Visit Guadalajara: the Perfect Mexico Starting Point, Guadalajara, Mexico

Most people visiting Mexico head straight for Mexico City or the beaches of the Yucatán Peninsula. And while the Caribbean waters and Mayan ruins are quite the attractions, it would be a pity to miss out on some of Mexico’s other gems. Guadalajara is the perfect starting point for a trip around the country. It’s not as big and overwhelming as Mexico City, but has just as many beautiful churches, plazas and attractions worth seeing. Below you’ll find some of the reasons why you should visit Guadalajara at the start of your Mexican journey.

I arrived into Mexico from San Diego, after spending a few days in San Francisco with family. It was a long, arduous journey that I made far more difficult than it needed to be by insisting on walking across the US-Mexico border instead of simply flying to Guadalajara. I walked across the bridge into Tijuana Airport, spent a very uncomfortable and sleepless night in the airport, then took a flight to Guadalajara. I had crossed the US-Canada border by land a week before, and for some reason I really wanted to do the same at the southern border. I’m weird sometimes.

Plaza de Armas is the main square in Guadalajara’s historic centre. It’s a wide-open space south of the cathedral with a beautiful old bandstand in the middle. Come to the plaza on Fridays or Sundays at 6.30 pm to hear the State Band or Orchestra perform (double check this with local sources before your visit, as the days have changed over the years). ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).