Sights Overview

Colorful Historic Route 66 is Albuquerque's Central Avenue, unifying, as nothing else, the diverse areas of the city -- Old Town cradled at the bend of the Rio Grande; the rapidly rejuvenating downtown business, government, and entertainment center to the east; the University of New Mexico farther east, and the Nob Hill strip of restaurants and shops past the university. The railroad tracks and Central Avenue divide the city into quadrants -- Southwest, Northwest, Southeast, and Northeast. Although it's generally easy to negotiate the city's gridlike geography, many attractions are a considerable distance apart, making a car a necessity (car-rental rates are quite reasonable here, however).

Albuquerque's terrain is diverse. Along the river in the north and south valleys, the elevation hovers at about 4,800 feet. East of the river, the land rises gently to the foothills of the Sandia Mountains, which rise to higher than 6,000 feet; the 10,378-foot summit is a grand spot from which to view the city below. West of the Rio Grande, where much of Albuquerque's growth is taking place, the terrain rises abruptly in a string of mesas topped by five volcanic cones. The changes in elevation from one part of the city to another result in corresponding changes in temperature, as much as 10°F at any time. It's not uncommon for snow or rain to fall on one part of town but for it to remain dry and sunny in another.