HomeTravel GuidesNew Mexico

New Mexico

New Mexico presents a convergence of expansive sky and stunning light, high desert and earthy piñon wood, Spanish architecture and grand, sun-drenched landscapes. The sprawling city of Albuquerque is the gateway to the state’s wonders, a jumping-off point for experiencing stunning desert volcanoes and a meeting of mountain ranges. The charming, 400-year-old state capital of Santa Fe is filled with low-slung adobe architecture and offers a haven of art, music, and native culture. Outside the cities, you’ll find a plethora of natural formations, rocky arroyos, river gorges, and the panoramic aspen-covered slopes of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.

White_Sands_New_Mexico_3_-_National_Park_Service.jpg
Overview

When’s the best time to go to New Mexico?

Four distinct seasons color the calendar. Summer is the peak for visitors, with warm days and cool nights. September through November, the region is less crowded and temperatures cooler. Winter is ski season in Santa Fe and Taos, and the holidays provide a warm, glowing backdrop of farolitos (small candles) dotting the streets and adobes, most notably along the famed Canyon Road. The weather in spring is slow to warm and beckons few crowds.

How to get around New Mexico

Most travelers arrive at either Albuquerque International Sunport or Santa Fe Municipal Airport. Hop the Rail Runner commuter rail from Albuquerque to Santa Fe. The reasonably priced Sandia Shuttle Express from Albuquerque airport runs to Santa Fe, and the 90-minute New Mexico Rail Runner Express Train connects from Santa Fe Depot to Albuquerque’s Downtown Alvarado Transportation Center. Rental cars are readily available at the airport.

It’s best to obtain a car for driving the stunning landscapes of New Mexico. Smaller towns like Santa Fe and Taos are highly walkable and pedestrian friendly.

Can’t miss things to do in New Mexico

The New Mexico Capitol Art Collection is an extensive collection focusing on nearly 600 New Mexican and Southwestern artists, housed in the State Capitol Complex. This awesome assemblage incorporates paintings, photography, mixed media, textiles, and handcrafted furniture. And it’s free to the public.

Food and drink to try in New Mexico

The culinary culture is an overlapping of Spanish, Mediterranean, Mexican, cowboy, and Pueblo Native American influences. Expect traditional dishes like chiles relleños, tamales, and enchiladas served with guacamole, pinto beans, and calabacitas (a blend of sautéed squash, onions, peppers, and corn). Enjoy it all with a salty margarita, a local craft beer, or a light, local sparkling wine.

Culture in New Mexico

The melding of Native American, Hispanic, and Anglo cultures presents a unique style. Modern buildings meet century-old haciendas, colonial architecture, and Spanish churches. Native American pueblos showcase classic pottery and weavings.

Come summer, Santa Fe’s Spanish Market and Indian Market are huge crowd-pleasers, along with the Hatch Valley Chile Festival. Fall ushers in the Old Town Salsa Festival in Albuquerque along with the acclaimed nine-day International Balloon Festival and the New Mexico State Fair. Winter offers the annual Taos Winter Wine Festival and the Canyon Road Farolita (small illuminated candles) walk. Spring is time for the Southern New Mexico Wine Festival.

Local travel tips for New Mexico

When at high elevations, make certain to wear sunscreen, and go easy on the alcohol (at 7,000 feet, one drink equals three). When dining, locals eat their sopaipillas (fluffy fried pastries) not before or during, but after their meal.

Local Resources

Weekly Alibi
Edible New Mexico
The Taos News
Southwest Contemporary

READ BEFORE YOU GO
JW MARRIOTT PHOENIX DESERT RIDGE RESORT & SPA. PHXDR
JW MARRIOTT PHOENIX DESERT RIDGE RESORT & SPA. PHXDR
Hotels We Love
From French Polynesia to Paris, These 11 Hotels Around the World Are Getting Accessibility Right
The hotels on this list are as thoughtful about accessibility as they are about design, going beyond compliance to make travel more comfortable and intuitive for disabled guests.
April 3, 2026 02:01 PM
 · 
Kelly Dawson
Rocky cliffs surrounding turquoise Mediterranean water in Malta.
Where to Go in Summer
10 Travel Destinations You Should Visit This June
March 18, 2026 02:59 PM
 · 
Mark Ellwood
WTG-26-West-Cork-Michel-Colaci-Photography-horizontal.jpg
Where to Go in Spring
10 Best Places to Travel in May
February 27, 2026 05:20 AM
 · 
Mark Ellwood
Three people snowshowing towards snow-covered mountains, beneath a blue sky
Family Travel
10 Unexpected Family Travel Destinations Across the U.S. to Visit This Year
February 19, 2026 01:02 PM
 · 
Tim Chester
WTG-26-Albuquerque-Eric-Williams-horizontal.jpg
Road Trips
If You Can Celebrate the Route 66 Centennial in Only One Place, Make It This City
January 29, 2026 05:26 PM
 · 
Matt Kirouac
HOTELS
The historic bathhouse at Dunton Hot Springs with a staircase over the bath, plants all around and a large window that opens to the outside
Hotels We Love
Arizona Desert Waters, Historic Virginia Baths, a Colorado Mining Town Spa—the Best U.S. Hot Springs Resorts
Enjoy the healing benefits of the natural thermal waters at these 9 restorative resorts.
January 22, 2026 05:37 PM
 · 
Michelle Baran
The Tree Haus accommodations at the Green O are elevated 23 feet off the ground.
The Tree Haus accommodations at the Green O are elevated 23 feet off the ground.
Hotels We Love
America’s 13 Coziest Hotels to Visit This Winter
With their firepits and comfort-minded interiors, these are the best hideaways where you can embrace the chill this season.
January 13, 2026 12:55 PM
 · 
Nicholas DeRenzo
The main Trailhead Lodge at Brush Creek Ranch has 19 rooms.
Hotels We Love
For a Wild West Adventure, Head to These 10 Family-Friendly Ranches and Lodges
These are the 10 best ranches and lodges for families in the American West.
April 28, 2023 06:44 PM
 · 
Jennifer Flowers
Stay in an Off-the-Grid, Fully Sustainable “Earthship”
Hotels
Stay in an Off-the-Grid, Fully Sustainable “Earthship”
Head to Taos, New Mexico, to experience this ultra-sustainable way of living.
May 9, 2017 08:02 PM
 · 
Kristan Schiller
2017’s Hottest Ski Hotels
Hotels
2017’s Hottest Ski Hotels
Don’t miss these new and newly renovated hotels when you hit the slopes this year.
December 7, 2016 07:57 PM
 · 
Alex Pasquariello
RESOURCES TO HELP PLAN YOUR TRIP
La Posada de Santa Fe
Before there were art galleries in Santa Fe, there was La Posada. Built as a private home in the 1880s by wealthy local merchant Abraham Staab for his beloved wife, Julia, the elegant pueblo-meets-Spanish-style complex expanded in the 1930s, when new owners added adobe casitas to the six acres of lush, high-desert gardens—and then invited artists such as Georgia O’Keeffe and Will Shuster to stay and work. When La Posada became a hotel shortly thereafter, the walls were already lined with works by the many artists who continued to pass through. Even now, the lively lounge—a see-and-be-seen spot for artists of all kinds—and the high-ceilinged rooms—with their kiva fireplaces and traditional viga ceilings—are adorned with works by some of the foremost contemporary American artists. All works are available to buy, too, for guests who want to take home a piece of their trip. Or, you can make like most guests, and just keep returning to this refined retreat that has offered respite from the world for more than a century.
January 8, 2017 12:50 AM
 · 
Kate Thorman
Nedra Matteucci Galleries
This Canyon Road gallery housed in a classic adobe structure and founded in 1972, showcases 19th and 20th century American art and those famed Southwestern members of the Taos Society of Artists (founded in 1915) like Victor Higgins, E. Martin Hennings and Ernest Blumenschein. Out back, there’s a lovely sculpture garden flanked by a tranquil pond to rest and meditate.
December 14, 2016 09:39 PM
 · 
Kate Donnelly
Shake Foundation
Chef Brian Knox slings delicious, juicy pattie burgers on lightly toasted, buttered buns served on year-round outdoor picnic tables. Order one of those much-revered double-pattied famed green chili cheeseburgers served with thinly sliced hand-cut fries and for good measure, add a chocolate shake. It’s guaranteed, you won’t leave hungry.
December 14, 2016 07:32 PM
 · 
Kate Donnelly
Radish & Rye
As its name suggests, Radish & Rye promises a spread of fresh farm finds and over 50 varieties of bourbon. Every Tuesday and Saturday, chef David Gaspar de Alba visits the Farmer’s Market to inspire his seasonal dishes with small plates like a warming corn chowder with bone marrow and green chili and steak tartare using alabria chili, lime oil and quail yoke. Bigger portions like seared lamb’s rib with salsa verde, flageolet and roasted roots pair nicely with vegetable sides including braised greens. Afterwards, slip into the bar for a nightcap, cocktails are courtesy master mixologist and sommelier Quinn Mark Stephenson.
December 14, 2016 07:31 PM
 · 
Kate Donnelly
Tune-Up Cafe
A longtime cook at the venerable Café Pasqual’s, chef Jesus Rivera now operates this friendly, funky, and cheerful rustic storefront serving delicious breakfast of Huevos El Salvadoreños (scrambled eggs with green onions and tomato) and the Salvadoran tamale (wrapped in banana leaf). There’s also a hearty lunch and dinner, with a nice selection of beer.
December 14, 2016 07:23 PM
 · 
Kate Donnelly
Other
5 Ways to Feel the Magic in Santa Fe
Now more than ever, the city is full of experiences that fuel the body and spirit. (Bonus: It’s home to great alcoholic spirits, too.)
January 20, 2016 08:36 PM
 · 
Alex Schechter
Festivals + Events
The Coolest NYE Celebrations at Ski Resorts in North America
At these ski resorts, you can ring in the new year in style.
November 30, 2015 04:43 PM
 · 
Nick Pachelli
Cities We Love
Is Los Ranchos de Albuquerque the Perfect Fall Getaway?
Is Los Ranchos de Albuquerque the Perfect Fall Getaway?
September 28, 2015 03:09 PM
 · 
Nick Pachelli
Inn on the Alameda
Much of Santa Fe’s architecture feels lifted from (or, at any rate, inspired by) historic pueblos, but the Inn on the Alameda takes the impression several steps further, set as it is on two lush, riverside acres just on the edge of downtown. Rooms are arranged around serene courtyards whose stucco walls feature flowering vines, and communal areas like the well-stocked library—with its roaring fireplace for those chilly desert nights—and romantically candlelit lounge patio make it feel more like an old (if, admittedly, luxurious) family compound than the intimate boutique hotel it is. All areas are outfitted with rustically refined Southwestern decor—Native American textiles, Mission-style wood furniture, and local artwork—that blend modern and traditional worlds, a philosophy also embodied in the inn’s dedication to understatedly superlative service, which includes free breakfast, wine and cheese each evening, and a free shuttle around town. Oh, and an extra perk that makes guests feel even more like locals? The inn is the closest hotel to the gallery-lined Canyon Road.
September 17, 2015 03:14 PM
 · 
Kate Thorman
Hotel Santa Fe, The Hacienda and Spa
Visitors to Santa Fe come in search of art and culture, and it’s hard to trump the cultural experience at the Hotel Santa Fe, the Hacienda and Spa. In addition to being a high-end hotel in the hip, recently revitalized Railyard District, this pueblo-style compound is the first of its kind, the only luxury stay to be owned and run primarily by a local Native American tribe—the Picaris Pueblo.

No top-tier amenity has been left out—the spa is one of the best in town, the restaurant and lounge is one of Santa Fe’s most acclaimed, the gym offers yoga classes, there’s a free shuttle into town—and the guest experience is unlike that anywhere else, thanks to the extensive private Native American art collection that adorns the walls, the handmade local furniture that fills the rooms, and the responsible presence of traditional Native American culture throughout.

The hotel’s gift shop is Santa Fe’s only tribally owned store, selling traditional local handicrafts and art, and events are held throughout the year for guests to learn about Picaris Pueblo culture. And, as if this all weren’t impressive enough, the hotel has a rigorous environmental policy, and its rooms are completely powered by solar energy.

As Santa Fe’s only Native American-owned hotel, the Hacienda & Spa draws on a range of modalities from Swedish, sports, cranial-sacral, and energy work, and it hosts a menu of treatments aptly titled “This Wind and Mountain” and the “Land of Enchantment.” Outside, find three acres of Native American sculptures and gardens to relax in after your day of rest.
September 17, 2015 03:14 PM
 · 
Kate Thorman
Load More