bachslunch

Am again looking into some possible trips, with this one being Santa Fe/Taos/Albuquerque in New Mexico. Have done a good bit of research, and would like some thoughts on the itinerary below. Please note that I will not have a car and don't intend to rent one. All look to be reachable via public transportation or plenty of walking in the various towns/cities visited. I have also explored ways to get between the three cities/towns using public transport (buses, trains) and have found what seem to be workable solutions. Please note that I'm not concerned about the heat as I seem to handle it well and plan to drink lots of water along the way. I also very much like long sightseeing days.

Santa Fe

Two days (not sure of the ordering yet)
Downtown: Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, Institute of American Indian Arts Museum, New Mexico Museum of Art, Loretto Chapel, Mission of San Miguel, Palace of the Governors, St. Francis Cathedral, Santuario de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, State Capitol Building, plus a self-guided historic walk around the area

Another day
Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian, Museum of International Folk Art, Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, Museum of Spanish Colonial Art

Yet another day
Indian Arts Research Center, Cristo Rey, self-guided walk of Barrio de Analco and Canyon Road area

One more possible day, depending
Tour of a few areas north of Santa Fe, possibly including Bandelier National Monument, and a pueblo or two (Great Southwest Adventures and Pathways Customized Tours might work IF it can be afforded and it’s guaranteed to go – but not so guaranteed or cheap, as far as I can tell)

========

Taos

One day
Taos Art Museum, Kit Carson Home and Museum, Kit Carson Park and Cemetery, Harwood Museum, walk around Plaza area

Another day
Trolley tour (includes Martinez Hacienda, Millicent Rogers Museum, San Francisco de Asis Church), Governor Bent House Museum, Ernest L. Blumenshein Home and Museum

Yet another day
Taos Pueblo (either tour or Chile Line Bus)

Please note that I have already seen the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge.

===============

Albuquerque

One day
Albuquerque Museum of Art and History, Albuquerque International Rattlesnake Museum, New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, Turquoise Museum

Another day
Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, Maxwell Museum of Anthropology, Jonson Gallery, University of New Mexico Art Museum

The Balloon Museum and National Atomic Museum appear to be hard-to-impossible to reach via public transportation or I’d have considered them.

Many thanks for any constructive feedback offered.

DebitNM

I am not going to say that this cannot be accomplished without a rental car, but it is going to be very difficult.

That said, when is this trip scheduled?

What kind of feedback are you looking for? I am being serious because I don't really know what to offer.

Ackislander

I admire you enormously for your pedestrian fortitude. I no longer drive in Europe, so I am sympathetic to not wanting to rent a car.

Could you get to Los Alamos by public transportation, then get a taxi or something (?) to Bandelier with a fixed pickup time?

I think you will have to be flexible on these destinations, but then you are. The one thing I would like you to be able to add is the High Road between Santa Fe and Taos. It is very beautiful. Could you find a driver through Craigslist? Hire a driver through the University employment office?

I look forward to your food reports. They are always worth reading.

DebitNM

Taxis are few and far between in the areas that the OP is interested in visiting.

bachslunch

On further exploration, it looks like it's possible to reach both the Balloon Museum and National Atomic Museum using Albuquerque buses (respectively the #140 and #2, both of which intersect with the #66 from Old Town/Downtown). If there's an additional day, I'd likely add it in, with the expectation that that's about all I can do that day.

As to when I'd be going, I'm not sure yet. In fact, I might be able to connect this up with the Arizona itinerary I posted recently. Or I might do one, or none. Depends on various issues which I'd rather not elaborate on here. I realize there are some "time of year" issues with this New Mexico itinerary. Summer appears to be high season, and such wild card things as

-the Indian Market in Santa Fe can bring forth serious problems with finding a place to stay

-Taos Pueblo has closure times in late August and in February/March

-Taos Trolleys have high season and low season availability

are all things I'd have to watch for. The itinerary posted is a basis which I might tweak depending on when I actually go. My primary interest in posting it here now is to get a feel for the feasibility in number of days needed to see what I've listed above.

Re travel between Santa Fe and Taos: there are two bus-type ways to do so:

http://www.taosexpress.com/

or a combo of

http://www.ncrtd.org/uploads/FileLin...LA%20ROUTE.pdf

and

http://www.ncrtd.org/uploads/FileLin...SANTA%20FE.pdf

which in theory would allow looking at the landscape along the way.

Thanks so far for the thoughts.

jubilada

In Dayenu's trip report about ABQ she mentions the holocaust museum there very favorably, as I recall.