If you’re planning on being in Guadalajara for the 2026 FIFA World Cup (you’ll be cheering on Mexico’s El Tri, right?), you won’t want to leave this culturally rich metropolitan area without checking out all the activities it has to offer! Leave yourself at least an extra day to explore La Perla Tapatía and the surrounding area!
Read on for our guide to planning your perfect day trip from Guadalajara:
Take a train to tequila’s heartland
Did you know that not far from Guadalajara lies the place where tequila was born? If you didn’t already know, tequila originally comes from the Jalisco town of Tequila, and it’s a short train ride from Guadalajara.
Catch the Jose Cuervo Sunrise Express Wagon Train from a restored train station in the city, only 30 minutes from the hip Colonia Americana neighborhood. It’s a great way not only to celebrate Mexico’s most famous liquor but also to have a bonding experience with tourists from around the world.
A couple of years ago, intrepid Mexico expat and MND writer Bethany Platanella put aside her worries that a train ride run by Mexico’s foremost tequila maker might kill her with kitsch or annoy her with drunken bachelor parties on board and reported for us the ins and outs of taking the so-called “tequila train.”
She had a blast, from the elegant dining car and the mariachi concert in the Pueblo Mágico of Tequila to the distillery tour and the bus ride to the countryside to see agave fields up close. She highly recommended it all. Get the full scoop below.
Guadalajara’s tequila train – tourist trap or tasty treasure?
Beyond Chichén Itzá: Discover Jalisco’s ancient civilization
Mention Mexico’s ancient civilizations, and everybody thinks of the Aztecs. Or the Maya. But for thousands of years, before the Spanish colonists arrived, Mexico had a diverse array of distinct Indigenous peoples spread throughout the country, including in Jalisco. An hour car ride away from Guadalajara lies the mysterious Guachimontones ruins, the capital of the ancient Teuchitlán people.
A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Guachimontones is located outside the Jalisco town of Teuchitlán. While the pyramids of Chichen Itzá on the Yucatán Peninsula and Teotihuacán in Mexico state are more popular with visitors, Guachimontones has pyramids too — and they’re fascinatingly circular, different than the square or rectangular structures found at other ancient Mexican sites. The site also has some of the largest ancient ball courts in Mesoamerica.
The Teuchitlán culture predated the Mexica (Aztec) civilization but were contemporaries of the Yucatán Maya. They were known to other civilizations of their time for their ability to craft obsidian into weapons and tools.
If you’d like to know more about the history of Guachimontones and its modern-day discovery by archeologist Phil Weigand and his wife Acelia in the 1960s, check out MND writer John Pint’s fascinating article from 2019, where he talks to Weigand himself. If you’d just like to know about taking a day trip from Guadalajara to Guachimontones — how to get there and what to see — read on below.
A guide to the ancient mystery of Guachimontones
Don’t miss the wonders of the Primavera Forest
Want a day trip that won’t take you far outside Guadalajara but will feel like it did? If you’re not afraid of a little walking through nature, consider visiting Guadalajara’s world-renowned Primavera Forest. Where Guadalajara’s city limits end is where the Bosque Primavera begins.
Home to 742 species of flora, 200 birds and 59 mammals, this biologically diverse forest was declared a protected area and wildlife reserve by Mexico in 1980 and was named a biosphere reserve by UNESCO in 2006. It’s also home to the Primavera Caldera, a volcano that erupted dramatically 94,000 years ago. The blocks of pumice left behind, up to 8 meters in diameter, attract curious geologists worldwide.
The forest also has interpretative walking trails to see the impressive pumice artifacts. There are also boiling-hot rivers and fumaroles to be found here. For the more active visitor, there are opportunities to mountain bike through the forest.
MND John Pint has lived in Guadalajara for decades and told us all about this natural wonder close to home in a 2023 article. He highly recommends visiting. Find out more below.
Jalisco’s Primavera Biosphere Reserve: Why city folks should appreciate it
Spend an afternoon in Guadalajara’s coolest suburb
Guadalajara is hosting World Cup matches this summer — and while the Estadio Akron will draw the crowds, the city’s most rewarding experiences might lie one metro stop away. Downtown Zapopan, the compact historic heart of one of Mexico’s wealthiest municipalities, trades Guadalajara’s traffic and tourist traps for a 17th-century basilica, a respected contemporary art museum, and a pedestrian street lined with galleries and antiques vendors.
Eat at Doña Gabina Escolástica (arrive before 2 p.m. or queue), drink Argentine wine at Res Pública Parrilla, and finish with a single-origin coffee at one of the area’s excellent independent cafés.
Off the beaten path but never boring: What to do in downtown Zapopan
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