Santa Fe is weird. I mean that in the best way possible, but there is no other way to describe a city where the buildings are legally required to be the color of dried mud and you can find a $20,000 turquoise necklace right next to a shop selling dried chili peppers. It’s this specific, high-desert friction that keeps the Santa Fe Conde Nast Traveler relationship so symbiotic. Year after year, the city doesn't just show up on the Readers’ Choice Awards; it practically camps out there.
Why?
Most people think it’s just the margaritas or the sunsets that look like a spilled bottle of watercolor paint. But honestly, it’s deeper. The Conde Nast Traveler audience is notoriously picky. These are people who fly to the Amalfi Coast for lunch and think the Maldives is "getting a bit crowded." Yet, they consistently vote Santa Fe as one of the best small cities in the world. They’ve been doing it for decades. It’s a rare feat of longevity in a travel industry that usually abandons "trendy" spots every eighteen months.
The persistent magic of the Santa Fe Conde Nast ranking
If you look at the 2024 and 2025 data, Santa Fe isn't just a participant. It's a heavyweight. It often clocks in at number two or three for Best Small City in the U.S., frequently trading blows with Charleston, South Carolina. But where Charleston offers Southern charm and humidity, Santa Fe offers 7,000 feet of altitude and a culture that feels older than the United States itself.
It’s about the soul.
You see, the Santa Fe Conde Nast connection works because the city refuses to change its fundamental identity for tourists. If you want a neon-lit skyscraper, go to Vegas. If you want a city that shuts down at 9:00 PM because everyone is waking up early to hike the Atalaya Mountain trail, you come here. Readers recognize that authenticity. They see the Bishop’s Lodge or the Inn of the Five Graces winning "Best Hotel" accolades and realize these aren't just cookie-cutter luxury boxes. They are experiences built into the actual bedrock of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.
Why the "City Different" isn't just a marketing slogan
The nickname "The City Different" was actually coined over a hundred years ago. It wasn't a PR firm's brainchild. It was a literal description. Santa Fe is the oldest state capital in the U.S., founded in 1610. When you walk through the Plaza, you’re walking over layers of Spanish colonial history, Pueblo indigenous heritage, and Mexican influence.
It’s dense.
The air is thin, and the history is thick. This creates a specific vibe that luxury travelers—the kind who read Conde Nast—crave. They want "place-ness." In a world where every airport looks like every other airport, the fact that you can’t see a single billboard in Santa Fe is a luxury in itself.
The hotels that define the Readers' Choice Awards
Let’s talk about the properties that actually move the needle for the Santa Fe Conde Nast scores. You can't mention this city without mentioning the Inn of the Five Graces. It’s basically a fever dream of silk rugs, Moroccan tiles, and kiva fireplaces. It’s expensive. It’s opulent. It’s also exactly why the city ranks so high.
Then there’s Bishop’s Lodge, an Auberge Resort. After its massive renovation a few years back, it reclaimed its spot as a global destination. It sits on 317 acres. You can go fly-fishing and then have a world-class tasting menu. This duality—the ruggedness of the West paired with the refinement of a European estate—is the "secret sauce" for those high ratings.
- The Inn & Spa at Loretto: Famous for being right next to the "miraculous" spiral staircase.
- Four Seasons Resort Rancho Encantado: Where you go if you want to see the stars without any light pollution.
- La Fonda on the Plaza: The historic heart of the city where the art on the windows is as famous as the cocktails.
Art, Food, and the "High-Low" Balance
Honestly, the food scene in Santa Fe is probably 40% of why people vote for it. It isn't just about "red or green" chile, though that is the most important question you’ll be asked all week. It’s about places like Sazón, where Chef Fernando Olea (a James Beard winner) treats mole like a sacred chemical formula.
It’s sophisticated.
But then you have the art. Canyon Road has over a hundred galleries in a half-mile radius. You can spend $50,000 on a bronze sculpture or $5 on a handmade clay pot from a vendor under the portal at the Palace of the Governors. This "high-low" mix ensures the city doesn't feel like a stuffy museum. It feels alive. It feels like people actually make things here.
The Meow Wolf effect
We have to talk about Meow Wolf. Before this psychedelic art collective opened "House of Eternal Return," Santa Fe was seen as a place for retirees who liked turquoise. Now? It’s a magnet for Gen Z and Millennials. It’s a massive, immersive mystery house inside an old bowling alley.
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It changed everything.
Suddenly, Santa Fe Conde Nast mentions started including words like "trippy," "innovative," and "boundary-pushing." It proved that a city with 400 years of history could still be at the cutting edge of global pop culture. It’s a weird pivot, but it worked.
The Nuance of the "Best Time to Visit"
The Conde Nast crowd loves the fall. That’s when the aspens turn gold and the smell of roasting piñon wood fills the air. It’s intoxicating. But there’s a counter-argument for the winter.
Ski Santa Fe is a local gem. It’s not as pretentious as Aspen or as crowded as Vail. You can ski in the morning and be back in the Plaza for a margarita by 3:00 PM. The spring is "mud season," which most locals hate but photographers love because the clouds are dramatic as hell. Summer is the Opera season. The Santa Fe Opera house is open-air, meaning you can watch Mozart while a real-life lightning storm flickers in the distance behind the stage. It’s theatrical in a way that feels scripted, even though it’s just nature showing off.
Is the hype actually justified?
Look, nowhere is perfect. Santa Fe is expensive. The "Santa Fe Style" can sometimes feel a bit performative. The high altitude means one glass of wine feels like three, and your skin will feel like parchment paper within forty-eight hours if you don't hydrate.
But the Santa Fe Conde Nast accolades aren't just a fluke of the algorithm.
The city has a "gravity" to it. People who go once tend to go back every single year. It’s the kind of place where you stop checking your watch. You start noticing the way the light hits the adobe walls at 4:30 PM (the "Golden Hour" here is legitimately different due to the lack of humidity).
How to do Santa Fe like a Conde Nast editor
If you want to experience the version of the city that gets the five-star reviews, you have to lean into the pace. Don't rush. Don't try to "see everything."
First, get out of the Plaza. The Plaza is the heart, but the soul is in the foothills. Hike the Dale Ball Trails. Then, go to Ten Thousand Waves. It’s a Japanese-inspired spa in the mountains. You soak in a hot tub surrounded by juniper trees. It’s quiet. It’s meditative. It’s exactly the kind of "wellness" that actually feels healthy rather than just a marketing gimmick.
Eat at The Shed, but be prepared to wait. They don't take reservations for lunch, and the line is a rite of passage. Order the blue corn enchiladas. If you can handle the heat, go green. If you’re scared, go "Christmas" (half red, half green).
Practical Next Steps for Your Trip
To truly capture the essence of what makes this a top-tier destination, follow this loose framework:
- Book 4-6 months in advance if you’re planning on visiting during the Indian Market (August) or the Opera season (July/August). These are the times when the city is at its peak capacity.
- Prioritize a "Legacy" stay. While there are plenty of Airbnbs, the Conde Nast experience is really tied to the historic hotels. Staying at La Fonda or the Inn of the Anasazi gives you a sense of place you can't get in a guest house.
- Acclimatize immediately. Drink twice as much water as you think you need. Buy a canister of "Boost Oxygen" at the grocery store if you feel a headache coming on. The 7,000-foot elevation is no joke.
- Explore the "New" Santa Fe. Spend an afternoon at the Railyard District. It’s where the locals hang out. There’s a farmer’s market, contemporary art galleries (like SITE Santa Fe), and great breweries.
- Venture to the High Road to Taos. If you have a car, take the day trip. It takes you through tiny weaving villages like Chimayó. It’s the "Old New Mexico" that hasn't changed in centuries.
The reason Santa Fe Conde Nast rankings stay so high isn't because the city is a perfect theme park. It’s because it’s a living, breathing, slightly dusty, incredibly beautiful anomaly. It’s a place that forces you to slow down, breathe thin air, and realize that maybe, just maybe, the modern world is moving a little too fast.