Three-Day Tours
Santa Fe Sampler (Any Season)
Day One:
Breakfast at your hotel at 9 a.m.,
Learn about Santa Fe's fascinating history with a two-hour walking (or driving) tour of downtown Santa Fe beginning at 10 a.m.
Lunch from noon to 1:30 p.m. at one of our group-friendly restaurants serving a variety of cuisines.
From 2 to 5 p.m., explore Canyon Road, Santa Fe's famous mile stretch of art galleries, boutiques and eclectic shops.
Dine at 6 p.m. at one of our group-friendly restaurants serving traditional Mexican and New Mexican specialties.
Attend an evening performance of the world-famous Santa Fe Opera (in season from late June through August.)
Day Two:
Breakfast at your hotel at 9 a.m.,
Spend the morning on Museum visiting the Museum of International Folk Art, housing the world's largest collection of traditional folk art, and the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, exhibiting 2,000 years of Native American art.
Lunch from noon to 1:30 p.m. at the Museum Hill Café.
After lunch, drive 45 minutes north of Santa Fe to the historic Spanish Colonial village of Chimayo. Visit El Santuario de Chimayo, one of New Mexico's most famous churches. Built in the early 19th century, the adobe church is believed to sit atop sacred earth with miraculous healing powers. You'll also visit some of Chimayo's famous weaving galleries, where families of accomplished artists make and sell their rugs, blankets, vests and other pieces that reflect the centuries-old, celebrated Hispanic weaving traditions of the region.
Dine on traditional New Mexican fare at the famous Rancho de Chimayo restaurant in Chimayo. Or return to Santa Fe for dinner at a group-friendly restaurant.
After dinner, enjoy live music in one of Santa Fe's nightlife venues or join in the lively singing at Vanessie's Piano Bar.
Day Three:
Breakfast at your hotel at 8 a.m.
Enjoy free time from 9 to 10:30 a.m. to explore the Plaza, visit a cafe and shop the stores in downtown Santa Fe.
View high desert scenery aboard the Santa Fe Southern Railway from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The working freight train takes you on a round trip from Santa Fe to Lamy, 18 miles southeast of the city. This sleepy village was a rowdy town during the Wild West era. (The train trip includes lunch.) Or consider riding a horse through Santa Fe backcountry, and enjoy a scenic picnic surrounded by mountains. You could also tour a microbrewery and sample hand-crafted ale at the Santa Fe Brewing Company.
At 7 p.m., enjoy dinner in one of our group-friendly restaurants serving New Mexican cuisine. Make your dinner special with festive music played by strolling mariachi musicians and singers.
After dinner, take in a play or concert at the Lensic Performing Arts Center. Or enjoy live music in one of Santa Fe's nightlife venues.
Optional Day Trips for Three-Day Tour
Winter
Spend the day on downhill skis or snowboards at Ski Santa Fe, about a half-hour drive from the Plaza.
Summer
Take a half-day rafting trip along the Rio Grande in the Gorge area, about a one-hour drive north of Santa Fe.
Any season
1. Los Alamos/Bandelier National Monument
Drive one hour northwest of Santa Fe to Los Alamos, birthplace of the atomic bomb, and visit the Bradbury Science Museum for a history of the Los Alamos National Laboratory. Continue driving 10 miles southwest of Los Alamos to Bandelier National Monument and visit ancestral pueblo dwellings accessed by hiking a 1.2 mile loop trail.
2. Turquoise Trail
This 50-mile round trip drive takes you down State Highway 14, known as the Turquoise Trail because Native Americans and Spanish settlers mined the area for turquoise centuries before gold and silver was mined from the hills. Visit Cerrillos, once a bustling mining town that's now a sleepy village, and Madrid, a booming coal town from the late 19th century to the early 20th century that nearly became a ghost town before artists revived it in the 1970s.
3. Taos
Drive 75 minutes north of Santa Fe to Taos for a guided tour of Taos Pueblo, a World Heritage Site that has been continuously inhabited for more than a thousand years. Explore the galleries and shops in the historic Taos Plaza and visit the Kit Carson Home & Museum and the Harwood Museum of Art, exhibiting historic and contemporary art and culture of the Taos region.
Day One:
Breakfast at your hotel at 9 a.m.,
Learn about Santa Fe's fascinating history with a two-hour walking (or driving) tour of downtown Santa Fe beginning at 10 a.m.
Lunch from noon to 1:30 p.m. at one of our group-friendly restaurants serving a variety of cuisines.
From 2 to 5 p.m., explore Canyon Road, Santa Fe's famous mile stretch of art galleries, boutiques and eclectic shops.
Dine at 6 p.m. at one of our group-friendly restaurants serving traditional Mexican and New Mexican specialties.
Attend an evening performance of the world-famous Santa Fe Opera (in season from late June through August.)
Day Two:
Breakfast at your hotel at 9 a.m.,
Spend the morning on Museum visiting the Museum of International Folk Art, housing the world's largest collection of traditional folk art, and the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, exhibiting 2,000 years of Native American art.
Lunch from noon to 1:30 p.m. at the Museum Hill Café.
After lunch, drive 45 minutes north of Santa Fe to the historic Spanish Colonial village of Chimayo. Visit El Santuario de Chimayo, one of New Mexico's most famous churches. Built in the early 19th century, the adobe church is believed to sit atop sacred earth with miraculous healing powers. You'll also visit some of Chimayo's famous weaving galleries, where families of accomplished artists make and sell their rugs, blankets, vests and other pieces that reflect the centuries-old, celebrated Hispanic weaving traditions of the region.
Dine on traditional New Mexican fare at the famous Rancho de Chimayo restaurant in Chimayo. Or return to Santa Fe for dinner at a group-friendly restaurant.
After dinner, enjoy live music in one of Santa Fe's nightlife venues or join in the lively singing at Vanessie's Piano Bar.
Day Three:
Breakfast at your hotel at 8 a.m.
Enjoy free time from 9 to 10:30 a.m. to explore the Plaza, visit a cafe and shop the stores in downtown Santa Fe.
View high desert scenery aboard the Santa Fe Southern Railway from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The working freight train takes you on a round trip from Santa Fe to Lamy, 18 miles southeast of the city. This sleepy village was a rowdy town during the Wild West era. (The train trip includes lunch.) Or consider riding a horse through Santa Fe backcountry, and enjoy a scenic picnic surrounded by mountains. You could also tour a microbrewery and sample hand-crafted ale at the Santa Fe Brewing Company.
At 7 p.m., enjoy dinner in one of our group-friendly restaurants serving New Mexican cuisine. Make your dinner special with festive music played by strolling mariachi musicians and singers.
After dinner, take in a play or concert at the Lensic Performing Arts Center. Or enjoy live music in one of Santa Fe's nightlife venues.
Optional Day Trips for Three-Day Tour
Winter
Spend the day on downhill skis or snowboards at Ski Santa Fe, about a half-hour drive from the Plaza.
Summer
Take a half-day rafting trip along the Rio Grande in the Gorge area, about a one-hour drive north of Santa Fe.
Any season
1. Los Alamos/Bandelier National Monument
Drive one hour northwest of Santa Fe to Los Alamos, birthplace of the atomic bomb, and visit the Bradbury Science Museum for a history of the Los Alamos National Laboratory. Continue driving 10 miles southwest of Los Alamos to Bandelier National Monument and visit ancestral pueblo dwellings accessed by hiking a 1.2 mile loop trail.
2. Turquoise Trail
This 50-mile round trip drive takes you down State Highway 14, known as the Turquoise Trail because Native Americans and Spanish settlers mined the area for turquoise centuries before gold and silver was mined from the hills. Visit Cerrillos, once a bustling mining town that's now a sleepy village, and Madrid, a booming coal town from the late 19th century to the early 20th century that nearly became a ghost town before artists revived it in the 1970s.
3. Taos
Drive 75 minutes north of Santa Fe to Taos for a guided tour of Taos Pueblo, a World Heritage Site that has been continuously inhabited for more than a thousand years. Explore the galleries and shops in the historic Taos Plaza and visit the Kit Carson Home & Museum and the Harwood Museum of Art, exhibiting historic and contemporary art and culture of the Taos region.