Guadalajara Travel Guide
From Wikitravel
Guadalajara is the capital city of the state of Jalisco in Mexico.
Contents |
Understand
Guadalajara is divided into several districts.
- Sector Juárez -- southwest central Guadalajara, with plenty of shops and 2 malls, encompassing the Minerva and Chapultepec commercial zones.
- Sector Hidalgo -- northwest central Guadalajara, a largely residential area encompassing the financial district and the country club.
- Sector Libertad -- northeast central Guadalajara, a largely industrial zone.
- Sector Reforma -- southeast central Guadalajara, also a mostly industrial zone. Parque Agua Azul, a large park with many trees, an auditorium and a lake inside similar to Central Park, lies there. On Saturday mornings there's a street market, the Tianguis Cultural, where you can buy alternative apparel and articles for youngsters such as spiked belts, black trenchcoats, military uniforms, used books and trading cards for a fair price.
- Centro Historico -- the historic downtown. Most of your time will probably be spent here.
- Zapopan -- though the municipality encompasses all of western Guadalajara, locally it refers to northwest Guadalajara, with a shopping mall, the Mercado del Mar (Sea Market) where you can eat fish and seafood for a reasonable price, as well as downtown Zapopan where you can find many bars and cantinas. Right south from the downtown there are rich neighborhoods, night clubs such as White Lotus and Bossé, restaurants, two private universities (Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara and UNIVA) and a shopping mall, Plaza Pabellón.
- Tlaquepaque -- south and southeast Guadalajara, encompassing the airport and downtown Tlaquepaque, a place with many restaurants and shops where you can buy local pottery and craftmanships. A private university, the ITESO, lies on southern Guadalajara.
- Tonalá -- eastern Guadalajara, where you can also buy craftmanships. Also lies there a huge park, the Parque Solidaridad.
Get in
- Libertador Miguel Hidalgo International Airport (GDL) is located south of the city along the Guadalajara-Chapala Highway. Along with Mexico's main domestic carriers - Mexicana, AeroMexico and Aviacsa - major U.S. airlines, including Alsaka Airlines, American Airlines, ATA, Continental, Delta and U.S Airways (previous under the America West name) serve Guadalajara. Discount airlines Aerocalifornia, Alma de Mexico, Avolar, Interjet and Volaris jet between Guadalajara and Mexican destinations.
The new main bus station is in the suburb of Tonala. The old bus station just south of the centro is served by bus lines motoring to nearby pueblos like Tequila and Chapala.
Get around
The Centro (downtown) is mostly accessible by walking. For longer trips or to get in and out of the Centro, use the bus, subway, or a taxi.
Bus
Dozens of bus routes provide transportation around the city. Most buses cost 4 pesos; there are also luxury buses costing 8 pesos. Look on the front window of the bus to see where it will go, and ask the driver if you're uncertain. You can also purchase a route map (the Guia Roji Red Vial Ciudad de Guadalajara). Riding the bus also provides a good chance to see different parts of the city and get your bearings.
If you know a bit of Spanish, try using this page [1]. It has most of the bus routes.
Taxi
Taxis are another option if you don't want to try to figure out the buses. City trips can be rather expensive, costing usually between $40 pesos for a short trip, up to $250 for longer trips, usually more expensive when going to a mall. As always, be sure to ask the fare before you get in. Cabs cost more at night or when they have to cross the outer ring. Fares for the airport are set. If arriving at the Guadalajara airport, a taxi monopoly provides the service - and it can be costly.
Subway
A simple subway network can be useful if you happen to want to travel along its currently limited path. Fares are similar to a bus ride. The subway is very clean and pleasant to ride; you'll enjoy being away from the hot midday sun. The subway closes at 11pm.
See
- Cathedral
Guadalajara Cathedral
- Plazas near the cathedral. Any of these offer a nice spot to walk thru or rest in for a few minutes. Most have plenty of food vendors nearby.
- Plaza Guadalajara west of (in front of) the cathedral
- Plaza de Armas south of the cathedral
- Plaza de la Liberación east of (behind) the cathedral
- Plaza de los Hombres Ilustres north of the cathedral
- Museo Regional de Guadalajara' 60 Liceo. Pleasant museum to spend a few hours in, especially if you can read Spanish (though there are English versions on separate cards) and especially on a hot day when you need some time out of the sun.
- Mercado Libertad, known by locals as San Juan de Dios, a very busy multi-storey enclosed market, with hundreds of vendors.
Buy
- Plaza Galerías, Guadalajara's biggest mall, located in the crossing of the Vallarta and Rafael Sanzio avenues. It houses Guadalajara's biggest multiplex cinema, with 20 THX projection rooms and 4 VIP rooms. Has multi-storey parking areas as well as more than 1 square kilometer of open parking space shared with a Wal-Mart and a Sam's Club. Served by the bus routes 25, 47 and 629.
- Plaza del Sol, located near the crossing between the López Mateos and Mariano Otero avenues. Guadalajara's second biggest mall, it has a multi-storey car park and an open layout, with big, open spaces in the middle, surrounded by hallways. Served by the bus routes 357, 101, 24, 258, 626, 629, 645 and 701, as well as the Santa Anita busses that connect the nearby town of Santa Anita with the metropolitan area. The Torrena Tower, measuring 336.5 m, is under construction next to Plaza del Sol, also next to Plaza Torrena, a smaller, underground mall that can be recognized by its white concrete dome located in the crossing of the López Mateos and Mariano Otero avenues.
- Plaza Patria, enclosed by the Patria, Ávila Camacho and Américas avenues. It's a two-story mall, not as big as Plaza del Sol or other malls, but with a sizeable assortment of stores, including fashion, electronics, convenience stores and a supermarket. Served by the bus routes 24, 25, 604, 622, 632, 634 and 701.
- Centro Magno, located between Vallarta and López Cotilla avenues. It has a big, wide, closed space in the middle, surrounded mostly by restaurants, fashion, electronics and bazaar stores, with a cinema on the top floor. Served directly by the bus routes 629A and 629B, and by the nearby routes 626, 622, 24, 258 and 101.
Eat
Drink
There are tons of places, however if you go to Zapopan's center, you'll be in the place. There are more than twelve bars near each other.
Sleep
Many inexpensive hotels are available in the city center. If you plan to spend much time downtown, don't get a hotel farther away. It's much more convenient to be able to walk back than to need to find a bus back to e.g. the Minerva area.
Budget
Centro
- Hostel de María, Nueva Galicia # 924 (Zona de las nueve esquinas ) (33) 3614 6230. Cozzy hostel walking distance from down town.
- Hostel Guadalajara Centro, Maestranza # 147 (on the corner of López Cotilla), (33) 3562 7520. An excellent youth hostel, about 120 pesos.
Expensive
Minerva-Chapultepec
- Holiday Inn Select, Av. Niños Heroes 3089, 33/3122-2020.
Get out
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