Drive from Santa Barbara to LAX-how long?
 

We will be flying out of LAX on a Sunday at 3:05 pm. If we stay in Santa Barbara on Sat night, leave early Sunday morning, how leisurely of a drive can we take to get to the airport? How is traffic along the Pacific Coast Highway on Sunday? Will we have time for a few stops?

Or should we stay closer to LAX - say Ventura?

Thanks for any help.

On a Sunday morning, traffic will be light and it should take about 2 hours from SB to LAX, or 1 1/2 hrs. from Ventura. Right now it's 3 PM on a Sunday and the traffic looks good. See:
http://www.sigalert.com/Map.asp?lat=...-118.22335&z=2

I always check that traffic site before I hit the freeways to cross town, and I recommend you do so before you leave SB or Ventura to see if there's anything unusual like a wreck. Also keep your radio tuned to KNX AM (1070) for news and traffic reports.

Add an 60-90 min. to the above if you want to take SR 1 AKA PCH through Malibu and Santa Monica, but it will also depend on the time of year. When?

Thanks for your help. We will be there Dec11-12

Well, I wouldn't stop in Santa Monica with all the shoppers, but Malibu for early brunch on the pier might be okay. This would mean leaving Santa Barbara around 9am, heading down route 1 when you get to Oxnard, brunch at around 11am and then allow a half hour to get to the airport/ car rental. You'll want to arrive there around 1pm.