Zapopan is a city essentially adjacent to Guadalajara and home to many of the area’s wealthy residents. We had already explored some of its fabulous shopping malls, but decided it was time for some true touristing (i.e. acting like a tourist; pretty sure I just made this word up, but you get it, right?). So we decided to hit up the top three “to-do”s.
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Top Things to Do in Zapopan
The top three things to do in Zapopan are:
- Visiting the Basilica of Our Lady of Zapopan
- Checking out the pedestrian streets around the Government Palace
- Taking Pictures at the Arch of Zapopan!
Tip: You can see all these on a Zapopan Walking Tour (including a map)!
Basilica of Our Lady of Zapopan
The main attraction in Zapopan is the Basilica, so that’s where we started. It has a small icon of Mary, credited with several miracles and hosts a large yearly pilgrimage every October.
The devotion here is probably more interesting than the church itself, but this book has a pretty thorough explanation.
The municipal (government) palace, above, has an impressive mural “La Revolución Universal” by Guillermo Chavez Vega.
although, this is what M thought of it 😉 :
Nevertheless, the building itself, and surrounding little gardens are nice for a break. This is one of the few places you can grab some shade, since the main plaza is wide open!
Finally, we headed down Los Arcos street to The Zapopan Art Museum. Honestly and truly, housing not so impressive contemporary art, it was a bust; I believe we were in and out in less than half an hour.
At the end of Los Arcos street, when coming from the Cathedral, are the entrance gates to the old city. This is a must-stop for taking some instagrammable pictures in Mexico!
This will coincidentally will bring you into the modern, business and shopping oriented Zapopan, the one we know and like.
For more info on shopping malls, check out this post, including the high end Andares mall!
If you’d like to take this exact same tour of Zapopan Centro Historico, I have mapped out the complete Walking Tour of Zapopan!
Exploring Other Areas Near Guadalajara
After you’ve visited downtown Guadalajara and Zapopan, check out some other options including: Tequila, Guachimontones, and Tonala! Or make it easy on yourself, and take a tour!
