Santa Fe, New Mexico — Travel Tips
Getting There By Air
Santa Fe (SAF)
Tel: (505) 955 2900.
Website: www.santafenm.gov/index.asp?NID=171
Santa Fe airport is located 15km (9 miles) southwest of the city.
The airport currently serves mainly private and charter flights but American Airlines is scheduled to begin a non-stop service in December 2008 from Los Angeles, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Salt Lake City. Travelers to this airport can make reservations for transport into the city via Capital City Taxi (tel: (505) 438 0000; website: www.capitalcitycab.com).
Albuquerque International Sunport (ABQ)
Tel: (505) 244 7700.
Website: www.cabq.gov/airport
Albuquerque airport is located 106km (66 miles) southwest of Santa Fe.
Facilities include information booths, restaurants, shops, and ATMs. Nine car hire companies are represented at the airport, as are taxi and shuttle services. Shuttles to Santa Fe are operated by Sandia Shuttle Express (tel: 1 888 775 5696 or (505) 474 5696; website: www.sandiashuttle.com). You can hire cars in town too (see Getting Around).
Getting There By Road
A popular route to Santa Fe is from either Denver or Albuquerque along Interstate 25, which connects with US Highway 285 into Santa Fe. A scenic route from Albuquerque into Santa Fe is along State Highway 14, a two-lane rural route with speed limit of 90kph (55mph); also called the Turquoise Trail, it passes through a handful of historic villages (www.turquoisetrail.org).
The American Automobile Association - AAA (tel: 1 800 222 1134; www.aaa.com) can provide information and may offer reciprocal benefits to members of automobile clubs in other countries.
Emergency breakdown services
AAA (tel: 1 800 222 4357/AAA HELP).
The State Department of Transportation (tel: 1 800 432 4269) provides current information about road closures and conditions.
Getting There By Rail
Trains arrive and depart from Lamy, New Mexico, 23km (14 miles) from downtown Santa Fe.
Rail Operators
Amtrak's Southwest Chief line serves the Santa Fe area with eastbound trains from Los Angeles and westbound trains from Chicago, with links in Kansas City, Missouri, Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Flagstaff, Arizona (tel: 1 800 872 7245/USA RAIL; www.amtrak.com). Make reservations at least 24 hours in advance with the Lamy Shuttle (tel: (505) 982 8829) for transportation to downtown Santa Fe. The New Mexico Rail Runner Express train offers services between Albuquerque and Santa Fe, with a shuttle connection from Albuquerque airport to a nearby train stop among plans (tel: (505) 245 7245; www.nmrailrunner.com).
Getting Around in Santa Fe, New Mexico
Public Transport
Santa Fe Trails is the public bus system operated by the city (tel: (505) 955 2001). Buses run regularly Monday to Friday with shortened hours at weekends. The primary pick-up center is at Sheridan and Palace streets downtown. The M bus provides good transportation to Museum Hill daily.
Taxis
Capital City Cab (tel: (505) 438 0000) is the service offered in Santa Fe.
Car Hire
Avis is found at the Municipal Airport (tel: (505) 471 5892; www.avis.com), Hertz is at the Hilton (tel: (505) 982 1844; www.hertz.com) and Budget (tel: 1 800 527 0700 or (505) 9984 8028; www.budget.com), Enterprise (tel: (505) 473 3600; www.enterprise.com) and Thrifty (tel: (505) 474 3365; www.thrifty.com) are based on Cerrillos Road.
Generally, cars are hired only to drivers age 25 and over. Hirers must have a credit card in their name.
Bicycle Hire
Mellow Velo, downtown at 638 Old Santa Fe Trail (tel: (505) 995 8356/VELO; www.mellowvelo.com), offers a variety of bicycles for hire. For exploring the hilly environs, there are mountain, road and comfort bikes; for shopping around town, try the cruisers. All bikes available by the hour, day, and week. Baby joggers and kids' bikes are offered too.
