Guadalajara
As Mexico’s second-largest city, Guadalajara delivers a less frenetic alternative to the nation’s capital. And, while many of the images recognized as Mexican have their roots here – mariachi music, wide-brimmed sombreros, the Mexican hat dance and charreadas (rodeos) – Guadalajara is as much a vanguard of the new Mexico as it is guardian of the old. An embarrassment of museums and theaters drive the cultural life forward, fusion chefs have sharpened the edges of an already legendary culinary scene and foresighted local planners are doing their damnedest to tackle the traffic.
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Must-see attractions for your itinerary
Guadalajara
Standing proudly at the eastern end of dramatic Plaza Tapatía is one of Guadalajara’s architectural landmarks, and a Unesco World Heritage site since 1997…
Guadalajara
Guadalajara’s cathedral is the city’s most conspicuous landmark with distinctive neo-Gothic towers built after an earthquake toppled the originals in…
Guachimontones Archaeological Site
Guadalajara
Just 40km west of Guadalajara is the fascinating and distinctive archaeological site known as Guachimontones – one of the only ancient ruins in the world…
Guadalajara
One of the city's most important churches, the Basílica de Zapopan, built in 1730, is home to Nuestra Señora de Zapopan, a petite statue of the Virgin…
Guadalajara
On Thursday and Sunday, Tonalá bursts into a huge street market that sprouts on Avenida Tonaltecas and crawls through dozens of streets and alleys and…
Guadalajara
This superb collection of over 500 pieces of national folk art is housed in a converted religious mission and includes well-displayed miniature figurines,…
Guadalajara
Just south of Avenida Javier Mina and the Mercado San Juan de Dios, this is the very birthplace of mariachi music. By day it’s just a narrow walking…
Guadalajara
Among the best of the many ceramics museums in the greater Guadalajara region, this one focuses largely on works from Tonalá, arguably the finest in…
Top picks from our travel experts
Guadalajara
Massive – at 40,000 sq metres, it's the largest indoor market in Latin America – and labyrinthine and selling pretty much everything bar the kitchen sink,…
Guadalajara
Standing proudly at the eastern end of dramatic Plaza Tapatía is one of Guadalajara’s architectural landmarks, and a Unesco World Heritage site since 1997…
Guadalajara
Guadalajara’s cathedral is the city’s most conspicuous landmark with distinctive neo-Gothic towers built after an earthquake toppled the originals in…
Guadalajara
This huge plaza due east of the cathedral was a 1980s urban planner’s dream project – two whole blocks of colonial buildings to be knocked down and…
Guadalajara
This superb collection of over 500 pieces of national folk art is housed in a converted religious mission and includes well-displayed miniature figurines,…
Guadalajara
The golden-hued Palacio de Gobierno, which houses the Jalisco state government offices, was finished in 1774 and is well worth visiting to see two…
Guadalajara
The fabulously wide pedestrian and elevated Plaza Tapatía sprawls for more than 500m eastward from Teatro Degollado to the Instituto Cultural de Cabañas…
Guadalajara
A rambling 19th century complex in Tlaquepaque made up of dozens of small cantinas that all share one huge courtyard occupied by droves of mariachi. From…
Guadalajara
One of the city's most important churches, the Basílica de Zapopan, built in 1730, is home to Nuestra Señora de Zapopan, a petite statue of the Virgin…
Guadalajara
On the north side of Plaza Guadalajara is the Palacio Municipal, which was built between 1949 and 1952 but looks much older. Above its interior stairway…
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Day Trips
Guadalajara is a large, dynamic city. If you’re looking for a different side of Mexico or just need a break from all that urbanity, then you’re in luck.
Read articleMoney and Costs
Follow these money-saving tips to stretch your budget on a visit to Guadalajara.
Read articleFree Things to Do
The second largest city in Mexico, Guadalajara is a complex metropolis conjuring images of colonial churches and outdoor markets, mariachi bands and…
Read articlePlan with a local
Articles
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