La Perla Tapatía
Guadalajara is México's second-largest city, with a population of over 4 million in its metropolitan area. It is the capital of Jalisco, the state which is the birthplace of tequila, mariachi and charrería. It enjoys a temperate climate year-round. Its nicknames include “La Perla Tapatía” (The Jaliscan Pearl) and “La Perla del Occidente” (The Pearl of the West). Though it boasts plenty of sights, museums and cultural events it is not overrun with tourists. It is also a great town for eating, with a wide variety of excellent restaurants. Below you will find descriptions of some of the sights around town
Mapquest has a decent street map of Guadalajara, however you cannot search by address.
The Department of Tourism of the State of Jalisco has a wonderful website. Unfortunately, it is only in Spanish (it claims to have an English version, which in reality is practically empty).
Beautiful pictures of Guadalajara and other places in México by QT Luong can be found at terragalleria.com.
Centro Histórico
Home to Guadalajara's most well-known sights, as well as the hotels where many of you will be staying, the Centro Histórico offers plenty to see and do. Notable sights are the Catedral, Teatro Degollado, Instituto Cultural de Cabañas and Museo Regional de Guadalajara. These are arranged around a number of squares: the Plaza de Armas, Plaza de la Liberación and Plaza de los Laureles, around the Cathedral, and the much-larger Plaza Tapatía, next to the Instituto Cultural de Cabañas. The pedestrian-only Paseo Morales connects the Plaza de la Liberación and the Plaza Tapatía. The state tourist information office is located along this walkway.
Map of the Centro Histórico
from AllAboutGuadalajara.com.Zapopan
Once a smaller, nearby city, Zapopan has become contiguous with Guadalajara as the cities have grown. The Crowne Plaza, where our wedding will be held, lies within the municipality of Zapopan. Zapopan's center, five miles northwest of Guadalajara's, features the Basílica de Zapopan, the town square and the vendors of 'antojitos' in front of it every weekend, the Museum of Huichol Art, located right next to the Basílica (Mon-Sun 9:30 AM-1:30 PM and 3:00 PM-6:00 PM), and Zapopan's Museum of Art, which features modern and contemporary national and international art and photography exhibits (see their website for current exhibits) and is located right across the square, in front of the Palacio de Gobierno de Zapopan.
Tlaquepaque and Tonalá
Tlaquepaque is another independent municipality absorbed by greater Guadalajara. Known for its artists, Tlaquepaque features pedestrian-only streets, galleries, shops specializing in fine handcrafts from all over México and a variety of restaurants. The Museo Regional de la Cerámica and the Museo Pantaleón Panduro showcase a selection of pottery from the area as well as from other parts of México. It is also known for its mariachis, which can be found in El Parián, a square ringed by restaurants and bars where you can sit and listen to the music while drinking a margarita or a cerveza. It's a 20 min ride by car from the center of the city, or you can take bus routes 275, Tour, 647, 616, 136 or call a taxi at Sitio Tlaquepaque (at the corner of Progreso and Juárez) Phone: (33) 3633-0662.
Tonalá is well known for being one of the largest retailers of handcrafts in México. Other interesting sights are el Cerro de la Reina, a hill used as an astronomic observatory and ceremonial center in pre-hispanic times, and the Tianguis Artesanal, a street market gathering of as many as 4000 artisans every Thursday and Sunday along Tonaltecas, Juárez, Madero and López Pajar streets. Route 614 and 615 of the Sistecozome city buses can take you from the Hospicio Cabañas to Tonalá, or call a taxi from Sitio 67 (Corner of Zapata and Hidalgo Streets) Phone: (33) 3683-0785.
Restaurants in the Tlaquepaque area.
Restaurants in the Tonalá area.