Guadalajara. It’s enjoyable to say and to see. My latest journey to Jalisco’s buzzing capital was influenced by a number of components: buddies from Mexico instructed it could make an ideal weekend journey, it was a straightforward flight from Mexico Metropolis, it’s the birthplace of mariachi music, and…tequila.
SOLD.
Guadalajara, for the weekend warrior, is a metropolis of two issues: surprises and ease. Right here is the place you swap the city hustle for an hours-long, boozy lunch on a breezy terrace. It’s a spot for strolling via elegant residential zones and out of the blue stumbling upon a comfy cafe or a horny wine bar.
Actually, I wouldn’t even name it a “metropolis”, regardless of its rating as one of many prime 5 largest in Mexico. I’d name it a tightly-knit assortment of cities, every with distinct type and character.
In case you’re fortunate sufficient to have an extended weekend to spare and feeling the itch to discover, listed here are some concepts of how one can spend a juicy getaway in Guadalajara.
Friday
Arrive early and drop your luggage at your lodge in both colonia Americana or Lafayette. Beeline to your first hearty Tapatío breakfast of pan dulce, chilaquiles, recent juice, and Masala chai tea on the leafy patio at La Cafeteria. If there’s a line for a desk, take pleasure in a complimentary espresso when you wait.
Together with your stomach full, make your approach on foot or by automotive to the beating coronary heart of the town, the densely-populated and ever-lively historic heart. Dominated by the Guadalajara Cathedral, you may take pleasure in varied angles of its baroque, neoclassical, and Gothic facade from every of the encompassing plazas.
Take your time to stroll round and go to:
- Palacio del Gobierno
- Rodonda of the Jaliscienses Ilustres
- Plaza de la Liberación
- Teatro Degollado
- Plaza de Armas (particularly if a carousel experience is in your to-do listing)
A go to to Hospicio Cabañas is a perfect option to take shelter from the blazing afternoon solar. The nineteenth century Neoclassical orphanage-turned-HQ for the Conflict of Independence is now a sprawling advanced of nationwide and worldwide exhibitions and occasions. Come right here for the artwork, the structure, and the free 30-minute tour of José Clemente Orozco’s well-known frescoes.
That’s a variety of sightseeing. You deserve a drink and a snack.
Cantina la Fuente is a no-frills, locals-only watering gap that’s been in operation since 1921. Its towering ceilings reverberate the nonstop laughter, chatter, and stay music that fill the house. When in Jalisco, one should drink tequila, and throughout the yellow partitions of this historic cantina a super spot to take pleasure in your first sip together with a bag of crispy potato chips and a taco or two.
Now is an efficient time to move again to your lodge to relaxation and clean up for dinner. Earlier than you do, take a peek in Limoncello, an artisan gallery in Colonia Americana with reasonably priced and really stunning Mexican-stye residence objects.
Tonight, dine on vegan tacos at La Flaca’s intimate deck, or attempt Navaja, a brand new Mediterranean-esque institution throughout the road.
Saturday
Begin your day with a conventional breakfast on the bustling Mercado Libertad earlier than taking a 30-peso metro experience on the pink line to La Revolución. Stroll via the quiet neighborhood till you attain Calle Independencia within the heart of Tlaquepaque. It’s colourful and vibrant and residential to many artisan outlets, artwork galleries, boutique cafes, and stylish eating places. Pop into the Rodo Padilla Gallery for enjoyable sculptures of fats individuals using miniature bikes and Augustín Parra’s golden show of spiritual relics which have graced St. Peter’s Sq. in Vatican Metropolis.
When 3:30 p.m. rolls round, park your self at any of the eating places in El Parián that encompass its central gazebo flanked by papel picada. In the event that they haven’t began already, an lively mariachi band will carry out from this stage. Eat, drink, and be merry whereas your neighbors, largely vacationers from Mexico, proudly sing alongside.
For dinner, chill out within the backyard at El Abajeño for one thing conventional or make a reservation at Casa Luna for one thing a contact extra fancy.
The solar needs to be setting at this level. Again in colonia Americana is Avenida Chapultepec, flush with bars and nightclubs. In case you favor a low-key nightcap? Almacén de Botellas is a full of life institution with exterior tables and natural wine.
*Alternatively, you can spend Saturday in Tequila by the use of the Jose Cuervo Categorical. Examine my expertise. On this case, I’d extremely recommend extending your journey to Guadalajara by in the future.
Sunday
Get up at your leisure. Drive to colonia Tonalá, the place someplace between 3,500 and 4,000 distributors arrange store promoting all the pieces underneath the solar. Begin at Plaza de Tonalá and wander, attempting the road foods and drinks that Jalisco is thought for:
- Un tejuino – a calming drink manufactured from fermented corn masa, brown sugar, and lime
- Una jericalla – a kind of flan
- Birria – a gradual cooked goat stew, generally made with beef as an alternative. Typically eaten with tortillas.
- Tortas ahogadas – a chopped meat sandwich drowning in chile de árbol sauce
Stroll it off with a go to to the Bernabe Gallery’s unbelievable assortment of handcrafted ceramics, a steadfast custom held throughout the household for over 200 years. In case you’re fortunate, one of many 10 brothers who now run the place will invite you on a tour of the workshop. The Bernabe household is extraordinarily well-known for his or her function in Mexican craftsmanship and photographs of well-known individuals from everywhere in the world (together with U.S. President Obama) could be discovered on the partitions.
Whenever you’ve had sufficient buying, return to your private home base to pack and put together on your night flight. Depart time to go to Avenida Chapultepec, the place native artists collect on Sundays to showcase their work. Meander via beautiful Lafayette, a peaceable colonia adjoining to Americana and cascading with flowers, en path to La Tequila on Avenida Mexicana for a farewell lunch.
La Tequila has been a staple in Guadalajara for the reason that mid-90’s and presently boasts three areas. The modern structure weaves in regional design components of stone and clay. Conventional Mexican dishes grace the menu, some with a modern-day twist just like the vegan birria made with mushrooms that was to-die-for.
Your cheerful server will give you a tequila flight, and my recommendation is to take it. It’s low-cost, it’s enjoyable, it’s instructional — and are available on, are you able to consider a extra applicable option to say hasta luego to Guadalajara?
Want lodge choices? Listed below are some standard decisions to contemplate:
Bethany Platanella is a journey planner and life-style author primarily based in Mexico Metropolis. She lives for the dopamine hit that comes immediately after reserving a airplane ticket, exploring native markets, training yoga and munching on recent tortillas. Signal as much as obtain her Sunday Love Letters to your inbox, peruse her weblog, or comply with her on Instagram.