Some General Tidbits

Remember that Santa Fe is in a high desert at 7000 feet altitude and the road to the Santa Fe Ski area climbs to 12,000 ft. It is very dry here. One needs to drink lots of fluids because of both the altitude and the low humidity. A common symptom of the altitude is a light headache and fatigue. It normally goes away in about a day, especially if you are careful to hydrate. Taking aspirin the first day, can also help. Just pay attention to your body and do what it tells you. The sun is very intense because of the thin atmosphere and the clear skies.Be sure and wear sunscreen and sunglasses. Having some chap stick handy is also recommended.

Population

122,000

Avarage Tempertures

Four seasons defines the weather here. Santa Fe averages 300 sunny days per year, with 14 inches of rain and 17 inches of snow annually. Because of the altitude, temperatures can change by 30 degrees in a single day.

Average Temperatures are:

January 40/19
February 43/23
March 51/29
April 59/35
May 68-43
June 78/-52
July 82/52
Augusts 79/55
September 73/49
October 62/39
November 50/28
December 41/20

To get current weather information for your trip go click here Weather.

Getting To and Around Santa Fe

Santa Fe is an hour's drive north of Albuquerque were many of you will arrive by plane or drive through before hitting Interstate 25 North to Santa Fe The Albuquerque International Sunport (ABQ) is serviced by all of the major U.S. airlines. Flying into Albuquerque and renting a car is by far the most popular way of traveling around New Mexico. Train service provides access to New Mexico on a daily basis as does the bus.

The Santa Fe Municipal Airport (SAF) is open to private aircraft and American Eagle, which offers two nonstop daily flights between Dallas and Santa Fe and one nonstop daily flight between Los Angeles and Santa Fe.

Shuttle service is available from the Albuquerque airport, the Santa Fe airport and the train station which is located in Lamy, New Mexico, about 20 miles from Santa Fe. The Rail Runner Express offers train service between Albuquerque and Santa Fe.

NM Rail Runner Express The New Mexico Rail Runner Express carries passengers in and out of Santa Fe between Albuquerque and points south.
For more information, you may also call: 1.866.795.RAIL.
Shuttle Service The following shuttle service companies provide transportation between Santa Fe and Albuquerque and Santa Fe and Taos:
Sandia Shuttle Express (aka Santa Fe Shuttle) 1-888-775-5696, 505-474-5696
Provides 15 runs daily between downtown Santa Fe hotels and Albuquerque and 14 runs back between Albuquerque and downtown Santa Fe hotels.
Airport Information Line 505-955-2908
Santa Fe Air Center (FBO) 505-471-2525

Downtown Parking

Click here for a PDF of the city's Parking Locations.

Loretto Line Tour Company

www.santafe.org is a great resource for learning more about Santa Fe. You can also order your free visitors guide from them.

Planning your First Day or Two or Three around Town with a bit of History

Park your car and venture out on foot .Santa Fe is one of the top destinations in the Southwest. Santa Fe is a city that embraces its natural environment unlike any other in the United States. A city whose beautiful, brown adobe architecture blends with the high desert landscape. A city that is, at the same time, one of America's great art and culinary capitals. Santa Fe draws those who love art, natural beauty and those who wish to relax .

There’s no better place to start exploring Sana Fe than on the historic Plaza. But do not forget the Art and Soul of Santa Fe, Canyon Road! Look for more about this historic walk on the gallery page of our web site. Now that you are on the Plaza, take a moment to appreciate that you’re standing in the heart of the oldest capital city in the United States.

The Palace of the Governors is the oldest public building in continuous use in the Unites States. Built in 1610 as the seat of Spanish government in New Mexico, it is now home to the state’s history museum and is the building where you will see Native Americans selling their jewelry and other crafts under the portal across the street from the Plaza.

Long before the Spanish arrived in Santa Fe the Plaza was home to the Indigenous people of America. Around this time 1100-1300 Native Americans gathered here building homes and farming in this area. Some of these people’s ancestors survived to this day and are living in near bye villages or Pueblos. Sixty years later in 1680 after building the Palace of the Governors, this spot was the scene of a pueblo rebellion during the Pueblo Revolt when the Native Americans tried to take their land back.

A century or so later, cowboys and traders and settlers reached their destination after a long, arduous journey and came to the end of the Santa Fe trail making this place their home as well. Now Santa Fe is a rich mixture of Spanish, Anglos and Native Americans, as well as many other cultures from around the world, including OVER 1 million or so visitors we get to our beautiful town every year.
It will be hard for you to resist going in and out the galleries and shops while on the Plaza too.Try to save some of your money for a fabulous restaurants.While down town visit the Institute of American Indian Art Contrasting to the more traditional art forms sold at the Plaza and at many of Santa Fe's shops and galleries is this museum dedicated to contemporary American Indian art. The museum is an arm of the IAIA college that teaches art to native peoples.

Visit at least some of Santa Fes historic churches while you are here . That large stone edifice at the east end of San Francisco Street is the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis, built in the 1880s by New Mexico’s first bishop, Jean Baptiste Lamy. The cathedral is a beautiful building that contains lovely examples of modern santero artwork as well as relics from Santa Fe’s past. Don’t miss the chapel of La Conquistador in the back, which contains the altar screen from the old parish church that used to be on this spot, as well as La Conquistador herself, the oldest statue of the Virgin Mary in the New World.

Just around the corner on Old Santa Fe Trail is the Loretto Chapel, built around the same time by the Sisters of Loretto, who came to Santa Fe to open a school for girls at Bishop Lamy’s request. The chapel itself is lovely enough to merit a visit just for its beauty, but the real reason this is a must-see experience is the chapel’s famous “miraculous stairway,” an elegant wooden spiral staircase built without a center support by a mysterious man who appeared in answer to the good sisters’ prayers, built and designed this perfect marvel of engineering from wood that to this day has not be identified—and vanished when the stairs were complete.

The “Oldest House in the United States” is next door to San Miguel Chapel. Its low doorways and tiny rooms give an idea of what it must have been like to live here, in Santa Fe’s oldest neighborhood, during its earliest days.

Now head east on Marcy Street then north along Paseo de Peralta to the foot of the stair-stepped path leading to the Cross of the Martyrs. As you climb, plaques along the way tell the story of Santa Fe. At the top you’ll find the big white cross that commemorates the Franciscan missionaries who were killed in the 1680 Pueblo Revolt. You’ll also be rewarded with a spectacular view of Santa Fe and the Jemez Mountains to the west.

On your second or third day explore the Historical and newly updated Guadalupe District, sitting just a few blocks west of the Plaza. The Historic Guadalupe neighborhood got its name from Guadalupe Street, an ancient route from Mexico, and was once a sacred site where pilgrims sought a safe voyage from St. Francis, the patron saint of Santa Fe. The Guadalupe district is now a bustling marketplace and a favorite shopping and eating district for Santa Feans. The area is characterized by historic architecture, particularly the Santuario de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, which was built on the northernmost edge of the district, in 1781, and is oldest shrine to our lady of Guadalupe in the United States. It's 3-foot adobe walls and humble-yet-powerful profile remind everyone of the area's roots. This district is also home to another of the city's art scene and features numerous galleries, as well as El Museo Cultural de Santa Fe, which showcases Hispanic art, culture and history, a farmers market and a flea market. Originally a farming community, the arrival of the railroad in the late 1800s transformed the Guadalupe District into a bustling commercial marketplace. Neglected for a time when the railroad ceased, it was rediscovered in the 1960s by newcomers to Santa Fe, giving it a counterculture flair (similar to Greenwich Village in New York City or Saint-Germaine-des-Près in Paris, but with a typically Bohemian Santa Fe style that incorporates the strong Spanish roots that date back more than 400 years). That creative, eclectic spirit persists to this day: its streets are lined with boutiques and restaurants selling everything from Asian antiques to hiking gear, chile fries to capellini con pomodoro, served by a Broadway singing waiter. The Sanbusco Center offers a variety of diverse shops, from doggie boutiques to toys that defy science, and on summer afternoons at the Santa Fe Farmer's Market you’ll find fresh fruits, vegetables, cheeses, honey, and crafts, and neighbors catching up. And there’s the artistic renaissance that's taking place. Anchored by El Museo Cultural and SITE Santa Fe, the city’s internationally recognized contemporary art space, the Guadalupe Districts galleries offer a different type of zest to Santa Feʼs famed art scene.

If you are coming in the winter fr for spring break Santa Fe boasts one of the best ski resorts in New Mexico, Ski Santa Fe has enviable facilities for all types of snow sports, including skiing, snowboarding, ice skating, sledding and snow shoeing. Unlike the skiers-only The stunning mountain views are a real bonus to skiing at this fabulous resort and Santa Fe's ski village has plenty of cafés, restaurants and bars.Christmas in Santa Fe is nothing short of magical.But book early.

You will have fun exploring Santa Fe and its surrounding areas all on your own. However do know that your hostess Wendy Kapp has lived in Santa Fe for 36 years and is very knowledgeable of the area. She is happy to help you plan your stay. While fantasising about your upcoming trip to the Land of Enchantment think about a place of light and legend, rich culture and breathtaking beauty and vibrant living and ancient history.

Art Lovers ( this gallery is owned by Phyllis Kapp ) your hostess mother.

Santa Fe is an art lover’s paradise.No better place for galleries then Canyon Road. Santa Fe has over a hundred art galleries in a mile strectch. These include world class Native American, Contemporary, Historic, and Internationally recognized artists. Great orignal historic architecture, sculpture, and gardens abound on this must see part of any Santa Fe trip.

Make sure you stop at your hostess mothers Gallery at 622 Canyon Road. The Waxlander Gallery. Phyllis Kapp does the colorful watercolors of New Mexicos landscape. Waxlander Gallery and Sculpture Garden is located at 622 Canyon Road. Phone 505-984-2202, e-mail: art@waxlander.com, Website: www.waxlander.com.

Celebrating it’s 27th anniversary on historic Canyon Rd, Waxlander Gallery is housed in a beautiful old Adobe. Poised behind a garden of beautiful life size bronze sculpture, Waxlander invites you into a world of vibrant color. The Gallery offers collectors a wide variety of contemporary art in watercolor, oil, acrylic, mixed media, and bronze sculpture. The Gallery represents these national and internationally recognized artists: Phyllis Kapp, Marshall Noice, Patrick Matthews, Matthew Higginbotham, Bruce King, Jono Tew, Andree Hudson, Bernard Marks, Linda Prokop, Michael Ethridge, Georgia Gerber, Jon Maisano, Richard Pankratz, Slava TCH, Chris Turri, Jaki Wilkinson, Lori Faye Bock, Dominique Boisjoli, Shraga Weil, Walter Horak, Laurel Peterson Gregory, Shray, Paul Cunningham, Sangita Phadke, and Jim Cohen.