Breaking Bad Tour

Prepare

The obvious first step is to watch all five seasons of Breaking Bad. This tour guide will contain major spoilers in the descriptions of its stops, so be forewarned. Because Albuquerque is in the high desert, take the normal precautions for the climate: drink lots of water, don't exert yourself before getting used to the high altitude, and wear the appropriate clothing. In the summer, wear sunscreen and sunglasses, and don't be surprised if a thunderstorm occurs in the afternoon. Winters are chilly, with temperatures frequently falling below freezing at night, so bring an extra sweater. Other than that, the only other thing you really need is a car with a full tank of gas. You might want to take timing into consideration to avoid heavy traffic: though Albuquerque doesn't have traffic jams nearly as bad as many other Western cities, the weekday morning and afternoon rush hours still involve some congestion, with Saturdays being another high traffic time. The freeways and the river crossings are the most prone to congestion. For the less adventurous, you can pay $75 to have a guided tour in an RV.

Get in and around

Detailed information on getting into and around Albuquerque is located on the respective city page. If you're flying into town, the 1 Albuquerque International Sunport, the city's major airport, has been used as a filming location, with the entrance and the parking garage just across from the front doors used in a number of scenes. For this tour, you will need a car, as the locations are spread too far out to make other options feasible, save for the handful of private tour operators who will drive you around (a far more expensive option, and generally reserved only for those who really want to leave the driving to someone else). There are three clusters of filming locations: one in the Northeast Heights, one in the Nob Hill/University area, and one in the Downtown area, with plenty of other locations scattered throughout the city. Despite the sprawling nature of the city, the good news is that it's hard to get truly lost in Albuquerque, thanks to the looming presence of the Sandia Mountains: just remember that the mountains are east and you'll be able to work your way around. Street addresses contain a NE/NW/SE/SW suffix that denote where in the city they are located, with the quadrants split by the railroad tracks and Central Avenue, which run roughly parallel to the two interstate highways, I-25 (which runs north-south) and I-40 (east-west).

See

"Better Call Saul!" We'll start our tour—where else? Where it all began: 1 Walter White's house at 3828 Piermont Dr NE, home of Walter, Skyler, and Walt Jr (and, eventually, Holly). This is a private residence; though the owner has been a good sport about gawking tourists, don't enter the premises or, God forbid, try to throw a pizza on the roof. From here it's a quick ride to 2 Saul Goodman's office in a strip mall at 9800 Montgomery Blvd NE, at the corner of Eubank and Montgomery. The place has changed hands a few times since the show aired, so Saul's inflatable Statue of Liberty is no longer present, but the storefront windows with Saul's name on them have been saved by the current occupants. Heading east up Montgomery Boulevard, you'll come across the 3 Savoy Bar & Grill at 10601 Montgomery Boulevard NE, an upscale restaurant that served as the place where Walt and Gretchen Schwartz met for lunch in Season 2, a meal that concludes with him telling her to "fuck off." Nearby, a little ways north on Juan Tabo Boulevard just off Montgomery, is the 4 John B. Robert Dam, a bizarre-looking set of concrete structures that serves to slow floodwaters, as well as the backdrop for two Season 5 scenes where Jesse and then Walt wait for "the Disappearer" when they need to flee town. Continue up Montgomery Boulevard, make a left on Glenwood Hills Drive, and then a right on Trailhead Road, and you'll get to 5 Hank and Marie's house at 4901 Cumbre Del Sur Ct NE, at the end of a cul-de-sac in a lovely subdivision in the foothills of the Sandia Mountains, with a nearby hiking trail into the mountains. Tread lightly... and try not to crush any toy cars with your vehicle as you proceed through the neighborhood.

At this point, backtrack down Montgomery and south on Eubank, then make a right on Menaul; you should immediately see the 6 Octopus Car Wash, where Walt worked a humiliating second job in Season 1 and which Walt and Skyler later purchase as a front for their growing meth empire. This location also serves as an excuse to wash your car in preparation for all the driving you have left to do, and to get an air freshener for the road. This is as good a time as any to visit

Eat and drink

One of the nice things about this tour are that many of the filming locations are dining establishments, which offers an easy excuse to grab something to eat whenever you get hungry. Whether it's a quick hot dog from the Dog House or a burrito from Twister's, an early breakfast from the Loyola's Family Restaurant, or something more upscale from the Savoy Bar and Grill or the Grove Cafe, all of these places listed in the tour above are good choices if you're looking for something more fulfilling than a bag of Funyuns before you drive out into the desert. However, there are a few places not included in the tour above that still have a Breaking Bad connection, and these are listed below. Beyond this, a more comprehensive list of dining options is in the Albuquerque guide; and really, no trip to New Mexico is complete without sampling the local cuisine.

1 Garduño's, 2100 Louisiana Blvd NE, ☏ +1 505-880-0055. M–Th 11AM–9PM, F Sa 11AM–10PM, Su 10:30AM–9PM. If you're looking for a place to have dinner after driving back into town, why not squeeze in one more filming location? This was the restaurant where Hank and Marie confronted Walt and Skyler in Season 5 after they found out their secret. While this restaurant strains the definition of "authentic" local cuisine (this is more the sort of touristy place that locals take their friends from out-of-town to), it remains a local standby with plenty of New Mexican dishes as well as some Mexican options on the menu. 2 Slate Street Cafe, 515 Slate NW, ☏ +1 505-243-2210. Breakfast/lunch M–F 7:30AM–3PM, brunch Sa 8AM–2PM, wine loft W–Sa 4PM–10PM, dinner Tu–Th 5PM–9PM, F Sa 5PM–10PM. A favorite choice for the cast and crew during the filming. American cuisine, with a nice wine list and a wine bar loft. 1 Marble Brewery, 111 Marble St NW, ☏ +1 505-243-2739. M–Sa 1PM–midnight, Su 1PM–10:30PM. A fine local micro brewery that was allegedly a favorite hangout of Bryan Cranston's during filming. It's a taproom, so it has a limited food selection. (updated Nov 2019) 2 Zinc Wine Bar and Bistro, 3009 Central Ave NE (in Nob Hill), ☏ +1 505-254-9462. M–Th 11AM–2:30PM and 5–10PM, F 11AM–2:30PM and 5–11PM, Sa 5–11PM, Su 11AM–2:30PM. This

Buy

Surprisingly, given the subject matter of the show, Albuquerque has readily embraced the attention it gets from Breaking Bad, and the local business community has proven quite savvy in its catering to the show and its fans. The city's tourism bureau has gotten in on the act, too, maintaining a webpage listing various local businesses selling show-inspired products as well as a list of private tour operators who can take you to some of the filming locations listed above. Virtually any shop in Albuquerque that sells tourist wares carries some portion of Breaking Bad merchandise, but there are a few shops in town which offer a slightly more unique souvenir:

1 The Candy Lady, 424 San Felipe NW (corner of Mountain & Rio Grande), ☏ +1 505-243-6239. M–Sa 10AM–6PM, Su 10AM–5PM. In addition to the typical candy shop products of fudge, chocolates, caramels, and other sweets, this shop has a unique claim to fame: early in the series, it provided the blue-colored hard candy that served as the blue meth prop on set. Today you can buy a bag of a faithful recreation of "Blue Sky", which is now one of the shop's most pop