Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico

GUADALAJARA : Overview

OVERVIEW

Overall, Guadalajara is a difficult city for people with mobility challenges to visit, even though tourism is one of Guadalajara’s most important facets of its economy. Guadalajara is rich with history and culture, which transcends throughout the city through art shows, gastronomy, and musical festivities.

LANGUAGE

The official language of Mexico is Spanish.

CURRENCY

The official currency of Mexico is the Mexican Peso. American Dollars are also widely accepted.

QUICKLINKS

LOGISTICS: Air – Water – Ground
ACCOMMODATIONS: Hotels – Resorts
ENTERTAINMENT: Tours – Activities – Restaurants & Nightlife
EMERGENCY SERVICES: Hospitals – Medical Equipment
ABILITYTIPS: Precautions

GUADALAJARA : Logistics

AIR TRANSPORTATION/AIRPORT

Miguel Hidalgo International Airport: “The airport has been recently renovated and now has elevators, accessible restrooms, handicapped parking, ramps, and automatic doors. The Miguel Hidalgo International Airport has a jet bridge for boarding, however, when you arrive, sometimes they unboard passengers onto the tarmac and then load passengers onto a bus to get them to the gate. The bus is accessible, and has a wheelchair spot however it doesn’t have straps to secure the wheelchair.” Reveca, 8/2/09

“If passengers need assistance at the airport, the airport provides staff to assist people with disabilities into and out of isle chairs and also assist when getting on and off the aircraft. Airport staff can also assist with bags and getting through security.” Reveca, 8/2/09

“The Miguel Hidalgo International Airport has accessible restrooms. There is one accessible stall per restroom but they are very spacious.” Reveca, 8/2/09

“At the airport everything was pretty much what you said it would be Darren. Except, I had to keep track of early board time for last bathroom visit. Then down the ramp, transfer at plane door, down the isle, over into isle seat. Couple of things you forgot to mention (thank God). 1. My chair to chair experiences were not unlike the way a peice of beef is handled 2. No amount of printed instructions, color photo’s taped to my C-300 or verbal instructions were enough for ground crew. The drive release handle to be pulled out would have helped ground crew trying to push a 250 Lb chair with wheels locked if they would have read the instructions or listened. As my Grandpa used to say “you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.” Jerry, 11/3/2010

Add your accessible travel knowledge about airports for this destination.

GROUND TRANSPORTATION

TAXI

In Guadalajara there are not wheelchair accessible taxis available that are equipped with a ramp or lift at this time. It would be best if you could transfer into a regular taxi and have the driver store your manual wheelchair in the trunk or back seat.

“Most taxis are small to medium sized cars, and also micro buses.” Reveca, 8/2/09

There are two ways to pay a taxi fare: metered rate or flat fee. Whichever the method of payment, pricing should be negotiated and agreed upon before the ride begins. It’s a good way to avoid expensive mistakes.

Add your accessible travel knowledge about taxi services for this destination.

SHUTTLE

There is not an accessible shuttle bus at the Miguel Hidalgo International Airport at this time.

Add your accessible travel knowledge about shuttle services for this destination.

RENTAL CAR (Wheelchair Van)

There are no wheelchair accessible rental vans available in Guadalajara at this time. And wheelchair transportation is difficult to find. However, there is a company called LDP Transport that has an accessible van with driver.

LDP Transport: LDP Transport offers wheelchair accessible transportation. The van is equipped with a rear lift. I believe this is the only accessible transportation company in Guadalajara, Mexico. Please visit their website for more information about services offered. Note that their website is in Spanish, but Google translator can translate the page for you if you can’t read Spanish. You can also contact Manual  Aguilar for more information as well: Email [email protected]

“LDP Transport, handicap van service provider in Guadalajara was just great. Up to date clean equipment, courteous drivers, punctual, They just could not have been better.” Jerry, 11/3/2010

Add your accessible travel knowledge about rental car services for this destination.

BUS

“In Guadalajara, I’ve noticed that there are more and more buses that have the wheelchair sign on it and have lifts. Not all have accessible features, and I did not use them.” Reveca, 8/2/09

Add your accessible travel knowledge about bus services for this destination.

TRAIN

“There are trains in Guadalajara, and some cars claim to be accessible, however not all stops are accessible.” Reveca, 8/2/09

Add your accessible travel knowledge about train services for this destination.

GUADALAJARA : Accommodations

HOTELS

Hotel Hilton Guadalajara: The Hotel Hilton Guadalajara is located in front of the Guadalajara Expo Center. The hotel has 3 wheelchair accessible rooms. The rooms are spacious enough to manuever around in a wheelchair. The room specifications are as follows: 

Bed measurements: From the floor to the mattress – 26”
Bathroom measurements: From the floor to the top of the toilet seat – 15”
From the floor to the wash hands – 17.5”
Door measurements: From the floor to the peephole – 35”

There is a special chair located in the bathtub, where you can sit to take a shower. Currently there are no roll in showers available at this particular Hilton Hotel.

Staybridge Suites Guadalajara Expo: The Staybridge Suites Guadalajara Expo has a wheelchair accessible room, including a parking place and a ramp to the front entrance which is clearly marked with the internation accessible symbol. The accessible room has a roll in shower, grab bars, and a standard size toilet.

Add your accessible travel knowledge about hotels for this destination.

LUXURY RESORTS

Add your accessible travel knowledge about luxury resorts for this destination.

GUADALAJARA : Entertainment

SIGHTSEEING TOURS

Add your accessible travel knowledge about sightseeing tours for this destination.

ACTIVITIES

Teatro Degollado: “This beautiful, ornate building, inside and out, can only be admired from the outside as it has many steps to get into the building. At night this historic theater is illuminated by colored lights and is a gorgeous site to see.” Reveca, 8/2/09

Tonala: “A city adjacent to Guadalajara which is known for its arts and crafts, is just a short 20 minute drive from Guadalajara. The people in Tonala are very talented craftsman. The streets are full of vendors and booths and stores selling works of art, hand crafted furniture and toys, food, etc. The streets are not always paved and there are no curb cuts. Most stores have a step to get in. However, on Thursdays and Sundays they usually have an open air market place set up.” Reveca, 8/2/09

Mercado San Juan de Dios: “Market that sells everything from fruit to pork, sandals, belts, beads, art, electronics… you name it! It had three floors and some ramps. It is very crowded and difficult to get around in some areas but if you are willing to work your way through, you can certainly find some great buys, and bargain with the vendors.” Reveca, 8/2/09

Tequila: “About 1 hour out of Guadalajara. This is the town where Tequila is made. You can take a tour of the factories and learn the journey from agave to the bottle. There are stairs and steps and unpaved areas. However, there is a train called Tequila Express from Guadalajara to Tequila that is wheelchair accessible, if you have some mobility to walk short distances too. Tequila Express offers tequila and beer open bar, live mariachi music, folklore dances, Mexican delicacies, culture, history and entertainment. It has A/C and bilingual staff.” Reveca, 8/2/09

“Hello. We’ve been visited by people with wheelchairs, and we actually have a lift in the railway station to take you up stairs but we need you to walk by yourself inside of each railway car because the aisle is narrow. Also the journey inside of the Tequila Hacienda takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes walking along paved streets (with stones). We can take you to the meal area using a truck but you won’t be able to watch the buildings and hear the explanation about the elaboration process of tequila.” Miguel, 8/17/09

Instituto Cabañas: “Instituto Cabañas is a cultural center with elaborate murals and paintings by Jose Clemente Orozco. It used to be a place for orphans and the disabled. In 1997 it was added as a World Heritage site. It has beautiful courtyards and breathtaking artwork. Most of the grounds are accessible once you get past the 2-3 steps to get in. There is an occasional step here and there, and it can be a bit of a bumpy ride at times since there are flagstone and bricks throughout.” Reveca, 8/2/09

Add your accessible travel knowledge about activities for this destination.

RESTAURANTS/NIGHTLIFE

“Almost every restaurant and store in Guadalajara has a step to get into the entrance. Newer buildings do have ramps, however most ramps can be steep.” Reveca, 8/2/09

Add your accessible travel knowledge about restaurants and nightlife for this destination.

GUADALAJARA : Emergency Services

MEDICAL SERVICES/HOSPITAL

Add your accessible travel knowledge about medical services and hospitals services for this destination.

EQUIPMENT RENTALS

Add your accessible travel knowledge about medical equipment rentals for this destination.

GUADALAJARA : AbilityTips

PRECAUTIONS

“Overall, Guadalajara is not very accessible, as many buildings have one step to get into the entrance. You will find some curb cuts, but not always on both sides of the street. Sidewalks are sometimes uneven and run into driveways with sharp dips. I would suggest traveling with someone to help with those physical barriers. People in Guadalajara are very friendly and eager to help you in/out of their store or reaching for objects or accommodating you at a restaurant.” Reveca, 8/2/09

“Guadalajara does have cutout ramps at some major intersections and public access is the law there, but not nearly for many years as here, and it has a long way to go before compliance meets United States standards. Some intersections have only one cutout, so you go down and out and around through traffic to face the other direction. Also, the ramp angles are a lot steeper than ours.” Jerry, 11/3/2010

“An AbilityTip by member, Jerry – Because my base C-300 model joy stick cannot be disconnected (for flight and handeling safety), I had a leather sleeve made with a sponge insert cut out to cover joy stick knob with Velcro straps to avoid chair inadvertently being powered up when stored in aircraft.” Jerry, 11/3/2010

Add your accessible travel knowledge about precautions for this destination.

Popularity: 13% [?]