49 Best Sights in Santa Fe, New Mexico

Stop inside this late-1890s adobe building to admire a truly diverse collection of paintings, drawings, and sculpture, much of it with a regional and traditional approach, and some of it downright whimsical. The owners also operate the excellent GF Contemporary, across the street, which focuses more on modern and abstract works.

A fonda (inn) has stood on this site southeast of the Plaza for centuries, and architect Isaac Hamilton Rapp built the area landmark that stands there today in 1922. The hotel was sold to the Santa Fe Railway in 1926 and remained a Harvey House hotel until 1968. The property completed its latest major renovation in 2013, its guest rooms receiving a smart but still classic makeover, but the historic public areas retain their original design elements. Because of its proximity to the Plaza and its history as a gathering place for everyone from cowboys to movie stars (Errol Flynn stayed here), it's referred to as "The Inn at the End of the Trail." Free docent tours, which touch on the hotel's rich history and detail key pieces in the astounding public art collection, are offered Wednesday through Saturday morning at 10:30. Step inside to browse the shops on the main floor or to eat at one of the restaurants, including the impressive greenhouse glass-topped La Plazuela. The lobby bar often has live music. In warm months, enjoy a drink at the fifth-floor Bell Tower Bar which offers tremendous sunset views.

A delicate Gothic church modeled after Sainte-Chapelle in Paris, Loretto was built in 1878 by the same French architects and Italian stonemasons who built St. Francis Cathedral, and is known for the "Miraculous Staircase" that leads to the choir loft. Legend has it that the chapel was almost complete when it became obvious that there wasn't room to build a staircase to the choir loft. In answer to the prayers of the cathedral's nuns, a mysterious carpenter arrived on a donkey, built a 20-foot staircase (using only a square, a saw, and a tub of water to season the non-native wood) and then disappeared as quickly as he came. Many of the faithful believed it was St. Joseph himself. The staircase contains two complete 360-degree turns with no central support; no nails were used in its construction. Adjoining the chapel are a small museum and gift shop.

This respected gallery near the Plaza carries mostly contemporary representational paintings and sculptures by world-renowned artists as well as impressive works by local and Native artists including Nocona Burgess and B. C. Nowlin. The gallery also features bronze statues and interesting photographs. In 2021, Manitou was sold to gallery owners from Arizona who now run this location and its sister gallery at 225 Canyon Road. Both Manitou showrooms are hard to miss thanks to the beautiful bronze sculptures outside.

One of the oldest and most prestigious galleries in the Southwest, Meyer's location at the bottom of Canyon Road makes it a good place to begin a stroll up the historic street. The work shown in this expansive gallery gives a good sense of the traditional Santa Fe art scene along with an eclectic selection of modern works focused on contemporary realism. They also offer an array of interesting resale art on consignment.

In this attractive storefront space a couple of blocks from the Plaza, you can admire works by the most celebrated black-and-white photographers of the 20th century. The focus is on humanist and photojournalist-style photography, and many classic images are available for purchase.

Located in the cluster of museums at Museum Hill, this interactive, multimedia exhibition tells the story of Native American history in the Southwest, merging contemporary Native American experience with historical accounts and artifacts. The collection includes some of New Mexico's oldest works of art: pottery vessels, fine stone and silver jewelry, intricate textiles, and other arts and crafts created by Pueblo, Navajo, and Apache artisans. Changing exhibitions feature arts and traditions of historic and contemporary Native Americans. while the long-standing Here, Now and Always exhibition shares glimpses into the lives and culture of area tribes. You can also see art demonstrations and a video about the life and work of Pueblo potter Maria Martinez.

Located at the entrance of Museum Hill, this adobe museum occupies a classically Southwestern former home designed in 1930 by acclaimed regional architect John Gaw Meem. The Spanish Colonial Art Society formed in Santa Fe in 1925 to preserve traditional Spanish-colonial art and culture, and the museum, which sits next to the Museum of International Folk Art and the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture complex, displays the fruits of the society's labor: one of the most comprehensive collections of Spanish-colonial art in the world. The objects here, dating from the 16th century to the present, include retablos, elaborate santos, tinwork, straw appliqué, furniture, ceramics, and ironwork. The contemporary collection of works by New Mexico Hispanic artists helps put all this history into regional context. The museum also hosts national traveling shows and its gift shop features artwork from participants in Santa Fe's yearly Spanish Market.

The symbol of the Zía Pueblo, which represents the Circle of Life, was the inspiration for the state's capitol building, also known as the Roundhouse. Doorways at opposing sides of the 1966 structure symbolize the four times of day, the four directions, the four stages of life, and the four seasons. Take time to walk through the building to see the outstanding 600-work collection of the Capitol Art Foundation, historical and cultural displays, and handcrafted furniture—it's a superb and somewhat overlooked array of fine art. The Governor's Gallery hosts temporary exhibits. Six acres of imaginatively landscaped gardens shelter outstanding sculptures.

Believed to be the oldest church still in use in the United States, this simple earth-hewn adobe structure was built around 1610 by the Tlaxcalan Indians of Mexico, who came to New Mexico as servants of the Spanish. Badly damaged in the 1680 Pueblo Revolt, the structure was restored and enlarged in 1710. On display in the chapel are priceless statues and paintings and the San José Bell, weighing nearly 800 pounds, which is believed to have been cast in Spain in 1356. In winter the church sometimes closes before its official closing hour. Latin mass is held daily at 2 pm, and new mass is on Sunday at 5 pm.

This 14-acre garden, located across the road from the Folk Art and Native American museums, provides another great reason for exploring Museum Hill. Situated on a bluff with fantastic views of the surrounding mountains, the facility is divided into four sections that emphasize distinct elements of New Mexico's flora and terrain: the Orchard Gardens, Ojos y Manos: Eyes and Hands, the Courtyard Gardens, and the Arroyo Trails. You can gain a much fuller sense of what's planted and why by embarking on one of the free guided tours, offered daily (call for hours). Also be sure to check the website to see which events might be happening at the outdoor amphitheater.

Stimulating hands-on exhibits, a solar greenhouse, oversize geometric forms, and an 18-foot indoor rock-climbing wall all contribute to this museum's popularity with kids. Outdoor gardens with climbing structures, forts, and hands-on activities are great for whiling away the time in the shade of big trees. Puppeteers and storytellers perform often.

A massive-walled adobe structure built by Franciscan missionaries between 1776 and 1795, this is the oldest shrine in the United States to Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mexico's patron saint. The church's adobe walls are nearly 3 feet thick, and among the sanctuary's religious art and artifacts is a beloved image of Nuestra Virgen de Guadalupe, painted by Mexican master Jose de Alcibar in 1783. Highlights are the traditional New Mexican carved and painted altar screen called a reredos, an authentic 19th-century sacristy, a pictorial-history archive, a library devoted to Archbishop Jean Baptiste Lamy that is furnished with many of his belongings, and a garden with plants from the Holy Land.

This brick courtyard is an oasis of flowering fruit trees and inviting benches, along with a charming fountain. Surrounding it is a plethora of interesting shops selling clothing, shoes, chocolates, and various other artsy and touristy items. Longtime favorite La Casa Sena has a popular patio that takes up a good chunk of the courtyard, creating a downright magical environment for summer dining. The buildings, erected in the 1700s as a single-family residence, once included quarters for blacksmiths, bakers, farmers, and all manner of help.

Dark, polished wood surfaces, amber lighting, and candelit kiva-style fireplaces infuse Inn at Loretto's intimate spa with a relaxed, understated elegance—especially during Santa Fe's cool winter months, this is a particularly cozy, inviting space for a massage, and the central location near the Plaza makes it a convenient choice for guests of the many nearby hotels. The old-world decor of the five treatment suites (plus a couples suite), some with Vichy showers and antique claw-foot soaking tubs, are especially nice for enjoying one of the spa's half-day packages, including a deluxe 365-minute session that includes sage-scented bath, hot-stone massage, facial, milk-and-honey wrap, manicure and pedicure, and chakra balancing. These services can be booked individually, along with a high-altitude massage geared specifically to Santa Fe's 7,000-foot elevation, and the bracing Café Olé Indonesian coffee scrub. An 80-minute massage is $195, and half-day packages are $330–$775. The gym includes cardiovascular machines, free weights, and weight-training equipment. Yoga classes are offered as well. One drawback: common areas are very limited, as there are no steam rooms, saunas, or hot tubs.

Also called the DeVargas Street House, this adobe dwelling is said to be the oldest in the United States—a sign on the exterior puts the date at 1646. Some say it's much older, but historians currently can verify only that it dates back to the mid-1700s. Inside the tiny museum, a small gift shop features Harvey House jewelry, kachinas, paintings, pottery, and more.

Distinct in that it focuses solely on Santa Fe artists who produce contemporary works, VIVO also offers some very interesting programming from its handsome two-level space on Canyon Road, including an annual show featuring paintings and poems together. Works often rotate throughout the space and are available for purchase.

At 16,000 square feet, the expansive Wo' P'in Spa at this Hilton-managed Pojoaque Tribe–owned gaming resort just north of Santa Fe is one of the largest in the state. With its huge outdoor pool and Roman baths–inspired indoor pool, swanky salon, and extensive manicure and pedicure options, Wo' P'in is more a place for pampering—in the style of a Vegas resort—than meditative serenity or spiritual enrichment. The spa can tailor any massage or treatment with a number of add-ons, ranging from reflexology sessions to deep-foot massage to sugar-scrub exfoliations. One recommended treatment is the mocha mud coffee scrub that ends with a coconut-chocolate body-butter application. This is one of the few spas in the region with Vichy shower treatments, but these are sometimes suspended when water restrictions are in effect (which is often in Santa Fe). It's $170 for an 80-minute massage.

The sleek design of this airy, two-story gallery with a skylighted atrium is a fitting venue for the cutting-edge photography, paintings, sculptures, and mixed-media works within. Next door, its sister venue Form & Concept is focused on crafts and design. The space sits on a parcel of Native land within the town which the gallery owners consciously acknowledge with respectful reverence.