The Best Side Trips from Guadalajara

"Right outside the town of Teuchitlán, Jalisco—about an hour west of Guadalajara—is one of western Mexico’s most impressive archeological sites. Discovered in 1969, Los Guachimontones includes a series of unusual conical pyramid structures, built around 2,000 years ago by the relatively unknown Teuchitlán people. The largest pyramid is nearly 60 feet high, with 52 steps to the top. You can visit this UNESCO World Heritage Site for free but the on-site museum charges a small fee."

"Less than an hour from Guadalajara, Lake Chapala—Mexico’s largest lake—offers a relaxing respite from the big city. Visitors can enjoy drinks or a meal at one of the many restaurants on the pier, watch the sunset from a sandy beach, or rent a boat to the Island of Scorpions for a different view. There are plenty of boutique hotels around the lake should you be interested in an overnight stay. To get to Lake Chapala, catch a direct bus—they leave every 30 minutes from Guadalajara’s Old Bus Central. The air-conditioned ride through the mountains of Jalisco takes somewhere between 45 minutes and an hour, depending on traffic, and costs approximately US$5 for a round-trip ticket. Once you arrive at the Chapala bus station, the lake is about a 10-minute walk away on the main street."

"Just 90 minutes south of Guadalajara , the colonial town of Tapalpa is an alpine refuge nestled in the Sierra Madre Mountains. A designated pueblo mágico (magic town), it’s home to a picturesque plaza, where artists often congregate to sell handmade wool and pine needle crafts. Spend the day discovering the restaurants, churches, and historic buildings around the plaza, or explore the lakes, streams, and forests in the surrounding countryside."

"Few visitors to Guadalajara skip a side trip to the town of Tequila, famous for the Mexican spirit of the same name. If you’re interested in going, your hotel can arrange a tequila trail excursion with a local outfitter, complete with transportation, a guided tour of one or more distilleries, and tastings. Along the 35-mile road from Guadalajara to Tequila, expect to see beautiful fields of blue agave, the plant from which tequila is made."

"Visitors looking to tour Casa Herradura—the distillery that’s been making Tequila Herradura for more than 145 years—should hop aboard the new Tequila Herradura Express. The train leaves from Guadalajara and travels through Jalisco’s agave fields, stopping in Amatitán (the official birthplace of tequila) before arriving at Casa Herradura. Once at the distillery, guests enjoy tastings, lunch, and live music, then get back on the train, where they’re treated to bar service and entertainment all the way back to Guadalajara."

"Home to Mexico’s largest concentration of artisans, Tonalá—just 10 minutes from Tlaquepaque—is known for its pottery, hand-blown glassware, textiles, miniatures, and more. On Thursdays and Sundays, the town hosts an open-air market, or tianguis , in its main plaza—and has since Prehispanic times—during which visitors can shop stalls from more than 400 craftspeople. If you can’t make it on market day, you’ll miss the hustle and bustle but can still visit the stores and family-run workshops where the artisans produce their unique wares."