The best road trip stops on the Austin to Albuquerque drive are Brownwood TX, Lubbock TX and Santa Rosa NM. The distance from Austin to Albuquerque by car is 696 miles, with an 11h15m driving time.
Planning an Austin to Albuquerque road trip itinerary
The Austin to Albuquerque drive connects the capital of Texas to the biggest city in New Mexico.
5 great Austin experiences to book
- 🛶 Join a sunset kayaking tour – and see 1.5 million bats.
- 🍖 Get ready to feast with the country BBQ and wine country shuttle.
- 🌮 Take a best-of-Austin food tour – tasting great BBQ brisket and tacos on the way.
- 🍸 Discover Austin’s secret bars on speakeasies tour.
- 🏙️ Learn Austin’s fascinating history on a downtown walking tour.
Austin is renowned for its live music scene, although it has plenty of more conventional attractions too. These include the LBJ Presidential Library, the Texas Science and Natural History Museum and the Bullock Texas State History Museum.
Top Austin experiences include ebike tours taking in the city highlights and haunted pub crawl walks.
You can also try highly-rated downtown food tours, half day wine shuttles in the Hill Country, brewery-hopping beer tours and sightseeing on a boat cruise.
For Austin hotel recommendations, try band crashpad chic meets rainbow bathrobes at the Hotel San Jose and the unashamed rock star swagger of the W.
In Albuquerque, the must-dos are the Sandia Peak Tramway cable car and Petroglyph National Memorial. Explora and the ABQ BioPark are good bets with kids in tow, while the Anderson Abruzzo International Balloon Museum explores one of the greatest places in the world for hot air ballooning.
Fabulous Albuquerque experiences include a sunrise hot air balloon flight, old town ghost walks and nature tours by bike. You can also pay a visit to the castle-like Turquoise Museum and old town food tours focusing on New Mexican flavours.
Great Albuquerque accommodation choices include the historic, adobe-style Casas de Suenos and the old town’s art-filled Hotel Chaco.
5 great Albuquerque experiences to book
- 🎈 Admire the sunrise on a hot air balloon ride across the desert.
- 🌅 Alternatively, take your balloon ride at sunset.
- 🎬 Get on the trail of Walter White with a Breaking Bad filming locations tour.
- 🚴 Take a bike tour – and see Albuquerque’s top natural sights.
- 👻 Listen to spooky historic tales on an Old Town ghost tour.
Austin to Albuquerque distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Austin to Albuquerque is 696 miles. That makes for a driving time of around 11 hours and 15 minutes. The quickest route goes along the TX-183, US-84 and I-40.
The best stops to add to an Austin to Albuquerque road trip itinerary are Brownwood TX, Lubbock TX and Santa Rosa NM.
Best stops between Austin and Albuquerque: Brownwood TX
Brownwood TX is primarily known as the home of Howard Payne University, although the Brown County Museum will tell you more about the city’s frontier past.
Lake Brownwood State Park to the north-west is a good spot for fishing, boating and swimming. Kids, meanwhile, tend to enjoy the water slides of the Camp Bowie Aquatic Center.
Austin to Albuquerque road trip attractions: Lubbock TX
Lubbock is home to the Texas Tech University, which plays host to the National Ranching Heritage Center. This explains the history and culture of ranching across Texas and further afield.
There’s also the Museum of Texas Tech University, which has dinosaurs and a planetarium. Perhaps the most interesting attraction, though, is the Buddy Holly Center, which celebrates the local boy music star who died tragically early.
Good Lubbock accommodation options include the good value La Quinta and the personality-packed Cotton Court Hotel.
Austin to Albuquerque drive: Santa Rosa NM
Santa Rosa NM bills itself as the Scuba diving capital of the Southwest, largely thanks to the Blue Hole. This 81ft deep pool, fed by an artesian spring, is naturally heated to 62 degrees year-round. Divers need a permit, swimmers don’t.
Another alternative for swimming is Park Lake, which is patrolled by lifeguards in summer and has an inflatable obstacle course that’s very popular with children.
Car-lovers, meanwhile, can enjoy the Route 66 Auto Museum.
If stopping for the night, accommodation in Santa Rosa is all motel chains.
More New Mexico travel
Other New Mexico travel guides on Planet Whitley include:
- What you need to know before visiting Bandelier National Monument near Los Alamos.
- Plan your visit to Valles Caldera National Preserve and Aztec Ruins National Monument in north-western New Mexico.
- Guide to visiting El Morro National Monument in western New Mexico.
- Guides to visiting the Albuquerque Museum and what to see at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science.
- Is it worth visiting the Hillcrest Park Zoo in Clovis, New Mexico.
