The Museum of Fine Arts

Downtown is Santa Fe's gateway to art, culture, and history. It is bordered by Paseo de Peralta and Guadalupe Street. The historic downtown Plaza marks the heart of the city since 1610. It is a mixture of the old and the new where one would find 300 year old adobe buildings that house modern shops like Gap and Subway.

The plaza is lined with various shops, inns, restaurants, museums, spas, churches, and galleries. With the exception of the Canyon Road art galleries, most tourist destinations are within 3 blocks of the square, making it convenient to navigate on foot. This is a good thing because parking is almost non-existent. There is a proposal to block vehicular traffic in the downtown area during the tourist seasons.

Chili Verde Stew
Santa Fe's signature dish

Santa Fe is known as the City of Boutiques. Shopping is one of the best in the world. Its abundance and quality of shopping for handcrafted fashions, fine furnishings, antiques, jewelry, and treasures from different corners of the world rivals the best European cities. You'll find one-of-a kind boutiques, shops that sell rare and priceless items, but also several that are affordable.

Where to Shop:

Downtown - shops and galleries in all areas from the Plaza Canyon Road - A designated arts district with shops, galleries, and restaurants.

Guadalupe St./Historic Railyard District - mini-malls, shops, and the Sante Farmers Market on Tuesday and Saturday mornings in the summer

Major Shopping Areas - malls on the north & south sides of town; premium outlets just off of I-25 South

Flea Market - Speaking of shopping bargains, the other place not to be overlooked is the Flea Market at the Santa Fe Opera. It is open on weekends and is a good place to find virtually anything under the sun at great deals.

Palace of the Governors - a favorite shopping spot is found along the portal in front of the Palace of the Governors at West Palace Avenue. Rain or shine, American Indian artists spread blankets and sell their handmade jewelry mostly made of sterling silver, turquoise, corals, and other semi-precious stones. These artisans are monitored by a state agency to ensure that the work is authentic. Prices are less than half of those at the shops along the Plaza. As in most regular stores downtown, you can haggle over the prices of commodities.