Santa Fe Plaza
Santa Fe Plaza
4.5
About
Surrounded by city landmarks, including art and history museums, the Santa Fe Plaza is the heart and soul of the capital city. Sit back on one of the square’s benches to people-watch and take in the small-town feel. Then, set out to explore the countless art galleries, shops, and flea markets in the area. Try the local street food from the food carts, or if you’re in the mood to splurge, check out the dozen or so high-end restaurants. You can also sign up for a walking tour to learn more about the city’s rich history. – Tripadvisor
Duration: 1-2 hours
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listingTours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
Full view
What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Top ways to experience Santa Fe Plaza
The area
Address
Reach out directly
Best nearby
We rank these restaurants and attractions by balancing reviews from our members with how close they are to this location.
Restaurants
313 within 3 miles
Attractions
344 within 6 miles
See what travellers are saying
- Kimberly KFort Worth, Texas5 contributionsSanta Fe Plaza General CommentsSanta Fe Plaza is mostly galleries and shopping, A LOT of shopping. Don't miss San Miguel, the oldest church in the US as well as the adjacent oldest house in the US, a short walk from the plaza. I enjoyed the Georgia O'Keefe Museum, but admission is steep at $22 (in my opinion). San Francisco Bar & Grill had delicious, reasonably priced food.Visited March 2024Travelled with familyWritten 18 March 2024
- KathrinePennsylvania609 contributionsPretty Plaza, but walk off the plaza to surrounding streetsMany shops and restaurants surround the green square. Definitely go off the square to the other streets for beautiful architecture, more shops and restaurants. On weekends, Native Americans sell their lovely jewelry, blankets etc under the cover next to the Palace of the Governors. Don’t miss the cathedral a few blocks away. We were a bit disappointed when we went inside the Palace of Governors. It was almost empty. Expected more inside. Parking is insane. There is a parking garage at La Fonda Hotel. Glad we walked from our hotel.Visited May 2024Travelled as a coupleWritten 2 June 2024
- FamilyTravelClayton, North Carolina38 contributionsPlaza and chapel visitsMy family spent a total of two hours in the plaza area on a Saturday. We found street parking two blocks away. We visited the basilica, Loretto Chapel, and the plaza shops and vendors in this two hours. We enjoyed it, and we were done with everything in a couple Of hours.Visited June 2024Travelled with familyWritten 12 June 2024
- yasemin2kFlorida353 contributionsGreat area to shop, walk and dineGreat area to visit, look around, eat, just walk around. Free parking Sundays, and pretty crowded, but if you go half a block easy to find parking on the side of the road. Good food options, even though it was 106 outside, being dry, didn’t feel hot walking around.Visited July 2024Travelled as a coupleWritten 8 July 2024
- Meggan SOkarche, Oklahoma50 contributionsGreat family fun, lots of original artists at the PlazaOur second time visiting The Santa Fe Plaza and we enjoyed our day there as a family. Ate lunch at The Shed, visited St Francis Cathedral and The Loretto Chapel, both are very beautiful and loved hearing the story behind The Loretto Chapel and the spiral staircase. You do have to pay to go inside The Loretto Chapel because it’s privately owned now and is a museum but the you walk inside and it’s like you stepped back in time. They have taken very good care of it and the gift shop has plenty of souvenirs and Catholic items and books to choose from. Also, while in the Plaza, do yourself a favor and find/visit The San Miguel Mission Church. It’s really pretty as well and at the Alter, they have see through glass area where you can actually see the original steps that led into the church many years ago.Visited July 2024Travelled with familyWritten 1 August 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
4.5
3,261 reviews
Excellent
1,851
Very good
1,022
Average
309
Poor
61
Terrible
19
DTen
Vail, CO347 contributions
Feb 2020 • Family
We visited Santa Fe for Spring Break and had the best trip!! It was chilly Feb 16-21 but mostly our weather was great.
The Plaza is a nice big space and we enjoyed sitting on the benches getting some sun. There’s lots to do around the plaza: shops, restaurants and museums.
There was a drummer one day who was excellent.
The artists set up their wares under the portico at the Palace of the Governors every day starting at 9:00 with more arriving by 10.
We ate at Plaza Cafe and had a very delicious meal. We stopped in the Five & Dime for some Santa Fe Incense at a good price. We did a 10:30 docent led tour at the NM History Museum which was excellent.
Lots to do at the Plaza!!!
The Plaza is a nice big space and we enjoyed sitting on the benches getting some sun. There’s lots to do around the plaza: shops, restaurants and museums.
There was a drummer one day who was excellent.
The artists set up their wares under the portico at the Palace of the Governors every day starting at 9:00 with more arriving by 10.
We ate at Plaza Cafe and had a very delicious meal. We stopped in the Five & Dime for some Santa Fe Incense at a good price. We did a 10:30 docent led tour at the NM History Museum which was excellent.
Lots to do at the Plaza!!!
Written 1 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
goldieOK
Oklahoma City, OK70 contributions
Sept 2019
Usually something interesting on the Santa Fe Plaza. Free concerts in the summer, Indian Market in August and Hispanic Market in July, Fiesta Santa Fe over Labor Day weekend. But the most enjoyable time on the Plaza is when nothing is going on, just having a cup of coffee, people watching, listening to am itinerant musician, watching people chase their kiddies. It's a lovely place. Many restaurants around the Plaza have balcony dining so you can have a Prickly Pear Margarita and enjoy the atmosphere.
Written 19 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Randy2353
North Palm Beach, FL1,698 contributions
May 2019
The plaza can also be called a park as it is in the center of town and seems to be the center of attraction. Of course it attracts all different types of people and it has the varied local activities. It is interesting because not only is it very lovely, but it displays the culture of the area. A must see. Well worth it.
Written 23 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
on_the_go_98765
Tucson20,581 contributions
Oct 2021
Our week-long stay at Otra Vez was only a couple of blocks away from the Plaza and we were fortunate to be there for the end of the Indian ceremonial dances and presentations. It's not as hectic a time of year as the Indian Festival is and this was an opportunity for the original people to demonstrate their heritage.
We were really looking forward to a vendor's stand selling the Indian Fry Bread like they do when the summer festival is in full swing but there was only one lone little food cart selling tacos and other similar fare. We actually did get to see some of the authentic dances instead.
The two performing groups were made up of young people dressed in ritual clothing accompanied by drums and chanting done by the elders. Typically, two elders and a group of 5 dancers would perform in front of the gazebo.
Weather can take a rapid turn for the worst this time of year and it did. Rain put an end to the demonstrations immediately. Northern New Mexico can get like that (and it does).
For us, we admired the outfits worn by the performers/dancers but wondered what the significance of the animal pelt hanging from the back of the male dancers' waists signified. Had it not been raining so hard, we most certainly would have asked! The young ladies wore beautiful dresses with scarves draped off their shoulders.
Keeping the culture and the stories alive is such a valuable cultural gift that we were glad they shared with us all.
We were really looking forward to a vendor's stand selling the Indian Fry Bread like they do when the summer festival is in full swing but there was only one lone little food cart selling tacos and other similar fare. We actually did get to see some of the authentic dances instead.
The two performing groups were made up of young people dressed in ritual clothing accompanied by drums and chanting done by the elders. Typically, two elders and a group of 5 dancers would perform in front of the gazebo.
Weather can take a rapid turn for the worst this time of year and it did. Rain put an end to the demonstrations immediately. Northern New Mexico can get like that (and it does).
For us, we admired the outfits worn by the performers/dancers but wondered what the significance of the animal pelt hanging from the back of the male dancers' waists signified. Had it not been raining so hard, we most certainly would have asked! The young ladies wore beautiful dresses with scarves draped off their shoulders.
Keeping the culture and the stories alive is such a valuable cultural gift that we were glad they shared with us all.
Written 22 October 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Linette J
26 contributions
Sept 2021
A very pretty place with food trucks, artists selling wares, places to sit and lots of shopping all around. A great way to spend a few hours (and a few hundred dollars) There are lots of food and shopping options from modest to very expensive.
My one beef is that there are NO public restrooms available. You have to go into one of the hotels, or beg for mercy. In a place that is 100% tourist supported this is a ridiculous situation. There should be restrooms provided for the people shopping or eating open air on the plaza.
Also had an issue with two hour parking. We had to repeatedly walk all the way back to our vehicle to feed the meter, which can be quite a hike as well as a problem when you are dining several blocks away.
For the amount of money the average visitor drops in this area, these inconveniences make no sense. They either want to support the tourists who support them or they don't. Sine many of the tourists spending big dollars there are seniors, these are two very real issues.
My one beef is that there are NO public restrooms available. You have to go into one of the hotels, or beg for mercy. In a place that is 100% tourist supported this is a ridiculous situation. There should be restrooms provided for the people shopping or eating open air on the plaza.
Also had an issue with two hour parking. We had to repeatedly walk all the way back to our vehicle to feed the meter, which can be quite a hike as well as a problem when you are dining several blocks away.
For the amount of money the average visitor drops in this area, these inconveniences make no sense. They either want to support the tourists who support them or they don't. Sine many of the tourists spending big dollars there are seniors, these are two very real issues.
Written 5 October 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
katyflower
Midland, TX351 contributions
Nov 2021 • Couples
The Santa Fe plaza is always fun whether you are shopping or people watching. The native Americans who set up at the Governors building are certified genuine and that’s always good to
Know. Most of the artists are right there showing there wares. Musicians come play and natives in full regalia showed up on Saturday. Always surprises.
Know. Most of the artists are right there showing there wares. Musicians come play and natives in full regalia showed up on Saturday. Always surprises.
Written 31 October 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
kathyp686
Anchorage, AK1,350 contributions
Feb 2020 • Couples
This plaza is the center of activity and small individual / native artists selling jewelry daily along one side of the plaza. Other activities go on here throughout the day and more so on weekends. At night it has beautiful lights. We walked to the plaza multiple times a day to see what was happening. Small shops and a few restaurants surround the plaza. The oldest building, Palace of the Governors is on one side of the plaza.
Written 19 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
daanddo
Lehigh Valley, PA875 contributions
Dec 2019
We always enjoy strolling around the place, checking out the architecture, shops, galleries, restaurants and museums. We were there just before Christmas and the plaza was beautifully decorated, the Native American venders were selling their jewelry, other craftspeople had booths and the weather was comfortable for late December. We saw gorgeous artwork in several galleries, tasted some delicious chocolate, looked at crafts, heard some stretches music and had lunch, It is always a go0d way to spend and afternoon.
Written 1 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Degner
Midwest City, United States19 contributions
Oct 2019
The Santa Fe Plaza is a must see. The local artists with their beautiful crafts on display and the stores are unique and boast local flair. Duck into the museum and please see the art galleries- you may come home with something totally fabulous
Written 20 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
jessjjmc
Texas261 contributions
Feb 2020 • Friends
This is a really neat place to see local artisans and native Americans selling their wares. Lots of authentic jewelry and crafts. Many of the vendors are able to explain their craft and the native symbols on their jewelry pieces. All of the artisans under the porch area on the north side are required to be a member of and display their certification of authentic Native American crafts. I appreciated knowing that what we were looking at and purchasing was authentic and handmade by local artists. There are also artists and vendors in the middle area of the plaza, but those are not necessarily Native American or certified.
Written 15 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Where can I park for 3 days in downtown Santa Fe?
Written 27 March 2024
Best place to park for few hours
Written 6 March 2024
Depends on the time of day. Found street parkin after circling a few times
Written 12 March 2024
Do the shops and restaurants close earlier on Sunday’s?
Written 24 September 2022
Hi I need parking near the plaza. Hilton charges $22/day. Are there any lot cheaper that allow overnight parking?
Written 15 April 2022
Not positive but I believe the public parking garages around the square are your best best. There are several of them.
Written 16 April 2022
Sunday? Are the native american vendors on the plaza on Sunday in Santa fe ?
Written 25 July 2021
Did not see any when we were there and that was a Fri-Sun. Best bet is to look up any of the retailers there and ask when the best time to go is.
Written 23 August 2021
Is there a place to park near the plaza with a camper in tow?
Written 13 July 2021
I would recommend parking a bit farther away and walking. Due to the historic area, streets are narrow and congested with traffic and people.
Written 23 July 2021
We are thinking about driving down from WY this weekend to get away from the snow. Are shops and museums open in March 2021. Are vendors selling their wares? What are covid restrictions?
Written 17 March 2021
Are dogs on a leash allowed in the Plaza?
Written 11 December 2019
Leash only, as well as clean up after dog. I think I recall bowls out on the plaza for water.
Written 13 December 2019
What day do the Natives lay their blankets and sell?
Written 17 June 2019
We saw them each day for the 4 days we were there.
Written 17 June 2019
Showing results 1-10 of 27
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing