Crimson chile ristras hung from the Plaza’s arcades as turquoise jewelry glinted and piñon smoke curled in the air. “The Plaza was the end point of both trails,” said my guide, Amy Fredericks, noting how the Missouri Trail ended here and the Camino Real stretched another 600 miles into Mexico.
My tour began at the Cross of the Martyrs, where a panoramic view sweeps across the city of Santa Fe, New Mexico. A tradition dating to 1717 honors 21 priests killed in the Pueblo Revolt of 1680. Each September, the statue of Mary, dressed in one of her hundreds of handmade gowns, is carried from the Basilica in procession to mark the start of Fiestas de Santa Fe, the nation’s oldest continuously run festival.
Kateri Tekakwitha, the first Native American saint, Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi © Casandra Karpiak
Inside San Miguel Chapel, where the cool air carries the faint scent of candle wax, Fredericks pointed to the uneven planks beneath our feet. “This is the original floor from 1610,” she said, a surface worn smooth by centuries of worshippers. At the Loretto Chapel, her voice dropped as we approached the famed staircase: “No nails, all wood pegs,” she whispered, as the spiral rises with an almost inexplicable grace.
On Canyon Road, galleries line the narrow lane, but the real surprises often lie out of sight behind thick adobe walls. A secluded courtyard can open into nearly an acre of lawns and rose gardens, where bronze figures stand watch over a quiet pond invisible from the street. “It can be overwhelming,” Fredericks admitted, noting that Santa Fe’s art scene ranks among the largest in the nation — an impressive concentration for a city of its size. “That’s why I like to give people a preview first, so you know what’s here and can come back to explore.”
I booked my private city walk through the Four Seasons Resort Rancho Encantado’s Adventure Center, where adventure architect Hans Loehr has led programs since 2013. What began as hikes to the Rio en Medio waterfall has expanded into Jeep excursions across red-rock mesas, e-biking through Georgia O’Keeffe country, and the new Los Alamos “Secret City” tour, a thoughtful examination of J. Robert Oppenheimer’s legacy.
© Four Seasons Resort Rancho Encantado
Four Seasons staff guide every Adventure Center tour, but other providers also offer rich ways to discover the City Different. Historic Walks of Santa Fe, the Santa Fe School of Cooking and Food Tour New Mexico each provide distinct perspectives on the city’s history, flavors and hidden corners. However you choose to explore, Santa Fe reveals itself in layers — through sunlit courtyards, quiet chapels and plazas that remain alive with stories and traditions.
Wandering the city on foot brings you close to its rhythms: the click of adobe against rain gutters in a storm, the smell of roasting chiles in autumn, and the low murmur of conversations carried out across shaded portals. Museums and galleries present works that range from centuries-old devotional paintings to modern experiments in form and color, while local markets and shops showcase jewelry, textiles and pottery rooted in Indigenous and Hispanic craft traditions.
Food is another thread that ties Santa Fe’s past to its present. New Mexican cuisine, with its distinctive red and green chile sauces and an emphasis on locally sourced ingredients, is woven into the city’s everyday life and special celebrations alike. Small cafés, renowned restaurants and family-run kitchens invite visitors to taste those flavors while learning the stories behind them.
Ultimately, Santa Fe resists being fully captured in a single visit. Its compact downtown makes it easy to navigate, but each corner promises discoveries that reward a slower pace. Whether you arrive for art, history, food or outdoor adventures, the city offers a layered experience that unfolds the more time you give it.