Guadalajara to Mexico City
Replies: 15 - Last Post: Oct 30, 2012 8:17 AM Last Post By: WouterB
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Guadalajara to Mexico City
Hi I am planning a trip to Mexico for a month Nov 11-Dec-13I want to fly into Guadalajara and fly out of Mexico City, the rest of the trip will be done entirely by bus.
I have been reading up about the surrounding towns and have come up with a rough draft of what I'd like to do.
11/11 -11/19 Guadalajara
I'd like to spend one week in and around the city. Laguna de Chapala sounds enticing, so I would like to go to Ajijic or Chapala. Any preferances? Is this something I can do on my way out of the city or would I need to return to Guadalajara to catch a bus to my next destination?
11/19- 11/24 I am en route to Morelia. Uruapan sounds nice. I would like to see the national park and I love avocados. Also Patzcuaro sounds like an interesting destination on my route to Morelia. Is this enough time? I like the idea of seeing towns on the weekend and local culture is what I would like to experience, any suggestions?
11/26-12/3 Morelia This sounds like somewhere I would like to spend a week.
12/3-12/4 Ruins are something I would like to see, so Teotihuacan could be my next stop.
12/5-12/13 Mexico city is somewhere I would like to spend about a week.
About me, I am 25 male traveling solo. Yo puedo hablar espanol pero no con fluencia. I enjoy playing as well as listening to music. I will have my accordion.
Does this sound viable? Tips on saving money? Places I should go? Any suggestions? Thanks so much for your feedback.
1
I would shorten your Guadalajara stay (too much time in really big cities - Guadalajara and Mexico City), suggest Guanajuato over Uruapan. If you travel by first-class bus then places you think are en route turn out not to be. You can visit Chapala and Ajijic as a day-trip from Guadalajara then move to Guanajuato then Morelia form where you could visit Patzcuaro overnight (or as a day trip).2
I really enjoyed Uruapan when I was there. The park but also the textile factory. But that was only a two night stay with the one day in between being plenty to see those sights3
I'm from Guadalajara, you will enjoy the down town at evening because the cultural life starts at night. Guadalaja is a metropolitan city, so try to focus on the down town because there are all the cultural, historic and art attractions.You should definitely go to the state of Michoacan and its towns; there is no place in the world that combined the colonial architecture, ethnic traditions, Mexican cuisine and the mysticism of mestizo culture, such as Patzcuaro, you are gonna be fascinated and enamored.
Cheers!
Leo
5
In my opinion, this a doable and Well thought trip. Don't miss the "Tequila Express" trip while in Guadalajara. Also the paintings at the "Hospicio Cabañas" are worth seeing. Tlaquepaque and nearby Tapalpa and Mazamitla are also worth a trip. Patzcuaro is one of the most magical places in the whole Mexico, and has many places nearby like Zirahuen, Santa Clara or Tzintzuntzan that Have beautiful sceneries, handicrafts and particular traditions. In nearby Tupataro you could see the so called "Sistine Chapel" of the indigenous world. Good luck and enjoy!6
I visited Guadalajara last spring and split my time between staying downtown and in Tlaquepaque. Enjoyed both quite a bit, but I agree that one week might be a bit too long there for you.From there we went to Guanajuato-- you would really like it there, lots of students and very lively with music on the weekends. Hard to find cheaper places to stay though.
Also make sure to do a day trip to Dolores Hidalgo from Guanajuato, very easily done on the local bus, as it is a very magical sort of place with of course great history.
8
Here is another idea.11/11-13 Arrive Monday the 11th in Guadalajara, hang out 2 nights one day then in the AM of Tuesday the 13th take a 1st class bus to Guanajuato
11/13-11/20 Arrive in Guanajuato Tuesday and hang out for a week. Dolores Hidalgo sounds like somewhere I'd like to go, San Miguel Allende maybe too? They seem within close proximity. Any suggestions on one of these towns to prefer for the weekend? Wherever I spend the weekend I suppose I would need to depart from Guanajuato and take a 1st class bus to Morelia.
11/20-11/27 Morelia for a week sounds good, then 2nd class bus it to Patzcuaro in the AM of a Wednesday.
11/28-12/3- Arrive on a Wednesday in Patzcuaro, I think I'd like to stay here a few nights and explore the surrounding areas too, stay the weekend somewhere and move on Monday the 3rd. Does this part and other of Michoacán deserve more time?
12/3-12/13 I'm guessing I will need to return to Morelia to depart on a bus to my next destination.
With 10 days left until my departure, Monday the 3rd I can either travel east towards Mexico city which with a destination in between or I can stay more in this area and eventually fly out of Guadalajara. Since I haven't purchased a return flight this is open.
Suggestions?
This plan is tentative, maybe I'll stay somewhere longer or shorter but your information helps me mold this trip into something tangible. Thanks again.
9
Nice to see someone realizing that Mexico is a big country and one trip is not enough to visit everything. I like your plan of establishing few bases and doing some daytrips while staying there. You can't go wrong with either itinerary. Guanajuato is awesome, I am glad you added it. Morelia is also totally worth it. Spending the last 10 days in Mexico City would be fantastic, as Mexico City and the area around it has much higher concentration of sights and points of interest than the rest of the places. I would alter 1 day staying put exploring some areas of the city, and the following doing a daytrip outside of the city, including points east. The area you are covering is quite small, so the bus rides up to about 4 hours will not totally drain you, yet incredibly rich in culture, history, and nature. By staying longer in fewer places you will also be able to make great local friends.10
Ok so I've decided to head to Mexico city for the last 10 days, trying to figure out where I'd like to go from there.I'm doing research but suggestions are always appreciated.
I'd like to head out of the city and stay in other towns for a couple nights at a time before returning for to the city for the departure flight.
South to Cuernevaca and Taxco....
East to Puebla and Cuetzalan....?
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I can additionally think of Teotihuacán, Tula, Tepozotlán north, or even further out cities of Pachuca and Querétaro, Tlaxcala east, Tepoztlán south, Toluca, Valle de Bravo west, you can go hiking at the national park Cumbres de Ajusco (that is technically still Distrito Federal), or just visit the Tenayuca pyramid (this one is outside Mexico City even though only a few feet/meters). You should not miss museums Dolores Olmedo and Anahuacalli and the Cuicuilco pyramid in the south of the city, even the Santa Fe shopping mall, and all of that on top of all the regular must-sees; but you'd need much more than those 10 days.13
Nathansaccordaion--You will fly out of Mexico City on December 13th. So, you'll need to decide whether or not to try to get close to the Dec. 12 festivities that will be held there honoring the Virgin of Guadalupe.Or, to avoid those crowds you might alternatively prefer to spend your last night in Mexico outside of MC, perhaps in Puebla, or Pachuca, or Cuernavaca. Special buses go directly to the MC airport regularly from each of those surrounding cities, and also from Toluca.
"I'd like to head out of the city and stay in other towns for a couple nights at a time before returning for to the city for the departure flight."
This is a great idea. If you are only going out of MC for one night, consider spending it in either Amecameca or Tepotzlan. Those attractive "mountain destinations" are among the closest to MC. Puebla/Tlaxcala or Chignahuan/Zacatlan would work best if you have at least two nights available for them. I would suggest allowing at least three nights for your side trip if you decide to go further afield, venturing to either Ixmiquilpan and Tolantongo Canyon (north of MC in Hidalgo State) or Cuetzalan.
The Tolantongo Canyon hot springs are not apparently not yet listed in any guidebooks.
So, for a Tolantongo slide show (with labels accessed via 'Show Information') see:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chris0daniel/sets/72157629398154383/show/
For logistical information about Tolantongo try:
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?threadID=2153973
