By Train

Amtrak (800/872-7245, www.amtrak.com [1]) runs the Southwest Chief daily between Chicago and Los Angeles [2], stopping in Lamy [3] (18 miles from Santa Fe [4]) and Albuquerque [5]. Traveling by train, if you have the time to do it, is a rewarding experience, as you’ll get a great sense of New Mexico’s isolation—and of what a dramatic change the railroad made when it arrived in 1880.

Arriving in Albuquerque [5], you’re in the middle of downtown, but Lamy [3] is little more than a depot and a café. Amtrak provides shuttle service to Santa Fe [4] hotels, or you can connect with a tour run by Santa Fe [4] Southern Railway (505/989-8600, www.sfsr.com [6]), though the schedule varies significantly according to the day and the season. If you’re coming from Chicago, know that Amtrak pads its schedule heavily between Lamy [3] and Albuquerque [5]—so if the train is running behind, you’ll be late arriving in Lamy [3], but generally will still get to Albuquerque [5] on schedule.

At press time, Albuquerque’s [5] Rail Runner commuter-rail service was being extended to Santa Fe [4], with direct service between the cities’ downtowns set to start in late 2008. It should be a solid transit option by the time you read this. Check www.nmrailrunner.com [7] for details.