36 Hours in Santa Fe, New Mexico: Art, Food & Travel Guide

36 Hours Itinerary For Santa Fe, New Mexico

Friday: Art, Culture & Local Flavors

3:30 p.m.: Discover Santa Fe’s Artistic Soul at the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum

Begin with the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum ($22) and how the desert influenced her style and art. Rather than the gift shop, go to Santa Fe Plaza. Native artisans are selling jewelry, textiles, and turquoise pieces outside the Palace of the Governors, which would be a great thing to take home.

6:00 p.m.: Dinner at Tesuque Village Market

The trip is worth a visit to Tesuque Village Market, a quirky roadhouse that is a 10-minute drive north. It is filled with colorful walls, a tequila-oriented bar, and local products. Order chips with enchilada roasted salsa ($11) and the New Mexican combo platter with enchilada, taco, tamale, rice, and beans ($21).

8:00 p.m.: Santa Fe Craft Beer Crawl

Rowley Farmhouse Ales is a farmhouse and wild sour taproom. Try small samplers (from $2). Second Street Brewery fits in another visit where live music can be heard at the Rufina Taproom with a light-drinking 2920 IPA ($6.50).

Meow Wolf

Meow Wolf in Santa Fe is an immersive art world filled with neon rooms, surreal installations, and hidden passages. Every corner feels like stepping into another dimension of creativity. It’s a late-night adventure that mixes art with imagination.

Saturday: Outdoor Adventures & Cultural Landmarks

7:00 a.m.: Morning Hike on the Dale Ball Trails

The Dale Ball Trails on the outskirts of town measure 24 miles. To something light, get the 1.25-mile natural loop over at Cerro Gordo. To get challenged, hike the Picacho Peak trail, which is 3.7 miles, with the rewarding views.

9:00 a.m.: Sweet Start at The Bread Shop & Iconik Coffee

Bread Shop produces the ideal sourdough and pastries, such as frangipane toast with raspberries and almond cream ($4.75) in Lena Street. Iconik Coffee next door serves the horchata lattes (6 dollars) in a comfortable, artistic environment.

10:00 a.m.: Explore the Railyard Arts District

This area is a blend of markets, art, and neighborhood. Vladem Contemporary (priced at 12 dollars) features the works of New Mexican artists in big galleries. Free admission to a bold contemporary contribution is added to the SITE Santa Fe.

12:00 p.m.: Lunch at El Chile Toreado Food Truck

El Chile Toreado, a mobile food truck outside of the Railyard, is owned by James Beard semifinalists. Four tacos (13 dollars) are filled with carnitas, barbacoa, or al pastor and are served topped with jalapeno-cilantro sauce.

1:30 p.m.: Afternoon Stroll Along Canyon Road

The Pueblo-style street of Canyon Road possesses more than 100 galleries. Strengths are Smoke the Moon, in which new artists have a chance, and the bright Native scenes by Raymond Nordwall. Desert Moss Vintage provides silver accents, bolo ties, and boots.

Glass Blowing

A glass blowing studio visit reveals the fiery process of shaping molten glass into colorful creations. The skill and precision of the artists make it feel like performance art in motion. Watching the glowing forms cool into delicate pieces is mesmerizing.

3:30 p.m.: Museum Hill Experience

The Museum of International Folk Art juxtaposes the most delightful bits of the world through dioramas, Pueblo village, corrida, and Italian villa, among others, which are quite captivating to both children and adults. Admission $12, free for 16 and under.

6:00 p.m.: Sazón Restaurant

Sazón is a fine-dining spot known for rich, layered moles and a chef’s tasting menu. Each dish celebrates authentic Mexican flavors with elegant presentation. The meal feels like both a feast and a cultural journey.

8:00 p.m.: Evening Options: Sunset or Cinema

Indie and foreign films are shown at the Center for Contemporary Arts ($14). Otherwise, stroll to the Cross of the Martyrs to enjoy the desert landscape panorama and sunsets.

Sunday: Coffee & Ancient History

10:00 a.m.: Breakfast at Betterday Coffee

Betterday Coffee is a place that gathers families and artists in a relaxed atmosphere. It was a drip drip and breakfast burrito with chili ($2.50 and $8.99, respectively).

11:00 1.m.: Ojo Caliente

Ojo Caliente is a natural hot springs retreat surrounded by desert scenery. Mineral pools, spa treatments, and quiet landscapes create a peaceful escape from the city. The road trip makes it a rejuvenating highlight of a Santa Fe getaway.

12:00 p.m.: Bandelier National Monument Day Trip

Take a one-hour drive to the Bandelier National Monument (a charge of $25 per car). The Pueblo Loop Trail unveils petroglyphs, shared halls, and houses hewn into the walls of the canyons. Ladders made of wood lead into caves, and the Alcove House is 140 feet above to sweep the views of the canyons.

Must-See Key Stops in Santa Fe, New Mexico

1. SITE Santa Fe puts bold contemporary art into the Railyard and frequently features Native American voices.
2. There is a hilltop viewpoint at the Cross of the Martyrs, which provides an ideal view of the colorful sunsets in Santa Fe.
3. About one hour away, Bandelier National Monument has prehistoric cliff dwellings cut out of the walls of the canyons.
4. Tesuque Village Market is a blend of an intimate roadhouse atmosphere, a daytime cafe, a mezcal-oriented bar, and a corner market.

Attractions and Other Outdoor Activities in Santa Fe, New Mexico

1. The Georgia O O’Keeffe Museum emulates the fascination of the artist with the desert and her signature Southwestern appearance.
2. Dale Ball Trails covers 24 miles of hiking and mountain biking trails in the Sangre de Cristo foothills and has trails of all levels.
3. The new branch of the New Mexico Museum of Art is called Vladem Contemporary, where the works of the artists living in New Mexico are represented in its spacious galleries.
4. The Museum of International Folk Art presents more than 10,000 works of art in intriguing dioramas and rotating collections, such as work by incarcerated artists.
5. The Center for Contemporary Arts Santa Fe is an indie cinema that screens foreign films, documentaries, and arthouse movies in a Pueblo-style building.

Restaurants in  Santa Fe, New Mexico

1. Rowley Farmhouse Ales serves farmhouse brews and wild sours in a taproom.
2. The Rufina Taproom of Second Street Brewery has 12 craft beers, and frequently live folk and jazz on Friday nights.
3. Bread Shop on Lena Street is a bakery that makes superb sourdough and seasonal cookies.
4. Iconik Coffee Roasters has comfortable nooks, local art, and a cinnamon-kissed horchata latte.
5. El Chile Toreado is a food truck that is the favorite taco stand with such remarkable tacos as barbacoa and al pastor.
6. Paloma in the Railyard specializes in mezcal and offers 40+ types of mezcal and other dishes such as zesty sea bass ceviche.
7. Tomasita is a spirited place to have chile rellenos, sopaipillas, and frozen margaritas.
8. Betterday Coffee is a brand that is reputed to have wholesome breakfast burritos filled with eggs, potatoes, and New Mexican chile.

Shops and Galleries in Santa Fe, New Mexico

1. The old adobe Palace of the Governors, which was built in the 1600s, offers the hand-crafted jewelry and turquoise crafts that are sold by the artisans located on the portico.
2. Smoke the Moon on Canyon Road presents the work of young artists in a bright, airy place.
3. The gallery by Raymond Nordwall shows bright Native American and wildlife art.
4. Canyon Road: Desert Moss Vintage has bolo ties, fringed jackets, and Southwestern finds.

Where to Stay in Santa Fe, New Mexico?

1. The La Fonda on the Plaza is a 1922 Pueblo Revival-style hotel with terra-cotta tiles, hammered-tin chandeliers, a fine New Mexican restaurant and 180 suites and modern rooms located on the southeast corner of the historic square, from $220.
2. Palace Modern is a more recent downtown boutique store, within just a short stroll of Santa Fe Plaza, with an art gallery on site and 16 rooms that are relaxing and beige colored, starting at 198.
3. The 1936 motor inn, El Rey Court, has been updated with a modern Southwestern aesthetic in five-acre gardens, a seasonal pool and a hot tub and an energetic cocktail bar, starting at $130.

Getting Around Santa Fe, New Mexico

Santa Fe and Albuquerque have commuter trains (between them) at $10 a way, a number of bus routes around town at $1.00 apiece, and a free shuttle that makes multiple stops around most locations. 

Ride-hailing services exist as well, but they may be of sporadic quality, and taxi companies. Both downtown and Railyard are walkable. You will want a car to get the most out of a weekend, though. Park the ParkMobile app to pay downtown.