The Loretto Line

We were only in Santa Fe for the day and saw this tour to get an overview of the city. Scheduled at about 75 minutes, my friend and I were easily the youngest on the tour (hosted by veterans), but totally fun.
The open-​air tram picks you up near the plaza by the La Fonda Hotel, seats about 20 folks and offers blankets for the breezy ride. You get to listen about history, art, fun facts, and can’t miss sites. Go through Canyon Road, check out museums, some other galleries and churches from the road (at least you could see what you might go back to visit).
A fun little tour — you’ll like it!

Ok… So… do this tour the First day you go to Santa Fe… not the last day (like I did).
Just sayin’ … it might help you decide which direction to go in if you don’t know where you want to start in terms of Art Viewing /​Buying.
My mom and I found the tour to be a really good overview of all that Santa Fe has to offer… from art to history to architecture and how it all blends together to make Santa Fe… Santa Fe.
Plus, the tour goes by/​through Canyon Road which is a whole other side of town with tons of art shops that we didn’t have time to go to, but they looked fabulous.
And it goes up the hill a ways (I believe it was Old Santa Fe Trail) where you can see how picturesque the area is… and you go by a museum too (but you just drive by — you don’t stop)… but at least you find out it’s there and can go back if you make time for it. (Again. we didn’t… Darn. Next time.)
The tram itself fits 20. That’s snug with 4 people per row.
They even give you a blanket to use if it’s chilly outside.
The tour is about an 75 – 80 minutes. It’s not like it takes up all day, so it’s totally worth it if you’ve never been to Santa Fe or New Mexico for that matter.
There are 2 places to catch the tour… near the Loretto Chapel or near La Fonda Hotel.

I am usually hesitant about City tours, but this one was worth the time and money.
Got a nice historical perspective of Santa Fe and found some areas we might not have known about without the tour.
This area of the city gets really busy so it was good to scout it out from a open tram.

This was a fun little tour of Santa Fe. It lasted about an hour and fifteen minutes and the tour vehicle held about 24 people I think. We got there about 20 minutes before it started and there was plenty of room. We learned a lot about the city and the history, as well as the current culture. Fun!

My wife and I were the youngest people on the tour, but didn’t feel out of place. Stan, our driver, was very sharp and witty for his age, and showed us a lot of neat things. He was also a good source of advice in places to eat afterwards. We lucked out on the nice weather, so I guess that’s part of the reason for the good review. The tram was nice and smooth. The seats could use some cushioning, but we took breaks and made stops enough to stretch out and allow feeling back in our butts. We’d do it again.

Our tour guide was both full of history & information but had a good sense of humor. My friend & I enjoyed our tour and gained some new insights on the hx. of Santa Fe. We liked the stop at Museum Hill and the bronze statues. I have taken bus/​trolley tours in more than a dozen cities. I would suggest this one. There are multiple guides, our guide was John, who did a fine job.

Total waste of time and money. It’s more of a marketing tour than a city tour. Along with a little bit of the history and culture of Santa Fe, our guide showed us the best restaurants and galleries to visit, ensuring us that if we visited one in particular and mentioned his name, we were sure to get a discount. Joking or not, that’s not what I expect from my tour guide. Nor do I care to hear about the guide’s politics and attitudes toward city policies. The 90 minute tour could have been done in 30 minutes if the guide cut out all his editorializing. Not worth a dime and not recommended.