How to Spend a Day in Solvang, California: The Danish Capital of America
Published Nov. 2022 | Updated Nov. 2024
Solvang is one of the most charming towns in California. All the buildings are Danish-style, there are yummy Danish bakeries, tons of Danish restaurants, and so many more fun things.
It’s a magical place to visit year-round, but especially during the holiday season because it has a wonderful small-town feel, a cheerful energy, and countless holiday decorations.
I love feeling like I’ve been transported to Europe while still being in California!
There are so many unique things to do in Solvang, California and it’s the perfect place to visit on a day trip from Santa Barbara.
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How to Get to Solvang
Santa Barbara to Solvang
The drive from Santa Barbara to Solvang is just about 45 minutes without traffic! It makes for an incredibly quick and easy day trip.
You have two options when doing a day trip from Santa Barbara to Solvang. You can either take Highway 101 or Highway 154. They’re about the same length, but depending on traffic one may be faster than the other.
I recommend taking Highway 101 since it’s a smoother highway and an easy drive. Highway 154 may be faster at certain times of day, but it is just a 2-lane mountain road (one lane each way for large parts of it) with sharp curves, elevation gain, and can back up terribly if there’s an accident.
Highway 154 is a pretty drive, but trickier and not as pleasant as the 101 highway along the coast. It’s almost always faster to take Highway 101.
Take Highway 101 North and exit at 140A for CA-246 toward Lompoc/Solvang. Turn right onto CA-246/Mission Dr. and follow it into downtown Solvang!
Take Highway 154 until you reach the left turn for CA-246 W/Mission Dr. Continue down this road until you reach downtown Solvang.
San Francisco to Solvang
If you’re up for a road trip, you can drive from San Francisco to Solvang in 4 to 5 hours, depending on traffic. While not ideal for a day trip from San Francisco, it is a great stop during a San Francisco to San Diego road trip!
You can spend the night in Solvang as a mid-point stop during your trip, or just visit for a few hours before heading to Santa Barbara for a night or two (recommended).
To get to Solvang from San Francisco, you can take the 101 South all the way down until you reach exit 140A for CA-246 toward Solvang/Lompoc. From here, turn left onto CA-246/Mission Dr. and follow it until you reach downtown Solvang.
Tips for Spending One Day in Solvang
Where To Park
Although Solvang is a popular tourist destination, it has plenty of parking options! All their parking lots are free and some even have restrooms — a necessity if you’ve been in the car for a while getting here.
You can also find street parking on less crowded days or early mornings.
Street Parking
I typically park on Aars Street, as there have always been free open spots when I’ve visited. These spots may be full on weekends or during holidays when people have school/work off.
If you’re visiting on a more empty day, you may even be able to get parking on one of the main streets in the center of town like Copenhagen Drive.
Parking Lots
There are a few parking lots in Solvang with tons of parking spots! Some fill up faster than others if they’re more centrally located, but you should be able to find a spot even on a weekend (just get there before 11am!).
Alisal Road Parking Lot: Free parking lot with car charging stations right in the heart of downtown, next to a public restroom.
Oak St. Parking Lot: Free parking lot behind Atterdag Square with plenty of parking spots. If street parking or other lots are full, this one may have some spots still.
Solvang Public Parking: Free parking lot but a couple of blocks from the center of town. It has clean public restrooms available.
What To Bring/Wear
Summer in Solvang can be hot! The other seasons are more temperate, with winter being the coldest.
Most people dress casually and wear their usual clothes. Although the town is Danish-themed, people don’t dress up in costume or Danish clothing (you can get lederhosen and other traditional Danish clothing at the shops though!).
Feel free to wear your favorite festive sweater when visiting between November and December! A classic KJP sweater would be adorable for a day trip to Solvang.
Wear layers you can easily take on/off, as walking around can warm you up quickly. You’ll want a t-shirt underneath a sweater if you get hot.
You don’t need to bring much to Solvang for just one day — bring yourself, your wallet, and if you want, a camera!
Other things to bring/wear to Solvang:
Sunscreen: Solvang is a sunny place, even in winter! COOLA is my all-time favorite brand of sunscreen and comes with me everywhere.
Backpack: My day trip backpack is cute, has tons of space, and is anti-theft. It looks good and is functional!
Hat/sunglasses: For a day in Solvang, a hat or sunglasses are ideal for walking around in the sunshine.
How Long To Spend in Solvang
The town is so small you can easily see it all in a couple of hours. If you want to take your time and pop into all the shops and get breakfast and/or lunch, then give yourself 3 or 4 hours.
You can also add on other activities like wine-tasting, a trolley ride, feeding ostriches and emus, and touring the mission, which will make the day a bit longer if you want to see/do it all!
Solvang Day Trip Itinerary
Because Solvang is so small, a day trip is perfect. You can explore the town, try some of the local bakeries and restaurants, and do any other activities that interest you all within one day.
Get Breakfast at a Bakery
For a delicious start to the day, grab a bite and some coffee (or a chai latte) at a bakery! You can eat there, or take it to go and stroll around town while you sip and snack.
Solvang is famous for its bakeries and I never leave without stopping for a pastry at one of them first. It’s usually the first stop I make as soon as I arrive!
Birkholm's Bakery & Cafe
Birkholm’s has been a family-owned and operated business since it opened in 1951. It’s been run by the same family for the last three generations. It’s a staple in town and a must-visit during your Solvang day trip.
You can’t go wrong at any of the bakeries, but Birkholm’s Bakery & Cafe is my favorite because of their Danish Butter Cookie tubs. I get a tub of their Danish Butter Cookies to take home every time I visit. They were my dad’s favorite cookies while growing up in Santa Barbara, so I always get a tub for him too.
They also have a huge selection of pastries, cookies, and breads that are just so good! There’s a coffee bar inside for all your caffeine needs, including espresso drinks, mochas, and chai lattes. You can get hot chocolate and cold drinks as well.
If you’re looking for something less sweet and more substantial, Birkholm’s is also a cafe with sandwiches and salads. They have veggie options for vegetarians, which I appreciate!
Solvang Bakery
We love the cherry danishes at Solvang Bakery! They are both delicious and photogenic — perfect for that classic Instagram photo.
They have the cutest pink tables and chairs out front to match the pink exterior and sign. If you want an adorable photo at a bakery while you’re in Solvang for the day, Solvang Bakery is the place to take one!
Each holiday season, they offer custom-made gingerbread houses you can display in your home. These are premium prices for the high-quality, artisanal gingerbread and craftsmanship that goes into each one — don’t expect craft store kit prices.
If you’re gluten-free and feel like you’re missing out on all the mouth-watering pastries and cakes, don’t worry! Solvang Bakery has a selection of gluten-free baked goods so you won’t miss out.
You can even get a gluten-free Danish wedding cake!
In addition to their traditional Danish pastries, cakes, and baked goods, they also offer coffee and tea to pair with your sweet treat.
Danish Mill Bakery
A fan favorite in Solvang is the family-owned Danish Mill Bakery. They’ve been around since 1960, serving freshly baked pastries, cookies, bread, and other Danish baked goods.
Danish Mill Bakery was started in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1940, before the family immigrated to the United States and opened another Danish Mill Bakery on Copenhagen Dr. in Solvang 20 years later!
While owners have changed over the years, every one of them has been born in Denmark!
Today, this bakery continues to serve authentic Danish baked goods, as well as a selection of Danish chocolate and candy, coffee, and lunch.
Other bakeries in Solvang:
Visit The Shops Downtown
There are tons of shops throughout downtown Solvang and if it isn’t too crowded, it’s fun to walk down the street and pop into the ones that catch your eye! I have a few favorite shops, but discover new ones each visit.
Jule Hus
Jule Hus sells Christmas cheer-filled items all year round! Solvang is a popular spot to visit during the holiday season, but no matter what time of year you go, you’ll be able to pick out the perfect Christmas ornament from this shop.
This shop has been a Solvang staple since it opened over 55 years ago!
Stop in the Jule Hus to grab a souvenir Christmas ornament or get some gifts for friends/family. It’s a small shop, but they have a large selection of Christmas items.
On busy days, moving around Jule Hus can be a bit tight. Just be careful of all the breakable ornaments. It’s not a great store to bring small kids into — especially if they like grabbing items off shelves/tables.
Solvang Spice Merchant
This charming shop has more spices than I knew existed! The walls are filled with every spice imaginable, and then some. They even have their own unique spice mixes you probably won’t find anywhere else.
I stocked up on cinnamon, star anise, and cloves for some homemade mulled wine — yum! I also grabbed a lemon pepper spice mix for fish, tofu, and salads.
Their back wall has a drawn map with icons to show where each spice originated from, along with piles of spices in front of it. Even if you don’t plan to buy spices, it’s worth a visit just to marvel at the display!
Solvang Shoe Store
Pop into the Solvang Shoe Store to try on and/or purchase a pair of traditional Danish clogs. You can’t get a more authentic souvenir than that!
Danish clogs have hard soles that don’t compress while wearing and hold up over time. This hard sole is said to be more supportive for your back than soft-soled shoes. Even nurses' shoes are modeled after Danish clogs because they’re good for people who are on their feet all day!
The Solvang Shoe Store has both traditional wooden clogs and more modern clogs that are worn commonly today.
Admire the Danish Sights
Solvang is filled with iconic, quintessentially Danish buildings, statues, and displays. You’ll easily spot them as you wander around the town, but in case you want to find specific ones, I’ve shared all the details below!
Giant Clog
Outside of the Solvang Shoe Store is a giant clog! Visitors are welcome — encouraged, even — to take pictures with the clog. I’ve seen some cute photos of dogs sitting in the clog.
Windmills
What’s a Danish town without windmills? There are four wooden windmills in downtown Solvang and two just outside of town in residential areas.
The iconic windmills are the most famous Danish icons in Solvang and probably what you picture when you hear someone mention Solvang. Although they look real, the windmills are not functional and are just decorative.
That is, except for the fifth windmill outside of town at the end of Fredensborg Canyon Road. This windmill was the first one to be built in 1922 and is the only one that is functional, though it is no longer in use today.
The four windmills downtown can all be found within four blocks of each other, which makes them easy to visit on a short Solvang day trip.
The first one was built in 1957 on Mission Drive as part of Solvang’s push to become a more scenic town for the growing number of tourists visiting Solvang.
The most popular and most photographed windmill, on Alisal Road, was built a few years later in 1962. It has become the most recognizable landmark in town and a symbol of Solvang.
The Blue Windmill on Copenhagen Street was built a couple of years later in 1964.
The fourth and final windmill in Solvang was built at the Kronborg Inn more recently. Though it is much smaller than the others, it’s easy to spot as you enter town from the west (you’ll see it if you’re coming from south of Solvang).
Where to find the Solvang windmills:
436 Alisal Road
1622 Copenhagen Drive
1547 Mission Drive
1440 Mission Drive
Little Mermaid Fountain
This fountain with a statue of the Little Mermaid is a half-scale replica of the famous one in Copenhagen. It doesn’t draw the same crowds that the original in Denmark does, but it’s a lovely statue worth a stop.
While the Little Mermaid Fountain in Denmark has had a rough time, being decapitated more than once and vandalized in various ways countless times, the one in Solvang has had a much calmer history.
The Solvang Little Mermaid Fountain is one of thirteen replicas found around the world and is the only one in California. This bronze statue has sat in Denmarket Square in Solvang since it was installed in 1976.
The bronze mermaid, now a greenish patina due to oxidization, sits atop a large rock with water flowing into the pool below it.
Address: 1693 Mission Dr., Solvang, CA
Hans Christian Andersen Park
Stroll down to Hans Christian Andersen Park to check out the skate park, visit the playground, or have a picnic at one of the benches. The entrance to the park is a castle arch!
Inside the park, you’ll find a large grassy field, trails with bridges, and large oak trees. It’s a nice green space to walk around and take a break from downtown or let your kids burn some energy on the playground.
The Hans Christian Andersen Park was founded in 1970 and is a fun spot for both kids and adults! If you don’t want to walk to the park from downtown (it’s about half a mile from Birkholm’s Bakery), you can drive through the castle entrance and park in the free parking lot.
Atterdag Square
Tucked away from the main downtown is the quaint Atterdag Square. It has a couple of restaurants and a winery, but it’s just a cute spot to stop and walk around.
The main attraction in Atterdag Square is the metal windmill/weather vane that holds the sign for the square. While it could technically be considered a fifth windmill in downtown Solvang, it’s not counted as an official one.
Go Olive Oil Tasting For free
There are a few olive oil shops in Solvang where you can taste various olive oils for free! When we first visited Solvang Olive Press and were wowed by their large selection of both olive oils and vinegars.
They even have high-phenolic olive oil, which scientific studies have shown to have many different health benefits.
I’m pro-science and not at all woo-woo, so I’m incredibly skeptical of any health claims that non-medical companies make. Imagine my surprise when I found actual peer-reviewed studies that support the health claims that olive oil companies have been making about their high-phenolic olive oil!
We are now the weirdos who drink a tablespoon of high-phenolic olive oil every day. On our recent visit to Solvang, we grabbed a bottle from Solvang Olive Press to replenish our stash
Solvang Olive Oil Press also has oil and vinegar pairings for you to try together — many I never would have thought to pair! If you find one you like, you can choose from a few different bottle sizes to try. I really loved the Tahitian Vanilla olive oil and the mango balsamic vinegar.
Get Lunch at a Local Solvang Restaurant
Solvang Restaurant
Solvang Restaurant is one of the more popular restaurants in town and is often full, even on less crowded days in Solvang.
Not only is it popular for dining in, but there’s often a line our front for their famous Danish dessert: aebleskiver! What is aebleskiver? Well, it tastes like a cross between a pastry and a donut and is topped with raspberry jam and powdered sugar.
Even if you don’t stop here for lunch, getting some aebleskivers to-go is a must-do on your day trip to Solvang!
They have a walk-up window outside for to-go orders of aebleskiver, sausage, coffee, and drinks. We waited in line for about 20 minutes to get ours and they were worth it! You can even get an excessively generous portion of vanilla ice cream on top if you want.
Copenhagen Sausage Garden
The Copenhagen Sausage Garden is an outdoor restaurant with open seating in the heart of downtown.
They have a variety of sausages to choose from with tons of self-serve sauces, plus beer! I got a vegan sausage and it was delicious. The large outdoor garden is a lovely area to sit and enjoy your meal, or you can take it to go.
It was crowded the day we ate here (the day after Thanksgiving), so we opted for a to-go order without beer and ate it in the nearby park. If you visit on a regular weekday, you can usually find seating pretty easily.
Panino
For a casual lunch, grab some sandwiches and drinks at Panino and eat in their outdoor seating area. The sandwiches are delicious with fresh bread and flavorful produce that tastes like it came straight from a local garden.
They also have soups and salads, but we opted for bags of chips with our sandwiches on our first visit. We’ve been back a few times and it’s 10/10 every time!
The outdoor seating is in a lovely square with cute shops and restaurants surrounding a small grassy center.
Try Local Solvang Wines
The Santa Ynez Valley is wine country! There’s an enormous selection of wineries in downtown Solvang where you can try all the local wines. It’s actually kind of comical how many wineries and wine bars there are in downtown Solvang.
Maybe it’s because I’m not a big fan of wine, but every time I visit Solvang I wonder how so many wineries and wine bars can stay in business when there’s so much competition just within a single block, but they seem to be successful here!
If you enjoy wine, Santa Ynez is a major wine-producing area and the perfect place to spend a scenic day wine tasting at local wineries and wine bars.
The only type of wine I love is mulled wine, which is sadly (for me) seasonal. If you visit Solvang during winter, some of the wineries/wine bars will have mulled wine available!
Tour Old Mission Santa Inés
If I’m near a mission and have time for a tour, I will always take it! Maybe it’s my interest in California history or my love for beautiful Spanish architecture, but I enjoy visiting the California missions (despite not being religious at all!).
Old Mission Santa Inés is the 19th of 21 missions in California. It’s a pretty tiny one compared to others like Mission Santa Barbara or Mission Carmel, but it does have some cool historical artifacts inside and a lovely fountain outside.
It also has a cemetery, which is morbidly one of my favorite parts of the missions.
Unlike some other missions in California, this one is an active parish so it is free to visit. They have old artifacts on display for visitors to see as part of their museum.
There’s a large parking lot with plenty of spaces, though the mission is just next to downtown Solvang and an easy walk. If you do walk here, be sure to still go out to the parking lot to take in the sweeping views of the hills and valley!
Feed Ostriches at Ostrichland
I had no idea how much enjoyment feeding ostriches and emus would bring me the first time I visited Ostrichland! It’s always one of my favorite activities on a Solvang day trip and one of the most unique things to do in California.
There is a $7 entrance fee per person to get in and see the dinosau— I mean, ostriches (they really look so prehistoric!) and emus, plus an additional $1 per feeding bowl if you want to feed them
These birds are ginormous and so unbelievable up close. My brain could not make sense of these truly prehistoric animals that it was staring at one foot away. They are both majestic and kind of ugly in a cute way!
There are over 100 ostriches and emus, so make sure to save some of the feed for the birds at the back of Ostrichland! On our first visit, we made the mistake of feeding allll the food to the ostriches right up at the front, which probably happens often. The ones in the back want some too!
We got lucky with a visit in November because they had 2-month-old baby ostriches. They weren’t interested in food (maybe they were full from visitors feeding them earlier that day), but they were adorable to watch as they walked around and huddled together.
Parking on-site is free and they seem to have plenty of spaces — we’ve never had an issue finding a spot!
Make it an Overnight Trip
Can’t get enough of Solvang and need more than a day trip? Stay at one of the adorable hotels in town for the ultimate Solvang experience!
There are a few hotels throughout the downtown, all just steps away from the charming Danish buildings, shops, and restaurants. Choose from more themed/kitschy hotels or a modern, boutique hotel.
Where To Stay in Solvang
Mid-range: Hotel Corque or Royal Copenhagen Inn
Budget: The Hamlet Inn
More Things To Do Near Solvang
Visit Santa Barbara
The best town in California, in my opinion, is Santa Barbara. I may be biased since I lived here for years and now visit every few months, but it’s really the best!
If you’re planning to visit Solvang from out of town, I recommend staying in Santa Barbara and doing a day trip to Solvang vs. staying in Solvang (though it would be fun for a night!).
Santa Barbara is much bigger than Solvang and has more activities, restaurants, and sights. Plus, it has some of the most beautiful beaches on the California coast with stunning sunsets.
Santa Barbara guides you might like:
Explore the Town of Los Olivos
Los Olivos is a small town north of Solvang, right on Highway 154. Similar to Solvang, it’s a popular spot for wine tasting since it’s also in the Santa Ynez Valley.
Solvang is cute and somewhat kitschy, while Los Olivos is a bit more upscale. Though it still has a small-town feel with farms and cute shops/restaurants. Los Olivos is definitely a tourist destination and can get crowded on weekends.
The best things to do in Los Olivos are to eat and drink! They have some of the best restaurants in the area and of course, those wineries I’ve already mentioned.
More California guides
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