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Recommended Reviews - Santa Fe Plaza

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This wall near the plaza has native American vendors selling jewelry, arts, and crafts
Jay P.

Founded in 1609 by the Spanish, this plaza is the main heart of Santa Fe with a lot of shops and restaurants accessible from here. This was where El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, the royal road of the interior, ended, having begun in Mexico City. This is where the Santa Fe Trail ended its 900-mile-long journey from Independence, Missouri. There are markers in the plaza commemorating both. The best part of the plaza is the Native American street vendors that sell arts and crafts on the street. Many of them have their ID card and we loved meeting Paul and buying some of the hand painted see pots him and his wife made with hummingbirds on them. We asked him what the bird meant and he said "the beauty of life" and it made it a must buy. We saw other vendors selling jewlery, turquoise, paintings, and sandstone art but this was the tail end of our trip and we had no space anymore. This is an idea/tip but we asked around for fry bread or other Native American foods and nobody knew anywhere close by that served it. A nice Native American food truck or small stand would make a killing in this area!

Store near plaza
Val R.

Santa Fe Plaza is a must see for visitors. It's surrounded by beautiful buildings, museums, restaurants, churches, shopping. It's a beautiful city to visit. I enjoyed visiting and definitely can't wait to visit again .

The City of Santa Fe uses a ParkMobile app at its meters.
Arne B.

Here's what you need to know about the Santa Fe Plaza: 1) It can get very crowded around the plaza with lots of pedestrians and cars. 2) Street parking is a challenge and spaces near the plaza are hard to come by. Several parking facilities are located near the Santa Fe Plaza. The Water Street Municipal Lot at 100 East Water Street is a popular surface lot with 156 spaces, including four accessible spots, open 24 hours daily with a rate of $2 per hour, capped at $12 per day. The Sandoval Municipal Garage at 216 West San Francisco Street is another highly used facility with 382 spaces, including 15 accessible spots, open daily from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., with rates of $1 for the first hour, $2 for the second hour, and $12 maximum per day. The Santa Fe Community Convention Center Municipal Garage at 119 South Federal Place, located a few blocks from the plaza, features 489 spaces, including 13 accessible spots, open daily from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., with the same rate structure as the other two facilities. Parking is free for individuals with a valid placard or accessible registration plate, and the City has designated 60 on-street and 41 off-street accessible parking spaces throughout downtown. the City of Santa Fe offers a ParkMobile app, which allows users to pay for parking by entering the zone number found on meter signs, extend parking sessions remotely, and receive notifications. 3) FOCUS!! WATCH FOR PEDESTRIANS IN THE AREA AROUND THE PLAZA. Drive very slowly and watch for vehicles unloading or loading. 4) Public restrooms are available. There is a very well-maintained public restroom and visitor center next to the municipal parking lot located at 100 East Water Street.

On the Plaza
Natasha A.

Beautiful historic plaza, lots of art, jewelry, cafes, restaurants, churches, museums, hotels, and specialty shops. Worth a visit.

Prepping for beautiful spring grass
Jamie S.

The plaza is the best spot to be in Santa Fe. Classic restaurants. Great shopping. Very friendly vendors. We heard a drum circle one day. It's a super cool area to check out. Parking around the outskirts was easy and convenient too. It's all extremely walkable.

Resaurant/bar
Liz T.

Authentic Good buys. Great place to relax and enjoy food and culture. People were very friendly and helpful.

Shops and shops and shops
Larry P.

We stayed 2 nights as there is so much to see and do! The shops that can keep you busy all day going in and out! Also the food which is southwest style with the famous hatch chilis. Red or green one is hotter than the other! Get them both which is called Christmas! I ask for them on the side so I can use them to my taste!

Karen N.

Absolutely loved walking around the Santa Fe Plaza. There were so many galleries , boutiques and shops to explore. There were several gardens , stores and restaurants in hidden alley ways. There were several Native Americans selling their crafts. There was also an art fair going on with several unique artists. It is easy to spend several hours walking leisurely through the area. Parking is a bit of a challenge, but we decided to park in a public garage a few blocks away. It was very reasonably priced.

Tiam L.

Beautiful location in the heart of downtown Santa Fe. We found a parking lot with a flat rate of $15 which may seem like much but it was right across the O'Keeffe museum and not far from the two other nearby museums plus the plaza. And if you want to take your time seeing all of the stores that are available or even getting a bite to eat then it's definitely worth it vs doing the parked meters that only go up for about 2 hours. Would highly recommend taking your time and finding the hidden gems inside and near the plaza!

Rashi T.

A witness to over four hundred years of New Mexico history and located at the center of the oldest European established capital city in the United States ,the Santa Fe Plaza is the heart of Santa Fe. It has everything one needs for a fun relaxed day in the city . The Plaza is the gathering spot for residents and tourists alike and offers so much - art galleries , restaurants , shops ,boutiques , street vendors and so much history! In addition to the chapel and the Palace of the Governors, there is also the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi and Loretta church. Plenty of food options and restaurents range from new and trendy to old and fine dining -take your pick . Parking can be really challenging but there are paid garages and street parking , the only issue is finding one close to you .

Grace R.

Santa Fe Plaza is a nice area to walk around and explore art galleries, souvenir shops, restaurants, historic sites. The area has an adobe architectural design buildings. I like the the art galleries and learning about the history of Santa Fe. There is so much to discover and trying New Mexican dishes. This place has a unique cultural heritage.

Jo S.

I love a charming town with a nice Plaza, and this one in Santa Fe is one of the cutest, it reminded me of Mexico. You have the nice Gazebo, they do have bands playing in the weekends, but also during week time in the summer, so that's fun. There's a cute taco truck and they also sell lemonades if you get thirsty. Otherwise there are many restaurants around, ice-cream shops, galleries, stores, jewelry shops, a bit of everything, from touristy to more unique, from reasonably priced to very expensive. There's a church around, Saint Francis of Assisi with a cute garden, the Inn of the Governors, a wonderful historic building where they sell Native American goods, museums that stay open till 4 pm. During the weekend they also have street fairs, art fairs, the place is lively, full of people, walkable, the heart of Santa Fe. The Spanish style plaza is a must visit. It's always something going on. I saw it after a summer storm, emptier, I saw it many times bustling of people. It never gets boring and you will always end up here one way or another while in town!

An alley of the main square with something for everyone
Tanja N.

It's a gorgeous heart of the town with plenty of stores, restaurants and local vendors with exquisite finds. It gets quite busy, so be patient looking for a parking or simply walk around. We enjoyed it quite a bit, but found it overcrowded at times, and decided to spend majority of our time in a natural attractions this area has to offer with occasional visits to the main plaza.

Native American performer educating onlookers on traditions.

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Santa Fe Plaza Reviews in Other Languages

Ask the Community - Santa Fe Plaza

Don't know why my question was reported and removed but is this place open or permanently closed?

It is open. We just visited in June.

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Review Highlights - Santa Fe Plaza

One thing not to miss is the Native American artisans who are set up in front of the Palace of the Governors.

Mentioned in 13 reviews

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De Vargas Street House

De Vargas Street House

3.8(6 reviews)
0.3 mi

De Vargas Street House is a museum that claims to be the "oldest house in the U.S." While the…read moreaccuracy of this claim is uncertain, it's a charming little piece of American history. The entry fee is donation based, I contributed $10 since I visited alone, but the suggestion is $2 per person. Inside, there's a small gift shop with souvenirs. It's a quaint stop, I would say a bit of a tourist trap, but still an interesting place to visit just to say you've been there!

The Oldest House Museum, also known as the De Vargas Street House, is a historic site located on De…read moreVargas St. in Santa Fe. It's a two-room adobe building with a collection of historical artifacts not related to the home. The "oldest house" claim isn't accurate; a study of the wooden ceiling beams in the house reportedly showed they were cut between 1740 and 1767 - a century after the Braman-Nothnagle Log House which was built between 1638 and 1643 in Gibbstown, New Jersey. There also isn't a firm date for when the De Vargas House was constructed and different scientists and historians have posited different date ranges. Despite this, the museum not only makes the claim it's the oldest home, but has posted a condescending list of claims of why people shouldn't question them, writing "think about it." The museum isn't manned with any personnel or docent, and there isn't a check-in of any kind or reception area. You enter into the gift shop, take a left, read the condescending signs in the first room and then step down into a second room with unrelated items along the walls. To call this former house a "museum" is generous. It's a gift shop that happens to have two rooms attached with an undetermined history and will take about 10 minutes to walk through if you include the gift shop. It is not a member of the New Mexico Association of Museums. Don't waste your time here - there's much better sites to visit in Santa Fe.

Photos
De Vargas Street House - Outside the museum.

Outside the museum.

De Vargas Street House
De Vargas Street House - Inside the museum.

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Inside the museum.

Santuario De Guadalupe

Santuario De Guadalupe

4.4(5 reviews)
0.4 mi

Santa Fe is a cool town but I was only excited for a few things there before visiting. When coming…read moreacross this place, I suddenly found myself in some type of wonder world. Walk around Santa Fe and you never know what could be around the next corner. This place isn't exactly a tourist destination. While I took pictures and walked around the place, I'm still not entirely sure of its purpose. It's my understanding that this church is named after a virgin from Mexico. Forgive my ignorance on the subject. You would think that a virgin church in the middle of many other churches(ONE OF THEM HAS TO BE HAS TO LIKE HER, RIGHT? RIGHT??)... virginity is rare so it has that going for it. Hook up with one of those other churches already! The place was locked as it was a mid-week weekday. We also weren't chased off by any type of security guard so we were able to snap pictures and view the outside. I wish it would've been opened so I could've checked it out.

Beautiful church away from the touristy Plaza. The grounds are covered with the most beautiful…read moreblooming rose bushes. The statue of Guadalupe catches your eye, but immediately in front of Guadalupe is a life size Rosary shown as pavers on the ground for the Rosary beads. Definitely a working church, as there were parishioners lining up for weekend mass while Hubby and I were visiting. We did not visit the sanctuary because of mass, but thought the grounds were beautiful.

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Santuario De Guadalupe
Santuario De Guadalupe
Santuario De Guadalupe

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Santa Fe Plaza - landmarks - Updated July 2026

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