25 Unforgettable Places to Go in 2026: Guadalajara

Guadalajara’s 2026 appeal doesn’t begin and end with football. The city’s cultural calendar is anchored by two international draws: the Guadalajara International Book Fair (FIL), which returns for its 40th edition from November 28 to December 6 with Italy as Guest of Honor, and the Festival Internacional de Cine en Guadalajara (FICG) scheduled for April 17 through 25. Between those dates, Expo Café & Gourmet Guadalajara at the end of February gives global travelers a caffeinated window into Mexico’s specialty-coffee and artisan food culture. Museo Cabañas will highlight José Clemente Orozco’s landmark fresco cycle, and MUSA has rotating exhibitions inside a grand University of Guadalajara building downtown.

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Getting to the city is getting easier, too, as the World Cup brings increased international attention. A multi-year investment plan in Guadalajara’s airport through 2029 includes a new terminal and improved road connectivity.

Guadalajara also makes a persuasive base for day trips that feel like a second trip folded into the first. An easy choice is the town of Tequila, set inside UNESCO’s Agave Landscape World Heritage Site: distillery tours, tastings, and agave fields here give insight to the spirit’s place in local agriculture and culture. Travelers who’d rather not drive can book the José Cuervo Express, which departs from Guadalajara and has tastings and events on the short ride before arriving. Top distilleries in other towns famous for tequila production are also creating a reason to visit, with terroir-driven producers like Tequila Ocho continuing to improve the visitor experience at Los Alambiques in nearby Arandas though tours, tastings, and on-site dining.