Jalisco · Mexico
Where to stay in Guadalajara
Guadalajara is a city in Jalisco, Mexico, home to about 1,386,000 people. This guide covers 1 hotel in Guadalajara.
- Places to stay in this guide
- 1
- Best months
- October to February
- Nearest airport
- GDL17 km · Guadalajara International Airport
- Currency
- MXNpeso
- Time zone
- America/Mexico City
- Language
- Nahuatl, Spanish, Yucatec Maya
About
About Guadalajara
Guadalajara is the capital and most populous city of the western Mexican state of Jalisco, as well as the most densely populated municipality in Jalisco.
Guadalajara is Mexico's second largest city, and one of the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in the country. This growth has been driven in part by the booming electronics industry in the industrial outskirts of the city. Other important and growing industries are pharmaceuticals, food processing, and fashion. Guadalajara proper is divided into four districts corresponding approximately to the northwest, northeast, southwest, and southeast quarters of the city. At the center of everything is the main area of interest to tourists, the Centro Histórico, or the historic downtown.
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Guadalajara
See
- Belén Cemetery
- Cabañas Cultural Institute
- City Museum
- Museum of the Arts University of Guadalajara
- Cross of Plazas
- Plaza Guadalajara
- Plaza de Armas
- Plaza de la Liberación
- Rotunda of Illustrious Jaliscans
- Government Palace
- Guadalajara Cathedral
- Guadalajara Regional Museum
Do
You can make a sightseeing tour in a very economically and animal friendly carriage. These are not powered by a horse, instead by a battery like an electric car. The start is at the cathedral. Prices are M$300 for half an hour, M$400-500 for a whole hour (Dec 2021). Guadalajara is Latin America's top destination for business conventions with the city's Expo Guadalajara convention center hosting many of the country's largest trade shows.
- Expo Guadalajara
- Estadio Akron
- Estadio Jalisco
- Estadio Tres de Marzo
- Estadio Los Charros de Jalisco
- Nuevo Progreso Bullring
- Atlas Country Club
- Club de Golf Santa Anita
- El Cielo Country Club
- Filharmonica de Jalisco
- Teatro Diana
- Guadalajara Film Festival
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Places to stay in Guadalajara
1 place to stay from the chains this guide covers, each linked to its own website.
| Place to stay |
|---|
| Barceló Guadalajara hotel |
Schematic: the city centre in orange, each place to stay as a dot, distance rings in kilometres.
Where to stay
Which part of Guadalajara to stay in
If you plan to spend much time downtown, don't get a hotel farther away—it's much more convenient to be within walking distance of your daytime activities. There are many inexpensive hotels available in the city center, especially around the old bus station (Central Vieja / Antigua).
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
When to go
The best time to visit Guadalajara
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Guadalajara are October to February. May is the warmest month, with average highs of 33 °C; July is the wettest, with about 220 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Guadalajara: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Guadalajara International Airport (GDL), about 17 km from the city centre in a straight line.
Getting around
The Centro (downtown) is best accessible by walking. Most attractions lie within an area of about 1 km long by 350 m wide. For longer trips, or to get in and out of the Centro, use the bus, subway or a taxi. There are also horse-drawn carriages (calandrias), which are more expensive and touristy. Uber, Cabify and Didi cover the city. Guadalajara integrates bike rentals in its urban transportation plan. Racks of sturdy rental bikes, most painted green and emblazoned with "Mi Bici" logos, are located in high traffic areas including many city parks, Metro stations, and bus stops.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
GDL · Guadalajara International Airport
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Guadalajara
Eat
Guadalajara has a wide range of restaurants with outstanding street vendors selling regional specialties (particularly birria, tortas, and various tacos). The city also has a mind-boggling variety of outstanding restaurants with dozens of 5-star restaurants offering an upscale experience and a wide range of international flavors. 2024 saw the famed Michelin Guide make its first pass through Mexico and its initial list of recommended Mexican restaurants included 25 outstanding restaurants. In addition to traditional Mexican specialties, Tapatíos seem to be especially fond of Italian food—a considerable number of restaurants of that type can be found around Guadalajara.
Drink
Guadalajara has a vibrant nightlife that's spread out all over the city, from the touristy places in the Centro Histórico (Plaza de la Liberación is a good place to start your search) to the college bars in Zapopan. However, the most active bar district in Guadalajara is in Colonia Americana centered along Avenida Chapultepec between Hidalgo and Niños Héroes, about 2 km west of the Centro Histórico. This is the place where GDL's hipster crowd makes the scene, with bar after bar lining the sides of the streets. Many of these places double as popular live music venues. A good suggestion is to search out a bar with a large collection of tequilas and taste a great blanca, reposada and añejo.
Stay safe
Guadalajara is known as one of the safest cities in Mexico. Nonetheless, as in any large city, the usual precautions should be taken. Crimes against tourists and foreign students are quite infrequent and mostly take the form of purse-snatching. Criminals usually work in teams and target travelers in outdoor restaurants, bars and other busy places. Should anyone spill something on you, be alert to your surroundings and step away—accidental spills are a common method of distracting their marks. Never carry illegal substances with you; Mexican police are very strict regarding these cases. In case of emergency, dial 911, the number for all emergencies (fire, police and medical) in Mexico.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Questions
Guadalajara: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Guadalajara?
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Guadalajara are October to February. May is the warmest month, with average highs of 33 °C; July is the wettest, with about 220 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Guadalajara?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Guadalajara International Airport (GDL), about 17 km from the city centre in a straight line.
What currency is used in Guadalajara?
peso (MXN).
Nearby
Destinations near Guadalajara
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.