Albuquerque is New Mexico’s largest city, even larger than the capital city, Santa Fe. Present-day, this desert town is full of adobe-style homes and many outdoor activities. It is best known for its annual balloon festival, held over nine days in October. During my visits to Albuquerque, I was surprised by how many free and cheap things to do in Albuquerque and loved exploring the different areas of the city. It makes for a great weekend trip or part of a New Mexico or Southwest United States road trip.
Need a cheap place to stay in Albuquerque? I recommend trying to book through Priceline if you want a hotel. They always have some of the best deals. The Days Inn Airport is usually a pretty good deal.
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Free and Cheap Things to do in Albuquerque
There are a variety of free and cheap things to do in Albuquerque for all types of adventures. I have now visited Albuquerque a couple of times and have discovered some pretty neat places. For this post, I consider anything under $25 cheap (but most are even cheaper than that).
Albuquerque Balloon Festival
Cost: $10
Hours: Varies by Event
The Albuquerque Balloon Festival is Albuquerque’s claim to fame. It takes place for nine days in the beginning of October each year. Visitors can choose to attend in the morning to see the balloons launch, or in the evening to see the balloons all lit up. It began in 1972 with 13 balloons and has no grown to include over 500 balloons. For $10, you seriously cannot beat this cheap thing to do in Albuquerque.
If you opt to visit in the morning you have to get there super early before the sunrise. Once the sun begins to rise, the balloons start to rise up. It is a truly magical site. For several hours, the balloons continually rise and land in the festival grounds. You can even pay to go up in some of the balloons. When visiting in the evening, all of the balloons are set up on the field and glow. You get to walk around the field and see them all lit up. This happens after sunset.
Albuquerque BioPark Gardens
Cost: $14.50
Hours: 9am-5pm
The 36-acre Biopark contains the zoo, aquarium, and botanic gardens. Located besides the Rio Grande, visitors can take a stroll along the path that connects them. In the botanic gardens, there are a variety of different plant specials and types of gardens to visit. Highlights include many plants native to the Mediterranean region.
Downtown Growers’ Market
Cost: Free to walk around
Hours: Saturdays 8am-12pm
On Saturdays, Albuquerque has a local farmers market that is a fabulous stop for breakfast and lunch and one of the many awesome cheap things to do in Albuquerque. Spend time strolling through the vendors and sampling the different foods. There are also plenty of areas to relax in the shade and eat the delicious things you found. Make sure to try a blue corn pretzel and anything hatch chili. Cornivore had unique popcorn flavors and all were so delicious. Campfire and sweet lavender were two of my favorites. Do not miss the fresh pasta from Tulipani Pasta, a perfect cheap dinner option. The lemon pappardelle is my favorite.
Old Town Albuquerque
Cost: Free
Hours: Varies by Vendor
Old Town is considered the historic section of town. This area was once the center of Albuquerque and the main part of town. There are many historic adobe houses to view and plenty of shops and restaurants to visit. The Old Town is centered around a main plaza and is about 10 blocks long. To satisfy your caffeine fix, head to the local coffee house, Black Bird Coffee. They have a variety of coffee based drinks as well as some unique tea flavors. Everything I tried was delicious!
Paseo del Bosque Trail
Cost: Free
Hours: open 24 hours
Hiking is one of the plethora of cheap things to do in Albuquerque. This easy 17-mile trail stretches across Albuquerque and is a great area for walking, jogging, or riding a bike. It is the least crowded early in the morning. The Paseo del Bosque follows along the river and is flat with scenic views.
Petroglyph National Monument
Cost: Free
Hours: 8am-5pm, depending on the trail
Petroglyph National Monument is a great place to go hiking and to see Petroglyphs, an ancient form of art created by carving designs into the rocks. The area is dedicated to preserving hundreds of archaeological sites and over 24,000 Petroglyphs carved by the Pueblo people. There are four trails to choose from and are all moderate hikes, but only three offer views of the Petroglyphs. Boca Negra Canyon, Rinconada Canyon, and Piedras Marcadas Canyon, are Petroglyph trails while the Volcanic Day use area just contains several hiking trails. Please remember to be respectful and stay on the marked trails! This is just one of the many cheap things to do in Albuquerque.
Route 66
Cost: Free
Hours: 24 hours
The historic Route 66 passes through Albuquerque. Take a drive along the strip and view some of the old neon signs and vintage artifacts. Commissioned in 1926, Route 66 forms a path from Chicago to Los Angeles via some awesome cities. Route 66 even runs through my hometown of Rancho Cucamonga. Throughout the years, Route 66 has grown, but kept its historical aspect in many towns.
Sandia Peak Tramway
Cost: $25 round trip, $15 one way
Hours: 9am-8pm, Closed Tues and Wed
Although one of the more expensive options, Sandia Peak offers spectacular views of Albuquerque. Visitors can opt to take the tram up and down or hike up. If you choose to hike up be prepared for a couple hours of hiking and some steep trails! Either way, the area offers some awesome hiking trails, all of which are free!
Visit a Local Winery
Albuquerque has a seriously awesome wine scene. Wine tasting is one of the many cheap things to do in Albuquerque and makes for a great afternoon. Albuquerque is one of the best wine regions in the United States.
Casa Rondeña Winery
Cost: $10 wine tasting
Hours: 12pm-7pm
Casa Rodeña was established in 1995 and has expanded to a tasting room. They also serve some light bites to eat. You can also opt to bring a picnic lunch with you. There are plenty of indoor and outdoor areas to enjoy a glass of wine. I enjoy the Cabernet Franc and Meritage wines the best.
Gruet Winery
Cost: Free (for now)
Hours: 11am-7pm
Gruet was established in New Mexico in 1984. Present day, it is known for their sparkling wines. They have a tasting room in Albuquerque that is a nice way to pass some time. Right now since they are reopening, tastings are free! They are most well known for their Sparkling Wines, but also make a good Pinot Noir.
St. Clair Winery (D.H. Lescombes)
Cost: $$
Hours: 11am-9pm
St. Clair was first established in 1981 when the first vines were planted. By 1984 the wines began being bottled and the winery was established. Recently, the company rebranded as D.H. Lescombes, but the wine line is still called St. Clair. In Albuquerque, they have a bistro to eat at but the actual winery is located in Deming, New Mexico (further South).
Free and Cheap Food Options in Albuquerque
I am always on the lookout for cheap but delicious places to eat when I am on vacation. Albuquerque offers several hidden gems!
El Cotorro Taqueria and Heladeria
Cost: $
Hours: Mon: 4pm-8pm, Tues-Sun: 11:30am-8pm
Tacos are a must on any southwest trip. El Cotorro is a quick service stop that serves delicious tacos for cheap! Ice cream fans should make sure to grab some ice cream as well. They have some unique flavors that are perfect on a warm day. My favorite was the drunken monkey or the horchata flavor. El Corotto is also located right on Route 66.
El Patio
Cost: $$
Hours: 11am-8pm
El Patio offers some delicious Southwest style food. It opened in 1977, and has two different locations. They have a lovely outdoor area to eat at and a few tables inside as well. For a best sampling of food, make sure to try their combination place. Their specialty is any of their green chile options. Breakfast is served all day!
Sawmill Market
Cost: $$
Hours: 8am-10pm
A newer food hall, the Sawmill Market offers a ton of different places to eat. It is great for a large group as everyone can try different places. You could also get meals from several places as well as split them as well which makes it a cheaper place to eat in Albuquerque.
The Shop
Cost: $$
Hours: 8am-3pm
The Shop is a delectable stop for brunch, breakfast, or lunch. They serve a variety of fresh local food made from scratch. They mix American fare with Latin American and Creole styles. It is a tiny place, but the meals are huge, so opt to share with someone.
As you can see there are some awesome free and cheap things to do in Albuquerque. It is a fun historical place to visit with a ton of cool outdoor scenic sites. If you have more time, make sure to head north to Santa Fe. You could also head south to visit White Sands National Park and Carlsbad Caverns National Park. You could also head east for a Texas road trip, or west to check out Arizona. No matter what, Albuquerque offers some superb budget friendly options.
18 thoughts on “Free and Cheap Things to do in Albuquerque, New Mexico”
Woooow! This all looks fantastic! I would be very tempted to go up in a balloon if I could afford it (I love being high up, and it’s all so pretty and colourful!)
Hiking at the Petroglyph National Monument looks fantastic too. As does finishing with amazing food. 😉
I was just talking with my friends about visiting Albuquerque! I would love to see the balloon festival!
The balloon festival was so fun and it’s definitely a fun city to visit with friends.
It was so much fun to see the hot air balloons. I wanted to go up so bad!
Petroglyph was such a cool spot!
Albuquerque has a wine festival?? How did I not know this? I’ve heard of the balloon festival, obviously, but I’m glad to know they have a wine fest too. Thanks for the winery recs too – I’d love to check out Gruet for some sparkling wines. Thanks for the great tips about this awesome city!
Right!? The wine festival was amazing! I was truly surprised with the New Mexican wine.
Albuquerque is on my bucket list! Your list looks awesome. Especially Old Town. Can’t wait to visit this city one day.
Old Town was definitely fun to walk around.
Wow you make Albuquerque look like a dream. Thanks for all the insight on what to do.
It was a fun city to visit.
I don’t know much about Albuquerque but all of the festivals sound great. The balloon festival looks amazing and it would be so fun to go in a hot air balloon! It would be fun to see the Petrogylphs and hike around the area. You have some really yummy sounding food recommendations here, I would love to dry the drunken monkey icecream!
The ice cream was soooo yummy!
I was literally just talking to my friends about checking out Albuquerque! It looks like the cutest place and I MUST see that balloon festival!
It is so worth it to go just for the balloon fiesta!
Had no idea there was this much to do in Albuquerque. I’ve been to the airport and bus station which there seemed to be nothing around. But I’d definitely like to check out the balloon festival
It was an awesome city to explore!
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