For couples · Guadalajara · Mexico
Romantic things to do in Guadalajara
Ideas for a couples' trip, from small moments to a special day out.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Isacdaavid, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
Romance in Guadalajara is about evenings: mariachi serenades in Tlaquepaque, cocktails on Avenida Chapultepec and a performance at the Teatro Degollado. Lake Chapala and Tequila make easy, relaxed escapes for a day. Couples tend to stay in Colonia Americana and Lafayette.
Key facts
- Romantic ideas
- 5
- Couple-friendly sights
- 3
- Area for couples
- Colonia Americana and Lafayette
- Best months
- December–March
Romantic ideas
1.Serenade at El Parián
Hire a mariachi band to play a song or two at your table in Tlaquepaque's El Parián.
2.Evening at the Teatro Degollado
Dress up for a philharmonic concert or folkloric ballet under the theatre's painted ceiling.
3.Cocktails in the Americana
Spend an evening hopping between small mezcal and cocktail bars around Avenida Chapultepec.
4.Sunset in Ajijic
Walk Ajijic's malecón and cobbled streets, then watch the sun set over Lake Chapala.
5.Tequila tasting in the agave fields
Take a distillery tour in Tequila and taste reposados with views of the blue-agave landscape.
Sights couples love
Architecture · Centro Histórico
Teatro Degollado
Seeing a performance is the best way inside; check the programme and buy tickets at the box office for folkloric dance or the philharmonic.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Architecture
- History
- After dark
- Couples
Neighbourhood · Tlaquepaque
Tlaquepaque and El Parián
Visit on a weekend afternoon to browse the galleries, then stay for drinks and mariachi at El Parián as the evening begins.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Free
- Shopping
- Art
- Couples
- After dark
- Free
Street · Colonia Americana and Lafayette
Avenida Chapultepec
Explore the side streets, such as Calle Libertad and Calle Morelos, where many of the best small bars and coffee shops are.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- After dark
- Food
- Free
- Couples
Where couples should stay
$$$ · Best for nightlife, food lovers, couples and solo travellers
Colonia Americana and Lafayette
West of the centre, the Americana and Lafayette districts were laid out for wealthy families in the early 1900s, and their tree-lined streets still hold Art Nouveau and early modernist houses, including early works by Luis Barragán. Avenida Chapultepec and the streets around it are now the city's liveliest strip of coffee shops, restaurants, mezcal bars and galleries.
- Good
- Best café and bar scene in the city; Walkable, leafy streets; Short taxi ride to the centre
- Watch out
- Bar noise on weekend nights; Prices higher than the centre
- Nearby
- Avenida Chapultepec, Templo Expiatorio, MUSA
Romantic day trips
- Tequila (About 1–1.5 hours by road) — The town that gave the spirit its name sits among blue-agave fields that form a UNESCO-listed landscape.
- Lake Chapala and Ajijic (About 1 hour by road) — Mexico's largest natural lake lies south of the city.
- Tapalpa (About 2–2.5 hours by road) — A mountain Pueblo Mágico at around 2,000 metres with whitewashed adobe houses, red-tile roofs and pine forests.
For dinner
Share local specialities such as Birria, Carne en su jugo and Pozole rojo. Many cantinas include botanas with drinks; you only pay for what you drink.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Guadalajara romantic?
Romance in Guadalajara is about evenings: mariachi serenades in Tlaquepaque, cocktails on Avenida Chapultepec and a performance at the Teatro Degollado. Lake Chapala and Tequila make easy, relaxed escapes for a day.
+What is the most romantic thing to do in Guadalajara?
Serenade at El Parián: Hire a mariachi band to play a song or two at your table in Tlaquepaque's El Parián.
+Where should couples stay in Guadalajara?
Colonia Americana and Lafayette: Early 20th-century mansions, cafés and bars along Avenida Chapultepec.