ÌÇÐÄvlog´«Ã½

Santa Fe is one of the US's oldest cities and was founded by Spanish missionaries a decade before the pilgrims reached Plymouth Rock.

Spread across a high plateau at the foot of the stunning Sangre de Cristo Mountains, New Mexico's capital still boasts original adobe houses and baroque churches while the newer museums and art galleries attract art lovers from all over the world.

The downtown part of the city is compact so it is pleasant to explore the attractive streets on foot. The old central plaza is still the heart of the town, especially during the annual Indian Market and during the Fiestas de Santa Fe. Don't miss the Palace of the Governors, the Museum of Fine Arts, the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum, the San Miguel Mission and the appealing Barrio de Analco.

Two miles from downtown is the excellent Museum of International Folk Art and the Museum of Spanish Colonial Art. The town is a culinary hotspot and there are many excellent Mexican restaurants. Santa Fe is also strategically placed for visiting the Ancestral Puebloan ruins of the Bandelier National Monument and, further afield, Taos.