Tlaquepaque main square

Tlaquepaque, Guadalajara

We write a lot about high-end tours on this luxury travel blog, but sometimes you want to hit the road in your own vehicle and have complete control over your schedule. During a recent school break I tossed the luggage and my two family members into a nice Nissan rental car from Alamo that had just 500 kms on it and set out for Jalisco.

We currently live in Guanajuato, so the state of Jalisco is our neighbor one state over. The downside in the region is lots of toll booths, but the upside is really nice, smooth highways that are well-marked and not very congested. Driving around this area isn’t much different than driving in the agricultural heartland of the USA or Canada. Lots of farms and long stretches between exits.

Jalisco tourMexico’s second-largest city is the centerpiece though, so all roads lead to Guadalajara. We first stopped off in Tepatitlan, “the egg capital of Mexico” with this nice church in the center. It’s also home to a surprisingly plush hotel with all kinds of striking theme suites. See our earlier rundown on Grand Hotel Tepatitlan.

After that we made it to Guadalajara, but stayed in the craft town of Tlaquepaque instead. It’s a great place for shopping and strolling, but be advised it’s a lot more hopping in the afternoon than the evening. We were there on New Year’s Eve and the pickings were slim for dinner. Fortunately we had a good meal and got some masks and noisemakers at Rio San Pedro. There’s one odd custom in Mexico though as the year turns over: you’re supposed to eat 12 grapes in the 12 seconds leading up to midnight, making a wish each time. I couldn’t manage that many grapes or that many wishes!

We returned to the capital at the end to ride the Jose Cuervo Express train out to the “magic town” of Tequila. This was a really fun way to get there and we didn’t have to worry about how much we were sipping on the train or at the Cuervo distillery. Great scenery, great service—highly recommended.

Tequila Jalisco

Tequila the town, not the drink

In between we drove the short distance south to Lake Chapala, which probably has the highest concentration of gringos living anywhere in Mexico. Real estate prices are much more reasonable than other expat hotspots like San Miguel de Allende or Puerto Vallarta, though. Ajijic is a pretty place on a big lake, but a sleepy place overall. You make your own fun most of the time. Or you head to the hot springs, which are really a giant pool complex and spa.

See the full article here: Touring the Highlights of Inland Jalisco.