One among my largest regrets about residing in Austin for over 10 years was that I didn’t go to New Mexico sufficient. I imply, it’s loopy—think about residing subsequent door to the aptly-named Land of Enchantment, and solely going a number of instances? The excellent news, after all, is that journey is commonly about high quality greater than high quality. And all of my journeys to the instant west had been extremely memorable, even when I didn’t take sufficient of them.
The higher information? Should you’re stressing over the Santa Fe vs Taos debate, what I’m about to say will calm your nerves. (Even when the conclusion I attain is lower than definitive.)
Whereas Taos vs Santa Fe tends to dominate the dialogue for guests to New Mexico, the state is greater than its northern reaches. Specifically, the gorgeous White Sands Nationwide Park within the south is an absolute gem of a vacation spot, to say nothing of spots peripheral to that, together with the mountain village of Ruidoso and the ramshackle city of Alamogordo. There’s additionally the truth that, having lived in Texas throughout all my New Mexico journeys, I used to be considerably blinded to simply how particular the state is.
Taos, New Mexico
Methods to Examine Taos and Santa Fe
Vibe
In some methods, the vibes of those two cities are comparable—non secular, earthy, perhaps a bit witchy. Santa Fe has older ladies promoting handmade jewellery; Taos has chili peppers hanging on buildings all over the place. Santa Fe, nevertheless, regardless of this, is a bigger metropolis, and has a bit quicker tempo of life.
Points of interest
When selecting Santa Fe or Taos, vacationer attraction issues. The Taos Pueblo looks like a residing museum, whether or not you discover San Francisco de Asis Mission, or go to Fechin Home Artwork Museum. In Santa Fe, it’s extra about getting misplaced within the streets though sure points of interest (Georgia O’Keefe Museum; Cross of the Martyrs viewpoint) predominate.
Delicacies
In terms of meals, you received’t go hungry in both of those cities. Clearly, my favourite factor to eat when visiting them is conventional New Mexican delicacies like sopapillas. Nonetheless, whether or not you are taking a extra Tex-Mex route, and even go woo-woo vegan, you’re assured to eat properly all over the place in northern New Mexico.
Panorama
Provided that the cities are lower than 90 minutes from each other by automotive, there’s not a whole lot of differentiation in panorama, whether or not you find yourself preferring Taos or Santa Fe. Assume towering, terra-cotta coloured mountains and limitless blue skies, the place clouds slowly transfer towards the horizon because it somebody has painted them there.
Inns and purchasing
Whereas I can’t assure they’ll be reasonably priced, you’ll have your choose of lodging in each Taos and Santa Fe, from roadside motels, to boutique inns to luxurious properties in each the lodge and trip rental class. So far as purchasing is worried? Let’s simply say that I hope you want dreamcatchers.
Santa Fe
How Many Days Do You Want in Santa Fe and Taos?
How lengthy you spend in northern New Mexico actually relies upon upon how far you’re coming from, and what the remainder of your journey seems like. Should you’re simply driving down from Colorado and even over from Texas, it would is smart merely to spend 2-3 days in Taos and Santa Fe, particularly when you’re persevering with to move south to White Sands, or west into Arizona or Utah.
Paradoxically, I discover this may also be a very good period of time to spend when you’re flying in from far-off, assuming you will get an reasonably priced fare to Santa Fe’s very small airport. Sadly, since that is so typically not the case, you’ll most likely must fly to El Paso or Denver, that means {that a} longer highway journey across the Desert Southwest might be justified.
Different FAQ on Visiting New Mexico
Is Taos definitely worth the drive from Santa Fe?
Provided that Taos is lower than 90 minutes from Santa Fe by automotive, I’d say the drive is sort of actually value it. Even when you don’t find yourself having the time to dig deep into Taos, it’s troublesome to not really feel charmed by the adobe mud structure constructed amid the desert panorama, to say nothing of the chili peppers hanging all over the place.
What’s so particular about Taos?
Taos has enchanted vacationers since lengthy earlier than the social media period, with a cityscape that hearkens again to the pre-American period and a panorama that additionally evokes instances lengthy since previous. Taos can also be good in that it’s a terrific ski vacation spot within the winter, regardless of being extraordinarily sizzling through the summer time.
What’s the vibe of Taos?
The earnest reply to this query is that Taos has an earthy, non secular vibe, which pulls earthy, non secular folks there. The extra cynical response? No matter earthiness and spirituality as soon as existed in Taos has been co-opted, turning it right into a Disneyland from the “Coexist” crowd, whose pilgrimages there make it much more synthetic.
The Backside Line
Evaluating Santa Fe vs Taos isn’t as high-stakes as another metropolis debates, given how shut they’re to at least one one other. The truth is that almost all vacationers will find yourself visiting each of those locations—it’s actually a query of which is able to get probably the most consideration. If I’m sincere, I’ve points with each of them—they each have a sure “previous girls within the desert promoting turquoise” vibe, no less than for the informal customer. However, whereas Taos’ timeless structure seems impossibly attractive in opposition to the desert panorama, the truth that Santa Fe is a “actual” metropolis offers it the benefit for me.
Different Nice Articles
Robert Schrader is a journey author and photographer who’s been roaming the world independently since 2005, writing for publications similar to “CNNGo” and “Shanghaiist” alongside the best way. His weblog, Go away Your Every day Hell, offers a mixture of journey recommendation, vacation spot guides and private essays overlaying the extra esoteric facets of life as a traveler.
