Sara finds furniture craftsmen in San Miguel de Allende.

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Sara peeks into a back room and finds wood carvers busy handcrafting furniture.

San Miguel de Allende and towns across Mexico are noted for hand-carved furniture.

Sara used the guidebook Bus Across Mexico to unravel Mexico’s vast bus system.

For this trip, she took a bus from Guanajuato to San Miguel de Allende.

Arriving in the morning after a trip that only took an hour and a half, Sara had plenty of time to explore the colonial city before heading back to Guanajuato.

Guadalajara offers visitors transportation ranging from frequent buses to a subway system, taxis and airport transfers.

Read the rest of this article for an update on Guadalajara transportation.

BUS

This is without a doubt the most economical and efficient, but sometimes least comfortable, means of getting around the city. Buses run every few minutes between 6 am and 10 pm to all local attractions, including Tlaquepaque, Tonalá, and Zapopan.

“Just got my book (Bus Across Mexico) today. Well worth the price. The schedules alone are tremendous. Thanks for all your hard work.: – Alva S. of Baton Rouge, LA

Fares are about 25¢, making buses the favorite mode of transportation for Guadalajara natives, so expect to stand during daylight hours.

Various “luxury” buses – which run on some of the city’s main routes, including out to Tlaquepaque and Tonalá – costs 55¢ and are less crowded and more comfortable.

Buses to nearby destinations such as Chapala, Ajijic and Tequila, depart from the Antigua Central Camionera (Old Bus Station) just northeast of the Parque Agua Azul on Avenida Dr. R. Michel between Calles Los Angeles and 5 de Febrero.

SUBWAY

Guadalajara’s underground tren ligero (light train) system is clean, safe, and efficient.

Line 1 runs along Avenida Federalismo from the Periférico (city beltway) Sur to Periférico Norte, near the Benito Juárez Auditorium.

Line 2 runs east west along Avenida Javier Mina (which becomes Avenida Juárez at the Calzada Independencia) from Tetlán in eastern Guadalajara to Avenida Federalismo.

Trains run about every 15 minutes from 6 am to 10:30 pm. A token for one trip costs about 25¢. Juárez Station, where the two lines meet, serves as a public art gallery, featuring changing exhibits of Mexican artists.

A Guadalajara subway map is included in the guide Bus Across Mexico.

AIRPORT TRANSFERS

Autotransportaciones Aeropuerto (Phone: 3/812-4278 or 3/812-4308) is a combi (VW minibus) and taxi service to and from anywhere in the Guadalajara area. Fares, based on distance from the airport, range from US$ 8 to $12 for up to three people going to the same destination.

At the airport, buy a ticket at the booth outside the terminal exit. Going to the airport, a regular city taxi should charge similar fares, though they are not allowed to pick up passengers at the airport.

Guadalajara is also an important communications and industrial center. Industry is aided by direct Railroad and air service to the U.S., and by a hydroelectric plant utilizing the Juanacatlan falls on the Santiago River.

Food processing; manufacturing of xerographic and photographic equipment, plastics, chemicals, and electronic products are among the leading industries. The region around the city is important for agricultural and livestock raising; some coal is also mined. Big tourist area.

The most famous products of Guadalajara and its environs are intricately designed and finely worked glassware and pottery.

Founded by Cristobal de Onate c.1530, Guadalajara was moved twice, before and during the Mixton War, because of military pressure by the region’s native inhabitants; it was permanently est. in 1542, the date chosen as its official founding. Guadalajara became the seat of the audiencia of Nueva Galicia. Easily captured in 1810 by Hidalgo y Costilla during the war against Spain, the city was the center of reform activities. Again in 1858, in the War of Reform, it was briefly occupied by the liberals under Benito Juarez. Miguel Hidalgo International airport to South.

Its notable public buildings include the cathedral, finished in 1618 after more than 50 years of work, and the governor’s palace, begun in 1643. The cathedral, which houses B. E. Murillo’s The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin, has been partially destroyed several times by earthquakes and represents a conglomerate of architectural styles. The governor’s palace, with murals by J. C. Orozco, is an excellent example of Spanish colonial architecture. The University of Guadalajara and the orphanage chapel also contain Orozco murals.