Customer Reviews

Top 10 Santa Fe (Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guides)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Santa Fe is a very rich travel destination, but it is relatively small and one can see a great deal in an hour or two spent walking within a few blocks of the Plaza. This small guide is an excellent overview, and contains many suggestions for additional reading and study. It is current as of the beginning of 2009.

Taos is even smaller than Santa Fe, and this guide provides an excellent overview. Albuquerque is much larger than either Santa Fe or Taos, and it would be wise to obtain a more detailed guide unless you are giving Albuquerque just a lick and a promise.

My favorite guide to all three cities is Compass American Guides: New Mexico, 5th Edition, which is a personal but very insightful view of the riches in this area. The fifth edition was written originally by Lawrence W. Cheek and has been seamlessly updated by Andrew Collins. (Compass American Guides: Santa Fe, 3rd Edition edited by Larry Cheek still has great value.) A very good "standard" guide is Fodor's Santa Fe, Taos & Albuquerque, 2nd Edition (Fodor's Gold Guides).

I've prepared a Listmania! at the link in the first Comment of my favorite books about New Mexico which is, frankly, heavy on books emphasizing the Santa Fe experience.

Robert C. Ross 2009

This book was perfect for my needs. It was compact, had a good map and gave me the information I needed for my vacation to Northern New Mexico. It helped me plan out my days without overwhelming me with data. The only thing I wouldn't rely on are the restaurant recommendations. They were ok but I did research online for the top restaurants.

I have always liked DK travel guides, and find their "Top 10" guides excellent for planning a quick trip to a destination I know relatively little about. Although I had been to Albuquerque many times and had driven through New Mexico on the Interstate several times, I knew very little about getting off the beaten path in this interesting and artistic area. "Top 10 Santa Fe, Taos & Albuquerque" is a great compact guide for planning a trip to the area, and comes with a somewhat useable (though not well-detailed) map of the region and larger scale maps of Santa Fe, Taos, and Albuquerque (Santa Fe gets the most detailed map) that helps in planning and possibly in navigation, though I recommend a better map for travel off the Interstates.

The guide is useful for helping prioritize itineraries, and has good suggestions for places to go, places to stay (in all price ranges,) places to shop (with emphasis on Santa Fe's art scene,) events like the world-famous Balloon Fiesta, and places to eat. If you are going to take a long trip to the area you might want to supplement this with a more comprehensive guidebook, but I found this ideal for planning a quick vacation to New Mexico. For the price you can't find a better compact guidebook to the area.

I bought this book for a quick 3 day trip to Santa Fe and it was interesting and informative. I got a chance to do so many things that I would have never known about if not for this excellent book. Very readable and small enough for your backpack. Map included!!

Especially helpful for a quick description, historical information and hints to optimize one's experience. Especially for folks with limited time available, the Top Ten guide has the "ten best" in multiple categories - from museums & galleries to walks to historical sites, to day trips to insider tips. A good book to carry with you as your tour.