When we read about the Breaking Bad RV Tour, we knew that we somehow had to squeeze it into our travel schedule. So we drove from Los Angeles across the New Mexican desert to Albuquerque, the place where it all began and where it all ended.
We are huge fans of Breaking Bad, the best TV show in like … ever. Never before and not yet after has a show succeeded better in building suspense, showing the transformation from innocent to evil and making its audience sympathise with people they really should not sympathise with.
Meeting the Breaking Bad RV
The tour started in central Albuquerque with our first encounter with the RV. We took pictures outside because we were already amazed, without knowing that the inside was even better.
It looked like the RV from the show on the outside. Inside it was technically a tour bus, but no detail had been forgotten. There was a little lab, the pink teddy bear, bags of Funyuns, Blue Sky and even the five bullet holes in the door.
Three hours through Albuquerque
During the three-hour tour we drove to the most iconic filming locations while the crew made sure the time between stops never became boring. Before arriving at a location, they showed us the scene that had been filmed there. There was also a trivia quiz, so brushing up on your Breaking Bad knowledge was useful. The prizes included Blue Sky candy, which is probably the only legal version of the product you should try.
We also passed several locations from Better Call Saul, including the house of Saul’s brother. Albuquerque was not just used as a background. Entire neighbourhoods, motels, shops and empty corners suddenly looked familiar once the guides connected them to the right scene.
Filming locations we passed
Many locations could no longer be entered because too many fans had visited them over the years. The owner of Walter White’s house even had to put up a large fence after people tried to jump into the pool and throw pizzas onto the garage roof. Yes, people really copied the pizza scene.
- The Dog House
- The Crossroads Motel
- Walter White’s house
- Jesse and Jane’s house
- Combo’s Corner
- Tuco’s headquarters
- Jesse’s house
- The tree that Krazy-8 ran into
- The junkyard where Walt sold his Pontiac Aztek
Locations where we could get out
The car wash
The A1 car wash had a small souvenir shop selling number plates, mugs and other things from the show. There was free popcorn and coffee, so we could have an A1 day there, at least for a few minutes.
The laundry and superlab
At the laundry, two women who had helped Walter clean the lab during filming still worked at the real business. If you were lucky, you could meet Marta and Maria. We were not lucky because they were having their lunch break when we arrived.
Lunch at Los Pollos Hermanos
Twisters, better known to fans as Los Pollos Hermanos, was one of the most iconic stops. The Los Pollos Hermanos logo was still on the wall inside, and the RV parked outside made the place look even more like the restaurant from the show.
A drink and breakfast burrito were included in the tour. The burrito was actually very good, so the stop worked even without Gus Fring standing behind the counter.
What the tour cost us in 2018
- Tour price: USD 75 per person in 2018
- Length: About three hours
- Included: A drink and snack at Twisters
- Transport: Replica Breaking Bad RV
The price was not small, especially after driving all the way from California, but this was never meant to be a normal sightseeing tour for us. It was one of the fixed points of our USA route from the moment we discovered it.
Who will enjoy the tour?
We definitely recommend it to real Breaking Bad fans. If you have watched every episode and followed Walt and Jesse from selling tiny amounts by themselves to building the Blue Sky empire, you will recognise the locations and understand the small details inside the RV. If you have never seen the show, three hours looking at houses, motels and car washes would probably feel slightly strange.