We’ve been to Santa Fe twice – once with a big group for a special birthday, and once as a long weekend getaway, and spoiler alert: we loved it both times. For the group trip, we stayed at La Posada, and spent a little more than we typically do on lodging, but it was worth it to stay with the group and take advantage of all of the amenities. We combined our experiences into what we think is the ultimate 3 day visit to Santa Fe. There are also suggestions for day trips close by at the bottom of the post.

How Much Time Do You Need IN SANTA FE

A long weekend is all you need to enjoy the best of Santa Fe, but you can easily lengthen or shorten your trip. It’s also really easy to include Santa Fe on a bigger roadtrip of New Mexico and/or Arizona.

Hotel Rec IN SANTA FE

La Posada – We stayed at La Posada and loved it. They have cozy rooms with fireplaces, multiple chic bars, free yoga on the lawn, and a nice pool and hot tub. The hotel is right in downtown, but if you need a ride, they’ll drive you up to two miles of the hotel.

Santa Fe is home to the largest Hot Air Balloon festival in the world. It occurs over the span of 9 days every October. If you’re not visiting during October, you can still take a hot air balloon ride over New Mexico. We’d recently done a hot air balloon ride, so we decided to save our pennies this time, but our friends did this ride and enjoyed it a lot. If you do want to visit during the hot air balloon festival, expect increased prices and longer than usual wait times and crowds. Definitely a once in a lifetime experience, but mentally prepare your budget and patience.

Day 1 – NATURE AND CULTURE

See the Rio Grande Gorge
Drive to the Rio Grande Gorge and check out the Colorado River. It’ll take about an hour and a half to get there from Santa Fe. There are a couple things you can do at the gorge:
– Hike: If you’re feeling ambitious, you can hike down to the river. Hike as much or as little as you like, then turn around when you’re ready.
– Raft: Choose a company and go white water rafting in the gorge!
– Walk the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge and take some pictures. The views from the bridge are phenomenal. 
– Soak: Hike to some hot springs for a soak in the area – namely Black Rock Hot Springs.

Visit Taos
Just 15 minutes down the road, you’ll hit Taos. If you’re hungry, Taos has tons of cute cafes and restaurants to choose from. We opted for a snack from Chokola and got both chocolates to eat and hot chocolate to drink. Highly, highly, highly recommend this little gem. Spend an hour or so perusing the shops. There are a bunch of artisan craft shops and clothing boutiques that you can pop into. It’s nice just to walk the downtown and take in the scenery. 

Visit the Taos Pueblo
The Taos Pueblos houses a Native American community in adobe buildings, built over 1000 years ago. Unfortunately the pueblos were closed during our visits, but they come highly recommended. Admission is $25/person and they’re open from 9 am – 3:30 pm.

Lunch at Rancho de Chimayó
Time for some food! Head to Rancho de Chimayó for a convenient and tasty lunch filled with traditional southwestern food.

Visit Chimayo
About an hour from Taos, and pretty much on the way back to Santa Fe, you can stop and see the historic town of Chimayo. Chimayo, a small village, is home to El Santuario de Chimayo, a Roman Catholic church that is known for its healing properties. The church itself is gorgeous, but people come from near and far to collect the holy dirt. The dirt, which is housed in a small room with a gardening shovel, is said to have healing powers, and many eat it or apply it to their skin in order to heal ailments. Whether or not you eat the dirt in Chimayo is a personal decision. While there is no scientific evidence to support the claim that the dirt has any healing properties, the church is filled with no-longer needed crutches, and testimonies of healing. 

Head to the hotel to make s’mores
If you’re staying at La Posada, they have a fireplace in the lobby where you can melt marshmallows and make s’mores!

Dinner at Sazon
After resting up for a bit, head to Sazon for dinner. 

Go to Meow Wolf Immersive Museum
Have you heard about Meow Wolf? It’s a bit hard to describe, but we’ll try our best. Meow Wolf Santa Fe is an immersive art experience. It’s kind of like a playground for adults and kids, where visitors can explore a variety of bizarre environments, each created by a team of local artists. There are three Meow Wolf locations – one in Santa Fe, one in Las Vegas, and the newest one in Denver, each with a unique theme and story. Each has a mystery you can solve as you walk through the exhibit, but we found it more fun to just walk around and explore. There are also lesser-known things that you can discover, like hidden rooms, secret passageways, and neat tricks. I don’t want to give anything away, but talk to the staff – they’re usually dressed in lab coats. They are often happy to give you hints and point you in the right direction to discover some lesser-known rooms or gems. Another fun fact, George R. R. Martin donated money to Meow Wolf so it could find a permanent home.

Lunch
There’s a couple options for lunch:
Grab lunch at a food truck. We drove past 502 Old Santa Fe Trail, which is a food truck park. They had about five different food trucks offering a variety of foods. There was traditional southwestern style food, barbeque, tacos, thai food, and donuts. We can’t speak from experience because we weren’t hungry yet, but the tacos and donuts seemed to be the crowd pleasers.

Get a little tipsy

Tequila Tasting – head over to the Anasazi Bar to do a tequila tasting
Herve Wine Bar Tasting – if you’d like some wine and tapas, head over to Herve Wine Bar
Have lunch at a Spa – if you’re heading to Ojo Spa next, they have an on-site restaurant that makes simple, clean meals and smoothies.

Relaxation Time at Ojo Spa
Ojo Spa is the perfect relaxation oasis. They have five different thermal soaking pools with different temperatures, as well as a larger salt water pool, a sauna, and steam showers. If you want a more private experience, you can rent a soaking tub or pool for an additional fee. If you’d like to go more luxurious, there is a full spa on-site. Before you leave, take some time to walk around the grounds. They are extremely tranquil with grassy areas, a pond, and a cute bridge. Want to stay longer? Ojo Spa is also a hotel and guests receive free access to the various pools. Monday–Thursday, a day pass is $45 and Friday–Sunday and on holidays, a day pass is $65. Robe rentals are $18/person. If you’re visiting during a busy time, try making a reservation in advance to guarantee admission.

Dinner at The Shed
Located right in downtown Santa Fe, you’ll find The Shed. Did you know that Santa Fe is famous for its chiles? At most restaurants, you’ll choose between red and green chile sauce, but if you ask for your dish “Christmas Style” you’ll get both red and green chile sauces. That’s what we did at The Shed. The Shed gets pretty crowded, so we pulled up seats at the bar to avoid the long wait time. We were able to order off the restaurant menu. If you’re questioning what to get – try the Queso Dip with fresh green chiles and the Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Plate. Most of the options on the menu can be made gluten free and/or vegetarian friendly. 

Drinks at bar with live music
Not ready to end your night? Go for a little bar crawl through downtown Santa Fe. 
– Evangelo’s has two levels – a main floor with a bar and live music and a basement level. The night we went there was a cover band and it fit our vibe perfectly. The basement level has more of a DJ vibe.
– If you’re looking for more of a grungy, dive bar, try The Matador. You’ll find loud music, a graffitied bathroom, and a cash only bar.

DAY 3 – Wandering Around Downtown SANTA FE

Browse the Santa Fe Farmer’s Market
If you’re an early riser, head on over to the Santa Fe Farmer’s Market. This market is held on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Here you’ll find a mix of fresh produce and pastries, as well as hand-crafted clothing and jewelry.

Take a Yoga Class
Head back to the hotel for free yoga, or take a class at one of the downtown studios. This was the perfect way to start the day. Outdoor yoga with birds chirping, the sun shining, and a slight breeze.

Head to La Choza for lunch.
We’ve been twice and both times there was about an hour long wait – once for dinner and once for lunch. The Green Chile Bacon Cheese Burger and the Blue Corn Burrito were good, but we loved their Frito Pie. If you haven’t had Frito Pie, you’re missing out. It’s kind of like nachos, but with Frito Chips. Imagine a pile of Fritos smothered in ground beef, chile, beans, and cheese – you’ve got Frito Pie. They also have a wide selection of gluten free and vegetarian offerings. 

Walk Around
Meander around downtown and step into shops, galleries, and the Georgia O’Keefe Museum. You can also visit the Loretto Chapel and St. Francis Cathedral if you are interested in seeing architecture from the 1800s. 

Another area you can walk around in is the Railway area. Here you’ll find some small shops, as well as more well-known stores, like REI, a movie theater, a playground, and some art galleries. You can also grab a beer at Second Street Brewery.

Have dinner at Paloma
Dinner at Paloma might have been my favorite meal of the trip. The margaritas were strong and tasty and the food hit the spot. We went with a big group and ended up ordering most of the menu and I can confidently say everything was amazing. For drinks, our faves were La Mariposa (margarita with extra lime and elderflower) and La Pina (spicy pineapple margarita) and for food, we really enjoyed the fish tacos, the brussel sprouts, the ceviche, and the roasted cauliflower.

HAVE EXTRA TIME?

Consider a day trip to to some nearby places!

Bandelier National Monument
We’ve never seen anything like Bandelier National Monument before! Here you can see some very cool ruins – preserved homes, which are cliff dwellings, of Ancestral Puebloans. To get to the sites, you can either walk a paved path or a woodsy path through the forest. Once you reach the monument site, you’ll wind through towering cliffs and navigate up and down ladders to see the ancient ruins and petroglyphs. This is also a popular nature destination. You can birdwatch, try and spot wildlife, and stargaze. There are even bears in this area of New Mexico!

Albuquerque
Sandia Peak Aerial Tramway – Take this scenic tramway to the top of Sandia Peak. Settle in, because the ride takes about ten minutes. As you go up, look around and enjoy the scenery. Once you’re at the top, you can: 
– Explore one of the many hiking trails
– Ski if it’s the season
– Eat at the mountain-side restaurant, Ten3
– Watch the sunset

Even though you can buy a ticket in advance, it’s a general admission ticket for a two-hour time slot. Once you get to the tram station, you check in and are told the wait time. There can be quite a wait depending on when you go – maybe even up to an hour to ride the tram.

Eat at Los Pollos Hermanos
While there are many notable restaurants in Albuquerque, as Breaking Bad fans, we had to stop at Los Pollos Hermanos. The actual fast food joint is called Twisters, and this location was used as a set for the show. We got burgers, but they also serve burritos and all day breakfast.

Roswell
If you’re feeling spacey, go to Roswell! Best known for a UFO crashing down in 1947, Roswell is the perfect stop for all things alien. Truth be told, it is a little kitschy, but if you lean into it, you’ll have a blast!

– Start your day at the International UFO Museum and Research Center to learn about the Roswell UFO incident and other UFO sightings around the world. We found this museum fascinating, and choc-full of information.
– Walk around the Roswell Downtown Historic District and see some spacey murals, quirky shops, and buy some unique souvenirs. Don’t forget to pass by the McDonald’s that is shaped like a UFO – even better if you go at night when it’s all lit up!
– Definitely don’t miss the Roswell UFO Spacewalk. Around the corner from the International UFO Museum, you’ll find the UFO Spacewalk. It’s only $5 to walk through a glow in the dark wonderland.
– Before you leave town, don’t forget to take a picture with the “Welcome to Roswell” sign, holding up a peace sign!

NOT DONE TRAVELING?

Check out our guides of nearby areas:
Sedona
Phoenix
Scottsdale
Havasupai
Grand Canyon