"A day in Albuquerque" Albuquerque by atufft

Albuquerque Travel Guide: 723 reviews and 1,449 photos

Albuquerque Old Town Plaza - Albuquerque

It was much colder in January than we though

We drove from Super 8 Motel down to the Old Town and ate a Mexican meal, and then wandered about the plaza window shopping.

The mission building architecture is compelling

Old Cathedral in Albuquerque

I learned that the church on the square is not the original building, but it has some age and interesting architecture. The wooden structure capping the towers are unusual for mission architecture.

The adobe store fronts are partly authentic

Adobe store fronts around old town plaza

Unlike the old town of some other city's such as San Diego, the original square is intact and some of the buildings resemble an earlier period. Some adobe work still lingers from the days when this was a route 66 town.

Pros and Cons

Pros:Interesting old town
Cons:cold in winter, not a winter retreat as was thought for someone from California
In a nutshell:Albuquerque is a busy city that is worth a stop on the way through

Intro Updated Jan 11, 2006
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Reviews (4)

Route 66 before and after Albuquerque Things to Do (2)

Others have described what's left of Route 66 in town, so I'll post my images from off I-40 leading from Amarillo... more travel advice

Old Town Plaza and Cathedral - Albuquerque

Old Town is worth the stroll Things to Do (2)

As said in the introduction, we were only here for the day, so a quick trip to the old town was the best we could do... more travel advice

Mexican Margarita on the Old Town Plaza Restaurants (1)

Chips and salsa passed the taste test. The Margarita was OK. Since we came in the late afternoon, the server was... more travel advice

Good location and great service Hotels (1)

Hotels.com came through for us, and we got our card keys. The view across to the mountains where the tram is located is... more travel advice

Comments (4)

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SteveOSF Feb 6, 2010 at 12:07 PM

Nice tips and pictures.
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jumpingnorman Mar 25, 2009 at 9:32 PM

We'll pass by Albuquerque when we drive to Santa Fe this April ... Road Trip! Hope you're doing okay, Alan...Norman :)
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TheWanderingCamel Jul 11, 2007 at 10:15 AM

Chili outdoor lights from Albuquerque - a little bit of NM to take downunder - were fun. Navajo weaving and Zumi basketware satified my love of traditional crafts. leyle
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kymbanm Jan 11, 2006 at 4:44 PM

Great start to your ABQ tips! I'll be back to see if you have more to say about my current hometown :)