Last Updated on: 29th September 2024, 10:17 am
Jalisco and its capital Guadalajara are where many of the things so commonly associated with Mexico – like sombreros, tequila and mariachi – were born. And with its metropolitan area consisting of 5,250,000 people, Guadalajara is also Mexico’s second-largest city. Yet it’s not always at the top of travelers’ lists. In the following Guadalajara guide, we’ll be covering the top things the city and its surroundings have to offer, which would take at least several days to explore in full.
Also be sure to check the end of the article for info on accommodation, and whether or not Guadalajara is indeed worthy of your attention.
Guadalajara Guide Contents
Around Centro
Guadalajara’s Centro Histórico district is centered around the stunning Catedral de la Asunción de María Santísima, or the Guadalajara Cathedral for short. It’s a symbol of the city and is often the first thing that comes up when doing an image search.
The cathedral, designed by architect Martín Casillas, was completed in 1618 after several decades of work. It replaced an earlier church at the same spot that was damaged by fire in 1574.
The church was constructed in the Spanish Renaissance style. But after a few earthquakes damaged its towers in the 19th century, new ones in the neo-Gothic style were added in 1854.
The church is surrounded by plazas on all four sides, emphasizing how it’s the city’s focal point. You’ll find the Plaza Guadalajara to the west, Plaza de Armas to the south, Plaza de la Liberación to the east, and Rotonda de los Jaliscienses Ilustres to the north.
Within the cathedral, meanwhile, you can find the Museo de Arte Sacro de Guadalajara which showcases colonial-era art.
The Rotonda de los Jaliscienses Ilustres consists of seventeen fluted columns, while statues around the park represent various historical figures and artists from the state of Jalisco.
Over at the Plaza de la Liberación, you’ll find a statue of Mexican independence leader Miguel Hidalgo and a large fountain. On one side is the Jalisco Government Palace, with the Regional Museum (more below) on the other. The 16th-century Templo de San Agustín is also nearby.
And at the plaza’s eastern end stands the stunning Teatro Degollado, constructed between 1856-66 in the Neoclassical style.
On the opposite side of the theater, meanwhile, is the Plaza Fundadores, which features a monument to the city’s founding in 1542.
The Regional Museum of Guadalajara
The Regional Museum of Guadalajara is situated within the former San José Tridentine Seminary, constructed in the 19th century.
While this is the premier cultural and historical museum of Mexico’s second-largest city, don’t expect anything close to the grandeur of Mexico City’s National Museum of Anthropology.
On the bottom floor is a small natural history section which hosts an impressive woolly mammoth skeleton said to be around 12000 years old. Beyond that, though, this is your standard regional museum that you’ll find at state capitals throughout the country.
And as is common at such museums, this one focuses on the area’s pre-Hispanic past before focusing on the colonial era.
But considering how Guadalajara was one of the few colonial cities that wasn’t built over a pre-Hispanic settlement, the archaeological element of this museum feels a bit lacking.
The state of Jalisco, however, is home to several archaeological sites, the largest being Guachimontones, accessible as a day trip from Guadalajara. And the museum does indeed contain some tomb findings from there.
Other artifacts, meanwhile, seem to largely come from states along Mexico’s Pacific coast, but it’s hard to tell for sure. Bafflingly, museum management has decided to leave out any mention of the date or place of origin for most pieces on display.
While I still think it’s worth visiting – mainly for the architecture – the Regional Museum of Guadalajara is not what one would normally expect out of a flagship museum of such a large and important city.
Even Zacatecas, a fraction of Guadalajara’s size, has more impressive and noteworthy cultural museums.
As of 2024, the museum is open from Tuesday-Sunday with tickets costing $95 MXN.
Museo Cabañas
Whether you’re visiting for the art or for the architecture, one of the top attractions of this Guadalajara guide is Museo Cabañas. You’ll find it situated at the edge of Plaza Tapatía, a 500 m-long pedestrian-only area that’s a destination in its own right.
Also near here is the Mercado de San Juan de Dios, Mexico’s largest covered market.
This elaborate structure that houses the museum was originally commissioned as an orphanage by Bishop don Juan Cruz Ruiz de Cabañas. It was designed by architect Manuel Tolsá and constructed between 1805 and 1810.
Entering through the Capilla Mayor, or main chapel, you’ll encounter beautiful mural paintings by José Clemente Orozco (1883-1949). In fact, there are no less than 57 murals here in total. But who was Orozco?
Born in Jalisco, José Clemente Orozco spent much of his youth in Mexico City. There, he’d regularly pass by the workshop of José Guadalupe Posada on his way to school, which would influence him both artistically and politically. (See our Aguascalientes guide for more on Posada.)
He began work as an illustrator in the capital, and would soon be a firsthand witness to the violence and destruction of the Mexican Revolution during a trip to Orizaba, which profoundly impacted his art and outlook on life.
After several years in the United States, he’d return to Mexico, where he’d become known as one of the three main Mexican Muralists together with Diego Rivera and David Alfaro Siqueiros.
He’d live in the United States again during the 1930s, where his work was in high demand. Ultimately, he returned to Mexico and continue painting murals like these for the remainder of his life.
Many of Orozco’s murals depict suffering, power struggles and revolutions. His murals here, for example, largely depict the Spanish conquest and subjugation of indigenous peoples during the early colonial period.
The takeover of Jalisco by conquistador Nuño de Guzmán, for example, was considered especially brutal.
While the large chapel by the entrance is the main highlight, there’s quite a lot more to see in the surrounding hallways. Spread across the various other rooms are hundreds more pieces by Orozco, while other galleries showcase various other contemporary Mexican artists.
The museum is so large that it’s easy to get lost. While perhaps I wasn’t paying close attention to the suggested route, I had to backtrack multiple times to ensure that I saw everything.
As of 2024, entry to the museum costs $80 MXN for foreigners and $55 for Mexican nationals or foreign residents. Like most museums in this Guadalajara guide, it’s closed on Mondays.
The Ex-Convento del Carmen
As you’ll notice throughout your travels in Mexico, few colonial-era Catholic monasteries still serve their original purpose. This is largely due to the Reform Laws of the 20th century which greatly diminished the power and influence of the Catholic church, forcing many religious institutions to close.
This particular structure was completed in 1758 as a Carmelite convent and it now serves as an art museum consisting of five main rooms. You’ll encounter a wide variety of styles on display and the exhibitions seem to rotate frequently.
At the time of writing, the museum is free to enter and is open every day except Mondays.
Colonia Americana & Surroundings
Several blocks to the west of the Ex-Convento del Carmen, you’ll find the MUSA Museum of the Arts University of Guadalajara. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem to be open at the time of my visit, possibly because of graduation ceremonies that were taking place. But it’s said to be among Guadalajara’s premier art museums.
And just south of the museum is the 20th-century neo-Gothic Templo Expiatorio del Santísimo Sacramento.
The museum sits at the eastern edge of the Colonia Americana district, widely considered Guadalajara’s trendiest neighborhood. It’s also a popular place to stay.
While I stayed at the opposite end of Centro, I took a walk through Americana and can confirm that it is indeed an interesting part of the city. But aside from cafes and nightlife, it doesn’t seem to have much to offer in the way of landmarks and tourist attractions.
More Around Centro
The Jalisco state capital is such a large city that this guide to Guadalajara can only cover so much of the center’s highlights. But here are a few additional landmarks for those with more time in town:
In the northern part of the center is the Panteón de Belén, one of the most prominent local cemeteries. Ordinarily, Mexican cemeteries are freely accessible to all, but that’s not the case here.
Visitors can only view the cemetery as part of a guided tour. At the time of writing, daytime tours take place from Tuesday to Saturday at 10:00, 11:00, 13:00 and 14:00. Entry costs $37 MXN, but to take photos, you’ll have to buy a special pass that costs more than the entry itself!
Often touted as one of the top things to do in Guadalajara, I was excited upon arrival for my 11:00 tour. Nobody told me, however, that it was going to last two hours!
The tour, which is in Spanish only, details local legends and the backstories of various prominent figures buried here. Unfortunately, it dragged on far too long for my liking.
The city center is also home to plenty more churches than what’s been mentioned above. Among them is the Santuario de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe to the north and Templo de Nuestra Señora de Aranzazú to the south of Centro.
To the west of Centro, meanwhile, is a unique modern art piece in the middle of the road. The Escultura Sincretismo, created by artist Ismael Vargas, pays homage to the syncretic nature of Mexican culture.
From a certain perspective, it appears as the Virgin of Guadalupe and from another it looks like the goddess Tonantzin, complete with skulls and snakes. Guadalajara is one of Mexico’s most religious cities, so the sculpture has received complaints from local Catholics ever since its inception.
Tlaquepaque
Considered separate from Guadalajara proper, yet part of its wider metropolitan area, are two neighborhoods that are quite popular with tourists. Tlaquepaque and Tonalá, both east of the city center, are commonly visited together on the same day.
As Tlaquepaque, designated a Pueblo Mágico in 2018, is accessible from central Guadalajara via metro (more below), that’s where I decided to start.
In the center, you’ll find some beautiful historic churches, such as the 16th-century Parroquia de San Pedro and the Santuario de Nuestra Señora de la Soledad, which was started in 1741 and finally completed in 1873.
It represents of a mix of Baroque, Neoclassical and Neo-Gothic styles and is well worth stepping inside.
Another highlight of Tlaquepaque is the Regional Museum of Ceramics. As the name suggests, it showcases thousands of ceramic pieces created by artists from Jalisco, including Tlaquepaque and neighboring Tonalá. They represent a fusion of pre-Hispanic and colonial-era motifs.
The museum itself, meanwhile, is housed in a 19th-century home that was once part of a local hacienda. Notably, its former owner was executed for being a supporter of Emperor Maximilian I, and it was ultimately converted into a museum in 1954.
While it seemed to be closed during my visit, Tlaquepaque is also home to the Museo Pantaleón Panduro, which houses yet more ceramics and folk art.
Another popular activity in Tlaquepaque is wandering down its main pedestrian street, Independencia Avenue. In addition to shops, cafes and restaurants, the street is also lined with interesting sculptures.
GETTING THERE: As mentioned, Tlaquepaque can be reached via the Guadalajara Metro. From the center, hop on Line 3 and head southeast until you reach Tlaquepaque Centro station. From the station, it takes about 20 minutes to walk to the main area.
If you’ll also be visiting Tonalá on the same day, that town is not situated near any metro station, so your best bet will be to call an Uber from Tlaquepaue. Public bus is another option.
While Tlaquepaque and Tonalá look fairly close on a map, the drive between the two takes 20-30 minutes with traffic. Another option is to take a tour to both towns from Guadalajara, such as this one or this one, both of which focus on local art and history.
Tonalá
As mentioned above, Tonalá is harder to reach and all in all, a lot less atmospheric than Tlaquepaque. Frankly speaking, you’d be fine with visiting Tlaquepaque alone if you don’t want to deal with the hassle of getting here.
If you do make the trek out, however, you’ll find even more museums focusing on local crafts and ceramics.
The Museo de los Tastoanes is a small museum featuring ceramics and masks created by local artists. While the building may be small, some of the pieces on display are massive, including gigantic masks representing the tastoanes.
The tastoanes themselves represent local indigenous people in their fight against the Spanish conquistadors in a special dance that takes place here in July of each year.
Supposedly, the masks look more like monsters than people in order to show what fierce fighters the natives once were. But as we know, the Spanish would end up victorious.
Elsewhere in town is the National Museum of Ceramics, which contains hundreds of ceramic pieces spread out across a beautiful building. It’s quite similar to what you’ll find in Tlaquepaque’s museum, but it’s worth the visit if you’re a fan of this type of art.
Tonalá is also famous for its huge street market which takes place on Thursdays and Sundays. I’m not really into markets, so I avoided visiting on either of these days. But consider visiting during a market day you’re looking for some unique local crafts to take home with you.
GETTING THERE: As mentioned above, Tonalá is not accessible via the Guadalajara Metro system. From central Guadalajara, your only options will be hopping on a public bus, taking a taxi or Uber, or joining a tour.
Zapopan
While not the most essential destination of this Guadalajara guide, the suburb of Zapopan is a nice place to escape the chaos of the city center.
It’s a fast-growing district known for its universities and green spaces. And it also contains some significant historical architecture.
Conveniently, you can simply take Line 3 of the Guadalajara Metro to get there. Coming out of the station, you’ll walk through the Arcos de Zapopan, after which a pedestrian avenue leads you to the main basilica.
The Basílica de Zapopan, constructed in 1730, is home to a sacred image of the Virgin Mary called the Virgin of Zapopan which is celebrated in a festival each October.
While a service was taking place during my visit and I didn’t go in, the imposing structure is still quite impressive from the outside.
While I’d intended on visiting the Bosque Los Colomos, one of Guadalajara’s most prominent green spaces, I didn’t realize until getting there that it would be a 30-40 minute walk from the center.
Another highlight in Zapopan is the Museo de Arte de Zapopan, right near the basilica.
Visiting Lake Chapala
One of the best things to do during your stay in Guadalajara is taking a day trip to Lake Chapala. The large lake is home to two towns in particular that are especially popular with expats: Chapala and Ajijic.
While many like to stay for longer (and even retire here permanently), below we’ll briefly cover what you can expect to see and do in a single day. And further below, we’ll be going over more day trip ideas from Guadalajara.
I started my day in the town of Chapala, accessible via a direct bus from Guadalajara (more on that shortly). And I immediately headed for a restaurant known as Chatterley’s Restaurant & Bar, partly because I was hungry, but mainly because this building was where English author D.H. Lawrence (1885-1930) stayed during one of his stints in Mexico.
And it was largely here that he wrote his novel The Plumed Serpent, which I consider to be one of the most thought-provoking books about Mexico, period.
Written around the time of the Cristero War, Lawrence (through his characters) criticizes both Catholicism and secular liberal ideology, arguing that the way forward for Mexico is a return to its pre-Hispanic roots.
There’s much more to be said about The Plumed Serpent, and perhaps one day I’ll publish a full review and commentary on it. But for now, the review by user ‘Scriblerus Tertius the Third’ summarizes it very succinctly.
Aside from that, there doesn’t seem much to do in Chapala other than take a stroll along the lake. But it’s easy to see why many older expats have fallen in love with this scenic and serene little town.
In regards to landmarks, you can check out the Parroquia de San Francisco, yet another historic church in the region.
Chapala is widely considered to be less developed and more laid back than Ajijic. But wanting to compare the two, I hopped on a bus to see for myself.
The two towns are about twenty minutes apart, and you can easily travel from one to the other via the public buses running along the main road.
As with Chapala, there’s not a whole lot to do in Ajijic other than stroll along the scenic malecón. It’s home to some nice parks and of course, plenty of Western-style establishments which may make you briefly forget that you’re in Mexico!
GETTING THERE: From Guadalajara, you can find direct buses to Lake Chapala via the company known as Chapala Plus. Buses depart every thirty minutes or so from the Old Bus Station (Central Vieja). The ride lasts roughly an hour.
The same bus will go to both Chapala and Ajijic, so you can choose which one you want to get off at first. Both towns have a small bus station from which you can easily find direct buses back to Guadalajara.
Alternatively, you could also take a tour.
More Day Trips From Guadalajara
Another excellent day trip from Guadalajara is visiting the pre-Hispanic ruins of Guachimontones, which you can learn all about in our dedicated guide.
Perhaps the most popular day trip option is to the town of Tequila, after which the alcoholic beverage was named. Not being a big drinker and never having been a fan of tequila, I decided to give this one a miss. Tequila, however, is said to be a charming town and is even a designated Pueblo Mágico.
If that sounds like your thing, consider this popular tour which takes you to the town along with a local distillery.
Speaking of Pueblos Mágicos, the town of Mazamitla is said to be one of Jalisco’s highlights. While technically possible to visit via public transport, you’d have to spend most of the day on a bus, which is why taking a Mazamitla tour would be preferable.
Additional Info
To easily reach many of the attractions featured in the Guadalajara guide above, you’ll want to stay in Centro or the Colonia Americana districts.
The One Guadalajara Centro Historico and Hotel Frances are right in the heart of the historical district.
In Colonia Americana, consider Hotel Love It Consulado or VL Hotel Boutique, both of which are highly rated. Casa Sabina, meanwhile, seems like a good budget option.
For those doing longer stays, Airbnb will be your best choice.
Guadalajara may be Mexico’s second-largest city, but does it have enough to offer to warrant a visit? As mentioned in this guide to Guadalajara, there are plenty of landmarks to check out in the center, plus several interesting suburbs to explore. But what does the city have to make it really stand out?
Frankly speaking, not a whole lot. For example, its museums can’t compare with those of Mexico City, while its compact historical center can’t compete with those of San Luis Potosí or Morelia. And when it comes to day trip options, Guadalajara can’t compare with cities like Puebla or Mérida.
So is Guadalajara worth visiting? Yes, but focus on the above-mentioned cities first. As the second city of such a large and diverse country, Guadalajara does fall a bit short of expectations.