18 within 3½ hours · 9 under 2 hours
Ciudad Guzmán sits under the Nevado de Colima with Pueblos Mágicos on every side. Sayula, half an hour away, is known for its cajeta sweets and knives; Tapalpa and Mazamitla, each about an hour and a quarter up into the pines, are the two mountain towns Guadalajara families flock to on weekends. Down the volcano's far side is Comala, the white town of Juan Rulfo's novel, and north is the Chapala lakeshore at Ajijic. For a longer trip, the sierra towns of Mascota and Talpa de Allende lie to the west.
Best months for the area: Jan, Mar, Nov, Dec (when most of these towns are dry with comfortable afternoons)
Day trips (under 2 hours) 9
Close enough to drive there and back from Ciudad Guzmán in a day. Closest first.
1 h 16 min · 74 km
Best: Jan, Mar, Apr, Nov
Fiestas: Jan, Feb, Jul, Aug, Sep, Dec
Weekend escapes (2 to 3½ hours) 9
Worth a night or two. Closest first.
~2 h 50 min · 190 km
Best: Jan, Mar, Apr, Nov
Fiestas: Mar, Apr, Jun, Jul, Aug, Oct
~3 h 5 min · 210 km
Best: Jan, Mar, Nov, Dec
Fiestas: Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Sep, Oct
~3 h 15 min · 205 km
Best: Mar, Apr, May, Nov
Fiestas: Jan, Aug, Oct, Dec
On the map
Getting there
Ciudad Guzmán has no airport with scheduled flights; the usual one to fly into is Guadalajara (GDL).
A car is the easiest way to reach most of these towns; the bigger ones also have direct buses from Ciudad Guzmán. Each pueblo's page has its own getting-there notes.
Drive times are from OpenStreetMap routing without traffic. Times marked ~ are estimated from the distance and may run longer on mountain roads.