Hi! My husband and I are planning a 4-5 day trip to the area next October. We will go to the Balloon Fest for a day but stay in Santa Fe. We would love some help planning an itinerary for day trips and what we absolutely can%26#39;t miss right there. We would like to stay within easy walking distance to all the shops, galleries and restaurants, and are somewhat ';foodies';. Our budget is about $200- $225 a night for lodging, and the idea of a kiva fireplace in our room is very appealing! Any and all suggestions are greatly appreciated!
1st time visitI%26#39;ll let our Santa Fe experts (and others) clue you in on Santa Fe, but I did want to comment on your statement that you were going to the balloon fiesta, but staying in Santa Fe.
I would strongly recommend you stay overnight in Albuquerque, before attending a morning session of the balloon fiesta. The balloons launch at about 7a.m., as the sun comes over the Sandia Mountains to the east, and with traffic and all...you%26#39;d want to be on the grounds by 6:00am at the latest. Traffic congestion is heavy enough waiting to get into the Balloon Park, so if you added the hour drive from Santa Fe, you%26#39;d need to leave SF by 4:30am probably. Not that it can%26#39;t be done of course.
Assuming you%26#39;re flying in to Albuquerque anyway, you could browse the historic Old Town area, and it%26#39;s diverse museums in the afternoon, and evening. Then try some ';New Mexican'; cuisine hopefully, and then be up early for the fiesta. With weather playing such a part in whether or not the balloon fiesta gets off the ground (three of five mass ascensions were cancelled this year because of winds), you are rolling the dice with only 1 day set aside for the balloons.
Whatever you decide (and we%26#39;ll all be glad to help with your planning), get your reservations in as early as possible. If you have time, don%26#39;t miss Taos %26amp; Taos Pueblo. Thank you for choosing to visit us! You won%26#39;t be disappointed if you%26#39;re looking for somewhere ';different.'; :-)
1st time visitI just went on the 2009 Balloon fest site and see that most of the activities are in the AM. Great idea to stay near the festival grounds for 1 night and experience the activities there, rather than drive from Santa Fe. Will 3 days in Santa Fe be enough to get to see everything we want to? We are pretty active when it comes to vacations and like to squeeze in as much as we can, but I want to do justice to enjoying Santa Fe!
Of course, 3 days won%26#39;t be enough! But, it is time to sample Santa Fe! This is the one city that we return to time after time because we just enjoy being there. We always rent a casita through www.vrbo.com This gives us some extra space and we fell more like a ';local';. You can easily find a casita within walking distance to the plaza.
You can see the main areas of Santa Fe in a long day, but will probably want to do a bit every day. I recommend Loretto Chapel, the Governor%26#39;s Palace and the O%26#39;Keefe museum as ';must sees';. There are also a set of museums a bit out of town that are worth a visit. You will also want to spend some time walking along Canyon Road with all the art galleries. On our last visit, we rented a casita about 2 blocks from Canyon Road and 4 blocks from the plaza.
We usually do a few ';day trips'; when there. Bandalier Nation Park is a ';must see';. We often visit a pueblo, drive through the marvelous countryside, etc. So, we do a bit of Santa Fe every day and a short day trip.
Food! There are wonderful choices. One of my favorite lunches is to buy from one of the carts on the plaza and sit there and eat and watch the people!
I hopeyou enjoy it as much as we do!
Three days in Santa Fe would be enough...since you are ';sampling'; Northern New Mexico. Bandelier is pretty neat, but with such short time considerations I would instead strongly recommend a side trip up to Taos, and Taos Pueblo which is little changed since Coronado came through in 1540-42! The latter is one of my ';must sees,'; for anyone visiting Northern New Mexico...and taking the ';Low Road'; through Espanola, Velarde, and Pilar via the Rio Grande River%26#39;s gorge, it will only take you about 1 1/2 hours drive from Santa Fe. Taos Pueblo is only 3 miles NE of Taos%26#39;s downtown historic plaza (and shops and restaurants).
I%26#39;m glad you%26#39;re considering my advice to stay in Albuquerque overnight before the balloon fiesta%26#39;s morning events. You should leave your motel/hotel by 5:30am. I know. OUCH! But it will be a life-long memorable experience. I will put in some extra prayers to the Wind-Gods that you will have a calm morning. Enjoy!
Thanks so much for the touring advice! We are quite excited to drive along the Rio Grande; would rather take the scenic route to anywhere we go for a day visit. I think a 2 hour drive for exploring in any direction is probably enough for us, since that will take a chunk of our precious days there. Any other advice on where to stay? Since the visit is short we would like to stay somewhere where a nice breakfast is included. There seems to be an abundance of places to stay and the pricing is all over the board for inns and B %26amp; B%26#39;s. The casita idea is great, but my experience with owners on VBRO have been that they want to rent for a week, especially during high tourist season. Also, what would people suggest for a ';special'; meal?
With only 5 days to see Albuquerque, the Balloon Fiesta and Santa Fe, you won%26#39;t be able to do it all, but will have a nice trip.
There are many hotels in the Plaza area in Santa Fe, some have a fireplace, but many do not. Look at Hotel Santa Fe, Inn of the Governors. Also there are many B%26amp;B%26#39;s in the area that may work for you. Look at www.santafe.org for lodging ideas and prices.
Dining in Santa Fe is awesome. All kinds of places to try. For Northern NM try The Shed, Tomasitas, Blue Corn Cafe. Many other nice places as well including Coyote Cafe, Pranzo, El Meson, Old House, Anasazi, Geronimo etc.... Check out places on the above link for more ideas.
Day 1 arrive in Albuquerque. Visit Old Town area, museums, Pueblo Cultural Center. Little Anita%26#39;s is a great place to eat. Stay near Balloon Fiesta area which is northern part of Albuquerque. If there is a Balloon glow this night, see that!
Day 2 Balloon Fiesta in morning. Maybe take the Sandia Tram later in the day. Drive up to Santa Fe.
Day 3 Santa Fe all day. Visit the Plaza area, Canyon Road, see some museums (state museums are closed on Mondays), do some shopping etc.
Day 4 Day trip to either Bandelier Nat Mon, Los Alamos or go up to Taos.
Day 5 Finish up your visit in Santa Fe. Drive up toward the Ski Basin, do a hike, possibly see the aspens turning. Back to Albuquerque for the night if you have an early morning flight.
Have fun planning.
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