5 Days in New Mexico: Albuquerque to Santa Fe

We just got back from spending 5 days in New Mexico, traveling from Albuquerque to Santa Fe. As usual, we put together a packed itinerary. Let’s just say, New Mexico didn’t disappoint on unique spots. There was our tour of the Very Large Array — the eerie backdrop for the 1997 movie Contact (where we attempted to communicate with aliens like Jodie Foster).

We did road trip adventures — traveling the high road to Taos and driving along the Turquoise Trail from Albuquerque to Santa Fe. And of course, no trip to New Mexico would be complete without eating plenty of southwestern food. By the end, we ate enough breakfast burritos to last us for the next year!

I’m not gonna lie, this 5-day itinerary is ambitious. But what else would you expect from us? If early wake up calls just aren’t your thing, the itinerary can be scaled down. However, one thing is certain. You won’t be bored! Check out the journey below —

Day 1: Kicking it Off in Albuquerque

Should I fly into Albuquerque or Santa Fe for a Trip to New Mexico?

This is one of the top questions we’ve gotten. If you’re looking to save some money, you’ll find much cheaper flights into Albuquerque compared to Santa Fe. Plus, there are more direct flight options. We think it’s worth checking out Albuquerque even if for one day and doing a road trip along the Turquoise Trail between Albuquerque and Santa Fe (outlined below on Day 2). If you drove straight through along the major highways, it’s just a 1 hour trip. Doesn’t get much easier than that, and you’ll save some major cash.

• 8 AM, Head to the local landmark Frontier, located across from the University of New Mexico.
  • The spot specializes in breakfasts, burritos, roasted green chile, homemade flour tortillas, but most famous of all, the sweet roll.
  • Is it the best breakfast ever? Definitely not. But it was cheap — and very quick. The historic spot has been around since 1971 and has a loyal following. At peak hours, it has a line wrapping through the entire place. It’s definitely worth the stop for the experience.

• 9:30 AM, Depart Albuquerque for the Very Large Array (2 hour drive).
• 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM, Take a self-guided tour of the Very Large Array.
  • The Very Large Array is one of the world’s top astronomical radio observatories, part of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory.
  • While scientists geek out about the site’s technology, it’s probably best known by regular folks (or at least me!) as the eerie backdrop to the 1997 film Contact, based on the Carl Sagan novel about alien communication.
  • The visitors center is open to the public where you can do a self-guided tour most days. Or join a 50-minute guided tour, which happen on the 1st and 3rd Saturday of each month at 11 AM, 1 PM and 3 PM.
  • No reservations are required, simply show up.

• 1:00 PM, Depart back to Albuquerque (2 hours)
  • On the return, I recommend a quick stop at Espresso to peruse the coffee drinks, chai tea, Italian sodas and lemon sodas. It feels like a place you’d find in West Hollywood!
• 3:00-4:30 PM, Tour the American International Rattlesnake Museum in Albuquerque.
  • The center houses the largest collection of different live rattlesnake species in the world.

• 5-6:30 PM, Stroll through Old Town Albuquerque and visit the many galleries, restaurants and shops. If you’re hungry, you shouldn’t miss Golden Crown Panaderia, and try its famous green chili bread.

• 7 – 9 PM, Take a ride up the Sandia Peak Tramway. At the top, grab dinner and enjoy the view from Sandiagos’s Grill, which specializes in southwestern fare.

• 10 PM, Arrive back at your hotel and relax. We stayed at the Hotel Albuquerque Old Town ($140 total with taxes for a basic room). It’s a convenient location — right in the heart of Old Town.

Day 2: Road Trip Adventure: Best Stops Between Albuquerque to Santa Fe on the Turquoise Trail New Mexico

How Long Does it Take to Drive the Turquoise Trail?

We recommend dedicating a full day to this activity. That way, you won’t feel rushed and can truly enjoy all the quirky spots along the way. Check out our detailed account on a previous blog post here. Below is the general timing to help guide you —

• 9 AM, Depart Old Town Albuquerque. Before you leave, grab some morning drinks and snacks at Satellite Coffee.
• 10-11:30 AM, Explore the Tinkertown Museum, just outside Albuquerque.
  • This museum was a passion project of Ross Ward, who spent more than 40 years collecting objects and constructing Tinkertown.
  • The building alone is impressive — constructed with 50,000 glass bottles. However, it’s the sprawling collection inside that makes it such a unique place. Miniature sets span entire hallways — recreating everything from the big top circus to the great wild west with rowdy cowboys.

• 11:30 AM, Just 10 minutes away from Tinkertown is a lonely stretch of Route 66 near the town of Tijeras, New Mexico. At first glance, it looks like any other road. But slow down to 45 mph to find the real magic — rumble strips engineered to vibrate to the tune of America the Beautiful. Musical roads aren’t very common around the world. It’s an easy detour that’s well worth checking out.
• 11:45 AM, Drive to the town of Golden, New Mexico (30 minutes).
• 12:15-1 PM, Explore Golden, where the great American gold rush began. Peruse the goods inside the Henderson Store, which specializes in  Southwestern Indian jewelry, rugs and pottery.

• 1:30 – 4:30 PM, Spend most of your afternoon exploring the tiny village of Madrid. Nestled in a narrow canyon in the Ortiz Mountains, you’ll find a group of funky, liberal artists who definitely march to their own beat.
  • Top recommendations here include:
    • Shugarman’s Little Chocolate Shop where you can sample slabs of homemade, organic fair trade chocolate.
    • The Hollar to chow down on southern cuisine made with local ingredients. The food here is phenomenal.

• • • The Mine Shaft Tavern, a local watering hole, where you’ll find hipsters and tourists alike.
    • Old Coal Town Museum that houses an old steam locomotive, mining equipment and a section on all the movies filmed here including Wild Hogs, The Lone Ranger and Easy Rider. 

• 4:30 PM, Drive 10 minutes to Cerrillos, the much quieter and less developed version of Madrid. But it’s still well worth checking out.
  • One place you won’t want to miss is Cerrillos Station, a dance studio with a wonderful gift shop with incredible chocolate chip cookies.

• 5:30 – 6:15 PM, Drive from Cerillos to Santa Fe (45 minutes).
• 6:15 PM, You made it! Santa Fe’s compact downtown, known as Old Town Santa Fe, is one of the best places to wrap up your road trip adventure along the Turquoise Road from Albuquerque.
  • Check into the comfy and convenient Hotel St. Francis (rates vary, but roughly $200-$250 a night). You’re right in the heart of Old Town — the location couldn’t be better.

Day 3: All Day in Santa Fe, The Best Walking Tours And Sites

• 8 AM, It’s an early morning! Drive 30 minutes to join a guided tour of the Santa Fe Opera.
• 8:30 – 11 AM, Santa Fe Opera’s behind-the-scenes tour was one of our favorite activities on our southwestern adventure.
  • The tour will appeal to both opera aficionados or novices like us to witness what it takes to pull off these major productions.
  • We joined the Opera Insiders Tour, a free event hosted by The Guilds of The Santa Fe Opera on Saturday morning.

• 11:30-2:30 PM, Make your way back to Old Town Santa Fe and relax at one of its many cafes off the main plaza. Kevin worked on the blog while I went shopping. We couldn’t be happier!

• 3 – 5 PM, Meow Wolf was one of the major reasons we picked Santa Fe to visit. The other reason? To see the incredible Taos Pueblo (which we’ll cover on the next day).
  • What’s Meow Wolf? In short, it’s an immersive art experience. You’ll definitely get lost — walking through a telaportative fridge, a skeleton marimba, and my personal favorite, a clothes dryer that slides into a tiny room.
  • Admission is $18 for adults, $12 for children (12 and under) and $16 for seniors. We recommend that you wear sneakers.

• 5:15 PM, Drive back to the Hotel St. Francis for the next tour, which leaves from the hotel lobby.
• 5:45 PM – 8 PM, Join the Original Ghost Walking Tour.
  • Peter Sinclaire, who runs this tour, is no stranger to Santa Fe. He’s pretty much seen and heard it all since launching this signature ghost tour in 1993. Luckily, none of the stories were all that scary. So if you have kids (or are just scaredy cats like us), it won’t be overwhelming. Price: $16 per person.

• 8-10 PM, Relax at 10,000 Waves Spa (open until 10:30 PM).
  • Kevin and I love relaxing in Japanese baths — and well, hot springs in general. This spa is an easy 10 minute drive from the heart of downtown Santa Fe.
  • Entry to the tubs are $28 per person where you are provided a towel, robe and sandals.

Day 4: Day Trip From Santa Fe: The High Road From Santa Fe to Taos

How Long Should You Explore Taos?

This was another question we got before taking this journey. We recommend dedicating a full day to this action-packed itinerary. Sure, the Taos Pueblo is certainly worth the trip alone. But what made this day so unique is the variety of things you can see along the way along the high road to Taos and returning on the low road back to Santa Fe. For a full detailed itinerary, check out our previous blog post here. Otherwise, below is the general timing.

• 9:15 AM, Depart Santa Fe to explore the “High Road” to Taos. Drive 45 minutes to Los Alamos for the first stop.
• 10-11:30 AM, Bradbury Science Museum, Los Alamos (free!).
  • Approximately 60 interactive exhibits trace the history of the WWII Manhattan Project as well as current and historic research projects related to defense & technology.

• 11:30 AM, Drive to Chimayo (45 min away from Los Alamos).
• 12:15- 1 PM, Wander Chimayó.
  • • Santuario de Chimayó is a pilgrimage destination for Christians each Holy Week who attribute the red clay of the Santuario with miraculous healing powers.

• • • Chimayó is also famous for the weavings of the Ortega family. Be sure to check out the live weaving demos at Ortega’s Weaving Studio.

• 1 PM, Drive thru Truchas (15 min), and pass by original adobe homes along the curved road.
• 1:30-2:30 PM, Stop for lunch at Sugar Nymphs Bistro in Peñasco, a rural mountain town, population 700.
  • Order a slice of carrot cake to share (it’s massive). Kevin had the grilled cheese sandwich, which he proclaimed was the “best he’s ever eaten in his life.” Now that’s some high praise!

• 2:30 PM, Depart for Taos
• 3 PM, Take a tour of Taos Pueblo (open until 5 PM)
  • At approximately 1000 years old, the pueblos are considered to be one of the oldest continuously inhabited communities in the United States and is designated both a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and a National Historic Landmark. Join a 20 minute tour.

• 4:30 PM, Depart Taos and return back following the “Low Road,” heading west on US Hwy 64 to reach Rio Grande Gorge Bridge.
  • This is the second highest bridge on the U.S. Highway System. It was called the “bridge to nowhere” while it was being built because the funding did not exist to continue the road on the other side.
  • Parking is available adjacent to the bridge; walking to the middle of the span offers views of the Rio Grande Gorge and Taos. This is a quick stop you can do in 10-15 minutes.

• 5:00 PM, Depart from the bridge and drive towards Ojo Caliente (30 minutes).
• 5:30-7:30 PM, Arrive at Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs, one of the oldest natural health resorts in the country.
  • There are 12 pools total, which was fun for us to try, with temperatures ranging from 80 – 106 degrees.
  • Our personal favorite experience here was the mud bath, where we looked more like creatures from the black lagoon than spa goers!

• 7:30 PM, Drive to Santa Fe (1 hour drive).
• 8:30 PM, Watch a movie at Violet Crown Cinema Santa Fe.
  • This is such a nice theater. And bonus points, you can order food, wine and other beverages and bring it all inside the theater.

Day 5: Wrapping it up with Bandelier National Monument, Bike Tour and Markets

• 7:30 AM, Depart downtown Santa Fe and drive to our #1 pick in New Mexico — Bandelier National Monument (1 hour drive).
  • Summer months (May – October) are busy. We recommend arriving early so you can park directly in front of the trail head.
  • Insider tip: get there before 9 AM in order to skip the shuttle bus. We arrived at 8:30 AM, and were excited to pretty much have the trails all to ourselves and didn’t need to wait around for the shuttle.
• 8:30-10 AM, Hike the Main Loop Trail and Alcove House (1.5 hours total hiking) to see stunningly preserved ruins of the ancient cliff-dwelling ancestral Puebloan (Anasazi) culture.

• 11:00 AM -12:30 PM, Grab lunch and wander Santa Fe Farmer’s Market (closes 1 PM). You’ll find freshly-baked bread, coffee and produce. Throughout the market, you’ll also see talented local musicians performing.
  

  Fresh baked flatbread at the Santa Fe Farmer’s Market.

• 1 – 3 PM,  Join a 2 hour guided ride with Routes Bicycle Tours and Rentals.
  • If there is one thing that we love more than a food walking tour, it’s a biking tour. We think it’s one of the best ways to see a city and get some low-impact exercise all at once.

• • Their 2-hour signature tour that covers everything from culture, art, history and much more. Read our full review and detailed itinerary here.

• 3-4 PM, Drive back to Albuquerque. Sadly, we had to head back to catch our flight. Luckily, it is a quick and easy drive.
• 4:30-6 PM, If you have time, we recommend getting dinner in Albuquerque.
  • We recommend the Standard Diner, as a nice spot especially for groups. We met up with Kevin’s cousins here who are from the area.

Planning a trip in the United States to northern New Mexico and looking for other ideas? Be sure to check out all our feature coverage from New Mexico. And if you have even more time, you won’t want to miss our extensive coverage of Arizona, especially the famed road trip along Route 66.