Laura

Hi all,

I am from Ireland but am going to be in California for 6 weeks Oct-Nov. It has always been my dream to go to Santa Fe. I am wondering is it crazy to even consider flying from LA to Albuquerque and staying one night. Would that be enough time?

Would love suggestions of places to stay and things to see. I'll be travelling on my own.

Laura

Larry

Laura-
If you are going to be in the southwest area for 6 weeks you may want to consider renting a car and driving to Santa Fe. There are many beautiful sights to see in that area from the Grand Canyon to Las Vegas. Also, if you make it to Albuquerque in early October, the Balloon Fiesta is going on for over a week and it is something that you have to see to believe with almost 1000 hot air balloons of all shapes, colors, and sizes filling up the skies.Santa Fe is very nice. Don't miss all the Native American museums and exhibits there.

Sal

One night is not enough! There is so much to see and do in that area. Oct-Nov. is a great time to visit--much cooler and not crowded. If you do a Sante Fe search on this site you will find many recommendations for sight seeing, restaurants and lodging.

paul

I think that one night is enough to at least get a feel for the santa fe area. Its only about a one hour drive from Albuquerque and there are shuttles if you don't want to rent a car. We like the Hotel Santa Fe which is a short walk from the center of town. There are many other places to stay right in town which you can read about if you do a "search" in this forum. If you like Indian Food, I would highly recommend the India Palace Restaurant.

Cindy

My suggestion would be to fly to Albuquerque and plan to spend 3 or 4 days driving to Santa Fe and then, if time permits, Taos. Once you're in New Mexico it would be a shame to spend less than a few days there, and the drive between Albuquerque and Santa Fe, in particular, is wonderful, especially if you go via the old highway which is only a few minutes longer than the big freeway. You go through several small towns, the most interesting of which (in my opinion) is Madrid, where you can spend several hours browsing the galleries and little shops. Santa Fe itself is a great place; I would recommend a restaurant called Julian's; I can't remember the street it's on but it's not far from the town square. Have a great trip!

Bets

Laura,

If it's always been your dream to visit Sante Fe, then my guess is that one night will not be enough time for you. As stated in the first two posts, there are so many wonderful things to see and do. Definitely stay near the Plaza. If you like Museums, there are some excellent ones nearby; for instance Georgia O'keefe. A visit to her home, ghost ranch is a very good 1/2 day trip. Again, do a search here for more nformation.

Joann

Laura,
I was in New Mexico a couple months ago (March) and it was fantastic. I stayed in a B&B in Albequerque with my husband and daughter and we rented a car to Sante Fe. We only stayed one day and I wish we could have spent more time there. The museum I wanted to see (Georgia O'keefe) was closed for that day on Wednesday which was very disappointing, but there are other things to do. There is a lot of Native American heritage there and you should take advantage of the learning opportunities to visit the surrounding pueblos, museums and local artisans. The silver jewelry was gorgeous.

The best thing about the southwest is the beautiful desert scenery. We rented a car to travel the entire state (north and south). You can spend an entire day hiking in public recreation areas for really cheap entertainment.

If you go to Albuquerque be sure to ride on the tram to the peak of the Sandia Mountains. Awesome!

Have fun on your trip.

Joann

J T Kirk

Not to sound redundant, given the above posts, but you DO need to spend more time there. for one thing, it takes about an hour and a half to drive to Santa Fe from Albuqurque, but this drive shouldn't be rushed. Savor it. Let the landscape sweep ove you (and it will). there are, as has been said, many, many, many art galleries to see, jewelery to buy, and meals (great, but HOT food) to eat. Plus, you need to get OUT of Santa Fe. Head over to Bandelier National Monument - it's a wonderful drive through some spectacular scenery. Bandelier is home of ancient Indian cliff dwellings. Then, there's the drive to and from Taos. You will see some sights you will never see again. So, yes you need at least 3 days. Have fun.

Christina

If you are there for that long, I think you should definitely stay at least several days in that area, there's a lot to see. I would definitely rent a car to drive from Albuquerque for several reasons -- first, car rentals are pretty cheap there; second, you should drive around the countryside to see scenery and other things; third, that bus shuttle service from ABQ to SF shut down sev. years ago due to safety reasons, as I recall (forget the details, bad drivers, crashes or something)--that was the SF Shuttlejack as I recall, although it or another company may be doing that route again, I'd still rent car for cost and convenience. I personally would avoid the Balloon Festival time period due to costs and crowds.

Tony Hughes

Laura

If you are time limited then yes one day will do in Santa Fe, as long as you either arrive early-ish or leave late-ish the next day. Spent 2 nights there in march and that was plenty.

G. Kremer

Having just returned from New Mexico, I would spend 2 days in Taos, 3 days in Santa Fe, & 3 days in Albuquerque.