Self-drive road trip · USA
Six days through adobe villages, ancient pueblos and painted high-desert skies — your road, your pace
Per person, estimatedUS$537
New Mexico rewards the curious traveller like nowhere else in the American Southwest. On this six-day loop from Albuquerque you follow a route that has drawn artists, traders and pilgrims for centuries: south of the capital the Rio Grande glints through cottonwood bosques; the Turquoise Trail threads through ghost towns and turquoise mines toward the art-world capital of Santa Fe; and the high road to Taos traces mountain villages where Spanish Colonial churches stand against steel-blue skies.
In Albuquerque's Old Town you can wander adobe plazas that pre-date the United States by more than a century. Santa Fe's Canyon Road galleries, the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum and the historic Palace of the Governors anchor two full days of exploration. In Taos you sleep at altitude among pinyon pines with the Sangre de Cristo Mountains as your backdrop — and Taos Pueblo, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the oldest continuously inhabited communities on earth, is a short drive away.
The package puts you behind the wheel of a well-suited SUV from Albuquerque International Sunport and delivers a carefully chosen hotel at each overnight stop — each rated 8.0 or better where available — so your only job is to follow the open road and let New Mexico's three-culture heritage do the rest.
Three distinct cities — one seamless loop — covering the best of New Mexico in six unhurried days
The Turquoise Trail and High Road to Taos rank among America's most scenic byways, connecting landscapes that change dramatically every mile
Taos Pueblo: a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the oldest continuously inhabited communities on Earth — nothing prepares you for its quiet power
March brings crystalline high-desert light, snow-dusted Sangre de Cristo peaks and far fewer crowds than the summer season
New Mexican cuisine — red, green or Christmas — is a regional identity unto itself; you'll eat extremely well across all three stops
Optional upsells — hot-air ballooning over the Rio Grande, a New Mexican cooking class, spa days and pueblo guide experiences — let you shape the trip to your style
Carefully curated hotels at each stop, real-time SUV inventory from ABQ Airport and 24/7 on-trip support give you confidence on every mile
Every stop has a hotel already chosen for you. Open a stop to swap the hotel, add activities or stay longer. The price updates as you go.
Want more time somewhere? Open any stop and tap Add a night. Every day after it moves back, and your dates and price update automatically.
Stay longer or shorter in Albuquerque
Your stay in AlbuquerqueDays 1–2
Each night you add pushes the rest of the trip back by a day. Your dates, hotels, car and price all update for you, and you can undo it anytime.
Pick up your car at Albuquerque (ABQ), from 10:00. It's yours for all 6 days.
Pick up your SUV at Albuquerque International Sunport and head straight into the city's heart. Albuquerque's Old Town is one of the oldest European settlements in the American Southwest — a labyrinth of adobe buildings, hand-woven rugs and silver jewellery laid out around a cottonwood-shaded plaza that has changed remarkably little since 1706.
Spend the afternoon at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, a Pueblo-owned museum and cultural hub that introduces the 19 Pueblos of New Mexico with depth and dignity — this is the ideal orientation before you visit Taos Pueblo later in the trip. Stroll across the Rio Grande on the Paseo del Bosque trail at golden hour, or head south along the Turquoise Trail National Scenic Byway (NM 14) to the ghost town of Madrid, now a quirky arts community. Dinner in the Barelas or Nob Hill neighbourhoods lets you try New Mexico's two official state dishes: red chile and green chile — both simultaneously, if you order 'Christmas' style.
Overnight: Hotel Mesa Albuquerque Midtown
“Hotel Mesa Albuquerque Midtown impresses guests with its exceptionally caring and helpful staff who go above and beyond to create a welcoming experience.”
Included in your trip1 night, 2020 Menaul Blvd Ne, Albuquerque
No set plans here. Wander, linger over dinner and let Albuquerque surprise you.
Stay longer or shorter in Santa Fe
Your stay in Santa FeDays 2–4
Each night you add pushes the rest of the trip back by a day. Your dates, hotels, car and price all update for you, and you can undo it anytime.
Check out and join the Turquoise Trail (NM 14) heading north through the Sandia Mountains foothills. The hour-long scenic route passes Tijeras, Cedar Crest, Carnuel and the old turquoise-mining villages of Golden and Cerrillos before depositing you in Santa Fe — New Mexico's historic capital and the oldest seat of government in the United States. Check in, then orientate yourself around the central Plaza, explore the Palace of the Governors (built 1610) and browse the Native American artisans who display their work beneath its portal portico.
Give yourself a full day in Santa Fe. Walk Canyon Road — a narrow, winding street lined with more than 80 galleries and studios where painters, sculptors and ceramicists live and work in historic adobe compounds. The Georgia O'Keeffe Museum downtown houses the world's largest permanent collection of her paintings; the Museum of International Folk Art on Museum Hill is equally extraordinary.
In the afternoon, the historic Loretto Chapel and San Miguel Mission — the oldest surviving church in the US — make a short, rewarding walk from the Plaza. Reserve dinner at one of Santa Fe's acclaimed restaurants where New Mexican, Native American and contemporary Southwestern cuisines converge on the same plate.
Overnight: The Inn at Vanessie, night 1 of 2
Included in your trip2 Nights, 427 W Water St, Santa Fe
No set plans here. Wander, linger over dinner and let Santa Fe surprise you.
Stay longer or shorter in Taos
Your stay in TaosDays 4–6
Each night you add pushes the rest of the trip back by a day. Your dates, hotels, car and price all update for you, and you can undo it anytime.
Leave Santa Fe on the celebrated High Road to Taos (NM 503 → NM 76 → NM 518) — arguably the most scenic drive in all of New Mexico. The route rises through Spanish Colonial mountain villages where life has changed little in centuries: Chimayó, home of the famous El Santuario de Chimayó pilgrimage chapel and the finest traditional weavers in the Southwest; Truchas, a high-mountain village with Ansel Adams–worthy views of the Sangre de Cristo peaks; and Las Trampas, with its 18th-century San José de Gracia church, one of the finest surviving examples of Spanish Colonial religious architecture in North America.
Arrive in Taos by early afternoon and check in. Explore the compact plaza, the Kit Carson Home & Museum, and the Taos Art Museum at the Fechin House — once the studio home of Russian-American artist Nicolai Fechin, its hand-carved woodwork alone is worth the visit.
This morning is devoted to Taos Pueblo, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and National Historic Landmark that has been continuously inhabited for more than 1,000 years. The multi-storey adobe dwellings rise above the Rio Pueblo de Taos like a natural extension of the mountain itself. Entry is via a guided tour led by Pueblo members — please follow all photography and area-access guidelines out of respect for this living community.
After lunch, drive west on US-64 to the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge — at 650 feet above the river, the views into the gorge are genuinely spectacular and entirely free. On the return, consider a stop at the Millicent Rogers Museum for outstanding collections of Pueblo, Navajo and Spanish Colonial art and jewellery.
Overnight: Taos Valley Lodge, night 1 of 2
Included in your trip2 Nights, 615 Paseo Del Pueblo Sur, Taos
No set plans here. Wander, linger over dinner and let Taos surprise you.
Return your car at Albuquerque (ABQ) by 10:00, then check in for your flight home.
For the return to Albuquerque, take the Low Road (NM 68) south along the Rio Grande — a completely different landscape from the High Road, passing through the stunning Orilla Verde Recreation Area where the river cuts a dramatic canyon through volcanic basalt. The drive is under two hours, leaving you time for a final New Mexican breakfast in Taos before departure.
Return the rental car at Albuquerque International Sunport. If your flight departs later in the day, leave your luggage at the hotel bell desk and spend a final hour browsing the Old Town shops or picking up a last bag of Hatch green chile to bring home.
Departure day · No overnight stay
A rental car is included for all 6 days. Want more room or comfort? Upgrade below.
Pick up, day 1Albuquerque (ABQ), from 10:00
Return, day 5Albuquerque (ABQ), by 10:00
Good to knowUnlimited miles. Rates assume a driver aged 30 or over.
Operated by USFlydrive.
Download this tour's PDF brochure and plan offline: every day, your hotels, the car and our phone numbers.
Our travel experts know these roads. Call and we'll tailor the trip with you.
Estimated total, 2 travelersUS$1,074
How this road trip stacks up against similar self-drive tours, side by side.
| Tour | |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price, per person | ||||
| From | US$537 | US$372 | US$968 | US$712 |
| Per night | US$107 / night | US$74 / nightBest | US$161 / night | US$119 / night |
| The trip | ||||
| Duration | 6 days, 5 nights | 6 days, 5 nights | 7 days, 6 nights | 7 days, 6 nights |
| You're viewing this tour | View tour | View tour | View tour |
"From" prices are per person for 2 travelers sharing, at the cheapest hotels. Driving is estimated from the stop locations.
| Stops | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
|---|
| Places | Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Taos | Louisville, Bardstown Bourbon Company, Lexington | Wailua | Kailua-Kona, Hilo |
|---|
| Start and finish | Albuquerque International Sunport (ABQ) | Louisville International Airport | Lihue Kauai | Kona International Airport (KOA) |
|---|
| On the road |
|---|
| Total driving | About 225 km | About 175 km | Not listed | About 120 km |
|---|
| Longest drive day | About 115 km | About 105 kmBest | Not listed | About 120 km |
|---|
| Car included | Intermediate SUV | Yes | Compact | Compact |
|---|
| Stays and extras |
|---|
| Hotels included | 3 to 4-star hotels | 3-star hotels | 3-star hotels | 2 to 3-star hotels |
|---|
| Hotel choice | About 10 hotels per stop | About 6 hotels per stop | About 13 hotels per stopBest | About 8 hotels per stop |
|---|
| Airport transfer | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included |
|---|
FromUS$968per person
