Things to Do in Sedona for Couples

• $$$$
• Calm
• Reserve ahead

L'Auberge de Sedona's restaurant, beside Oak Creek. Dinner daily from 5 to 9 p.m. (last seating), Sunday brunch, and the Cress Bar from 2 to 9 p.m. Reservations strongly recommended.

Tip: Ask for a table by the creek; the bar is a good stop if dinner is booked out.

• $$$$
• Calm
• Reserve ahead

Chef Lisa Dahl's restaurant on a bluff above the canyon, opened in 2015: South American-inspired grill cooking from Argentina, Chile and Uruguay, with floor-to-ceiling windows and a terrace facing the red rocks. Lunch and dinner.

Tip: Ask for a window or terrace table and book dinner around sunset.

• $$$$
• Calm
• Reserve ahead

French-inspired fine dining with Mediterranean touches in a courtyard inside Tlaquepaque, with a chef's prix fixe and a Wine Spectator-recognised list. Lunch from noon and dinner from 3:30 to 9 p.m., daily; the dining room keeps a grown-up, formal feel.

• $$$
• Lively
• Reserve ahead

Chef Jeff Smedstad's modern Mexican and Southwestern cooking, drawn from years of travel in Oaxaca, Veracruz and Puebla. Dinner from 5 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday; closed Sunday and Monday. Reservations are required and open 60 days ahead.

Tip: Book the day the 60-day window opens if you want a table at sunset.

• $$$$
• Calm
• Reserve ahead

The resort's main dining room, deep in Boynton Canyon: modern American cooking with a Southwestern accent, local ingredients and an award-winning wine list.

Tip: Book ahead; it's a 20-minute drive from town, so plan the ride back.

• $
• Calm
• Walk-in

Sedona's classic sunset view across the whole red rock skyline, from the lot the airport runs on top of the mesa. Parking is $3 for the day (keep the receipt); cards and cash accepted. The short Airport View and longer Airport Loop trails start here.

Tip: The airport says to arrive an hour before sunset, because the road backs up.

• $$$
• Calm
• Walk-in

The bar beside Cress on Oak Creek, open daily from 2 to 9 p.m.: a quiet glass of wine or a cocktail by the creek without committing to dinner.

• $$$
• Calm
• Tickets in advance

Heads-up: Start times change with the season.

A professional astronomer walks you through the constellations, then at least six objects through big telescopes: planets, star clusters, nebulae and galaxies. Tours run year-round; in September they start at 8:30 and 10 p.m., in October at 8 and 9:30 p.m., and from November at 7:30 and 9 p.m.

Tip: Bring a warm layer: desert nights cool fast in autumn.

• $$$
• Lively
• Tickets in advance

The company's best-known off-road route, climbing the slickrock of the Broken Arrow trail in a pink open-air jeep. The standard tour lasts about two hours; a shorter twilight version and a three-hour combo with the Scenic Rim also run.

Tip: It is a bumpy ride. If that's not for you, choose a gentler scenic route.

• $
• Calm
• Walk-in

A chapel built into the red rock buttes, looking out over the valley. Open daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; free (donations welcome). The lot is small and fills at weekends, and a golf-cart shuttle helps with the steep ramp.

Tip: Go at opening or in the last hour to find a parking space.

• $$
• Calm
• Reserve ahead

A Verde Valley winery on Oak Creek with a tasting room and bistro. Open Sunday to Wednesday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Thursday to Saturday until 8 p.m.; tastings are booked online.

Tip: Book a designated driver or a wine tour: the roads are winding and rural.

• $$$
• Calm
• Tickets in advance

Heads-up: Starlight trips are seasonal (March to December).

A four-hour round trip along the Verde River from Clarkdale to Perkinsville, past red rock cliffs and ancient ruins, in climate-controlled cars with open-air viewing cars. First class adds plush seats and appetizers. Saturday Starlight trips run March to December.