Loretto Chapel, located in Santa Fe, New Mexico, is a historic church best known for its mysterious spiral staircase. Built in the late 19th century, the chapel was commissioned by the Sisters of Loretto and designed in the Gothic Revival style, inspired by the great cathedrals of Europe. Its most famous feature is the staircase leading to the choir loft, which has long been surrounded by legend.
According to the story, when the chapel was completed in 1878, the builders realized there was no way to access the loft without disrupting the interior space. The sisters prayed for a solution, and soon after, a mysterious carpenter arrived, constructed the staircase using only simple tools and wooden pegs, and then disappeared without payment or a word of thanks. The structure, which makes two full turns without any visible central support, continues to puzzle architects and engineers.
Today, Loretto Chapel is no longer used as a church but remains a popular attraction and wedding venue. Visitors come to admire its stunning stained-glass windows, intricate woodwork, and, of course, the miraculous staircase that has become a symbol of faith, craftsmanship, and mystery.
Santa Fe is famous for its dramatic and rugged desert landscape, situated as it is in the spectacular Sangre de Cristo foothills, as well as its historic architecture, quaint and crooked cobbled streets, delicious cuisine, and globally recognised vibrant arts scene. Explore the vibrant, multicultural, creative capital of New Mexico with an expert, English-speaking private guide including tickets to the Georgia O’Keefe Museum.
On your private tour, you will:
Santa Fe Plaza is where your private walking tour begins, the hub of this multifaceted city that is by turns majestic, vibrant, quirky, creative, historic, and modern. Santa Fe was founded in 1610 by Spanish settlers and is today a total melting pot of culture and cuisine, famous for the rugged beauty of its desert and mountainous landscape, and its many art galleries for which it is justly world-famous - including the Georgia O’Keefe Museum.
Enjoy this welcome tour of the historic centre of Santa Fe, taking in all the main highlights, including the Palace of the Governors, San Miguel Church (the oldest church in America and dedicated to the Archangel Michael), the Basilica Cathedral of St Francis, De Vargas Street and more. You’ll soak up the vibrant atmosphere of this uniquely artsy city, and enjoy the banter of the market vendors selling beautiful jewellery, tapestries, weavings, paintings, folk art, and photography; combined with the city’s history and unique adobe architecture Santa Fe is truly a perfect destination for curious travellers and art enthusiasts.
Your tour ends outside the Georgia O’Keefe Museum, where your guide will hand you tickets and tell you all about the extraordinary life and legacy of the artists. O’Keefe lived and worked just an hour from Santa Fe, and is considered one of the most important artists of the 20th century. Her work is instantly recognizable and includes large-scale depictions and abstractions of flowers, rocks, shells, leaves, bones and other natural phenomena, as well as cityscapes of New York and landscapes of New Mexico. The Museum houses over 3000 works by O’Keefe including 140 oil paintings, 700 drawings, and hundreds of other works until 1984 when the artist’s eyesight forced her to retire.
Enjoy a welcome introductory private walking tour of Santa Fe, the vibrant, multicultural, creative capital city of New Mexico situated in the spectacular Sangre de Cristo foothills. Founded as a Spanish colony in 1610, Santa Fe is famous for its historic architecture, dramatic landscape, quaint and crooked cobbled streets, delicious cuisine, and colourful art scene.
On your private tour you will:
Situated around the central Plaza where your private walking tour begins, Santa Fe is by turn a majestic, vibrant, quirky, creative, historic and modern city - a true melting pot of cultures and cuisines, famous for the rugged beauty of its desert and mountainous landscape, and its many galleries leading to it becoming a globally recognised art and culture centre.
The capital city of New Mexico, Santa Fe was founded 400 years ago in 1610 by Spanish colonisers - whose history and controversies you’ll learn all about outside the Palace of the Governors, where the Pueblo Indian uprising began in 1680. Today the city is a confluence of Native American, Spanish, Mexican and American cultures.
You’ll learn about the significant role Catholicism and devotees of Saint Francis have played in the formation of the city - and see America’s oldest church, San Miguel.
Santa Fe’s complex social fabric, multi-ethnic cuisine, unique adobe architecture, beautiful jewellery, tapestries, weavings, paintings, folk art, and photography has made it a mecca for travellers and art enthusiasts.
As well as the historic and cultural highlights of Santa Fe your guide will show you the hidden spot along Palace Avenue that played a key role in the top-secret Manhattan Project during the Second World War.
Your tour ends near Santa Fe Plaza, surrounded by vibrant bars and restaurants - your guide will be only too happy to make recommendations for the rest of your stay.
Discover the highlights of the multicultural, historic, and creative capital city of Santa Fe, New Mexico with an expert private guide, including tickets to the world-renowned Museum of Art.
On your private tour you will:
Your tour begins in Santa Fe Plaza, the vibrant, historic and cultural heart of the city. Your tour will explore all the major highlights and a few hidden gems of New Mexico’s capital city. Santa Fe is famous today for its colourful art scene, multicultural and multiethnic music, cuisine, and crafts.
It was founded in 1610 by Spanish settlers, on Native American land - resulting in the Pueblo uprising of 1680. Its complex past means that the city today is a total melting pot of culture and cuisine. It is also famous for the rugged beauty of the mountainous desert landscape and spectacular sunsets.
World famous as a mecca for art, your tour includes tickets to the amazing Museum of Art.
On your private tour, you will see the Palace of the Governors, San Miguel Church (the oldest church in America), the Basilica Cathedral of St Francis, De Vargas Street, and more. Enjoy the banter of market vendors selling beautiful jewellery, crafts, folk art, and photography.
Your tour ends outside the Museum of Art, a century-old museum that evokes all the nostalgia of the Pueblo Revival style associated with Santa Fe architecture. Your guide will give you a thorough introduction to the museum, for you to explore at your own pace, and choose from among the tens of thousands of pieces of artwork to admire across a breadth of styles and periods.
As one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in North America, it’s no wonder Santa Fe has a wealth of supernatural stories woven into its history. A cultural crossroads for centuries, many different civilisations have made their mark on the city, and the restless spirits of several former inhabitants are still said to wander the streets today. Our private Santa Fe ghost tour is a wonderful way to discover the city’s most macabre tales while exploring downtown after dark.
On our private 2-hour ghost tour, you will:
As twilight descends over the city and the shadows begin to stretch across the emblematic adobe walls, your adventure begins in the historic Plaza Santa Fe. Led by a local expert guide well acquainted with Santa Fe’s history and legends, you’ll embark on a journey into the city’s supernatural side, weaving through dimly lit streets, centuries-old courtyards, and sacred grounds steeped in mystery.
The evening unfolds with tales of haunted happenings beneath the stars, starting in the very Plaza where centuries of conflict, celebration, and tragedy have left more than memories behind. Making your way toward Sena Plaza, you’ll step into one of Santa Fe’s most notoriously haunted corners. Here, amid the creaking wood and flickering lanterns, you’ll hear chilling accounts of apparitions and whispers that echo through time. From there, your guide will lead you to the majestic Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, where they’ll share stories of watchful spirits and ghostly clergy said to linger in the stillness of the night. Just steps away, you’ll find the oldest house in the United States, where strange sounds and shadowy figures have been reported for generations.
Make a stop at the Santa Fe River, where the eerie stillness of the water sets the scene for the haunting legend of La Llorona. Learn how this centuries-old tale of a grieving mother searching for her lost children continues to echo through local folklore, and why many claim to have heard her cries along the riverbanks at night.
Later, you'll pause at San Miguel Chapel, whose ancient foundation predates most American cities. You should listen carefully, since many have claimed to hear soft chanting and footsteps that seem to come from nowhere. You will then pass the beautifully lit Loretto Chapel, where your guide will unravel the mystery of the miraculous staircase, an architectural wonder shrouded in spiritual legend and ghostly lore. No ghostly route around Santa Fe would be complete without a stop at La Fonda on the Plaza, an iconic hotel with a long history of spectral guests. From phantom judges to ballroom dancers that vanish mid-step, the stories here are as rich and layered as Santa Fe itself.
Whether you're a curious sceptic or a seasoned ghost hunter, this intimate evening tour offers a rare and thrilling glimpse into the uncanny elements of one of America’s most enchanting cities.
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