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Roamgrove

New Mexico

Santa Fe with Kids

Santa Fe is a small, old state capital built almost entirely in adobe and adobe-styled brick, on a high desert plateau just over 2,100 m up against the southern end of the Rocky Mountains. For families it is the culture stop in a division otherwise made of national parks: a compact walkable centre, Pueblo and Spanish history that is still a living presence rather than a museum subject, and one of the more genuinely startling things a child can be taken to in the United States in the form of a large immersive art installation on the edge of town. Two caveats shape a visit. The altitude is real — this is higher than most European ski resorts — and the regional food is built on chile that is often properly hot, which catches out families expecting the mild version served elsewhere.

Best for ages
5+
Suggested stay
3–5 days
Best months
Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
Daily budget
€285

Mid-range, family of four

Why Santa Fe works with children

  • A centre that is genuinely old

    The Plaza has been the middle of the town since the early seventeenth century, and the building on its north side dates from 1610.

  • An art installation children can climb into

    The immersive house on Rufina Street is explored by crawling through appliances and opening doors, not by reading labels.

  • Cliff dwellings an hour away

    Bandelier's canyon has cave rooms cut into soft rock, reached by ladders from a level paved loop.

  • A train from the bigger airport

    A commuter rail line runs between Albuquerque and Santa Fe, which is an alternative to driving straight off a flight.

Where to stay

Best areas in Santa Fe for families

4 areas cover most trips here; the difference is mainly short stays without a car versus quiet, self-catering stays.

  • The Plaza and downtown

    Best for short stays without a car

    Everything historic is within a few hundred metres — the Plaza, the cathedral, the museums and most restaurants. It is also the most expensive district, parking is metered and scarce, and rooms tend to be small in converted older buildings.

  • The Railyard and Guadalupe

    Best for families who want space and a base

    A redeveloped goods yard south-west of the centre with a farmers' market, cinema and open ground, and the terminus of the Albuquerque train. Ten minutes' walk to the Plaza on the flat, and newer buildings mean larger rooms.

  • Cerrillos Road and the southern corridor

    Best for value stays with a car

    The long commercial road running south-west out of town, where the suite hotels and the supermarkets are and where a room costs a fraction of a downtown one. Nothing to walk to, and it is a 10 to 15 minute drive to the Plaza.

  • The eastside and Canyon Road foothills

    Best for quiet, self-catering stays

    Adobe casitas and guesthouses on narrow lanes among the galleries, climbing toward the mountains. Calm and attractive, but the lanes are steep and unlit at night and parking is awkward.

Family hotel picks in Santa Fe

  • Santa Fe — adobe hotels and casitas near the Plaza
    The Plaza and downtownHigher-end

    Santa Fe — adobe hotels and casitas near the Plaza

    Everything historic in Santa Fe is within a few hundred metres of the Plaza, so staying here converts the whole central day into walking and removes the metered-parking problem entirely.

    • The Plaza, cathedral and museums on foot
    • Courtyards and patios rather than corridors
    • Restaurants open early enough for children
    • Walkable to the Railyard in about ten minutes

    Fitting a family in

    Rooms in converted adobe buildings vary enormously in size; two-room casitas and suites with a kitchenette are the reliable way to sleep four or five.

    Watch out. The most expensive part of town, and rooms in older adobe buildings are often small, dark and awkwardly shaped for four. Parking is usually charged and off-site, several properties have stairs and no lift, and at 2,100 m the first night is frequently a broken one.

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  • A sandstone cathedral with twin towers rising above low adobe buildings in Santa Fe
    Cerrillos Road and the southern corridorBudget

    Suite hotels along the Cerrillos Road corridor

    A two-room suite with a kitchenette and a pool costs a fraction of a downtown room, and it sits among the supermarkets, which is the practical base for a family doing Santa Fe as day trips rather than as an evening destination.

    • Two-room suites with kitchenettes
    • Pools and free breakfast at most properties
    • Free parking and supermarkets alongside
    • Ten to fifteen minutes' drive from the Plaza

    Fitting a family in

    Suites with a bedroom plus a sofa bed sleep four to five easily, and are the cheapest reliable way to accommodate five in the city.

    Watch out. A long commercial road with nothing to walk to and no character at all; every evening means driving into town and finding parking. Rooms facing the road are noisy, and the corridor is long enough that the northern and southern ends are very different distances from the centre.

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  • Casitas and guesthouses in the eastside foothills
    Eastside and Canyon Road foothillsMid-range

    Casitas and guesthouses in the eastside foothills

    A whole small adobe house with a kitchen and a walled garden, on quiet lanes within walking distance of the galleries and about 20 minutes on foot from the Plaza, which suits families who want to cook and to have the children outside rather than in a corridor.

    • Self-catering with a kitchen and laundry
    • Enclosed outdoor space and a patio
    • Canyon Road galleries and cafés on foot
    • Quiet at night, unlike the centre

    Fitting a family in

    One- and two-bedroom casitas sleeping four to five; larger adobe houses on the lanes above take six or more.

    Watch out. The lanes are narrow, steep, often unlit and awkward to park on, and the walk down to the Plaza is easier than the walk back up at 2,100 m. Many casitas have thick-walled rooms with small windows and no air conditioning, and step levels between rooms are common.

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Things to do in Santa Fe with kids

  • The Plaza and the Palace of the Governors
    Culture

    The Plaza and the Palace of the Governors

    Santa Fe

    The square at the centre of the old town, laid out in the early seventeenth century, with a long adobe building on its north side dating from 1610. Native artisans sell jewellery and pottery they have made under the covered portico, under a programme run with the state museum.

    Ages
    5–16
    Time
    2h
    Adult, from
    Free

    Good to know. The Plaza itself is small and covered in an hour; the interest for children is in the portico and the streets around it rather than in the square. There is very little shade, the sun at 2,100 m is strong, and afternoon thunderstorms are common in July and August. Downtown parking is metered and limited, so the outlying car parks are the practical option.

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  • Meow Wolf: House of Eternal Return
    MuseumBook ahead

    Meow Wolf: House of Eternal Return

    Santa Fe

    A large immersive art installation on the edge of town, built inside a converted bowling alley: an ordinary-looking house whose wardrobes, fireplaces and appliances open into other rooms, explored by climbing and crawling rather than by reading.

    Ages
    5–16
    Time
    3h
    Adult, from
    €40

    Good to know. Entry is by timed slot and the popular times sell out weeks ahead in school holidays. It is deliberately dark, loud and disorienting, with strobing light in places — it delights many children and genuinely frightens others, and the quieter early slots are the safer bet with a sensitive child. Much of it involves crouching, ladders and narrow passages, so it is hard work with a pushchair or limited mobility, and it is easy to lose sight of a child among the passageways.

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  • Bandelier National Monument
    Culture

    Bandelier National Monument

    Santa Fe

    A canyon about an hour and a quarter north-west where Ancestral Pueblo people built homes into the soft volcanic rock. A paved loop trail passes the village ruins and the cliff face, and wooden ladders let visitors climb up into the carved cave rooms themselves.

    Ages
    5–16
    Time
    4h
    Adult, from
    €25

    Good to know. Climbing into the cavates is the part children remember, and it means steep wooden ladders with a drop below — not for anyone uneasy with heights, and the separate Alcove House ladders rise far higher again up the canyon wall. The canyon floor is above 1,900 m and the trail is exposed. In the busy months access has been by shuttle bus from a park-and-ride rather than by private car, so the current arrangement needs checking.

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  • Museum of International Folk Art
    Museum

    Museum of International Folk Art

    Santa Fe

    On Museum Hill, a few minutes from the centre, holding a very large collection of folk art from around the world. Its best-known wing is a single room of thousands of miniature figures arranged into villages, markets, processions and fairgrounds at child eye level.

    Ages
    3–14
    Time
    2h
    Adult, from
    €12

    Good to know. The miniature wing works for young children in a way almost no other museum room does; the rest of the museum is conventional and holds their attention far less well. Museum Hill is a drive or a bus ride from the Plaza rather than a walk, and several museums share the site, which is more than most families will want in one visit.

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Getting around Santa Fe

The historic centre is walkable and that is where most of a Santa Fe day happens, but the city spreads a long way and the outlying attractions — the immersive art house, Museum Hill and Bandelier — all need wheels. A car hired at Albuquerque's airport, about an hour south, is the usual arrangement. The alternative worth knowing is the commuter rail line between Albuquerque and the Santa Fe Railyard, which runs on a limited timetable but turns the transfer into a train ride rather than an interstate drive, and a city bus links the Railyard station to the Plaza. Note that the streets in the old centre are narrow, one-way and poorly suited to a large vehicle, so the largest rental class is a false economy here.

Santa Fe tips for families

  • Health & safety

    This is altitude, even though it is a city

    Santa Fe sits just over 2,100 m, higher than many alpine resorts, and families arriving from sea level regularly get headaches, broken sleep and shortness of breath on the first night. It builds over hours rather than arriving on landing. Drinking a great deal of water, going easy on the first day and not driving straight up into the mountains helps; children feel it as much as adults do.

  • Food

    Ask about the chile before ordering for a child

    Almost everything regional comes with red or green chile, and 'Christmas' means both. It is a genuine chilli heat rather than a colouring, and it varies between kitchens. Asking for it on the side is normal and not treated as an insult, and every menu has non-chile options.

  • When to go

    The immersive art house sells timed entry

    Entry is by timed slot and the popular times go well in advance during school holidays. It is also dark, loud and disorienting by design, which suits some children enormously and genuinely frightens others — the quieter early slots are the safer choice with a sensitive child.

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  • Packing

    The air is very dry and the sun is strong

    High desert at 2,100 m means intense ultraviolet even on a cool day, very low humidity and cold nights in spring and autumn. Refillable bottles, lip balm and a hat matter more here than the temperature suggests, and July and August bring sharp afternoon thunderstorms.

Santa Fe with kids: common questions

Is Santa Fe high enough to cause altitude problems?
Yes. At just over 2,100 m it is higher than many European ski resorts, and headaches, poor sleep and breathlessness on the first night are common. Symptoms typically appear several hours after arriving. Drinking a lot of water, taking the first day slowly and not immediately driving higher into the mountains is the standard advice, and it applies to children as much as adults.
What is there for children to do in Santa Fe?
The immersive art house on the edge of town is the outstanding one — a walk-in installation explored by climbing through things. Beyond it, the folk art museum on Museum Hill holds a very large collection of miniature scenes and figures, the Plaza is small enough to cover in an hour, and Bandelier's cliff dwellings are an hour's drive away.
How far is Bandelier National Monument from Santa Fe?
About an hour and a quarter each way by car. In the busy months access to the main canyon has been by shuttle bus from a park-and-ride rather than by private car, so the current arrangement is worth checking before setting off.
Is the food too spicy for children in Santa Fe?
It can be. Red and green chile are in most regional dishes and the heat is real, though it varies by kitchen. Asking for chile on the side is routine, and every menu carries options without it.
How many days are needed in Santa Fe?
Three to five. Two days cover the centre, the museums and the art house; a third adds Bandelier or the high road north toward Taos.

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