Guadalajara, Mexico š²š½ Gringo's Guide
GDL is one of the biggest cities in Mexico, but is it one of the best?
Guadalajara is a unique city.
On one hand, the place just works. It might be the most functional city in Latin America ā outside of the āSouthern Coneā region.
Locals are friendly and sharp. Businesses are run properly. You can order things online and they show up on time, safely.
The city is relatively safe ā street crime in the neighborhoods youāll be staying in isnāt too common. However, narco activity has increased within the city as of late.
Oh, and the food is incredible, the nightlife is some of the best in Mexico, and the women arequite cute.
Howeverā¦
Thereās one issue with GDL. One major glaring issue:
The place just doesnāt have the āITā factor.
Thereās little nature here. You wonāt find stunning Pacific ocean sunsets or world-class mountains to hike. Even though the city has 5+ million people in the metro area, there is no big city energy here.
GDL is chill.
And the women are cute, theyāre very dateable and suitable for relationships.
But youāre not going to go off the deep end on a bunda bender ā like you might in Rio de Janeiro. Could be a plus or minus, depending on the stage of life youāre in.
Alasā¦
Thereās simply nothing in GDL that would make a man addicted to the city. But again, the place is incredibly pleasant. Itās a functional big city on every level. And the people are fantastic.
Letās dig deeper.
Guadalajara, Mexico š²š½
Population:
5.5 million people in the metro
Weather:Ā
One thing about GDLā¦
The weather is incredibly pleasant.
Warm in the afternoons, refreshing in the evenings.
In yeā opinion of your humble author, there is not a single month where you should not visit Guadalajara due to weather.
Sure, it rains a bit June through August. But the rain is cooling and keeps the cityās climate from getting too hot in the summer. Plus, itās never a torrential downpour.
In the winter months, the temperature drops to about 50 degrees Fahrenheit in the mornings. Itās cool, but not cold.
Youāre basically looking at 50-85 degrees Fahrenheit year around here.
IDEAL.
The absolute best months to visit weather wise?
March, April, September, October, November.
But again, this is a city where you could visit anytime of the year and weather should be perfectly fine.
Overallā¦
10/10 climate in GDL
Why Visit Guadalajara?
I touched a bit on this above, but letās dig a little bit deeper.
Guadalajara is a fantastic city overall, and many gringos and expats far prefer it over Mexico City.
Hereās what I love about GDL:
The Locals
GDL locals are friendly. Uber drivers love to chat with gringos. Servers in restaurants are cordial and servicial. You go to the park and often end up chatting with a friendly old lady walking her dog.
Iāve had many good interactions with random people in GDL.
Furthermore, the people in GDL are sharp. The city is a budding tech hub in LatAm. Iāve been more than surprised at how sharp many of the locals are in GDL.
Thereās tons of corporate jobs in this Mexican city, the second largest in the country. But more than that, this is where almost all Mexican doctors come to study.
As such, thereās a plethora of high IQ students, doctors, and specialists.
One exampleā¦
Almost everyone at my BJJ gym speaks good English. A handful also speak French. At least half have traveled to the USA and Europe before. Most are studying to be doctors or already have a nice corporate gig.
The Food
Not to be a fat ass, butā¦
The number of ādamn good mealsā Iāve had eating out at random spots in GDL is insane.
You stroll into some random restaurant while walking around and the food is truly world-class.
In fact, the food in Guadalajara may be the best Iāve tried in all of Latin America. While attempting to avoid the obesity postings from most a travel writer, thereās no doubt youāll find some amazing restaurants here.
Hereās a few solid steakhouses in GDL:
A few of the other restaurants I love here include:
The Nightlife
Iāve spent time in a number of Mexican towns and cities.
PDC, Cancun, Cozumel, CDMX, Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta, Tepic, Acapulco, Manzanilloā¦the list could go on and on.
However, in the opinion of your humble author, Guadalajara has the best nightlife in all of Mexico ā when itās going.
Better than Mexico City, significantly less sloppy than the Yucatan, more variety than any Pacific coast beach town.
More on that down belowā¦
