Why Visit Solvang, California? Discover Its Danish Charm

A taste of Denmark in Southern California! Solvang’s windmills, bakeries, and walkable charm make it a perfect family getaway.

Since we drive over to Southern California from the north every year before and after the Holidays, we have learned ways to make our drive more enjoyable. One of them is making a little detour to the coast. Especially when traveling with a baby or small kids, an extra night along the road is very helpful.

We have visited this little, Danish town called Solvang many times now, and we just can’t get enough of it. It is so charming and reminds me of back home in Europe. It is definitely worth a detour for everyone visiting California.

What is Solvang?

Solvang was established by a group of Danish immigrants in 1911, and it is located about 143 miles (230 km) from Los Angeles in the Santa Barbara Mountains. Until then, the area was inhabited by American Indians and Spanish missionaries, and the mission remains very close to downown.

While getting to Solvang from San Francisco, we drove through the Chumas Indian reservation which has about 250 residents. They also run one of the most popular casinos in the United States. 

Solvang itself is lovely with its Scandinavian style houses and windmills. The downtown is full of hotels, restaurants and bakeris, and they are in the cutest, little buildings.

Many businesses and streets have Danish names and there even replicas of famous Danish landmarks like the Little Mermaid statue and Rundetaarn (Round Tower) which you can also see in Copenhagen.

One of the must do things in Solvang is of course to stop in a bakery to get some fresh Danishes.

Even though Solvang feels almost unreal to be an actual city, there are about 6000 inhabitants. Around town we saw many horse ranches, and also Michael Jackson’s Neverland is close by in Los Olivos.

What to see and do in Solvang

Stroll around the downtown

The stroll through downtown Solvang is like stepping into a charming little slice of Denmark with a Californian twist. It is very picture-perfect!

As you wander along the European-style cobblestone streets (more accurately; tidy sidewalks made to feel old world), you will be greeted by windmills, half-timbered architecture and window boxes overflowing with geraniums and blooms.

See some sights

Even though Solvang is very small, there are some sights you could check out while you are there. They have for example a replica of the Rundetaarn (Round Tower) from Copenhagen. It was built in 1991 and is about 1/3 of the size of the original tower. The tower in Europe however, was built in 17th century by King Christian IV.

While we were in Denmark we also went to see the Little Mermaid statue. It has been interesting to discover, that there are quite a few replicas of it around the world. One is here in Solvang, and one seems to be in Stanley Park in Vancouver, Canada. That one though, is dressed into a wetsuit.

You can also visit The Hans Christian Andersen Museum in Solvang. He was a famous, Danish author whose fairy tales are known all over the world. The museum is small but still a fun stop for both, kids and adults.

Visit Old Mission Santa Ines

The missions along the California coast were communities established by Spanish missionaries in the 18th and 19th centuries. The missionaries were Franciscan friars, and along with their religion, they also brought their culture to California.

Old Mission Santa Inés was founded on September 17, 1804 by Father Estevan Tapis, and it was the 19th of 21 missions. It still serves as an active parish church that holds regular religious services as well as services for baptisms, confirmations, weddings and funerals.

While it is not in service, you can visit Old Mission Santa Inés museum, church, garden and gift shop.

Eat some Danishes

Buying some delicious Danishes is a must when ever we visit Solvang. Our favorite bakery is Olsen’s Danish Village Bakery which sells also many other kinds of pastries and cookies. You can either sit in their little coffee shop or get them to go.

There are several other great bakeries too such as The Solvang Bakery and Mortensen’s Bakery. Among Danishes, you can buy Danish rolls, butter cookies, cream puffs, Danish waffles and many other treats.

Try out some aebleskivers

Aebleskiver is a traditional Danish treat that looks like round, fluffy pancake ball. The name means “apple slices” in Danish, and they were originally made with bits of apple inside. These days however, they are usually plain and served with powdered sugar, jam or syrup.

In Solvang, you can find them at Solvang Restaurant or Paula’s Pancake House. There they are often served in a trio, topped with rasberry jam and a generous dusting of powdered sugar. They are warm, soft and slightly crips on the outside.

Go wine tasting

Since Solvang is conveniently located in Santa Barbara County Wine Country, there are of course several tasting rooms and wine bars in the downtown and in the surrounding areas. There are for example wine appellations of Santa Ynez Valley, Santa Maria Valley and Sta. Rita Hills.

If you want to visit wineries outside of downtown, you can book a wine shuttle. These lesser known wine areas in California are usually great because they are cheaper and less crowded than the famous Napa Valley or Sonoma.

Visit Flag is Up Farms

For all the horse lovers Solvang has a special treat! It is the home of Flag is Up Farms owned by the world famous horse trainer, Monty Roberts. They welcome all visitors to the farm, and you walk around there, watch them train horses and even meet Shy Boy.

Shy Boy is a wild mustang from Nevada that Monty used to demonstrate his non violent join-up method. After working with him for days, Monty was able to bring Shy Boy back home to Solvang with him.

How long should you stay in Solvang?

Solvang is not huge so you will definitely be able to stroll around the downtown in one day. However, if you would like to visit the sights and the mission, we would recommend staying there couple of days. This way, you wont be in a rush and you will have time to sit down in the cafes and relax.

Our best tip is to go to Solvang midweek if possible, to avoid the weekend crowds. Then it feels more like a peaceful European village. Also all the holidays there are always quite busy.

Best hotels to stay at in Solvang

There are quite a view great options to choose from in Solvang what comes to lodging. A boutique hotel, The Landsby offers you an absolute quality in a prime location. Also Atterdag Inn is great, and more budget friendly than The Landsby.

Our hotel, Royal Copenhagen Inn was also quite lovely. The rooms were almost like small townhouses. Every room had a door that was a different color and our room had two beds, one downstairs and the other in a loft.

The hotel was located right by the main road, so it was easy to go out for dinner or just a little stroll. Their office reminded me of a church so it was always easy to spot even from further away. We really liked this hotel.

Also their breakfast was great. They had a nice variety of goods, and of course, plenty of fresh danishes.

For our next day, we are planning to try out Vinland Hotel & Lounge, as it resembles a little bit of my home country Finland.

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It is always fun to visit towns that are build differently following some other culture. Most times it is just one neighborhood, like for example the China Town in San Francisco or in Vancouver, Canada. But we have also visited Midway in Utah where most of the town is build in Swiss style.

Solvang is one of the cutest towns you can find in California and it will definitely make you feel like you would be in Europe for a moment!