Bill N.

My wife and I are planning to spend a week in mid-July. Wondered how to divide the time in Albuq vs. Sante Fe vs. Taos - this is our first trip to NM. Any suggestions as to how to divide the time and where to stay in these areas - moderate to high moderate rates. Also, is Rt 66 worth exploring?Thanks.

CC

Just returned from all three and had only an extended weekend. If you fly into Albuquerque- its filled with many museums, and the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center is nice, as well as the Natural History Museum. Went to Petroglyph National Monument-nice for hiking. Didn't stay the night in Albuq but drove to Santa Fe- take the Turquoise Trail at least one way- it doesn't take that much longer and lots of things to see and do along the way. Sandia Peak is on the way to SF and is very beautiful and worth the drive-hiking at top. In Santa Fe I stayed at a wonderful B&B called The Madeleine. Very reasonable and comfortable- saves you money on breakfast(meals are expensive in SF). Terrific staff and close to old town Santa Fe- you can walk(parking is bad in SF). 1-888-321-5123 website too. I loved it there. Albuquerque is nice, but hotter than Santa Fe and Taos and not as scenic. I only checked out Route 66 in Albuq- nice for what I saw. Only got to see limited Taos, but the mountains were beautiful and there is numerous hiking and rafting and horseback riding trips to take. I would spend more time in SF and Taos(very outdoorsy-not much inside), but definitly spend a day in Albuq. due to the summer heat. The drives are really not that long between each city. The scenic drives between each city are much better than the interstate. Turquoise Trail and the Hi Road from Taos to SF. Many photo ops. I basically just stayed in SF and drove to Taos, but it way too long b/c I stopped so much- I would stay at least one or two nights in Taos. I heard that Bandelier National Monument is wonderful. Some of the pueblos are nice but remember they are people's homes and hours are unpredictable- I visited one and most of the shops were closed during mid-week. Tons of shopping and museums in Santa Fe. Museums are free on Fridays from 5p-close(saved me about $15 for three). Some cheaper but good restaurants in SF are Zia Diner, The Shed,and Maria's New Mexican Kitchen. Also visited and had lunch at Georgia O'Keefe Museum- excellent on both accounts. A rental car is pretty much a necessity. Feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions. Have a terrific trip! New Mexico is beautiful- can't wait to go back.

CC

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J T Kirk

Definately plan on going to Bandelier. It is a super Indian cliff dwelling site. And it's a great drive out there from Santa Fe. There's also a smaller, but very impressive, cliff dwelling site called Puye that i would recommend. it doesn't seem to get as crowded as Bandelier. It's west of Santa Fe, as is Bandelier. Also, a day trip to Chaco Canyon is an experience. It is a truly awesome Indian site. I will warn you - it's a LONG drive. But worth it. I always stay at either the Bishop's Lodge, or Rancho Encantado. Both are north of town, and away from all the hubbub. I recommend either. However, there are liteally dozens of places to stay in Santa Fe, and many fine B&Bs. I like Taos, but to me Santa Fe has more to offer. I'd make Santa Fe the home base and just make day trips. The drive to Taos is spectacular. Check out Chimayo if you like rugs and such. Have fun.

cindy

If you can get a room (it's a fairly small place) the St. Francis Hotel in Santa Fe is lovely. It's not far from the Plaza. They do a wonderful afternoon tea, too. I'd also check out Acoma Pueblo (also called Sky City) if you have time to drive there - and it's quite true, as one previous poster said, that the pueblos are people's homes; however, Acoma Pueblo is no longer populated year-round; they go up there for festivals. It's on top of a mesa and is absolutely breathtakingly beautiful - but take some water with you and wear a hat. There is ONE tree, and no shade! You get up there on a bus. You can walk down, if you like, but I'm told that trip is very strenuous. Have a wonderful time! I'm jealous and would love to go back there.

Lexma90

Bill - I can't help you re time in Albuquerque, as I haven't been there since I was a child, but have made several trips to Santa Fe & Taos.

Taos is more "real" than Santa Fe, and more peaceful, but there's also less there, in terms of restaurants & art galleries, if that's what you're looking for. I would spend 2 or so days in Taos, the rest of the time in Santa Fe. I agree about Bandelier - it's very interesting. The High Road is very scenic. If you're interested in Santa Clara pottery (the black shiny pottery, very different), then you can drive to the pueblo and buy it directly from the artists.

I can't remember the names of the places we've stayed at in either place, but there are many beautiful & comfortable hotels & B&Bs in both Santa Fe and Taos; most of them have web sites that include pictures. Try to get a place in Santa Fe that's within a few blocks of the plaza, so you can walk around a lot. In Taos, that's less important, as it's easier to find parking & the town's much smaller.

angel

A week will give you sufficient time to see the sights. Agree with most of what's been posted above (love Bandelier!), but want to add one more thing.

If you're interested in science/rocketry/space, Albuquerque has the National Atomic Science museum -- and Los Alamos has its atomic museum.

G. Kremer

Having just returned from Alb./Santa Fe/Taos area, all the previous postings are good. If I did this trip again I would spend 2-3 days around Taos, 3-4 days at Santa Fe & 4 Days in Albuquerque.

BNeugros

Thank you all for your helpful input. I am planning to take as many of your suggestions as possible.