Breaking Bad Tour: route guide

The locations cluster in three zones: the Northeast Heights (Walt's house, Saul's office, the Savoy, Hank and Marie's house), Rio Rancho to the northwest (the high school and pilot locations), and the west and central side along I-25 and Menaul (Gus Fring's laundry, the vacuum shop, the car wash).

Distances are short but traffic on I-25 and Montgomery Boulevard is heavy at rush hour. Plan the loop clockwise: Northeast Heights first, Rio Rancho at midday, then south and west before the evening peak. Coordinates below are approximate street addresses, not entrances.

Treat the tour as one driving loop with three legs. Leg one covers the Northeast Heights on foot-light stops: park once near Montgomery and Eubank and walk to Saul's storefront, then drive east for the Savoy and the dam, and north into the foothills for Hank and Marie's house.

Leg two is the Rio Rancho run. Take I-40 west to I-25 north, exit at Paseo del Norte, then Coors Boulevard north. The high school, the library and the drug raid house sit within a few blocks of each other, so this leg is quick once you arrive.

Leg three returns south: Casa Tranquila off Alameda, then I-25 south to Candelaria for the laundry building, and Menaul for the vacuum shop and Beneke Fabricators. Finish at the car wash on Menaul if you want the full circle.

Spring and autumn give the mildest driving weather. Albuquerque sits at about 1,600 m, so summer afternoons regularly pass 32 °C and winter mornings can dip below freezing, with occasional snow on the foothills near Hank and Marie's house.

Weekday mornings are the quietest for the residential stops. Avoid weekday 7–9am and 4–6pm on I-25 if you can, and note that the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta in early October fills hotels and clogs the roads around the northeast.

Base yourself near the Northeast Heights or Uptown for the shortest drive to the first cluster, or downtown if you want restaurants and a shorter run to the west-side stops. Rio Rancho has cheaper chain hotels but adds 20–30 minutes to everything else.

Anywhere along I-25 between Jefferson and Montgomery keeps all three legs within about 30 minutes. Book ahead for Balloon Fiesta week in early October.

You need a car, a full tank and a phone mount. Most stops are private homes or working businesses: stay on the public street, do not enter, and do not knock. The owners of Walt's house have had years of tourists, and the show's fame does not make the driveway public.

Respect residents in the foothills cul-de-sac and at the Rio Rancho school during term time. Carry water, sunscreen and a hat in summer, and check the AMC official site for any current show-related exhibitions before you go.