It was a fun-filled weekend in Santa Fe, starting with the Farmer’s Market at the Santa Fe Railyard. There were delicious baked goods, organic vegetables and artisans. Located on the other side of the train tracks is El Museo Market, an indoor flea market, and a pottery studio. Both were fun to poke around in.

RV/Oversized vehicle parking: RV parking was a little tricky with the farmer’s market crowds. However, we snagged parking in the lot near REI. At 25-feet long, our RV just barely fit! Paid parking was $2/hour for 0-2 hours.

Located a mile away from the Railyard is the Santa Fe plaza area. It’s a good launching off point for a number of interesting sights, including art galleries, cafes, stores and historical places, all conveniently located in walking distance to one another. Unlike Old Town Albuquerque, I thought downtown Santa Fe was more entertaining.

• St. Francis de Assisi Cathedral. He’s the patron saint of animals and nature 🙂

The beautiful facade at St. Francis de Assisi cathedral

• Governor’s Palace. A large number of local artisans display their wares along the outdoor corridor and around the plaza. It’s a fun opportunity to browse and shop. Plus, vendors change out daily so there’s always something new to see.

• Loretto chapel. This was a fascinating site. The story goes that after the chapel was completed, the nuns didn’t have a way to access the choir loft above. They prayed for a solution and on the 9th day, a mysterious carpenter arrived. He worked for 6 months using only a saw, hammer and carpenter’s square. He left after the spiral stairs were completed, without seeking compensation. It’s dubbed the “miraculous staircase” because it has no visible means of support and uses no nails, only wooden pegs.

Loretto Chapel

“Miraculous” staircase

• San Miguel church. The oldest church in the U.S. with a beautiful interior. Love the wood beam ceilings.

San Miguel church, oldest church in the U.S.

Beautiful interior of San Miguel Church

RV/Oversized vehicle parking: If you’re looking for a place to park in Santa Fe plaza, there’s parking at the St Francis Cathedral lot located at 215  Cathedral Place. However, the all-day parking fee for RVs was $25! Luckily, the helpful parking attendant directed me to the parking lot at the Scottish Rite Church, only a few blocks up the street, where all day parking is $5. Score!

Campground

We stayed at Los Suenos RV park, roughly 4 miles from the Santa Fe plaza. Full hookups are available. There’s a Target, Wal-mart and Sprouts Market in walking/cycling distance. Taking an Uber from the RV park into Santa Fe plaza costs approximately $13/way.