The key choice: centre, Lafayette or Tlaquepaque
Guadalajara is a sprawling metropolis, but visitors need to think about only three bases. The historic centre puts the cathedral, the theatre and the museums on your doorstep. Colonia Lafayette is a leafy district of cafés and boutiques, a taxi ride from the sights. Tlaquepaque is a craft town with its own plazas and evening life. Your choice depends on how much you want to walk, how long you stay and what you want your evenings to feel like.
Historic centre: for walking
This is the best base for a first visit, and three of our hotels are here. Hotel de Mendoza, at Venustiano Carranza 16, has 104 rooms, an outdoor pool, a rooftop terrace and a restaurant, with the Teatro Degollado about two minutes away and the cathedral and Plaza Tapatía about three. Hotel Frances, at Maestranza 35, is a traditional 65-room hotel with a rooftop bar, a restaurant and a buffet breakfast for an extra charge, two minutes from the cathedral and the Plaza de Armas. Both have an elevator and a light rail station within a few minutes on foot. Hostel Hospedarte Centro, at Maestranza 147, is our budget pick, with free breakfast, private rooms and dorms, and no air conditioning.
What the centre trades off
The centre is busy by day and quieter at night, and rooms in older buildings can be dated. Parking is limited, which matters only if you hire a car. Light sleepers should ask for rooms away from the street. In return you can walk to the Palacio de Gobierno, the Hospicio Cabañas and the market, and you can meet early tour pickups without a taxi.
Colonia Lafayette: for design and dining
Casa Habita, a Design Hotels member at Lerdo de Tejada 2308, is our splurge. It has an outdoor pool, a spa, a rooftop terrace, a restaurant, free parking and free bicycles, and it is about a seven-minute walk from Avenida Chapultepec. You are a ride away from the centre, which suits travellers who want a calm base and a pool after a day of walking. It is a good choice for couples, and for a second or third night after the centre.
Tlaquepaque: for crafts and quiet
Quinta Don Jose Boutique Hotel, on Calle Reforma, has 18 rooms, a pool, a spa, a garden, an Italian restaurant and free parking, a few minutes on foot from the parish church and El Refugio. It suits travellers with a car, couples and shoppers. The trade-off is distance from the cathedral, which is a taxi or light rail ride away.
Our suggestion
If you have three nights, spend all three in the centre, at Hotel de Mendoza or Hotel Frances, and take Tlaquepaque and Tequila as outings. If you have four or five, add a night in Tlaquepaque or at Casa Habita to change the pace. Budget travellers will find Hostel Hospedarte Centro hard to beat for location. Whatever you choose, ask about breakfast, air conditioning and parking when you book, and arrive before check-in closes if you can.
