Guadalajara was UNESCO World Book Capital in 2022. Indeed, it has a lot of bookshops, many in innovative settings such as former warehouses. Many of them are clustered around one area and it’s worth wandering around them for an hour or two when you’re in Guadalajara.
But my unpopular opinion is that anyone who isn’t into browsing bookshops can skip Guadalajara. Why? Read on for my reasons. (Remember these are only my personal opinions. Let me know your thoughts on Guadalajara in the comments.)
Reasons to skip Guadalajara
It’s difficult being a pedestrian in Guadalajara
Guadalajara is designed for cars. As a pedestrian, you are constantly dodging traffic, stopping and starting at each block to wait for the cars to pass. Even at crossings you have to concentrate, as drivers frequently squeeze through the last second of a green light and block pedestrians and cars coming the other way. All of this means that going out for a wander in Guadalajara is a wholly unrelaxing experience.
Driving yourself or taking a taxi is almost as bad. You are constantly stuck in traffic jams, navigating other drivers who consider that they have priority. It’s stressful being on high alert.
In short, Guadalajara’s roads are chaos and are seemingly designed with pedestrians as a late afterthought.
Guadalajara is a sensory overkill
Secondly, Guadalajara is a sensory overkill and I don’t mean this in a good way.
The car situation explained above means that there is a continuous cacophony of horns blasting, the noise distracting you from focusing on avoiding being run over by a rogue car. Added to the distractions is an ever-present acrid odour of pollution.
You do get an occasional whiff of the more pleasant scent of maize flour wafting from Guadalajara’s many taquerías. But this is interrupted regularly by the overpowering smell of overflowing bins. And the pollution of course.
The books are in Spanish
I’ve mentioned Guadalajara’s books above. Indeed it’s nice to escape Guadalajara’s busy streets by ducking into a cool, quiet bookshop.
Spanish-speaking bookworms might think of Guadalajara more fondly than those of us whose Spanish is only rudimentary. This is because, unsurprisingly, most of the books in Guadalajara’s bookshops are in Spanish.
So if your Spanish is not at a level at which you could read a book in Spanish, then Guadalajara is really all about the aesthetic of the bookshops rather than the books themselves, since non-Spanish speakers are not realistically going to buy any books in Guadalajara.
I realise this is an entirely self-inflicted and very unfair negative point about Guadalajara. It is nobody’s fault but my own that my Spanish is not up to scratch. Guadalajara cannot be blamed for my own monolinguistic failings. So take this point with a pinch of salt.
Is there anything nice about Guadalajara?
Why, I hear you asking, are you being so negative about Guadalajara? Should I really skip Guadalajara altogether? Can you really think of nothing nice to say about it?
And you’re right. I have been very harsh. And I admit there are some nice things about Guadalajara.
The cathedral
The cathedral is in Guadalajara’s main town square which is thankfully pedestrianised. Its two pointed towers occupy the square’s skyline, illuminated by mellow lights at night and gleaming an unexpected lemon-yellow in the day. Its dome has a yellow and white Aztec-style pattern of tiled, twisting squares. These soft colours are a welcome contrast to the chaos on the roads a few blocks away.
The cathedral was probably my favourite thing in Guadalajara. But it’s not so great that it’s worth a specific trip there.
Day trips
There are also some nice day trips out of Guadalajara, for example Tequila (yes it’s a real place). But you could just visit Tequila. You don’t have to go via Guadalajara.
The books
And the books. I concede that it’s always nice to just be in bookshops. But, again, you don’t have to specifically be in Guadalajara to do that.
Guadalajara has nothing you can’t find elsewhere in Mexico
And this is the thrust of my opinions about Guadalajara. You’re not getting anything from Guadalajara that you can’t get from other, nicer, places in Mexico. Even the hustle and bustle of Guadalajara’s town centre isn’t unique to Guadalajara. You can find it in Mexico City where you’ve also got an eclectic mix of museums and lots of good cafes and restaurants. Or, if you’re looking for a smaller city, Oaxaca has far more colour and character than Guadalajara, is largely pedestrianised and feels a lot safer.
I certainly didn’t hate Guadalajara. I just wouldn’t go out of my way to visit. Skip Guadalajara – especially if you’re limited on time – and spend the extra days in Mexico City or Oaxaca instead.
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