Travel Guide: How to Spend a Week in Guadalajara, Mexico

Back in April, I had the absolute pleasure of spending a week in Guadalajara with my partner, Michael.

It was the first time I’d had the chance to travel for my birthday since 2019, and so it only felt right to choose a destination that has long been on my list of places to visit. You already know I love Mexico City so much, and as a result, I had high hopes for the country’s second city.

This trip marked our second visit to the state of Jalisco, a region known for its incredible food and drink, and I knew I wanted to dedicate a large portion of this trip to trying local specialties. But of course, we needed to find things to do to fill our time between meals (sadly my stomach is not a bottomless pit). I spent a significant amount of time reading other travel blogs, searching the local subreddit, and browsing hashtags on Instagram to create an itinerary full of historical sights, cool shops, and naturally, the best bars and restaurants.

With a week to explore, we had the luxury of doing so at a relaxed pace (this generous schedule even gave us enough time to take a full day trip), but even if you only have three or four days to spare I think you’ll find that a trip to Guadalajara is well worth your while.

To visit Guadalajara is to have a full sensory experience: the colors are more vibrant, the smells more pungent, the flavors more intense, the heat stronger, and the sounds more dynamic. It has tourist sights, sure, but overall the city feels very off the beaten path for outsiders. But no matter where we went, we were treated warmly and, occasionally, with curiosity. I can’t wait to show you around:

GUADALAJARA SIGHTS + ATTRACTIONS

Check Out the Barranca de Huentitán

Parque Mirador Independencia | Calz. Independencia Norte, Huentitán El Bajo, Guadalajara, Jal., Mexico

The canyon of the Rio Grande de Santiago is meant to be a great place for hiking – if you can make it early in the day before the heat sets in. Not wanting to risk hiking back up the canyon in 95°F weather, we opted for an easier way to get a great view: visiting the Parque Mirador Independencia. The park offers an amphitheater with a spectacular view of the canyon and an easy walking trail at around the same elevation; although there are some stairs (you can read a little more about the park in this blurb from Atlas Obscura). The landscape changes throughout the seasons; on our dry season visit it was quite dry and brown, but we’ve seen photos of the lush green growth during wetter times. No matter when your visit falls, be sure to visit the fruit vendor near the lookout points – it’s hard to beat a panorama with an accompanying fresh snack!

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Visit Guadalajara’s Historic Cathedrals

Catedral de Guadalajara | Av. Fray Antonio Alcalde 10, Zona Centro, 44100 Guadalajara, Jal., Mexico
Templo Expiatorio del Santísimo Sacramento | C. Manuel López Cotilla 935, Col Americana, Americana, 44160 Guadalajara, Jal., Mexico

Both the Catedral de Guadalajara and Templo Expiatorio del Santísimo Sacramento are stunning from the outside and inside. If the doors are open, stop in to see the soaring ceilings and stained glass windows, and perhaps explore a little if a mass is not currently in progress (and if it is, why not join in and listen?). Perhaps my favorite part of our visit to Templo Expiatorio was the little apostles that appeared on the bell tower to mark the hour, and the incredible market going on outside.

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Stroll Through Some of Guadalajara’s Parks

Parque Morelos | Calz. Independencia Norte, Zona Centro, 44280 Guadalajara, Jal., Mexico
Parque Metropolitano de Guadalajara | Av. Ludwig Van Beethoven 58000, La Estancia, 45020 Zapopan, Jal., Mexico
Bosque Los Colomos | C. El Chaco 3200, Providencia, 44630 Guadalajara, Jal., Mexico

World-class parks dot the city of Guadalajara, providing its residents with plenty of opportunities for recreation and leisure. During this trip, we had the opportunity to visit several for strolling and prime people-watching. Parque Morelos is the only park within the historic center and is well worth veering off the path to check out. The concrete zoo brought a smile to my face; in fact, the elephant, giraffe, llama, and their friends have been delighting children for over fifty years (there was even a celebration in honor of the 50th anniversary). Parque Metropolitano de Guadalajara is actually located in neighboring Zapopan, and though it’s just a portion of the size, it brings to mind NYC’s Central Park and Mexico City’s Bosque de Chapultepec. It features paths for running and cycling, gathering spots with grills and piñateros, playgrounds, snack vendors, and a number of landscapes. It’s a wonderful place to relax, and no wonder so many Tapatíos choose to make this park their hangout spot for the afternoon. Heading further north, you’ll find Bosque Los Colomos, another large park popular with locals and visitors alike. Unique to this park are the Japanese Gardens, created to symbolize the friendship between Guadalajara and Kyoto. Before you enter, make sure you’re not breaking any of the park rules…

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Discover Guadalajara’s Art Scene

MUSA | Av Juárez 975, Col Americana, Americana, 44100 Guadalajara, Jal., Mexico
Hospicio Cabañas | C. Cabañas 8, Las Fresas, 44360 Guadalajara, Jal., Mexico
Palacio de Gobierno | Av. Ramón Corona 31, Zona Centro, 44100 Guadalajara, Jal., Mexico

No matter your preferred style of art, Guadalajara has something for you. During this trip, I had the chance to visit MUSA (free), the Hospicio Cabañas (free on Tuesdays), and the Palacio de Gobierno (free). All three are probably best known for their grand murals by Mexico’s most famous muralist, José Clemente Orozco. MUSA is the art museum of the University of Guadalajara, and you can expect to see works by many famous Mexican artists in their collection, as well as rotating exhibitions. Hospicio Cabañas is a former orphanage-turned-museum and houses 57 murals by Orozco –  including El Hombre del Fuego, considered by many to be his masterpiece. Linger over these incredible frescos, but don’t skip the rest of the exhibits. Throughout the compound, you’ll find a diverse collection of art in varying media. The Palacio de Gobierno is another must-visit for Orozco fans, as it contains two grand murals. Admission is free, but you’ll need to sign in before entering (and know that holidays may impact the opening times).

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Consider a Day Trip to Tequila

Cantaritos el Güero | Carretera internacional libre Guadalajara - Tepic km 49 #4970, La Meza, 45380 Amatitán, Jal., Mexico

If you’re lucky enough to have at least five days in Guadalajara, consider adding on a day trip to Tequila (unless you’re passionate about the subject, then I’d recommend it even during shorter stays). We booked our day trip through Airbnb Experiences and had the chance to visit a distillery, the famous Cantaritos el Güero, and the town of Tequila. You can read all about our day trip here.

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…or a Half Day in Tlaquepaque

Tlaquepaque

Thanks to urban sprawl, you’ll likely hardly notice the fact that you’re leaving Guadalajara to visit Tlaquepaque. This artistic pueblo mágico is just 15-20 minutes away from the city core via Uber (unless traffic is heavy, that is), but the city center has a small-town feel. It’s a great place to spend a morning wandering, as we did on Easter Sunday. You can read more about our experience in Tlaquepaque in this post.

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WHERE TO SHOP IN GUADALAJARA

Mexicanartes

Mexicanartes | Independencia 575, Arcos de Guadalupe, 45037 Zapopan, Jal., Mexico

Shopping wasn’t high on my itinerary for this trip, but I did pick out a few spots ahead of time that I wanted to visit. Of those shops, Mexicanartes was the one I was interested in visiting the most. The shop was founded by a pair of local sisters who were inspired by all of the art and beauty in Oaxaca and decided to curate a shop of handmade garments. On their blog they take readers behind the scenes, allowing us to get to know who makes their clothing (something that’s so vital!). If I could have purchased everything in the store, I would have. Instead, I wound up purchasing this beautiful palm hat that served me so well in the intense Jalisco sun and will continue to remind me of our trip for years to come.

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La Nube

La Nube | Calle Prisciliano Sánchez 1000, Col Americana, Americana, 44100 Guadalajara, Jal., Mexico

La Nube is a cute shop in Americana with a small selection of locally made crafts as well as some boutique clothing. Although I didn’t wind up purchasing anything, I came very close to buying an artsy-painted tote bag. Worth a quick pop-in if you’re in the neighborhood!

NIMIA

NIMIA | Manuel M. Dieguez 21, Col Americana, Lafayette, 44160 Guadalajara, Jal., Mexico

NIMIA is also located in Americana and is another store where you’ll likely have a hard time resisting buying locally-made items to bring back home with you. They carry pieces from local artists, ceramicists, and leatherworkers, as well as a large selection of stationery items. Wisely, the store is laid out perfectly to entice shoppers to pick things up and hold them.

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Oxen Concept Store

Oxen Concept Store | Av. Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla 1323, Col Americana, Americana, 44160 Guadalajara, Jal., Mexico

I love combing through a good concept store, but often the styles are just a bit too far outside of the kinds of clothes and accessories that mesh with my cohesive wardrobe. Oxen Concept Store carries a really cool selection of streetwear but instead, we went with a new piece of local art for our home.

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GUADALAJARA FOOD + DRINK

Because food and drink were the main reasons I chose to visit Guadalajara, they earned their very own blog post. The city is home to a number of now well-known dishes like birria, and I suspect soon-to-be-well-known dishes like tortas ahogadas. I think it’s nearly impossible to eat a bad meal in Guadalajara, but if you’re looking for recommendations, head to my Guadalajara Food Guide.

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WHERE TO STAY IN GUADALAJARA

Colonia Americana

Colonia Americana

Surprisingly many of the travel guides I read before I booked my stay recommended staying in the city center. I suppose if you were only planning to stay 1-2 nights, that might be the most time-saving approach. But in terms of getting a better sense of the city’s culture, and having a better selection of nightlife, I highly recommend staying in or around Colonia Americana. The neighborhood is chock full of bars and restaurants – even if we were for some reason restricted to eating only in Americana, we would have been completely content.

Although Casa Habita is widely considered the place to stay in Guadalajara, we were sitting on several Airbnb gift cards and it made more fiscal sense to book a place on the home-sharing platform. Even after paying service and cleaning fees, our choice still came in under budget – although we had to give up A/C, which did feel like somewhat of a sacrifice considering the temps reached into the mid-90s some days. Yet I wouldn’t hesitate to stay there again; the apartment stayed pretty comfortable thanks to the shaded patio, it was in a fantastic location (though it was near the neighborhood’s many bars, it remained quiet at night), and it had everything we needed.

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WITH MORE TIME…

If I’m being honest (well, I always share my honest opinion here, but still), with more time in Guadalajara I would likely focus on enjoying more food and drink in this culinary wonderland. But between meals, there are a few more places I’d like to visit: Ex Convento del Carmen, San Juan de Dios Mercado (sadly the market experienced a massive fire weeks before our visit; hopefully the rebuilding occurs quickly so displaced businesses can resume operation), Juan José Arreola Public Library, Lake Chapala and Ajijic (supposed to be a great day trip!), and shopping for ceramics from places like Cerámica Suro and Al Centro Cerámica.

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GUADALAJARA TRAVEL TIPS

When to Visit Guadalajara

Fall and winter are the best times to visit Guadalajara, when it comes to weather. Not only are the temperatures cool and comfortable, but these months also fall in the dry season (so you can leave your umbrella behind!). In theory, mid-spring should have also been a decent time to visit, but a heat wave pushed the temperature as high as 95°F. And although the forecast showed low temperatures in the high 50s, the reality is that it was only ever that chilly during the wee hours of the morning (i.e., when we were sleeping). By 9 a.m. most days, I was already starting to sweat. While I’d be grateful to return to Guadalajara at any time, I would choose to travel between October and March.

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Getting Around Guadalajara

Transportation

Guadalajara has a metro system with three lines but is much more tailored to locals than tourists. If the routes are convenient for you, they can be a great value (a one-way will cost you around USD 0.50). We were prepared to use it for our morning in Tlaquepaque if Uber wasn’t running, but never needed to. Instead, we relied on Uber the entire time, as we’ve done with every previous visit to Mexico. Throughout the trip, wait times varied, from a minute or two to almost twenty minutes (this was likely due to our visit coinciding with Semana Santa). Uber essentially works the same in Mexico as it does in the U.S.: enter your destination, confirm your current location, and it will quote you a price and match you with a driver. Before entering the car, verify the license plate on the vehicle matches the one on the account, and do the same for the driver’s photo. All of the drivers we rode with chose to roll down the windows instead of turning on the air conditioning, and I found it helpful to have a hair tie handy to help with the wind. Tipping is available in the app; unless there is a major, major issue, I always tip the highest amount.

Language

We encountered a few English-speaking staff at restaurants, but by and large, we needed to rely on speaking Spanish to get around (frankly, people seemed surprised that we were visiting from the U.S.). You’ll want to have at least a basic grasp of the language if you’re planning on visiting Guadalajara – especially if you plan on leaving the city center and visiting any mom-and-pop restaurants and food stands. A translating app can be a huge help, but I definitely recommend learning as much as you can before you leave. At the very, very least, you should be comfortable with greeting phrases, as these are essential for politesse when entering shops, restaurants, and the like.

Mobile Service

Our Verizon and T-Mobile plans allow us to have free talk, text, and data in Mexico, but depending on your provider and plan, it may not be included. Check before you leave to see if there is an additional charge, and if so, you might consider purchasing a local SIM card and reloadable plan. During our time in Mexico, the main cell phone service we received was from TELCEL and Movistar – those might be a good place to start when researching!

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Money

Currency

It’s always helpful to have a bit of cash before you land, but thankfully nowadays you can get from the airport to a bank without needing any pesos in hand. The best exchange rates are always going to be at an ATM – check to see if your bank partners with any banks in the city to avoid costly fees. The ATM (and some credit card machines at shops) may ask if you want to convert the transaction to your home country’s currency; this typically gives you an unfavorable exchange rate. It’s generally best to complete these transactions in MXN. If ATMs give you the option to withdraw smaller bills, take them up on it. If not, we had success in breaking larger bills at several of the OXXO convenience store locations. You’ll want to carry smaller bills and coins for places that are cash-only and to tip as needed.

Tipping Culture

Tipping culture is strong in Mexico, and you’ll always want to have some extra pesos on hand. Uber and restaurants have made it a bit easier on the credit card-reliant traveler by allowing digital tipping. To tip at a restaurant, you’ll need to let your server know how much you want to tip before they swipe your card. Fifteen percent is the norm, but we typically tip twenty percent. Some card machines will give the server the option to add the tip as a percentage, but not always – be prepared to do some quick math (if not, many of them keep a mini calculator in their apron)! Other people that you should expect to tip include bartenders, grocery store baggers, your hotel concierge or apartment’s door person, bathroom attendants, and even your COVID test administrator (more on that later).

Budget

Guadalajara offers travelers the option to pinch their pesos or to splurge at every opportunity – my preference when traveling is mostly the former, with some of the latter sprinkled in here and there. Our private Airbnb totaled $320 for all six nights; we could have saved more in a shared place or spent more on a lavish, luxury stay if desired. Our meals for two ranged from around USD 4 to a max of USD 58 (in total), with most of them skewing toward the lower number. Grocery shopping and preparing food in our rental could have dropped that number even lower. Our booze costs ranged from around USD 1 (for non-craft beers) to USD 9 (for swankier cocktails). Over seven days, we spent around USD 92 on Uber, with fares ranging from USD 1.75 to 12.32, based on distance and surge pricing. Your shopping budget will be totally up to you of course, but for reference, our main purchases were my palm hat (USD 40), an art piece (USD 50), and a little stuffed alebrije toy for Meow (USD 4).

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Other Things to Know

Safety

As usual, I heard warnings from friends and family about safety before we left, but thankfully we never encountered any issues during our time in Guadalajara. The only time I personally felt a little uneasy was walking home on our last night as we were just about the only ones walking down Av. Vallarta and it was a bit foggy out (but honestly, anywhere that’s deserted feels a bit creepy at night). That being said, there are plenty of crimes of opportunity throughout the city. If you were to encounter an issue, it would likely be pickpocketing, mugging, or scams (in particular, patrons of clubs in Colonia Americana seem to be the most common victims of theft in the wee hours of the morning). Use your travel smarts: keep an eye on your belongings, don’t get wasted, and stick together with your group when heading home at the end of the night.

Water

It is not recommended to drink the tap water in Guadalajara, but many hotels and rentals have filtration systems in place. Ours had a demi-john, so we were able to easily brush our teeth and refill our smaller water bottles before heading out for the day. When dining out, choose your destinations wisely: the stuff ice is made of and produce is washed with is, of course, water!

Bathrooms

I hope we’re all friends here and can talk a little business. In Guadalajara and across Mexico, it’s customary to toss any used toilet paper in the trash bin rather than in the toilet (unless a sign states otherwise). Many restrooms place the toilet paper dispenser near the entrance rather than in the stalls; if you see one on your way in, go ahead and grab your paper. I’ve learned this lesson the hard way, and now keep some extra tissue in my purse in case I forget. You may need to have some pesos on hand to pay for the restroom before entering (you’ll likely receive a wad of TP in exchange for your coins), or if there’s an attendant, be sure to leave a tip to thank them for keeping the space clean.

COVID Testing

Hopefully, this is a moot point by the time you read this post, but at the time of our trip, we were required to submit a negative COVID test result within one day of our flight home (at the time of publication, the U.S. no longer requires this). We made an appointment online at our neighborhood Farmacias del Ahorro, although we saw people manage to obtain a test by simply walking in and purchasing one. The cost for our two tests was approximately $37, plus a tip for the test administrator. We received our results in less than fifteen minutes and uploaded them to Delta shortly afterward.

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FINAL THOUGHTS ON VISITING GUADALAJARA

Every time I leave Mexico, I feel like I leave a piece of me behind. As a travel destination, Mexico is vastly underrated – and when people do travel to the country, they tend to land at the all-inclusive resorts on the coasts. That’s great if that’s your thing, but I hope you’ll consider diving deeper into this vibrant destination, and Guadalajara is the perfect place to do so.

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Enjoyed this post? You may also like:

• Guadalajara Food Guide
• Guadalajara Packing List
• Airbnb Experience: Tequila Day Trip
• Dining at Xokol in Guadalajara
• What to Expect During Semana Santa in Guadalajara
• Three Days in Mexico City, Mexico
• Five Days in Mexico City: A Second-Timer’s Guide
• A Meal to Remember: Dining at Pujol in Mexico City
• Things We Ate: Mexico City
• Things We Ate: Mexico City (Part Two!)
• Essential Mexico City: Lucha Libre
• Visiting Teotihuacan with a Local: An Airbnb Experience
• Three Days in Mexico City Packing List
• Five Days in Mexico City Packing List
• Five Days in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
• Puerto Vallarta Packing List

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One more recommendation before you go: watch this series of episodes mostly filmed in Guadalajara.

What are you most looking forward to for your trip to Guadalajara? And can I come with you?