Getting to Santa Fe

Santa Fe is located in northern New Mexico and despite its rather isolated location, its fairly easy to get to. Its proximity to Albuquerque, an hour to the south, makes it easy to get to by a variety of transportation options including air, train, bus and car. Once in the town itself, walking is the best way to see most of the interesting sights downtown, but renting a car will greatly help if you plan to venture into the mountains or go anywhere outside of downtown Santa Fe.

By car

Santa Fe lies just off I-25, which gives it excellent access to Americas vast interstate highway network. An hour to the south, I-25 connects with I-40, which is one of the countrys main east-west highways. There are also a number of smaller and very scenic roads which approach Santa Fe from all directions.

By rail

Americas train company, Amtrak (tel: +1 800 872 7245), provides passenger rail service to a number of cities in New Mexico. The Southwest Chief stops in Lamy, which is just a short drive from Santa Fe, on its daily trip from Chicago to Los Angeles. From the train station in Lamy, you can take a shuttle bus to Santa Fe. Other stops along the way within the state include Albuquerque, Raton and Gallup.

By bus

Santa Fe is well-connected by bus to the rest of the country via Greyhound (tel: +1 800 229 9424), which makes stops in nearly every town in America. Travelling by bus may be rather slow, but if youve got the time, its the cheapest form of transportation and lets you see more of the country.

The citys public bus system, called Santa Fe Trails, serves seven major routes through town, and can take passengers from the Plaza to a few of the outlying attractions. A daily pass is available. Services begin at 06:00 and run until 22:00, but there is no service on Sundays.

By air

Most visitors to Santa Fe fly into Albuquerque International Sunport, about an hours drive to the south, from where they take a shuttle van to the city. There is a small airport just outside of Santa Fe, but flights are sparse and much more expensive compared to flights to Albuquerque, which is the main air traffic hub in New Mexico.

Albuquerques clean and functional terminal has all the facilities a traveller needs including ATMs, currency exchange desks and a number of souvenir shops. The on-site Wyndham Albuquerque Hotel has a fully-equipped business centre, and there are nearly 4,000 parking spaces in the terminals multi-storey car park.

The easiest, cheapest and most convenient way to get from Albuquerque's airport to your destination in Santa Fe is by private shuttle van. Roadrunner Shuttle (tel: +1 505 424 3367) meets every flight and can take you anywhere in Santa Fe for a very reasonable price. Shuttle vans are the only way to get from the airport to Santa Fe, as taxis wont go that far.

Taxis

Capital City Cab Company operates all the taxis in Santa Fe. Taxis aren't metered, so you will pay a flat fee based on the distance that you are going. Travelling by taxi is not particularly expensive and it is an easy way to get around the city. However, there are no cab stands, and you cannot hail a taxi on the street. You must phone to arrange your ride (tel: +1 505 438 0000).