Visiting Guadalajara for the First Time? Here’s What To See and Do

If it’s your first time in the city, you should start your exploration with a walking tour of the picturesque Historic Center of Guadalajara, where you’ll find a cluster of top attractions and notable historic buildings centered around the adjoining Plaza de Armas and Plaza Guadalajara.

Begin at the imposing yellow-spired Guadalajara Cathedral, before strolling around the Rotonda de los Jaliscienses Ilustres (where you’ll find statues honoring some of Guadalajara’s most famous sons and daughters), then heading to the Teatro Degollado, along the snack-and-stall-lined length of Paseo Degollado, to finally reach Plaza Tapatía.

Insider tip: This is also where you’ll find the Wax Museum, ideal for those of you traveling with kids.

While downtown, make sure to stop by Hospicio Cabañas—one of the top attractions in Guadalajara—where you can admire several José Clemente Orozco murals in the building’s interior, as well as other paintings and sculptures by other Mexican and international artists. If you’re more into modern art, beeline for the University of Guadalajara Museum of the Arts (MUSA). Situated in the Colonia Americana neighborhood, this museum blends temporary and permanent exhibits that you can explore for a small fee—or as part of a wider city culture tour.

Insider tip: After visiting the MUSA, make sure to stop by the Templo Expiatorio del Santísimo Sacramento, which has a notable clock tower—stay to watch the hour strike.

Guadalajara is arguably the foodie destination in Mexico for travelers in the know. If exploring on your own feels overwhelming, opt for a Guadalajara food tour instead and get an insight into all the best restaurants in Guadalajara.

Either way, be sure to sample the spicy torta ahogada when in town. These crusty birote bread rolls typically stuffed with salty, fatty, crispy carnitas (though other fillings are available) come positively doused in a tongue-tingling tomato sauce, as well as onions and lime. Yes, they’re messy. Yes, you should just embrace it.

You also can’t miss the classic Karne Garibaldi restaurant in Sante Tere. Here, the gap between ordering and getting your carne en su jugo on the table is mere seconds—no, really, they’re Guinness World Record holders.

Related: 7 Don't-Miss Dishes in Guadalajara

After taking a food tour and sampling the top dishes, you might want to get insight into the produce behind them. To really immerse yourself in local life, stop by the massive San Juan de Dios Market—it’s the largest indoor market in Latin America, after all.

Here, alongside fresh local produce, you can expect to find typical souvenir fare, tons of clothes and shoes (often fake brands, though, so be careful), and electronics. You’ll also be able to grab lunch at one of the many food stalls on the lower level, so come hungry and be prepared to walk.

Insider tip: As with most marketplaces in Latin America, you’ll want to bring plenty of cash (small bills preferred), as vendors aren’t likely to accept card payments.

Guadalajara brings together historic, glorious architecture with a modern, ever-changing street art and mural culture, and it’s worth exploring both sides on guided tours.

Though it’s easy enough to see the most noteworthy buildings in the historic center independently, you can also combine history and murals on a walking tour that will give you greater insight into the significance of it all or center your exploration on Colonia Americana. Alternatively, opt for a Guadalajara art tour, and go gallery-hopping around the city to smaller, off-the-beaten-path spots that you wouldn’t necessarily stumble across alone.

Though the Historic Center is one of Guadalajara’s top attractions for history buffs, Colonia Americana is arguably the top spot for café-hopping, people-watching, and youthful nightlife. Wondering where to stay in Guadalajara? This is also the ideal spot, as there are also plenty of boutique hotels in the area.

Accommodation aside, Colonia Americana is the perfect place to stroll around and sample whatever catches your eye, from the mezcal and beer combos at Pare de Sufrir to the well-known breakfast options at El Terrible Juan Café. Plus, it also borders Avenida Chapultepec—aka Chapu, to the locals—a spot known for its evening markets, bustling bars, and late-night eateries that’s mentioned on any Guadalajara nightlife guide worth its salt.

Part of Guadalajara’s wider metropolitan zone, Tlaquepaque is the place to enjoy some live mariachi music when you’re in town. Of course, you can also stop by Mariachi Plaza in Guadalajara proper, but El Parián in Tlaquepaque—for our money—offers a more immersive experience. Pull up a chair at one of the restaurants surrounding the bandstand one evening and wait for the show to begin—it’s one of the top cultural experiences in Guadalajara.

Additionally, the center of Tlaquepaque is also a delightful spot to stroll around and enjoy some local food, pick up a gift or two, and simply soak up the atmosphere in this popular, family-friendly destination.

Often combined with the aforementioned Tlaquepaque on guided sightseeing day trips—especially those centered on handmade pottery and other artisanal pursuits—the outlying locality of Tonalá is the hub of Guadalajara’s ceramics industry.

Come on Thursdays or Sundays (or both!) to explore the popular market and pick up some bargain souvenirs to ship or take home with you—vendors will typically be able to advise you on the logistics and postage. However, as well as shopping here, you can also learn more about the ceramics history itself by stopping by the excellent National Ceramics Museum.

Tequila—the town, not the spirit—is one of the most popular day trips from Guadalajara and definitely not one to skip if you’re in town for the first time. Though many first-time travel tips for Guadalajara will recommend taking one of the tourist sightseeing trains, you can also get there by bus or car with relative ease. Having said that, organized tours make the whole experience much easier and can make it easier to get into popular distilleries, such as José Cuervo.

However, if you’re not really into tequila, or don’t fancy venturing all the way out there, you can also opt for alternative Guadalajara day-trip destinations such as Chapala and Ajijic—popular among American and Canadian retirees and defined by their slow pace of life—or the circular Guachimontones pyramids, which are the only ones of their kind in Mexico.