Must-See Attractions in Santa Fe
Santa Fe, New Mexico — updated August 22, 2026
Seven Santa Fe attractions ranked by how well they hold up, from the most-reviewed art installation in town to a trailhead with only a few dozen ratings behind it.
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Santa Fe packs four centuries of adobe, a museum district on its own hill, and a warren of a psychedelic art installation into a city of well under 100,000 people. The result is a short list where a 17th-century plaza and a converted bowling alley sit within a few miles of each other. Below, the attractions are ordered by how convincingly the ratings hold up, with the exact review count given so you can judge for yourself.
1. Meow Wolf Santa Fe's House of Eternal Return
This is the most heavily reviewed attraction in the city by a wide margin: 4.7 stars across 20,745 reviews, which makes it about as settled as a rating gets. The House of Eternal Return is a walk-through art installation on Rufina Circle, southwest of the historic center and a drive from the Plaza rather than a stroll. Plan on more time than you expect, since the appeal is poking into refrigerators and closets rather than moving through in order. Check the Meow Wolf site for entry details before you go.
2. Santa Fe Plaza
The Plaza is the reference point every other address in town works off, and its 4.7 rating from 11,940 reviews is proof rather than promise. It sits at the center of the downtown grid near Lincoln Avenue, ringed by the Palace of the Governors, shops and restaurants, and it functions as the staging ground for the city's markets and festivals. Free, open-air and walkable, it is the logical first stop if you want your bearings before committing to museums. The city site is the place to look for event schedules.
3. The Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi
A block east of the Plaza on Cathedral Place, the Romanesque Revival basilica is the rare downtown landmark that photographs well and rewards going inside. Its 4.8 rating across 2,410 reviews puts it among the best-regarded sites in Santa Fe with enough volume behind it to trust. Because it is an active parish, hours vary around services, so check cbsfa.org before planning a visit around it. It pairs naturally with the Plaza: the two are close enough that most visitors do both in one morning.
4. Museum of International Folk Art
The strongest of the Museum Hill institutions by rating, at 4.8 stars from more than 1,300 reviews. The draw is scale: thousands of folk objects from around the world displayed together rather than parceled out by country, which is a different experience from the usual gallery walk. It sits at 706 Camino Lejo on Museum Hill, a couple of miles southeast of downtown, alongside other museums, so the drive is easier to justify if you plan a half day there. Check moifa.org for current hours and closures.
5. Valles Caldera National Preserve
A collapsed volcanic caldera holding a vast grass valley, rated 4.8 from more than 1,200 reviews. The catch is location: the entrance is at 39201 NM-4 in Jemez Springs, outside Santa Fe, so this is a full-day trip rather than an afternoon add-on. Go for the open meadows, the elk and the sheer scale, which is hard to convey in photographs. Access and road conditions change with the seasons in the Jemez Mountains, so confirm with the preserve before setting out, and carry water and layers.
6. Randall Davey Audubon Center & Sanctuary
At the top of Upper Canyon Road, where the road runs out at the edge of the national forest, this sanctuary combines birding trails with the former home and studio of artist Randall Davey. The 4.8 rating is high but rests on 131 reviews, so treat it as strongly liked by a small group rather than a mass verdict. It is the easiest place near downtown to get quiet and see birds without driving far. Morning is the sensible time for both the birds and the parking, which is limited.
7. Atalaya Mountain
The city's best-known day hike, climbing from the southeast edge of town to a summit view over Santa Fe and the Rio Grande valley. Evidence here is thin: 4.4 stars from just 42 reviews, a fraction of what the museums and the Plaza have logged, so the rating is promising rather than proven. The trail is steep in its upper half and exposed, which matters at this elevation, so start early and bring more water than a two-hour hike would normally need. Nothing here is ticketed or staffed.