is a stunning estate with really yummy wine. They practice organic farming, so they have tons of animals to help keep pests away and things like that. Note that a lot of wineries are dog friendly, but they are not due to their immense amount of wildlife. I would highly recommend them! Next we went to Ostrichland to look at some ostrich and emu. It’s a fun little detour! After that we went to Los Olivos and did a tasting at Coquelicot Estates. This is the winery owned by the same people who own the Mirabelle Inn / First and Oak. We had some of their wine the night before and wanted to try more of it. This is also a good place to olive oil taste. Olive Hill is just across the little Los Olivos downtown area from Coquelicot. I wish we could have gotten reservations at Bell’s Restaurant, but we ended up snagging one at SY Kitchen and it was SO GOOD. All of our food was good, but SY was probably our favorite meal.
Tuesday we woke up and got more Good Seed coffee and Danish pastries. I also had a butternut squash / mushroom pie from Good Seed and it was delightful. On the way out, we stopped to marvel at Mission Saint Ines which was stunning. A free and easy (and beautiful!), place to stop. We stopped in Santa Barbara for lunch and ate at Bossie’s Kitchen, then made our way back to Los Angeles. Oh! We also grabbed coffee at Low Pigeon in SB and it was great craft coffee spot too.
Such a fun trip! Keep scrolling for a bulleted list of my recommendations.
Mission Saint Ines
WHERE TO STAY
The Vinland Hotel
Mirabelle Inn
The Landby
Royal Copenhagen
WHERE TO EAT
Bell’s Restaurant
First and Oak
Good Seed Coffee
Industrial Eats
Moretnsen’s Bakery
Olsen’s Bakery
Solvang Bakery
Solvang Brewing Co
Solvang Restaurant
Succulent Cafe
SY Kitchen
Peasants Feast
The Gathering Table
Dinner at First and Oak
WHAT TO DO
Walk around downtown Solvang area
Jule Hus (24/7 Christmas Store0
Hans Christian Anderson Museum
Brewer-Clifton Tasting Room
Coquelicot Estates
Pence Vineyards
Rucksack Vineyards
Crown Point Vineyards
Rideau Vineyard
Tyler Winery
Olive Hill Olive Oil
Ostrich land
Mission Saint Ines
Nojoqui Falls
Gaviota State Park / Peak Trail
It was quick, but was such a good trip! We can’t wait to re-visit Solvang and bring friends to experience it too. Have a favorite spot we missed this trip? Let me know in the comments below so we can add it for next time / others can see! Safe travels. XOXO
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