Guadalajara with kids

Best things to do with kids

Zoo · Huentitán

1.Guadalajara Zoo

One of Mexico's largest zoos stands on the lip of the Barranca de Huentitán, with big cats, primates, a herpetarium and an aviary, plus a safari area of African grassland animals. Paths give views over the canyon.

Use the Mi Macro Calzada bus up Calzada Independencia to get there, and arrive in the morning before the midday heat.

Time needed

Half a day

Cost

Mid-priced

• Kids
• Outdoors
• Nature

Park · Providencia

2.Bosque Los Colomos

A large urban forest of eucalyptus and pine on the border of Guadalajara and Zapopan, with running trails, a Japanese garden, a cultural centre and the turreted El Castillo, a former waterworks building. It is the city's favourite weekend park.

Visit the Japanese garden first, then follow the trails towards El Castillo; weekday mornings are calmest.

Time needed

2 hours

Cost

Low cost

• Outdoors
• Kids
• Nature

Landmark · Centro Histórico

3.Plaza Tapatía

A long pedestrian plaza runs east from behind the Teatro Degollado to the Hospicio Cabañas, lined with fountains, shops and modern bronze sculptures, including the Inmolación de Quetzalcóatl. It links the centre's main monuments into a single walk.

Walk it from the cathedral end towards Cabañas in the late afternoon, when families and street performers fill the plaza.

Time needed

30–45 minutes

Cost

Free

• Free
• Outdoors
• Kids

Experience · Centro Histórico

4.Lucha libre at Arena Coliseo

Masked wrestlers fly from the ropes at weekly shows in the historic Arena Coliseo, a short walk from the cathedral. The crowd's chanting and the vendors selling masks are as much a part of the show as the bouts.

Buy a cheap mask from the sellers outside and sit in the middle sections, where the atmosphere is loud but family-friendly.

Time needed

2–3 hours

Cost

Low cost

• After dark
• Kids
• Iconic

Museum · Centro Histórico

5.Museo Regional de Guadalajara

In an 18th-century seminary beside the cathedral, the regional museum covers Jalisco from prehistory onwards, with a mammoth skeleton, shaft-tomb ceramics from western Mexico, colonial paintings and ethnographic rooms on the Wixárika (Huichol) people, all arranged around a cloistered courtyard.

Start with the ground-floor palaeontology and shaft-tomb figures, the museum's most distinctive rooms.

Time needed

1–1.5 hours

Cost

Low cost

• History
• Rainy day
• Kids

Religious site · Colonia Americana and Lafayette

6.Templo Expiatorio

Guadalajara's neo-Gothic Expiatory Temple took most of the 20th century to complete, with tall stained-glass windows and a carved stone façade. Its clock tower has mechanical figures of the twelve apostles that emerge and parade at set times of day.

Ask locally or check the times posted at the church for the apostles' procession, and stay for the food stalls on the plaza in the evening.

Time needed

30–45 minutes

Cost

Free

• Architecture
• Free
• Kids
• Photo spot

Rainy-day ideas

• Museo Regional de Guadalajara — Start with the ground-floor palaeontology and shaft-tomb figures, the museum's most distinctive rooms.

Where families should stay

Family travel tips

• Plan outdoor sightseeing for mornings in May and before the afternoon storms in the rainy season.
• The zoo and the Barranca viewpoint can be combined into one day using the Mi Macro Calzada bus.
• Lucha libre shows are loud but fun for children; sit away from ringside if your kids are young.
• Ride-hailing apps are an easy way to travel as a family, though most cars do not have child seats.
• Ask for mild sauces; local salsas and tortas ahogadas can be very spicy.

Day trips for families

• 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.

When to go with children

The best months overall are October–March. Weather by month.

Questions travellers ask