Complete Texas & New Mexico

Dallas rises in the heart of Texas with glass skyscrapers and a modern energy that blends with deep Southern tradition. Dealey Plaza and the Sixth Floor Museum preserve the memory of John F. Kennedy's assassination, while the Dallas Arts District — the largest urban cultural district in the United States — gathers museums and theatres designed by world-renowned architects. The historic Deep Ellum quarter reveals murals, jazz and blues venues, while the Bishop Arts District tempts visitors with artisan shops and restaurants. Texan cuisine is a ritual here: smoked barbecue, ribs and generous Tex-Mex. Nearby, Fort Worth keeps the authentic spirit of the Old West alive in its Stockyards. Dallas is the contemporary face of Texas, blending business, culture and warm hospitality.

Fort Worth holds the authentic soul of Texas, where the legacy of the Old West coexists with a culture scene of surprising sophistication. In the historic Stockyards district, the spirit of the cattle drives lives on: each day a herd of longhorns parades through the streets, while saloons, rodeos and equestrian shows keep the cowboy myth alive. The Cultural District is another world entirely, home to world-class museums such as the Kimbell Art Museum and the Amon Carter Museum of American Art, set amid architecture by celebrated masters. The orderly, lively downtown blends skyscrapers, steakhouses and live country-music venues. Often overshadowed by neighbouring Dallas, Fort Worth wins over those seeking a more genuine, welcoming Texas, uniting frontier spirit, art and cuisine in a single memorable experience. Austin, the capital of Texas, is a young and creative city that proudly calls itself the "Live Music Capital of the World". Along famous Sixth Street and in the venues of South Congress, blues, country and rock ring out every evening, while each spring the city erupts with the SXSW and Austin City Limits festivals. Dominated by the imposing dome of the Texas State Capitol, Austin surprises with its natural side: Lady Bird Lake invites kayaking and walks along its shores, while at sunset thousands of bats stream out from the Congress Avenue Bridge in a unique spectacle. Between Texas barbecue and Tex-Mex food trucks, craft breweries and the nonconformist spirit captured in the motto "Keep Austin Weird", the city wins over those seeking energy, music and culture.

Fredericksburg rises in the heart of the Texas Hill Country, a picturesque town with German roots founded by immigrants in the nineteenth century. Main Street lines up breweries, German bakeries, boutiques and tasting rooms, while all around stretches a renowned wine region. The nearby Enchanted Rock, a vast dome of pink granite, draws hikers and climbers. Fredericksburg is the ideal destination for those seeking German culture, Texas wines and the rolling landscape of the Hill Country. Bandera proclaims itself the "Cowboy Capital of the World," tucked into the picturesque Texas Hill Country west of San Antonio. The town keeps intact the spirit of the West, with its dude ranches for authentic horseback experiences, historic saloons and live country music. Rivers and rolling hills invite adventure. Bandera is the ideal destination for those seeking cowboy culture, Texas ranches and the authentic charm of the Hill Country.

Fort Stockton rises in arid West Texas, a historic town that grew around a military fort along the old westward trails. The Fort Stockton Historic District and the statue of Paisano Pete, the giant roadrunner, make it a distinctive stop along the roads of western Texas. Surrounded by deserts and sprawling ranches, it is a foothold toward Big Bend National Park.

Big Bend National Park stretches across southwestern Texas, where the Rio Grande draws a great bend along the Mexican border. A vast realm of Chihuahuan desert, the Chisos mountains and deep canyons, it is one of the most remote and wild parks in the United States. Its skies, among the darkest in America, offer unforgettable starry nights. A sanctuary of pristine nature for those seeking solitude and wide-open spaces.

Marfa rises in the high desert of West Texas, a tiny town that became an unexpected capital of contemporary art. Famous for its minimalist installations, galleries and the mysterious lights that appear on the horizon at night, it draws travellers and creatives from around the world. Its silent streets and vast skies create a surreal, magnetic mood. Carlsbad Caverns holds one of the world's most spectacular cave systems, in the desert of south-eastern New Mexico, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The gigantic Big Room, adorned with stalactites and stalagmites, is reached on foot or by elevator deep in the earth. At sunset, hundreds of thousands of bats fly out of the entrance in an unforgettable spectacle. At the foot of the Franklin Mountains, El Paso stretches along the Rio Grande on the border between Texas and Mexico, facing its twin city of Ciudad Juárez. An ancient caravan crossing once known as "El Paso del Norte," it is today a lively frontier metropolis where Tex-Mex culture and Hispanic traditions blend in food, music, and adobe architecture. Its historic Mission Trail preserves the Spanish missions of Ysleta, Socorro, and San Elizario, among the oldest in the United States. Franklin Mountains State Park offers trails through the Chihuahuan Desert and sweeping sunset views, while the Wyler Aerial Tramway climbs to Ranger Peak for a panorama spanning three states and two nations. El Paso is best savoured over enchiladas, sunshine, and endless skies.

Alamogordo rises in the desert of southern New Mexico, at the foot of the Sacramento Mountains and a short distance from the dazzling gypsum dunes of White Sands National Park. The town hosts the New Mexico Museum of Space History, devoted to space exploration, and serves as a base for outings in the surreal white-sand landscape. Clear skies and spectacular sunsets make it a memorable stop. Alamogordo is the ideal destination for those seeking unique deserts, space history and extraordinary landscapes in the Southwest.

Albuquerque stretches along the Rio Grande in New Mexico, where Native, Hispanic and Anglo heritage blend beneath an immense, luminous sky. Its ancient core is Old Town, founded in 1706, with the church of San Felipe de Neri, earth-coloured adobe buildings and pueblo craft shops. High above, the Sandia Peak Tramway — one of the longest aerial tramways in the world — climbs to the crest of the Sandia Mountains for sweeping desert views. The city is famous worldwide for the International Balloon Fiesta, when hundreds of hot-air balloons colour the autumn dawn. New Mexican cuisine carries the aroma of green and red chile, sopaipillas and pueblo dishes. Amid red mesas, art and Native culture, Albuquerque is the gateway to the authentic Southwest.

From Albuquerque to Santa Fe, you can travel along the Turquoise Trail, a scenic road that goes from Albuquerque to Santa Fe and crosses the hills of New Mexico, offering beautiful views of the surrounding mountains and old ghost towns. It is recommended to make a stop in Madrid, once a ghost town, now a gathering place for artists. Santa Fe guards a singular soul: capital of New Mexico and the oldest of all the United States' state capitals, it wins you over at first glance with its unmistakable terracotta-coloured adobe architecture. Its beating heart is the historic Plaza, flanked by the Palace of the Governors, where Native American artisans display silver and turquoise jewellery. Nearby rise the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi and Canyon Road, the famous gallery-lined street that made Santa Fe one of America's art capitals. The city pulses with Hispanic and Pueblo culture, with its green-chile spiced cuisine, museums devoted to Georgia O'Keeffe and the peaks of the Sangre de Cristo mountains as a backdrop. Santa Fe reveals itself through art, spirituality and desert light.

Taos is a captivating town in northern New Mexico, set in the high desert at the foot of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, famed for its ancient adobe pueblo, continuously inhabited for over a thousand years and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its lively community of artists, drawn by the extraordinary light, makes it a renowned creative centre, with galleries and museums. In winter Taos Ski Valley offers challenging slopes, while the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge gives dizzying views. Between Native culture, art and Southwest landscapes, Taos is magical.