Sign in with Facebook"“Hot dog, jumping frog”" Albuquerque by toonsarah
Albuquerque Travel Guide: 723 reviews and 1,449 photos
It has a picturesque, if over-touristy, Old Town (where despite the presence of an attractive old church, shopping appears to be something of a religion), a recently revived and increasingly buzzy Downtown district, and is surrounded by beautiful mountains, a glimpse of which can be had at almost every corner.
Although it is the largest city in New Mexico, Albuquerque surprises by not being the state capital – Santa Fe has that honour. The city was established as the Villa de San Felipe de Alburquerque in 1706. Initially a small farming community clustered around the church of San Felipe de Neri, it expanded rapidly when the Camino Real, the main trade route north from Mexico, was developed to run through the area just a few decades later. Later came the railroad, which triggered expansion to the eastern side of the Old Town, in what then was known as New Town but today is Downtown. This was followed by Route 66, which ran through the city on its Central Avenue, and later still further expansion out into the surrounding desert.
Thus Albuquerque has always been a city for travellers, a stopping point on a journey, and so it was for us. Despite its many attractions, we decided to spend only one night here, preferring to have more of our limited time in more scenic parts of the state. Nevertheless we had time to explore the Old Town and see something of the Art Deco style of the Downtown area too.
If we were to find ourselves in New Mexico again I think we would stay longer here as there was a lot we would have liked to have seen and missed, including the highly-regarded Indian Pueblo Cultural Centre, and it would be a good base for trips to the surrounding area. But Santa Fe beckoned, and that did indeed deserve more of our time ...
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Reviews (11)
Tinkertown Museum
Off The Beaten Path
(2)
As soon as I read about Tinkertown I knew that it was a “must see” for us. We both love these idiosyncratic places that... more travel advice
Sandia Peak
Off The Beaten Path
(2)
A very popular excursion from Albuquerque is to take the Sandia Peak Tramway to the top of the mountains that fringe the... more travel advice
Exploring Central Avenue
Things to Do
(4)
Had we not been staying in the Hotel Blue in the Downtown area we might never have explored beyond Albuquerque’s... more travel advice
Capilla de Nostra Senora de Guadelupe
Things to Do
(4)
This tiny cross-shaped chapel is a hidden gem of the Old Town, and I’m sure many tourists pass by without realising... more travel advice
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Hotels (1)
A great night’s sleep -
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Comments (6)
New Mexico seems to be the perfect place for taking photos with brilliant dark blue sky. Fantastic shots. :-)
I like the name of the city, Albuquerque! Sounds like you had a a very nice evening at Central Avenue!
I am considering a hiking adventure out that way-maybe. Thanks for the tips of these cities (also saw Sante Fe). Your detail commentary is excellent
I’m glad to hear there is some New Urbanism going on in Albuquerque. In a French bicycle website I read a sarcastic motto: A pedestrian is a man looking for his car.
Would love to visit Tinkertown! So, this is the "ID" town :-) and also the town that gillybob visited recently. Thanks for showing it to me!
Mavellous :-)) Such an enchanting town! I was here only briefly to drop my sister at the airport decades ago. But I love the concept of downtown, this sounds excellent, a pedestrian devoted part in US :-) Also inside photos of KiMo theatre! And Tinkertown... my god... I would never be able to leave this place, so fantastic! Hungry for a lime pie now, and still smiling about the ID story, but a nice touch that you got the pie on the house!