Welcome to Santa Fe: Private 2.5 hr Introductory Walking Tour

Enjoy a welcome introductory private walking tour of Santa Fe, the vibrant, multicultural, creative capital city of New Mexico situated in the spectacular Sangre de Cristo foothills. Founded as a Spanish colony in 1610, Santa Fe is famous for its historic architecture, dramatic landscape, quaint and crooked cobbled streets, delicious cuisine, and colourful art scene. 

On your private tour you will: 

• Explore the vibrant Santa Fe Plaza, a National Historic Landmark and the iconic cultural hub of the city - playing host to many markets, concerts, and community events; 
• See the Palace of the Governors, the original capitol building of New Mexico, built in 1610 of traditional adobe (mudbrick in Spanish) where the Pueblo Indian revolt took place in 1680;
• Learn about the history of New Mexico, its unique mountainous geography, and today’s confluence of Spanish, Native American, Mexican and American cultures reflected in its cuisine and creativity;
• Enjoy the buzz and good humour of the local market sellers and stall holders selling many authentic Native American crafts;
• Visit the impressive Cathedral Basilica of St Francis of Assisi - dedicated to the city’s patron saint, it was built in the Romanesque Revival style in the 19th century, in sharp contrast to the local adobe, its rose window was imported from France in the 1800s;
• Enter Loretto Chapel, and hear the story about the "miraculous staircase";
• Walk down De Vargas Street and see the city’s oldest two-roomed adobe house which is now a small but fascinating free museum;
• Pass by San Miguel Mission - said to be the oldest church in the US dating back to 1610, it is dedicated to the Archangel Michael and is still in use today for mass and live music;
• Visit Palace Avenue - a little-known point of interest in Santa Fe that was the drop-off point for the onward journey to the hidden research facility in Los Alamos for spies and scientists involved in the Secret Manhattan Project, to create the atomic bomb;
• Pass by the New Mexico History Museum - a fascinating and informative treasure trove of artefacts and art that traces the complex history of New Mexico;
• End near the Santa Fe Plaza, surrounded by fabulous bars and restaurants!
  

Situated around the central Plaza where your private walking tour begins, Santa Fe is by turn a majestic, vibrant, quirky, creative, historic and modern city - a true melting pot of cultures and cuisines, famous for the rugged beauty of its desert and mountainous landscape, and its many galleries leading to it becoming a globally recognised art and culture centre.  

The capital city of New Mexico, Santa Fe was founded 400 years ago in 1610 by Spanish colonisers - whose history and controversies you’ll learn all about outside the Palace of the Governors, where the Pueblo Indian uprising began in 1680. Today the city is a confluence of Native American, Spanish, Mexican and American cultures.

You’ll learn about the significant role Catholicism and devotees of Saint Francis have played in the formation of the city - and see America’s oldest church, San Miguel.  

Santa Fe’s complex social fabric, multi-ethnic cuisine, unique adobe architecture, beautiful jewellery, tapestries, weavings, paintings, folk art, and photography has made it a mecca for travellers and art enthusiasts. 

As well as the historic and cultural highlights of Santa Fe your guide will show you the hidden spot along Palace Avenue that played a key role in the top-secret Manhattan Project during the Second World War.

Your tour ends near Santa Fe Plaza, surrounded by vibrant bars and restaurants - your guide will be only too happy to make recommendations for the rest of your stay.