Santa Fe Flights:
Flights to Santa Fe
Santa Fe is the capital of the state of New Mexico in the United States. Despite being the state capital it’s a relatively small city, but is hugely popular with tourists from around the world due to its history, scenery, culture, arts, music and excellent cuisine.
Although Santa Fe is a popular tourist destination this isn’t reflected in its airport and you cannot currently fly here on passenger airlines. However, this isn’t a major problem as Albuquerque is 60 miles (96km) away and there is a major international airport here. Flights therefore from South Africa to Santa Fe have to go to Albuquerque, and from Johannesburg you can fly with either Delta or United Airlines. Delta has one stop in Atlanta, whereas United has two stops in Washington and Denver. Flights are also available from Cape Town, though these all involve 2 stops en-route.
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The Tourist Attractions in Santa Fe:
Many of the visitor attractions in Santa Fe are very cultural in nature. The city does of course have a very Spanish feel to it as a result of it being part of Spain’s territory, and this can be seen in much of the older architecture, but even newer buildings try to follow this architectural theme, resulting in a very pleasant mix.
There are a variety of churches, including the St Francis Cathedral which was built between 1869 and 1886. This is in the Romanesque Revival style. In quite stark contrast, an original adobe chapel can be seen in Santa Fe. San Miguel Chapel Mission is believed to be the oldest church in the United States, having been constructed around 1610. Another building with some interesting history is the Loretto Chapel which has a story attached concerning the staircase which was built to access the choir loft. This is known as the Miraculous Staircase because there does not appear to be anything supporting the structure!
Being the capital of New Mexico, means that Santa Fe has a State Capitol Building, and of all the state capitols in the US this is one of the most interesting! It’s known locally as The Roundhouse, because, not surprisingly, it’s round! This building is open to the public during most working hours.
There are many other interesting and historic buildings in addition to the above in Santa Fe too, dozens of which are on the National Register of Historic Places.
Many visitors come to Santa Fe for the art and there are a number of art museums where you can experience this yourself. The Museum of Fine Arts, the Museum of International Folk Art, the Museum of Spanish Colonial Art and the Museum of Indian Arts & Culture can all be visited under a special combined discount ticket, which also includes a visit to the Palace of the Governors. The ‘palace’ is the oldest public building in the United States, built in 1610 and now houses a historical museum.
Another place to see some art is at the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum. This concentrates on the work of the renowned 20th century artist who settled in a small town near Santa Fe.
Santa Fe’s history also includes Native American Indians and there are several places where you can learn more about this heritage. The Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian includes a native art collection, and has a good shop, whilst the Institute of American Indian Arts Museum is worth visiting too.
Santa Fe has so much more than this to offer visitors. Highlights include the Santa Fe Opera and hiking and cycling in the scenic areas which surround the city.
When Should You Visit?:
Santa Fe is situated in the desert, but it is at a high altitude so although summers are warm, winters are cool. The average July high temperature is 29C (85F), so nice and warm, however, July and August are also the wettest months!
Perhaps the best time to visit Santa Fe is in the autumn. September and October have lower rainfall and pleasant temperatures. January is the coldest month with an average high of 8C (47F), and low of -9C (16F).