Albuquerque

Travel Guide North America USA Western United States New Mexico Albuquerque

Introduction

Ballooning

Albuquerque is the largest city in New Mexico with well over half a million inhabitants in the city itself and around 850,000 in the metropolitan area. It's located in the central parts of the state along the Rio Grande. It was actually a pretty sleepy town until after World War II when the city sprang to life in the middle of the desert. It is a strong mix of traditional native cultures, hispanic culture and white culture

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Neighbourhoods

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Sights and Activities

Petroglyph National Monument.
Sandia Peak Ski & Tramway - world's longest passenger aerial tramway.

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Events and Festivals

Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta

Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta is a nine day event held every October and is the largest hot-air balloon festival in the world. Over 700 balloonists participate and the event draws approximately 100,000 spectators. It is a truly spectacular sight to see the sky filled with hundreds of brightly colored balloons of different shapes and sizes. The Fiesta includes day and evening activities.

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Weather

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Getting There

By Plane

Albuquerque International Sunport (ABQ) is the main gateway. Southwest Airlines offers most flights, including to/from Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, El Paso, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Oakland, Orlando, Phoenix, St. Louis, Portland, Salt Lake City, San Diego, Seattle and Tucson.
Several other airlines serve San Francisco, Washington D.C., Denver, Cleveland, Atlanta, Minneapolis-Saint Paul and (the only international flight) Chihuahua in Mexico.

By Train

The Southwest Chief, operated by Amtrak, travels between Chicago and Los Angeles, stopping in Albuquerque, among other places.

By Car

Albuquerque is at the crossroads of the north-south Interstate 25 from Colorado towards the border with Mexico and the east-west Interstate 40 between Amarillo, Texas and Flagstaff, Arizona. The last one roughly lies on the location of the historic Route 66, parts of which run through downtown Albuquerque.

By Bus

Check the Greyhound website for information about getting to/from Albuquerque by bus.

By Boat

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Getting Around

By Car

Many international rental companies have a wide selection of rental cars and these include Hertz, Avis, Dollar, Thrifty, Enterprise, Budget and Alamo/National. Most companies will require you are at least 25 years of age, although younger people might be able to rent cars at slightly higher rates and with some insurance differences as well. A national driver's license is usually enough, but an additional international one is recommended. Also note that it usually costs more to include lots of other extra things. For example extra drivers, GPS, the first full tank, SLI (Supplemental Liability Insurance), PAI (Personal Accident Insurance, usually covered already at home), road assistance/service plan, and drop-off costs for one-way rentals.
If you want to book a car, it is recommended that you book your car before arriving in the USA. This is almost always (much) cheaper compared to just showing up. Also, try and book with a so-called 'broker', which usually works together with a few or many car rental companies and can offer the best deal. Some examples include Holidayautos, Holidaycars and Sunny Cars. Some of the cheapest deals to book from Europe, includes Drive-USA, which also has a German version.

For more information and tips about renting cars and campers, additional costs, insurance, traffic rules, scenic routes and getting maps and fuel it is advised to check the USA Getting Around section.

By Public Transport

By Foot

By Bike

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Eat

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Drink

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Sleep

Budget

Property	Address	Type	Popularity
Red Roof Inn and Suites	I-25 at Comanche Road, Exit #2	Hotel	80
Route 66 Hostel	1012 Central Ave SW Suite	Hostel	77
Ramada Hotel & Conference Center	10300 Hotel Avenue NE	Hotel	90
Motel 6 Albuquerque South - Airport	1000 Avenida Cesar Chavez Southeast Albuquerque	Hotel	73
Best Western InnSuites Hotel & Suites Albuquerque	2400 Yale Blvd SE Albuquerque	Hotel	83

Mid-Range

Upscale

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Work

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Learn

University of New Mexico

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Keep Connected

Internet

Phone

Post

The US Postal Service is very good and well priced mail system. There are hundreds of big and small post offices in Albuquerque. If wanting to send a letter or postcard it is best just to leave it in a blue mail box with the proper postage. There are also private postal services like FedEx, UPS and DHL.

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