Global Media Projects: Your Location in Mexico

Highlights – Guadalajara

Guadalajara is in the state of Jalisco, home to the second largest city in Mexico - Guadalajara - which gave Mexico such things as the Mariachi, The Mexican Sombrero and Tequila. A trip to Guadalajara is very convenient from Guadalajara and is a worthwhile way to experience one of Mexico's big cities for a day or perhaps longer

Travel a little further and you can visit the town of Tequila. Visit the factories and farms to see how the drink is made and maybe even try a drop - the good stuff is a lot smoother than the fire water you may have tried before!

Mexico sits on one of the most active fault lines in the world and the Jalisco countryside is dotted with volcanic domes. The more adventurous amongst you can trek the dormant volcano at Paricutin or the active and still smooking volcano at Colima!

Climate

Guadalajara usually experiences 322 days of sunshine a year and average temperatures between 68F (20C) and 85F (30C). Sometimes in the morning the humidity can make things a little uncomfortable, but this almost always eases off by the middle of the day. Rainfall is heavier in June and October, often, in these months, falling for one or two hours in the afternoon.

Money matters

You will have weekends free to travel and visit the sights so do take some spending money for food, accommodation and souvenirs.

Exactly how much to take is a matter of great debate but most who have travelled to Mexico recommend that you could probably get by allowing £30-50 per weekend spending money. If you can, take a little extra just in case to allow for emergencies or those ‘must have’ souvenirs.

You cannot get Mexican currency outside of Mexico so it’s best to take your spending money as travellers cheques or cash. Credit and debit cards are widely excepted in Mexico. You can usually draw money out on credit and debit cards from most ATM machines at banks in Mexico. This is probably the easiest way to access your spending money but shouldn't be relied upon.

Travellers cheques are the safest way to carry your spending money to Mexico as they can be easily replaced if lost or stolen. In our experience we’ve found that American Express travellers cheques offer the best service but most travellers cheques are accepted. It’s probably best to avoid ‘Thomas Cook’ traveller cheques as some banks do not accept them.

However, do take a debit or credit card (preferably a Visa card) and some cash with you as travellers cheques are difficult to change (often requiring hours of queuing in banks).

You can take cash as sterling, euros or US dollars. All are easy to change in Mexico.

Arrival Information

You should arrange your flights to arrive at Guadalajara International Airport (GDL). A number of international carriers fly to Guadalajara, including Continental, American Airlines and Alaskan Airways. During the summer it's also possible to find cheap deals from some UK airports direct to Guadalajara.