Very quiet, very green and very peaceful. At least the part where I was – the Japanese garden. A really beautiful, quiet and very peaceful place, where there were squirrels, you could watch fish in the water, a quinceañera was having her photo shoot – in Mexico you have the big party at 15 and not at 16 – and a lot of silence and splashing water. I can’t describe it any other way than just really peaceful.
Go or not? I liked it there and it’s really green and beautiful and peaceful, but it’s not easy to get to and it’s beautiful, but not wow. So I would only do it if there’s still time.

Very cute, beautiful and very quiet and peaceful. I would say that describes the ambience of the park/viewpoint de la Independencia near the CUAAD campus in Guadalajara. The viewpoint with the small park on top is located at the end of a street pretty much on the outskirts of Guadalajara. Like the viewpoint looks out over the surrounding countryside.
As I have an absolute weakness for viewpoints and legitimately haven’t found a better one or one with a view of Guadalajara itself, I went there and was… well, not underwhelmed, but the viewpoint is like Guadalajara itself. Beautiful, but just not amazing. However, you can chill out on the steps and just enjoy the view, have a snack and just be. And the park itself is also really cute and absolutely peaceful.
Go or not? If you like viewpoints and are in Guadalajara anyway, yes. Otherwise, no. Because it’s quite nice there, but not a must.

Guadalajara is one of the largest cities in Mexico. Accordingly, the centre is of course relatively large and also quite ‘normal’ and untouristic. Of course, there are fountains and really beautiful pedestrian walkways etc., but you rather feel the Mexican vibe of a big city here. Which is kind of cool and actually typical of big cities though. Nevertheless….. To be honest – and I apologise in advance to everyone from Guadalajara as well as everyone who loves this city – I wasn’t impressed by it. Not at all. Like don’t get me wrong, the centre of Guadalajara and the streets are really beautiful and not to be despised at all and there were also corners that kind of had the wow factor, but I just didn’t catch the spark. Like I just didn’t feel it. Perhaps it was because everything was beautiful, but nothing really knocks you off the floor. Or at least that’s how it was for me. Except for the Plaza de la Liberación. That was impressive.
And so… Guadalajara’s streets and the centre are beautiful and there’s a lot to see, but Guadalajara has neither the charm of the small towns nor the proud beauty that simply knocks you out, like Mexico City, for example. Guadalajara is more of a city where you have to live and get to know its corners in order to like it – or so I think/guess. But maybe it’s just me and I’m just really weird 😀
Go or not? Honestly? It’s not a must for me personally from a tourist perspective. Still, it’s one of the biggest cities and it is very close to Tequila (where tequila literally comes from), as well as Tlaquepaque (super cute) and other cool things. Apart from that, Guadalajara is said to have a cool party life. So I would just say up to you. And if you’re there, you should of course also take in the centre and the streets 😉 (the centre being more important though)

Very lively, really beautiful and very central. In fact, the Plaza de la Liberación – Liberation Square – is one of the most beautiful, if not the most beautiful square in Guadalajara. There is a sign that I didn’t manage to take a single photo of without people on it because someone was always posing in front of it. Admittedly, the sign is really cool and a bit different to the ones you usually see in Mexico 😀
Apart from that, there’s a small fountain, a really nice building on one side of the square, seating and chill-out areas on the sides and a really fantastic view of the back of the cathedral. Together with the sign, it is a real eye-catcher. And extremely Instagrammable 😀
Go or not? I think it’s unnecessary to say, but yes safe. The square is really cool and really beautiful and an absolute must if you’re in Guadalajara 😊

The ancient Roman Hall of Columns – as I’ll call it for now – is actually called the ‘Rotonda de los Jaliscienses Ilustres’ and is a kind of large circular arch supported by columns. I know that sounds cryptic and strange, but I just don’t know how to describe this thing.
It’s quite easy to find though as it’s in the centre near the main cathedral. And it’s also quite easy to walk round because it’s not particularly big and surrounded by a brass fence with golden spikes – which means Instapics are difficult.
Go or not? Since I would definitely go to the centre if I were in Guadalajara, I would also take this with me and maybe just chill out on one of the benches on site.

The main cathedral of Guadalajara as well as the central square are located in the centre of Guadalajara. If you look at Guadalajara on maps… it will probably not be immediately clear what is meant by ‘centre of Guadalajara’. Simply because the sights in Guadalajara are somewhat spread out – including the cathedrals. For example, I initially thought that another one was Guadalajara’s main cathedral and wondered why it was so far away from what felt like everything else. The main cathedral, however, is close to a lot of other sights and you notice that immediately when you stroll through the centre. There are several other sights nearby, the old town and so on and so forth.
Coming to the cathedral itself: It is beautiful and the square on which it stands has quite a nice fountain. There’s not much more to say here. Simply because… Guadalajara is not the most attractive city in Mexico for tourists per se. And you can see that in the centre too. Not that it’s not beautiful, just…. It’s just that everything is very spread out and doesn’t feel so super special.
Go or not? If you’re in Guadalajara, yes. Simply because the cathedral is close to a few other cool sights 😊

The Catedral el Expiatorio in Guadalajara is really beautiful – especially from the outside. From the inside the windows are particularly impressive. They are basically the highlight of the otherwise rather dark cathedral and therefore stand out even more.
When I approached this cathedral, I thought it was the main cathedral – spoiler alert, it’s not. Accordingly, I was a little surprised because it is a bit far away from the ‘tourist’ centre or from most of the sights in Guadalajara in general – although there isn’t really a tourist zone in Guadalajara. But the city’s structure really just confused me. Everything is very spread out, no real tourist centre and everything is just very… spread out. That really is the right word for the city.
At the front of the church on the right is the Pope – at least that’s who I think it is – who blesses a cleric. And supposedly it brings good luck if you touch the priest’s hand. Explains the faded spot 😉

Go or not? So if you want to visit Guadalajara – it’s one of Mexico’s largest cities after all and the party life is also quite nice – then I would walk past here. The cathedral is worth a visit both inside and out and there are two or three other things in the corner that you can pay a visit to 😊