The Place for Government Per Diem Rate Hotels

City Overview

With a name translated as 'holy faith', Santa Fe claims some of the most faithful fans among tourists spending time in New Mexico. It’s range of hotels provides travelers with choice including government travelers, military travelers and federal travelers seeking per diem rates. More than a few of its 70,000-plus residents have relocated to this hotspot to submerge themselves in the art world, take advantage of year-round outdoors adventure offerings, and enjoy the mystical, spiritual appeal of New Mexico's deep well of Native American heritage.

Throughout the central, oldest part of Santa Fe, you will find the early style of architecture - a mix of mud and straw that form adobes - remains dominant. The intriguing blend of décor amidst homes and businesses still incorporates the carved images of saints called santos, as well as artworks in tin, iron, straw and silver, representing the Hispanic customs of the region.

Pottery, stonework, baskets and weavings illustrate the significant Native American influences from the Eight Northern Pueblos that cover the landscape in this part of New Mexico.

At an altitude of over 2,100m (7,000ft), Santa Fe is a lofty setting in which to experience a culture like no other in America. Although Santa Fe isn't particularly large, the city has more than 200 restaurants, 250-plus art galleries, 60 or so Native American jewellery shops, and more than a dozen museums, along with a world-class opera program and a good schedule of festivals.

Getting Around

Airport

Santa Fe (SAF)
Tel: (505) 955 2900.
Website: www.santafenm.gov/index.asp?NID=171 
Santa Fe airport is located 15km (9 miles) southwest of the city.
The airport currently serves mainly private and charter flights but American Airlines is scheduled to begin a non-stop service in December 2008 from Los Angeles, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Salt Lake City. Travellers to this airport can make reservations for transport into the city via Capital City Taxi (tel: (505) 438 0000; website: www.capitalcitycab.com).

Albuquerque International Sunport (ABQ)
Tel: (505) 244 7700.
Website: www.cabq.gov/airport
Albuquerque airport is located 106km (66 miles) southwest of Santa Fe.
Facilities include information booths, restaurants, shops, and ATMs. Nine car hire companies are represented at the airport, as are taxi and shuttle services. Shuttles to Santa Fe are operated by Sandia Shuttle Express (tel: 1 888 775 5696 or (505) 474 5696; website: www.sandiashuttle.com). You can hire cars in town too (see Getting Around).

Trains

Trains arrive and depart from Lamy, New Mexico, 23km (14 miles) from downtown Santa Fe.

Rail Operators

Amtrak's Southwest Chief line serves the Santa Fe area with eastbound trains from Los Angeles and westbound trains from Chicago, with links in Kansas City, Missouri, Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Flagstaff, Arizona (tel: 1 800 872 7245/USA RAIL; www.amtrak.com).

Make reservations at least 24 hours in advance with the Lamy Shuttle (tel: (505) 982 8829) for transportation to downtown Santa Fe. The New Mexico Rail Runner Express train offers services between Albuquerque and Santa Fe, with a shuttle connection from Albuquerque airport to a nearby train stop among plans (tel: (505) 245 7245; www.nmrailrunner.com).

By Road

A popular route to Santa Fe is from either Denver or Albuquerque along Interstate 25, which connects with US Highway 285 into Santa Fe. A scenic route from Albuquerque into Santa Fe is along State Highway 14, a two-lane rural route with speed limit of 90kph (55mph); also called the Turquoise Trail, it passes through a handful of historic villages (www.turquoisetrail.org).

The American Automobile Association - AAA (tel: 1 800 222 1134; www.aaa.com) can provide information and may offer reciprocal benefits to members of automobile clubs in other countries.

Emergency breakdown services

AAA (tel: 1 800 222 4357/AAA HELP).

The State Department of Transportation (tel: 1 800 432 4269) provides current information about road closures and conditions.

Local Transport

Public Transport

Santa Fe Trails is the public bus system operated by the city (tel: (505) 955 2001). Buses run regularly Monday to Friday with shortened hours at weekends. The primary pick-up centre is at Sheridan and Palace streets downtown. The M bus provides good transportation to Museum Hill daily.

Taxis

Capital City Cab (tel: (505) 438 0000) is the service offered in Santa Fe. 

Car Hire

Avis is found at the Municipal Airport (tel: (505) 471 5892; www.avis.com), Hertz is at the Hilton (tel: (505) 982 1844; www.hertz.com) and Budget (tel: 1 800 527 0700 or (505) 9984 8028; www.budget.com), Enterprise (tel: (505) 473 3600; www.enterprise.com) and Thrifty (tel: (505) 474 3365; www.thrifty.com) are based on Cerrillos Road.
 
Generally, cars are hired only to drivers age 25 and over. Hirers must have a credit card in their name.

Bicycle Hire

Mellow Velo, downtown at 638 Old Santa Fe Trail (tel: (505) 995 8356/VELO; www.mellowvelo.com), offers a variety of bicycles for hire. For exploring the hilly environs, there are mountain, road and comfort bikes; for shopping around town, try the cruisers. All bikes available by the hour, day, and week. Baby joggers and kids' bikes are offered too.

General Information

Location

New Mexico, southwestern USA.

Time zone

GMT - 7 (GMT - 6 from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November).

Electricity

110-120 volts, 60 Hz; round two-pin plugs are standard.

Average January temperatures

0.5°C (31°F).

Average July temperatures

30°C (86°F).

Annual rainfall

356mm (14 inches).

Things to do

Sightseeing Overview

Although Santa Fe isn't particularly large, the city has more than 200 restaurants, 250-plus art galleries, 60 or so Native American jewellery shops, and more than a dozen museums, along with a world-class opera programme and a good schedule of festivals.

Planning ahead will help you figure out which museums to see in the morning, which areas to choose for lunch, places to roam on foot through the afternoon, and galleries to pop into before having tea or a margarita in the late afternoon.

To orient yourself at the outset, explore the Plaza, Palace of the Governors and St Francis Cathedral first. Save the museums for another day (the Museum Hill bus is helpful) and a day of wandering along Canyon Road for still another experience - or you'll risk overload.

Tourist Information

Santa Fe Convention & Visitors Bureau
201 West Marcy Street
Tel: 1 800 777 2489.
Website: www.santafe.org

International visitors can also contact the Santa Fe Council on International Relations, Room 281 at La Fonda Hotel, 100 East San Francisco Street (tel: (505) 982 4931). Check the website for special savings offered at various lodgings, restaurants, and shops.

Attractions

Santa Fe School of Cooking
Enroll in one of the overwhelmingly popular half-day or day-long classes to learn how to reproduce the intriguing Hispanic and Native American cuisine peculiar to this region. Courses can be demonstration-style with a full and wonderful lunch or hands-on, with field trips to markets, farms and wineries. There's an excellent culinary gift shop, too.

116 West San Francisco Street
Tel: 1 800 982 4688 or (505) 983 4511.
Website: www.santafeschoolofcooking.com

Ski Santa Fe
In winter, most visitors head up the fairly quick but twisting drive uphill from the Plaza to the area's 3,710m- (12,175ft-) high ski mountain. Skiing and snowboarding keep snow bunnies happy from mid November through to at least early April. Ski Santa Fe offers numerous lifts to 67 trails. There's a ski shop for equipment hire and a choice of restaurants on site.
 
2209 Brothers Road
Tel: (505) 982 4429.
Website: www.skisantafe.com

El Rancho de las Golondrinas
Once a stop on the Camino Real this 81-hectare (200-acre) ranch now functions as a living museum preserving the heritage of the Spanish Colonial and Territorial period.

334 Los Pinos Road
Tel: (505) 471 2261.
Website: www.golondrinas.org

Restaurants

Aqua Santa
Run by a proponent of the slow-food trend, this elegant enclave serves classic cuisine like Caesar salad with pan-fried oyster and Moroccan-spiced squab.
415 West Alameda
Tel: (505) 982 6297.
Price: $$$$

Café Pasqual's
Crowds fill this friendly, happy eatery near the Plaza morning, noon, and night. Specialities include smoked chillies with beef strips and eggs, ahi tuna salad and chicken mole enchiladas.
121 Don Gaspar
Tel: (505) 983 9340.
Website: www.pasquals.com
Price: $$-$$$

Gabriel's
Take a seat on the shady patio and enjoy guacamole made tableside, lush steaks and excellent margaritas.
Highway 285 North
Tel: (505) 455 7000.
Website: www.restauranteur.com/gabriels
Price: $$

Harry's Roadhouse
A favourite among locals, this casual hangout serves comfort food in the form of chicken nachos, big burgers and turkey-blue corn enchiladas, along with stellar margaritas.
96 Old Las Vegas Highway
Tel: (505) 989 4629.
Price: $-$$

Ristra
A lovely Victorian cottage filled with contemporary art, Ristra offers a shimmering bar where guests wait for tables to enjoy black mussels with chipotle (smoked jalapeno) and mint and achiote-grilled elk tenderloin.
548 Agua Fria Street
Tel: (505) 982 8608.
Website: www.ristrarestaurant.com
Price: $$$$

Night Life

Because the cuisine of Santa Fe has become an entity unto itself, many locals and visitors spending evenings out in Santa Fe often make dinner the focal point. Several of the noted restaurants in town are within hotels that play live music, while some places have music venues that are part of the dining room. Margaritas are the cocktail of choice, naturally, but exceptional wine lists (some of which feature some very nice wines made in New Mexico) are found nearly everywhere.

Bars:Ore House, 50 Lincoln Avenue on the Plaza, features 40 different kinds of margaritas, as well as daily happy hour specials. Sleeping Dog Tavern, 114 West San Francisco Street, a block off the Plaza, is a rollicking beer joint with sports on TV, pool tables, darts, and grazing foods. Second Street Brewery, 1814 Second Street, is a neighbourhood brew pub that offers interesting choices in Bohemian pilsner, India pale ale, cream stout, and bar food. Staab House at La Posada Hotel, 330 East Palace Avenue, is a lovely, upscale space in a historic building where you can sit in luxury and sip wine.

Clubs:Rodeo Nites, 2911 Cerrillos Road, is the leading country-western dance spot in town. WilLee's Blues Club, 401 South Guadalupe in the Sage Inn (website: www.willees.com), features live R & B, as well as gospel.

Live Music:Vanessie's, 434 West San Francisco Street, is where legions of fans flock to hear Doug Montgomery tickle the ivory keys. El Farol, 808 Canyon Road, is a Spanish tapas-style restaurant in an ancient building, but later in the evening, there is live music and the tables often push back for some impromptu dancing. ThePink Adobe, 406 Old Santa Fe Trail, has been a popular venue since the 1940s. It houses the Dragon Room Lounge, a popular gathering spot with live music on selected evenings.

Shopping

Santa Fe is a delight for shoppers with an interest in art.

Markets

Jackalope, 2820 Cerrillos Road, is a treasure trove that warrants a visit of at least two hours. Within the market's many buildings you will find pottery, baskets, jewellery, tiles, clothing, rugs and blankets, as well as furniture, mirrors, and home accessories. Trader Joe's, 530 West Cordova Road, offers exceptional discount shopping on wines, cheese, coffee, vitamins and skin products. Doodlet's, 120 Don Gaspar, sells trinkets and curios, such as Frida Kahlo bamboo curtains

Key areas

Santa Fe's commercial galleries will appeal to anyone who enjoys art, even if you are not a serious collector. Many of the art spaces are clustered near the Plaza on Canyon Road. Gallery Moda, 725 Canyon Road, is noted for contemporary expressionist and abstract art and post-war prints by no less than Jasper Johns and Ellsworth Kelly.

Just a few blocks from the Plaza and near Canyon Road, Gerald Peter's Gallery, 1011 Paseo de Peralta, is a pueblo-style space with a lovely sculpture garden and a spectacular collection of 19th- and 20th-century art from the American West, the Taos Society and the Santa Fe Art Colony.

Nedra Matteucci Galleries, 1075 Paseo de Peralta, showcases work from some of the same periods, as well as that by masters of American Impressionism, Modernism, and Russian Realism. Leave the better part of a day to explore Canyon Road, where dozens of galleries await with exhibitions in Native American, folk and tribal, contemporary abstract and expressionist arts, as well as 19th- and 20th-century art, photography and sculpture. Of particular interest is SITE Santa Fe, 1606 Paseo de Peralta, with a collection of contemporary art galleries in a new, park-like setting.

For clothing, try Back at the Ranch, 209 East Marcy Street, to see one of the world's largest collections of handmade cowboy boots. Overland, 74 East San Francisco Street, sells magnificent leather, fur, and shearling coats, as well as cowhide rugs. Purple Sage, 110 Don Gaspar, wins fans for its hand-woven jackets and glass jewellery. James Reid, 114 East Palace Avenue, is your destination for exquisite belt buckles in silver and gold, along with belts crafted from alligator, lizard and ostrich.

Events

Indian Market
August
World's largest American Indian art market.
The Plaza
Website: www.swaia.org
 
Rodeo de Santa Fe
June
Santa Fe Rodeo Grounds
Website: www.rodeodesantafe.org

Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival
July-August
Website: www.santafechambermusic.org

International Folk Art Market
July
Museum Hill
Website: www.folkartmarket.org

Spanish Market
July
The Plaza
Website: www.spanishmarket.org

Antique Indian Art Show
August
El Museo Cultural de Santa Fe
Website: www.whitehawkshows.com

Wine & Chile Fiesta
September
Various locations throughout city
Website: www.santafewineandchile.org

Indian Dances
December
Pueblos throughout Northern New Mexico

History & Culture

The most famous of all Santa Fe's attractions is the world-renowned Santa Fe Opera (tel: (505) 986 5900; website: www.santafeopera.org). Situated across rolling, hilly landscape just north of town, with spectacular views of the Sangre de Cristo and Jemez mountains on either side, the dramatic architecture of the amphitheatre is almost a show in itself. The season extends from late June through August and features music, performances, set design and productions of the highest order.

From early July through late August, the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival (tel: (505) 983 2075; website: www.santafechambermusic.org) brings a bill of recognised performers, groups and ensembles to play traditional chamber music as well as modern, jazz, world music and other pieces. In June, July, August and December, the Santa Fe Desert Chorale (tel: (505) 988 2282; website: www.desertchorale.org) performs at various venues including the Lensic Theater, Loretto Chapel, St Francis Cathedral and the Eldorado Hotel Pavilion.

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