Santa Maria: how to get there and around
Airports, stations, ports, where the hotels are and what the numbers say, from public data rather than a brochure.
Santa Maria is a city of 105,093 people in United States (California), 68 m (223 ft) above sea level. The nearest large airport is Santa Maria Public Airport Captain G Allan Hancock Field (SMX), 6 km (4 mi) from the centre.
Key facts
Open Santa Maria in Google Maps
Daylight in Santa Maria runs from about 9 h 51 min a day in late December to 14 h 33 min in late June (computed for 34.95° latitude), which matters more than the forecast when a day is built around one flight or one crossing.
Getting there
Santa Maria is served by 3 airports with scheduled flights within 100 km. The closest large one is Santa Maria Public Airport Captain G Allan Hancock Field (SMX), 6 km (4 mi) from the centre, with a longest runway of 8,004 ft, which limits it to short and medium-haul aircraft. The alternatives are San Luis County Regional Airport (SBP, 37 km), Santa Barbara Municipal Airport (SBA, 80 km).
Flights to Santa Maria: every airport, routes and times
Buses to Santa Maria · Driving and car hire
Nearby cities, and how to get between them
- Los Angeles, 224 km — flights · buses · car rental · tours
- San Diego, 391 km — flights · buses · car rental
- San Jose, 296 km — flights · buses · car rental · tours
- San Francisco, 361 km — flights · buses · car rental
- Fresno, 208 km — flights · buses · car rental · tours
- Long Beach, 245 km — flights · tours
- Oakland, 357 km
- Bakersfield, 137 km — buses · car rental · tours
- Anaheim, 263 km — tours
- Riverside, 300 km
Common questions
Which airport serves Santa Maria?
Santa Maria Public Airport Captain G Allan Hancock Field (SMX), 6 km (4 mi) from the centre, plus 2 other airports with scheduled flights within 100 km.
How big is Santa Maria?
About 105,093 people live in Santa Maria, across 61 km² (GeoNames and Wikidata).
What time zone is Santa Maria in?
America/Los_Angeles, currently UTC-7.
What currency is used in Santa Maria?
The Dollar (USD). Traffic drives on the right.
Which cities are near Santa Maria?
Los Angeles (224 km), San Diego (391 km), San Jose (296 km), San Francisco (361 km), Fresno (208 km).
Where these facts come from
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
- Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
- OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
- Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines
Data compiled 14 September 2026. Hotel and hostel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.