Here's a 2-week itinerary detailing our friends' family visit to Guadalajara. From exploring renowned attractions to discovering hidden gems, the blog serves as a practical guide for families planning a visit to Guadalajara.

Day 1 (Nov 8): Settle, Chill, andExplore

We started with tacos at the famous Tacos Providencia, followed by a relaxing pool day at home. In the evening, we took a night stroll in Centro Historico to catch the remnants of the Dia de los Muertos celebration.

✔️Try Tacos Providencia

✔️See Centro Historico in the evening

Day 2 (Nov 9): Parks and Zoo

On day two, we visited Bosque Los Colomos for a relaxing walk, met playful squirrels, and admired the Jardin Japones (Opens at 11am). We then spent half a day at Zoologico Guadalajara, enjoying its amazing Safari. For dinner, we took our friends to Louie Burger Providencia, hyped as the best burger ever—they agreed, and we went back twice more during their stay!

✔️See Bosque Los Colomos & Jardin Japones in the morning

✔️Head to Zoologico Guadalajara after lunch

✔️Try Louie Burger

Day 3 (Nov 10): City Exploration

We took it easy the next day by exploring the Providencia area during the day, then back to Centro Historico Guadalajara to see it in daylight. After a few hours there, we headed to Tlaquepaque for the rest of the day, enjoying the gay games, Mariachi music, and a taste of local delights like cantaritos, esquites, and of course, more tacos. We wrapped up the day with a stroll through the vibrant Chapultapec area.

✔️Walk around Providencia

✔️See Centro Historico in the day to shop and eat

✔️Go to Tlaquepaque after lunch

✔️Walk around Chapultapec in the evening

Day 4 (Nov 11): Hikes and Malls

We spent the next day in Barranca Huentitan. It was a challenging hike, especially with the 3-year-old, whom our friend had to carry on his shoulders while walking on a steep path, but he seemed to enjoy the challenge. We don’t recommend taking the full hike down to the bridge for most families, as it is a long 2-hour walk and may be hard to manage. Barranca does offer several viewpoints worth the visit, so you can always go as far as the first viewpoint to get the best sights of Barranca. After finishing the hike, we were all sweaty and tired, so we headed back to our hotels to freshen up and then went out for a nice dinner in the evening in Andares. Andares is a beautiful modern mall with a hive of fancy upscale restaurants, and you can also find Landmark next to it, which is a newer mall with a luxurious structure. Lolo Restaurant is the restaurant we went to, which is a favorite of ours and is one of the upscale restaurants in Andares.

✔️Spend a full day at Barranca Huentian for hikes and scenery

✔️Have dinner in Andares Mall (Try Lolo Restaurant)

✔️Walk around Landmark (Near Andares)

Day 5 (Nov 12): Tequila Tour

We booked a Tequila tour for Sunday with our friends. One of the pickup points that was convenient to us is by OXXO near RIU hotel. It’s a full-day tour, and they will take you to the Tres Mujeres Museum to show the tequila process and have a bit of tequila tasting, El Columpio Extremo (the other tour option does not include it), Pueblo Magico De Tequila to check out the Tequila town, and lastly to the famous Cantaritos El Guero.

✔️Book a day tour to Tequila (Tres Mujeres Museum for Tequila tasting, El Columpio Extremo for the swing over the agave plantation, Explore Tequila town, dance and try Cantaritos)

Day 6 (Nov 13): Rest Day

A well-deserved rest day as we unwind and chill by the pool, reflecting on the memories made so far! We gave our friends some free time to do a little exploration of the city.

✔️Walk around nearby parks, and malls

Day 7 (Nov 14): Parks and Malls

Our exploration continues with visits to Parque Metropolitano, La Perla Mall, and Mercado San Juan de Dios. We also went back to Centro Historico Guadalajara to experience the enchanting Little Amala, which was scheduled that day.

✔️Walk around Parque Metropolitano

✔️Check out the new fancy malls (La Perla)

✔️Explore Mercado San Juan de Dios (the largest market in Latin America)

Day 8 (Nov 15): Immersing in Culture

We dedicated this day to exploring Zapopan Centro, featuring visits to the Museo de Arte de Zapopan. With little energy left, we took a quick stroll in Bosque Centinela.

✔️Explore Zapopan Centro (Cafes, Events, Restaurants)

✔️See the museum (Museo de Arte de Zapopan)

✔️Walk around the park (Bosque Centinela)

Day 9 (Nov 16): Events and Theme Parks

We explored Sao Paulo and Providencia during the day, and then we capped off the evening with a visit to the magical Calaverandia. Calaverandia was an amazing experience that we highly recommend. You get to see magical shows and more of the Dia de los Muertos culture. It's usually a month-long event that you can experience in the evening from 7 pm - 12 am and costs about $40. The hack is to wait until the 2nd and 3rd week to get a 20% discount for Tuesdays and Thursdays.

✔️Have a chill day at Sao Paulo (Cafes, Restaurants)

✔️See Calaverandia in the evening (It's only available in November and costs $40

Day 10 (Nov 17): Murals and Shopping

We then went to Museo de Cabanas, followed by shopping in Centro Historico. Then spent another chill evening at our place.

✔️See Museo de Cabanas

✔️Go to Centro Historico to ear, shop, and chill

✔Have a chill evening (try more cafes and restaurants)

Day 11 (Nov 18): Underwater Adventure

We spent a day at Michin Underwater Park. It’s a fun park with many family-friendly activities too. We then strolled around Americana and headed to the fastest-serving restaurant called Karne Garibaldi, but unfortunately, it was busy that day and everybody wanted to go for Louie Burger again for dinner.

✔️Spend a day at Michin Underwater Park

✔️Explore Americana Area (Cafes and Restaurants)

✔️Try Karne Garibaldi for dinner

Day 12 (Nov 19): Hiking and Fine Dining

We took them out for another outdoor adventure in Parque Centinela and a visit to Mirador Independencia on their last day. Then in the evening, we enjoyed some fancy Mexican food at Casa De los Platos.

✔️Explore more of Parque Centinela

✔️See Mirador Independencia

✔️Try Casa De los Platos for dinner

We hope this showcased a family-friendly side of Guadalajara and sparked some inspiration for your own adventure!