Best Time to Visit Guadalajara

November to March: dry and easy

This is the best stretch for most trips. Days are warm and sunny, and nights get cool enough for a jacket. In January it drops to about 10°C, so you'll want one for evenings in the Centro Histórico, around the cathedral and the Plaza de Armas. Rain is rare, so walking days, markets and day trips to Tequila or Tlaquepaque are easy.

Late October and November bring the Feria Internacional del Libro (FIL), one of the biggest book fairs in the Spanish-speaking world. It runs for about nine days from late November into early December. Hotels fill up then, so expect higher prices. December adds posadas (neighbourhood Christmas parties) and a lot of Mexican families visiting home. Travelling with kids? Christmas week is lively but busy.

In March, the Guadalajara International Film Festival draws a crowd of film fans. It's also the last comfortable month before the heat.

April and May: hot and dry

These are the hottest months, with highs of 33°C in April and 34°C in May. May is the hottest, and nothing else ties it. Afternoons are strong and dry, so do your sightseeing in the morning and spend the middle of the day in a museum. The Hospicio Cabañas, with its Orozco murals, is a good cool-down stop. Evenings are pleasant for tapas-style dinners on Avenida Chapultepec.

Crowds are lighter than in winter, apart from Semana Santa (Holy Week before Easter), when locals take a break and some businesses slow down. The first showers can arrive in late May.

June to September: the rainy season

This is the wet season, and it's real. July is the wettest month, with rain on 28 days, though August and September are close behind. The rain usually comes as an afternoon downpour, so mornings are often your best window. Streets can flood briefly, and the sun shows up for only about 3.5 hours a day in July.

It isn't a write-off. The city is green, prices drop, and the Centro is calmer. September brings Independence Day celebrations on the 15th and 16th, with a big crowd in the Plaza de Armas. If you can handle the damp, this is the cheapest time to visit.

October: the sweet spot

Rain eases to 52 mm in October, with sun returning for much of the day. The air is still humid, but it feels fresh. It's a good month if you'd like fewer crowds than winter. The Fiestas de Octubre, a month-long city fair with concerts and food stalls, runs through most of it.