Traveling in and around Guadalajara

[Miguelin]

Hello,

Hoping to hear from you:

I am a Mexican national, and I am planning on guiding a group of Northamericans [retired/senior citizens] to visit Guadalajara and surrounding areas, for about seven days -not counting traveling days.

What places in Guadalajara -museums, buildings, events, etc.- should I include?
What towns besides Guadalajara should I consider to stay one or two nights?
Are B&B or charming small hotels available?
How far is San Miguel de Allende from Guadalajara by bus/rental van?

Thanks to all in advance.

[RVGRINGO]

Mexico has pretty strict rules and excellent training for its very professional and licenced tour guides. If you were one, you would have all of these resources at your fingertips. If you aren't one, you won't have the right tag to wear on your lapel & the real ones might sic the 'sindicato' on you. It would also be wise to do your homework online on the many excellent sites, rather than on this forum, and find the links to hotels, B&Bs, etc. If your group is more than just a few people, it will be hard to keep a low profile.

[asi va]

Miguelin, did I misunderstand your questions, or are you planning to charge people money to guide them on a tour of an area that you aren`t familiar with?

[BajaGringo]

You guys took the words right out of my mouth...

[StrykerGT2001]

To be fair, he never mentioned money - he may just be doing this as a friend, or as someone who was from the area but maybe hadn't been back in a while. If he is doing this as I hired guide, I am certainly in agreement.

Miguel - if you are unfamiliar with the area, you should perhaps pick up a copy of a Mexico travel guide such as Lonely Planet and orient yourself with the area, and then when you find a few spots that seem interesting, ask here or on other boards about them. If some of the people in your group are handicapped or otherwise physically limited from climbing lots of stairs, that may rule out some attractions, as many tourist spots in Mexico are not handicap friendly or even possible.

[Miguelin]

Thanks to ALL who answered so quickly.

In light of such answers, now I realize I did not choose the right words in my post. I will try to clarify, if you allow me.

No, I am not a guide, nor I am trying to pass as one. I am respectful of people’s professions, so no usurping any lapels here. Needless to say, there is no money involved.

Of the group that would be going, which mostly are friends and/or acquaintances, I am the only one who speaks Spanish, and more computer savvy, so they thought it would be easy for me to help with the arrangements. I will get back to them for making me put myself in this situation.

We ALL are clueless at some point in any given topic, anything wrong with that? We also are a rather adventurous group and determined to see more of Mexico.

Yes, there are very helpful books and internet sites that I can consult, which I have consulted, am consulting, and continue to consult. I have read through this forum in the past, so I thought this was a good place to get FIRST HAND INFORMATION and MORE PERSONAL EXPERIENCES. I may be wrong, you tell me, please.

Saludos.

[asi va]

I`m sorry, Miguelin- looking back at your first post, I really don`t even see why I jumped to that conclusion. As far as GDL, I`ve only visited. I`ll keep watching and if no one more knowledgeable jumps in I`ll give you my suggestions, but there are others on this site who know the area much better than I do. It will probably help to know how big the group will be. Good luck.

[RVGRINGO]

Now that you are just a 'group of friends' who want to visit Guadalajara, perhaps I can help. We live at Lake Chapala, just south of Guadalajara and go into the city frequently for serious shopping, hospitals, opera, ballet, etc. You will certainly be able to use the internet to find all the tourist information on the city, but here are a few tips:
Stay at a hotel downtown within easy walking distance of the Cathedral. That will put you in the heart of the colonial/historic district and you can walk to museums, theaters, shopping, evening entertainments on any of five squares, plaza tapatio, mercado libertad, art exhibits, opera, ballet, and fine restaurants. You will also have ready access to the new double decker tour buses which take you to other parts of the city with unlimited stops and reboardings as well as the horse drawn carriages for more intimate tours to anywhere you wish to explore. Of course, taxi and city bus or train availability will be very close to your hotel door. Should you want to take day trips to other nearby towns like Chapala, Tequila, Tlaquepaque, etc. You can take a taxi to the 'old bus station' where you can find a bus to anywhere nearby or a bus to the 'new bus station' in Tonala where you can catch large intercity luxury buses to more distant cities in other states of Mexico. Getting around is pretty easy and there are excellent tourist services in each city where you can get maps and brochures to various attractions and 'must see' locations.

[Miguelin]

Thanks very much for the help, and thought to reply to my post.