Getting there
By air. Guadalajara International (GDL), officially Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, is Mexico’s second-busiest airport, with direct flights from across the country and many US cities. It sits southeast of the city toward Chapala, roughly a 30-to-45-minute drive from the Centro depending on traffic. Use the official airport taxi desk (you prepay by zone) or an Uber/DiDi from the app rather than flagging an unmarked car outside; expect roughly 300 to 500 MXN into the center (approximate).
By bus. Long-distance buses arrive at the Nueva Central Camionera on the southeast edge of town (not to be confused with the small old central terminal downtown). First-class lines run everywhere: ETN and Primera Plus are the comfortable operators to look for. From Mexico City it’s about 6 to 7 hours; from Puerto Vallarta roughly 4 to 5 hours over the mountains, scenic but winding; from Guanajuato or Leon in the Bajio about 3 hours. Fares from the capital land somewhere around 700 to 1,200 MXN one way (approximate).
By car. Toll highways (cuotas) link the city to Mexico City, the Bajio and the Pacific coast, and driving them is straightforward and fast. The mountain road to Puerto Vallarta (Highway 15 then 200) is genuinely twisty, so if you’re prone to motion sickness, sit in front and take it slow, or fly that leg. Inside the city, traffic is heavy and parking is a hassle, so most visitors skip a car until they leave for the coast.
Getting around
For a short visit, Uber and DiDi are the easy default: cheap by foreign standards, safe, and everywhere. A cross-town hop between the Centro, Colonia Americana and Tlaquepaque runs roughly 60 to 130 MXN (approximate). That’s what we’d use for most trips.
The city also has a real transit spine. Line 3 of the light rail (Tren Ligero) is modern and useful, running from Zapopan through the Centro toward Tlaquepaque, and the electric Mi Macro Periferico and Mi Macro Calzada bus corridors are clean and quick along their routes. Both are fine by day and cost only a handful of pesos, but they won’t cover every trip you want, so treat them as a supplement to app cars rather than your whole plan.
On foot, the Centro and the core of Tlaquepaque each walk easily within themselves, and Colonia Americana is a genuine walking neighborhood for eating and drinking. Between those zones, ride.
Honest comfort notes: traffic clogs badly at morning and evening rush, so pad your times and never cut an airport departure fine; give yourself a good couple of hours before a flight in peak hours. Street taxis will overcharge, so stick to the apps. And the rainy-season afternoons (July to September) can flood underpasses briefly, which snarls everything, so plan outdoor moves for the morning. See where to stay to pick a base that keeps your rides short.