Right here’s a information to the most effective issues to do in Tequila, Jalisco. Expertise considered one of Mexico’s “best-kept secrets and techniques” and the staple spirit of Mexican tradition.
Tequila, Mexico is a small city oasis nestled within the coronary heart of Mexico’s western state of Jalisco. Close to the foot of Tequila Volcano, the city not solely possesses unmistakable options — from its sprawling agave fields and a colourful city sq. — but additionally affords an extremely wealthy and vibrant tradition. Tequila has lately change into one of the vital sought locations for vacationers, being named considered one of Mexico’s “best-kept secrets and techniques,” and one of many greatest locations to go to in 2022.
The recognition of Tequila will be largely credited to tequila, the spirit. Identical to champagne from the Champagne area of France, true tequila comes from Tequila, Mexico. As one of many solely locations in Mexico the place you may drink within the streets, the occasion environment will be encapsulating.
But it surely’s not nearly consuming and partying — top-notch excursions and day adventures showcase Tequila, Mexico’s historical past and beautiful agave fields whereas sharing the tales of households who’ve been steeped within the tequila-making custom for hundreds of years.
Touring to Tequila
Tequila, Mexico is 37 miles outdoors of Guadalajara, one of many largest main cities in Jalisco. For accessibility, it’s greatest to fly into the Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla Guadalajara Airport and take a secondary methodology of transportation to city.
Listed below are just a few choices:
For a extra direct journey methodology, the Tequila Plus Bus is a good selection. Providing HD films and reclining seats, the Tequila Plus Bus permits vacationers to take a seat again and calm down on their journey. Leaving from Colón in Guadalajara, this 55-minute bus experience gives direct entry to the city of Tequila and versatile scheduling permits vacationers to ebook their journeys with ease.
When you’re searching for a extra collaborative journey expertise — whether or not you’re a solo traveler trying to make pals or choose to be proven round by locals — BlaBlaCar service may be the best choice for you! This carpooling app lets you ebook a seat in somebody’s automobile upfront — just like Uber, however on a schedule.
The place to Keep
The Resort Photo voltaic de las Ánimas, picture by @hotelsolardelasanimas
The place you keep is determined by the type of vacation you need — and there are many choices. Keep nearer to the middle of city to be within the coronary heart of the motion, cup of cantaritos in hand, swaying to the mariachi. On the outskirts, drinks and souvenirs are a bit cheaper and you may be in nearer proximity to the city’s e lovely agave fields.
Whereas there are not any main chain motels in Tequila (sorry – no journey factors right here), the city embraces its family-centric tradition with many boutique stays as alternate options.
For a luxurious expertise within the middle of city, Resort Photo voltaic de las Ánimas displays outdated colonial Spanish structure of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. With balcony views out of {a magazine} that overlooks the city and sprawling Tequila Volcano, this lodge is bound to make you think about canceling your flight house. Its open-air hallways, painted tile flooring, a number of resort-style swimming pools and rooftop bar present a surprising ambiance certain to please even probably the most discerning vacationers.
When you’re trying to immerse your self in Tequila and luxuriate in a novel keep, Matices Resort de Barricas is the right place. As much as three individuals can keep in a non-public, indifferent constructing formed like a picket barrel, enabling you to “change into one with the spirit.” The lodge additionally affords conventional Spanish structure rooms for these searching for a novel keep with out rustic traits. Tequila tasting, guided excursions, massages and native horseback using are additionally accessible for visitors.
For a snug room with out the theatrics, look no additional than Resort Villa Tequila.
Matices Resort de Barricas, picture by @maticeshoteldebarricas
This four-star lodge gives understated magnificence and a chilled environment for a extra modest keep.
This superbly transformed mansion is a former retirement house for Tequila’s residents and embraces the historical past of retired Jose Cuervo Tequila farmers who used to remain right here.
Featuring massive, well-kept gardens, ornamental fountains, historic ironwork, and tall home windows, Resort Villa Tequila is the right place for individuals who choose a quiet keep.
Issues to Do
Whether or not you’re new to Tequila (the city or the spirit) or a seasoned fanatic, there are many actions to maintain you busy. As a welcoming neighborhood that embraces all walks of life, Tequila residents will deal with you as considered one of their very own – regardless of your pursuits.
Tequila Excursions and Boutique Distilleries
Let’s face it. You’re in Tequila — they make tequila. For many, a tequila tour in Mexico is actually within the playing cards.
Those that know precisely what kind of tequila they like can ebook excursions at particular person distilleries. Because of the overwhelming recognition, it’s really helpful that you just ebook upfront earlier than arriving in Tequila.
Distilleries like La Fortaleza provide 4 tequilas — Blanco, Reposado, Anejo, and Blanco (nonetheless power) spirits. Hand-crafted in small batches, these high-quality tequilas aren’t for the faint of coronary heart. La Fortaleza is thought for its embrace of household heritage and custom, together with making tequila the identical manner it was made 100 years in the past by its ancestors.
Casa Sauza affords excursions from Tuesday via Sunday and gives a extra hands-on expertise for guests. With three sorts of excursions accessible, you may select precisely how adventurous you need to be. From planting your individual agave, getting ready your individual cantarito, and even having a tequila-grilled meal, Casa Sauza makes certain all guests depart with their very own story to inform.
Practice Excursions
When you’re a fan of Harry Potter — or simply love locomotives — The Jose Cuervo Categorical is the choice for you.
As the one fully-operational, old-style practice left in all of Mexico, The Jose Cuervo Categorical departs from Guadalajara every Saturday and features a tour of Jose Cuervo’s La Rojeña distillery, free entry to Centro Cultural Juan Beckman Gallardo and a go to to the agave fields for an agave harvesting demonstration.
This 11-hour round-trip expertise is the right, carefree option to go to Tequila and change into immersed within the tradition.
Practice excursions via Tequila, Mexico’s agave fields
If that’s not sufficient, The Tequila Herradura Categorical immerses vacationers within the full tequila expertise. This luxurious practice experience takes guests via the huge agave fields earlier than reaching its last vacation spot: the unique Herradura distillery constructed within the 1870s. Because the oldest tequila distillery in existence, guests can witness the place tequila originated.
This historic web site is far more than tequila, although. Excursions embody visiting the unique getaway tunnels that had been constructed throughout the Cristero Struggle so employees might escape the hacienda. After exploring the land, a guided tequila tasting, lunch, and a standard mariachi present, it’s again on the practice to Guadalajara.
Personal Excursions
When you’re searching for a extra intimate, native expertise and have a small group, The Agave Expertise excursions are very well-regarded. All Agave Expertise tour guides are native to Tequila, Mexico. This tour prides itself on taking guests to native, non-commercial spots, exposing you extra to the native way of life and tradition than different excursions do.
4 tour guides make up a small but mighty workforce that has deep tequila experience; they’ve every studied for greater than 500 hours to earn their Grasp of Tequila Processes diploma from the Autonomous College of Guadalajara. Solely 70 individuals on the planet maintain this diploma, so you’re in good fingers at The Agave Expertise.
For these staying in Guadalajara and trying to get a style of the city of Tequila, a personal day journey could be an amazing addition to any trip. Guadalajara’s personal excursions provide individualized itineraries for excursions which can be personalized to your pursuits. With choices for tequila tasting experiences at unbiased, native distilleries, dine within the Tequila Village Market or discover the Tequila city sq..
These personal day excursions permit you to expertise extra than simply the spirit that put Tequila on the map and are excellent for individuals who need only a style of tequila.
Past the Spirit
I do know, I do know. Tequila this — tequila that. Does it ever finish?
Regardless that Tequila is thought for its spirit, not all the things on the town has to contain alcohol. There are lots of nice choices for individuals who don’t drink and/or those that merely need to study extra in regards to the tradition.
For the last word tequila training, go to the Nationwide Tequila Museum within the Tequila City Corridor. Positioned in one of the vital historic buildings in Tequila, designed as a typical manor home of the ruling class of the nineteenth century, the Nationwide Tequila Museum brings you again in time to Tequila’s origin. 5 everlasting reveals clarify the historical past of Tequila, together with cultivation and farming, industrial processes, and the way tequila grew to become a staple in Mexican tradition.
The Tequila Volcano is a good journey for individuals who take pleasure in climbing, tenting, mountain biking, and mountaineering. Open year-round, trails on the volcano enable guests to discover nature and uncover native species. The Tequila Volcano can also be an adventurous manner for explorers to flee the Mexico warmth, because it’s all the time chilly on the prime of the volcano; wind temperatures can attain near 0 levels Celsius.
When you’re trying to cool off however need to keep a bit of nearer to sea degree, put in your strolling footwear and chase waterfalls at Cascada Los Azules. This waterfall is about 70 meters tall and is lively all 12 months spherical. For these searching for a bit of extra journey across the falls, be sure to look into the personal canyoning and rappelling adventures accessible.
Cascada de los Azules, Photograph by @CortesMonica
Finest Locations to Eat
Positioned on the cuff of city is La Posta Restaurant — the right place to take pleasure in native delicacies. Serving regional dishes which can be getting tougher to come back by within the space, authenticism is the restaurant’s fundamental focus. Well-known for its chilaquiles, machaca and low, the restaurant affords satisfactory parts and top-tier displays.
A household favourite amongst guests, Fonda Cholula Restaurant is positioned within the middle of city and views of the Primary Sq. are virtually as pleasant because the meals. This colonial affair gives a chic and charming environment that’s fashionable amongst those that need a stress-free eating expertise.
Fonda Cholula’s menu affords a fusion of conventional delicacies with a contemporary twist. Whether or not you dine within the out of doors backyard or the principle eating room, Fonda Cholula is a good place to take pleasure in the most effective genuine, authentic margaritas of Tequila and one another’s firm.
Fonda Cholula Restaurant, picture by @DorianC_13
After all, what’s Tequila with out its oldest bar — La Capilla? Not too long ago acknowledged by World’s Finest Bars, La Capilla is house to the “batanga,” a signature cocktail of tequila, lime juice and cola. In reality, you may nonetheless discover 90-year-old Don Javier behind the bar serving the drink — which he invented.
Along with many eating choices round city, there’s loads of avenue meals accessible for these searching for a fast chunk between excursions. Tequila’s city middle boasts a strong environment with myriad meals stalls — an amazing choice for these in bigger teams with completely different tastes.
From the city’s deeply-rooted historical past to its trendy aptitude, Tequila is a must-visit vacation spot for these trying to immerse themselves in Mexican tradition. Whether or not you come for the spirits, the delicacies or the city’s pure wonders — there’s something for each traveler in Tequila, Mexico. Salud!
Nicole Tj is CEO and Co-Founding father of Travis — an influencer-led journey commerce platform. Spearheading a brand new period of creator-led commerce, Travis is a journey startup with a mission to empower a brand new era of creators to earn via journey. With over 10,000 motels accessible globally — together with Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt and 4 Seasons — Travis affords a variety of motels for various journey budgets, types and locations. With 10 years of expertise as a creator, influencer supervisor and technique guide at Deloitte Digital, Nicole combines her trade expertise with frustrations as a traveler, to pioneer a future for the $800B on-line journey trade.