Getting around Santa Fe
Public transport
Santa Fe Trails is the public bus system operated by the city (tel: +1 505 955 2001; www.santafenm.gov/transit). Buses run regularly Monday to Friday with shortened hours at weekends. The primary pick-up centre is at Sheridan and Palace streets downtown. One-day passes are available from the drive. The M bus provides good daily transportation to Museum Hill.
The Santa Fe Pick-Up (tel: +1 505 231 2573; www.santafenm.gov/santa_fe_pickup_shuttle) is a free shuttle service that runs to popular locations around the downtown area. It starts and ends at Montezuma Avenue near the Santa Fe Depot. Stops include Santa Fe Plaza, St Francis Cathedral and Canyon Road. A second route runs to Museum Hill.
Taxis
Capital City Cab (tel: +1 505 438 0000; www.capitalcitycab.com) is the best taxi service in Santa Fe. It runs a door-to-door service 24 hours a day. Taxis run on meters and tipping is expected (15% is standard).
Driving
Santa Fe’s downtown area is compact and easily walkable, so a car is often not necessary. Metered street parking spaces are limited, but there are also several pay car parks and garages.
Car hire
Major car hire companies with offices in Santa Fe include Avis (tel: +1 505 984 8109; www.avis.com), Budget (tel: +1 505 984 1596; www.budget.com) and Hertz (tel: +1 505 438 4650; www.hertz.com).
Generally, drivers must be aged 25 and over to rent a car and must hold a credit card.
Bicycle hire
Santa Fe is very bike-friendly, with a good network of cycle paths and trails for all levels of rider, both in and around the city. You can download the Santa Fe City Trail Map from www.santafe.org.
Mellow Velo, downtown at 132 East Marcy Street (tel: +1 505 995 8356; www.mellowvelo.com), offers a variety of bicycles for hire. For exploring the hilly environs, there are mountain, road and comfort bikes; for shopping around town, try the cruisers. All bikes are available by the hour, day and week. Baby joggers and children’s bikes are offered too.
