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I would spend a day in Santa Fe and a day in Taos but travel time may cause you to want to spend the night in Taos. Then in Albuquerque I would go to the Sandia crest, ride the Tram (night time is nice, you can see all the city lights, if you like that kind of thing). Go to the Pueblo Center on 12th street, they have a museum and a decent restaraunt. Spend some time in Old Town and be sure to visit the San Felipe de Neri church, it is one of the oldest in the country. It was built in 1793, but built to replace a church that was built in 1706.
Take in to account travel time from Albuquerque (where the air port is) and Santa Fe and Taos. If you are from the east coast or midwest you may find the traveling between areas long but we are used to it, drive 3 hours to get to a realtives house is a day trip. It wuold be less expensive for you to stay in Albuquerque but do Not stay in a hotel on Central acvenue. There are some nice hotels near Old town on the north side of Central.
I would spend a day in Santa Fe and a day in Taos but travel time may cause you to want to spend the night in Taos. Then in Albuquerque I would go to the Sandia crest, ride the Tram (night time is nice, you can see all the city lights, if you like that kind of thing). Go to the Pueblo Center on 12th street, they have a museum and a decent restaraunt. Spend some time in Old Town and be sure to visit the San Felipe de Neri church, it is one of the oldest in the country. It was built in 1793, but built to replace a church that was built in 1706.
Take in to account travel time from Albuquerque (where the air port is) and Santa Fe and Taos. If you are from the east coast or midwest you may find the traveling between areas long but we are used to it, drive 3 hours to get to a realtives house is a day trip. It wuold be less expensive for you to stay in Albuquerque but do Not stay in a hotel on Central acvenue. There are some nice hotels near Old town on the north side of Central.
Thank you, this response is very helpful.
I'm hoping that the drive to Santa Fe from Albuquerque is scenic. I'm totally fine with driving 2-3 hours.
6 days for Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Taos can be a busy itinerary - esp if the 6 days includes 1 day at each end for arrival/departure.
But if it's truly 6 days of 'in country' site-seeing maybe try:
2 days Albuquerque: Old Town, Sandia Tram/Crest, Petroglyph Nat'l Monument
2 days Santa Fe: Old Town Plaza, Meow Wolf (check the hours, closed Tues - maybe), Canyon Rd Art Gallery walk
2 days Taos: Old Town Plaza/art galleries, Taos Pueblo/National Heritage site, Rio Grande Gorge Bridge/Nat'l Monument
The drive from Albuquerque to Santa Fe is up the I-25 kinda pretty, esp when cresting the road before dropping down into the area - and if there's snow on the mtns, very pretty.
An alternate would be to take the Turquoise Scenic Byway thru Madrid/Los Cerrillos - a bit longer, but more scenic with funky little towns/art galleries on the way.
The drive from Santa to Taos up the 84 is scenic - the drive thru Espanola on the way to Taos is meh.
An alternate would be to take the High Road to Taos/scenic byway via the 76 would be more scenic, imo.
The Cumbres & Toltec Narrow Gauge Train Ride is awesome but that is further north of Taos in Chama - and is closed during the Winter months.
February could see snow in higher elevation areas - so road conditions will be dependent on the weather.
I'm hoping that the drive to Santa Fe from Albuquerque is scenic. I'm totally fine with driving 2-3 hours.
It is scenic even if you take I-25, but there is a back road you can take called the Turquoise Trail. You catch it from I -40 at the Cedar Crest Exit just east of Albuquerque. It is a beautiful drive and it does take a little longer to get to Santa Fe that way. It goes through an old mining town called Madrid (pronounced like any spanish word, not Maaaaaadrid). It is now an "artist" colony, it was featured in the film Wild Hoggs. When I was a kid it was a ghost town that was a fun place to have picnics.
The Sandia Peak Tram is closed for maintenance until mid-March, at the earliest. So scratch that off your list.
The Cumbres-Toltec Scenic Railway doesn't open until May 25.
Two bad suggestions.
For a scenic drive from Albuquerque to Santa Fe (weather permitting), take the Turquoise Trail Scenic Byway, instead of the more direct route on I-25. Stop in the former mining town of Madrid and check out the art and shops, and have lunch (if the time is right) at either the Mine Shaft Tavern or The Hollar.
I would spend most of my days in Santa Fe, with a side trip to Taos.
Late February is still chilly and will get below freezing at night in Santa Fe and Taos. Ski season lasts into April. Could get near 60 in the afternoons if you are lucky, but more likely will be cooler. If you are unlucky, it will snow. So be prepared for all kinds of weather.
If this trip is strictly for fun and sightseeing (and not scouting places to live, or some other purpose) then you'll probably want to spend the bulk of your time in Santa Fe and Taos. They are the state's top tourist cities. Albuquerque is a big city that is not as easy for tourists to navigate.
For an interesting side trip from Santa Fe, go to Los Alamos for the Bradbury Science Museum (history of the Manhattan Project/Oppenheimer) and on to Bandelier National Monument, to see the ancient cliff dwellings and kivas. But check ahead of time on Bandelier, because it can get icy in the canyon and they may close off some areas for that reason.
6 days for Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Taos can be a busy itinerary - esp if the 6 days includes 1 day at each end for arrival/departure.
But if it's truly 6 days of 'in country' site-seeing maybe try:
2 days Albuquerque: Old Town, Sandia Tram/Crest, Petroglyph Nat'l Monument
2 days Santa Fe: Old Town Plaza, Meow Wolf (check the hours, closed Tues - maybe), Canyon Rd Art Gallery walk
2 days Taos: Old Town Plaza/art galleries, Taos Pueblo/National Heritage site, Rio Grande Gorge Bridge/Nat'l Monument
The drive from Albuquerque to Santa Fe is up the I-25 kinda pretty, esp when cresting the road before dropping down into the area - and if there's snow on the mtns, very pretty.
An alternate would be to take the Turquoise Scenic Byway thru Madrid/Los Cerrillos - a bit longer, but more scenic with funky little towns/art galleries on the way.
The drive from Santa to Taos up the 84 is scenic - the drive thru Espanola on the way to Taos is meh.
An alternate would be to take the High Road to Taos/scenic byway via the 76 would be more scenic, imo.
The Cumbres & Toltec Narrow Gauge Train Ride is awesome but that is further north of Taos in Chama - and is closed during the Winter months.
February could see snow in higher elevation areas - so road conditions will be dependent on the weather.
Whoever said Madrid and Mine Shaft Tavern, that's a big concur! Absolutely a must stop. Madrid is the highlight of the Turquoise Trail.
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