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Santa Fe is a very walkable city, for the most part. Nearly all of the main sights are in the downtown district or only a few blocks beyond it. The only time we used the car, apart from a day trip out of the city, was when we went to the Railyard and from there on to Canyon Road as we thought we might want to explore much of the latter’s length (in practice though we found more than enough to interest us in just the first few galleries that we investigated). Apart from that we spent most of our time walking the streets around the Plaza or venturing just a little south to the Santurio de Guadalupe and to the San Miguel Mission, both just a few blocks beyond the confines of downtown.
It’s hard to get lost here. The streets in the centre follow the familiar US grid pattern, though here they all have names not numbers. And there are signposts on every corner in downtown, pointing you towards all the main sights. If you need one you can pick up a good free map – we were given ours when we checked in to the Chapelle Street Casitas, and I noticed them too in the lobby of La Fonda Hotel.
+++Next tip!+++
Updated Dec 1, 2011
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The best way to get to Santa Fe is to fly into the Albuquerque airport, rent a car and drive one hour north to Santa Fe. Car rentals are inexpensive - we got a full size car for about $20/day.
Our flight from San Francisco to Albuquerque was on a tiny Canadair jet. You hit any amount of turbulence and you get thrown around like bagful of pinons. I've flown on the same kind of jet when I've gone to tiny towns with tiny airports in the South, except there I feel like a bag of black-eyed peas.
Updated Jun 6, 2005
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If you are not staying in Santa Fe but are there for the day, parking can be a hassle. I like to park at the visitors center and walk north towards the square. The Santa Fe Visitors Center located in the Lamy Building at the corner of Paseo de Peralta and Old Santa Fe Trail across the street from the state capitol. If you have just had a long drive from another city they have clean bathrooms here and helpful brochures. On the way, stop by the Oldest Church in Santa Fe and the Loretto Chapel. The chapel is only a buck or two and worth the time listening to the tourist tape.http://www.theoutlaws.com/unexplained4.htm
Updated Sep 4, 2005
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Hourly: Free:
While downtown Santa Fe is compact, there's more to see in a day than you'd like to walk to. So, they've added a free shuttle service to the core of the city. In the off-season, it's a direct run between the Santa Fe Depot and the Plaza. In the summer, it does a loop around town, covering the main attractions.
The route is a one-way circle, so you can get on and off as much as you want and still see the highlights of town. The routes start at the Santa Fe Depot (A), in front of the New Mexico Film Museum (the former Jean Cocteau Cinema) on Montezuma Avenue.
(B) The Capitol/PERA building
(C) Two stops on Canyon Road
(D) One stop at Alameda and Paseo de Peralta
(E) The Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi
(F) The Main Library
(G) City Hall
(H) The Santa Fe Community Convention Center / Santa Fe Plaza
(I) Eldorado / Hilton hotels
The Service is run by the Parking Division.
Updated Nov 20, 2009
Phone: (505) 955-6581
Website: http://www.santafenm.gov/index.aspx?NID=1781
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In spite of the stories and the name of the historic Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, the railroad, never actually went "through" Santa Fe. The Santa Fe stop was Lamy, about an hour south of town. From there a linking railroad was added to bring travelors into town. These smaller passenger lines became defunct years ago. We'll you can once again ride that historic link on the preservation railroad, called the Santa fe Southern Railway (SFSR). They run excursion trains to and from the Santa Fe Depot to Lamy, stop for a meal and then return. In winter, they're on a short schedule, but they do operate during the holidays.
In the summer, there is a regular schedule and the opportunity to make the 'golden triangle'. From either Santa Fe or Albuquerque, you can:
from Santa Fe
- Get the SFSR to Lamy
- Connect with the west bound Southwestern Chief (Amtrak) to Albuquerque
- link up with the Railrunner and return to Santa Fe.
from Albuquerque
- Take the Railrunner and to Santa Fe.
- Get the SFSR to Lamy
- Connect with the west bound Southwestern Chief (Amtrak) back to Albuquerque.
If you like train travel, you'll have a day of it.
Written Nov 19, 2009
Phone: (888) 989-8600
Website: http://www.sfsr.com/
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I happened to be on the Plaza one time when a motorcycle convention roared (literally) into town. The Plaza went from zero motorcycles to hundred's in just a few minutes. After a couple of speeches, they headed for the restaurants.
Updated Dec 4, 2005
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The quickest way to get to Santa Fe is to fly to Albuquerque and pick up a rental car for the hour’s drive to New Mexico’s state capital. The city lies on the famous Route 66, so roll down your window, stick your elbow out and start getting your kicks. Admire the mountains and the adobe houses as you roll into Santa Fe. But leave the margaritas until you’ve parked the car for the night!
Written Sep 8, 2004
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Gas prices in Santa Fe were, for many years, notoriously high. With the advent of a discount gas station at Sam's Club on Rodeo Road (members only), this has changed: prices are still high in some areas (e.g., the "motel row" on Cerrillos Road), but other stations that cater to locals have lowered their prices in an effort to compete. Usually Fina stations are a few cents cheaper than the rest, but I've also had good luck at Conoco/Phillips 66 (check the station on the east side of Cerrillos Road between Cordova Road and St. Francis, and the two on Airport Road) and some Shell stations (e.g., the one at Guadalupe and Cerrillos).
N.B., if your car is equipped for biodiesel, the Conoco station at Cerrillos and Baca St. carries it at about the same price as regular unleaded.
Updated Oct 11, 2006
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Fly to Albuquerque -- Santa Fe Airport is very small and has few commercial flights; also, it's out on the edge of town, and, unless your hotel provides transportation, getting downtown can be expensive.
There are a couple of shuttle bus services that run from the Albuquerque airport to Santa Fe. It's a REALLY good idea to reserve your seat in advance: the buses can fill up rapidly at popular travel times. Also, if you're not staying near a regular shuttle stop, you need to arrange in advance for the bus to drop you off or pick you up at your motel.
If you intend to rent a car, it's almost always cheaper to get it at the Albuquerque airport and drive up than to take the shuttle and rent a car in Santa Fe. (But if you just want a car for a day or two during a longer trip, Santa Fe's prices are comparable to most other cities': I recommend Enterprise.) It pays to shop around before you arrive.
Updated Jan 9, 2007
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There's a bus system that covers many popular tourist areas, so I advise using this if you don't want to fool with parking (which is frustrating at best). However, the buses tend to be few and far between on Sundays.
Bus schedules are posted at the main terminal area on Sheridan Street, which runs just west of the Fine Arts Museum off the Plaza; you can also pick up printed schedules at the main library, or (during the summer) at the tourist information window next to the bank on the west side of the Plaza, and some hotels and motels have them too.
Recently (mostly because of construction) the city has begun offering free or inexpensive shuttle buses during major events where downtown parking is an issue -- e.g., Spanish Market. Schedules and pickup points are announced in the papers just before and during the event.
If you arrive in town by bus, there's a small Greyhound station, but it's open only at irregular hours (i.e., whenever a bus is due to arrive or depart). If you get there two hours early, you may have to wait outside. In inclement weather, it's a good idea to walk a couple of blocks east to the Smith's shopping center, where there are several restaurants.
Updated Jul 31, 2006
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