Guadalajara to Tequila Day Trip
A driver and vehicle for a day in the agave country, booked by the hour.
The drive
West out of the city to the agave country
The town of Tequila is 42.1 miles from Guadalajara's Cathedral, about 1 hr free-flow. The route leaves the city westward on MEX-15, the old Guadalajara–Tepic road, and joins MEX-15D, the toll highway, which runs almost to the Tequila exit. The tolls are included.
It is a day out, not a transfer, so it is priced by the hour: the driver takes you out, waits while you visit, and brings you back — and nobody in the group has to drive after a tasting.
The day at a glance
- Distance
- 42.1 mi each way from the Centro
- Free-flow time
- about 1 hr each way
- Pricing
- By the hour, 4-hour minimum
- Roads
- MEX-15, then the MEX-15D toll road
The landscape
A World Heritage landscape of blue agave
The country around Tequila is a UNESCO World Heritage cultural landscape. Mexico's Ministry of Culture describes it as 34,658 hectares between the foothills of the Tequila Volcano and the deep valley of the Río Grande: fields of blue agave and the towns of Tequila, El Arenal, Amatitán, with the large distilleries where the agave is fermented and distilled.
Those three towns sit one after another along the way, so a day can take in more than one. El Arenal comes first, then Amatitán, then Tequila itself, the furthest out.
| Town | Miles | Free-flow time |
|---|---|---|
| El Arenal | 27.0 | about 45 min |
| Amatitán | 31.6 | about 55 min |
| Tequila | 42.1 | about 1 hr |
Distilleries
Choosing the distilleries
You choose where to go; we drive. We have no arrangement with any distillery and do not steer groups toward any of them. Many run their own tours and tastings, with their own schedules and booking — check with each before the day.
Send us the plan in order, with any tour times, and we will tell you whether it fits the hours booked. Some distilleries are in the middle of town and others out among the fields, so send their addresses too; the order that saves driving is not always the obvious one. For two distillery visits and a meal in town, eight hours is a comfortable day.
Pickup
Where the day starts
The car collects you at your hotel or address at the time you choose, and brings you back to the same door, or anywhere else you name, at the end. From GDL, the driver waits outside the arrivals exit with a sign showing your name.
How long
How many hours to book
The clock runs from pickup to drop-off, so the drive counts. The table shows what each booking leaves in the agave country with the roads clear.
Getting out of Guadalajara is the variable part. TomTom's 2025 Traffic Index puts the city's average rush-hour speed at 17.4 km/h, so a departure at peak time comes out of the day. An early start helps.
| Hours booked | Time in Tequila, free-flow roads |
|---|---|
| 4 hours | About 2 hr |
| 6 hours | About 4 hr |
| 8 hours | About 6 hr |
| 10 hours | About 8 hr |
Prices
What a Tequila day costs
The price is for the vehicle and the driver for the hours booked, whoever is in it. The table starts at six hours because four — the minimum — leaves only about two in the agave country. Distillery tours and tastings are paid to the distilleries.
| Vehicle | Seats | Per hour | 6 hours | 8 hours | 10 hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premium SUV | Up to 5 | $145 | $870 | $1,160 | $1,450 |
| Executive SUV | Up to 5 | $155 | $930 | $1,240 | $1,550 |
| Sprinter Executive | Up to 12 | $215 | $1,290 | $1,720 | $2,150 |
| Sprinter Coach | Up to 14 | $215 | $1,290 | $1,720 | $2,150 |
| Executive Coach Bus | Up to 40 | $275 | $1,650 | $2,200 | $2,750 |
From your hotel
The drive from each part of the city
Tequila is west of the city, so the hotels on the western side are nearest. On a day hire the difference is time rather than price: a longer drive leaves less of the booking in the agave country.
| From | Miles | Free-flow time |
|---|---|---|
| Zapopan / Andares | 38.0 | about 50 min |
| Centro | 42.1 | about 1 hr |
| Tlaquepaque | 44.1 | about 1 hr 5 |
Older still
Teuchitlán, the landscape's older layer
The same World Heritage listing reaches back well before tequila. The Ministry of Culture describes the municipality of Teuchitlán as holding the testimony of a culture that shaped the area between the years 200 and 900 — terraces, dwellings, temples, ceremonial mounds and ball courts. Teuchitlán town is 38.4 miles from the Centro, south of the Tequila road, and can be added to the day as a stop.
Because the booking is by the hour, a stop there costs only the time it takes. Tell us the plan and we will suggest the hours.
From the airport
Straight from GDL
Tequila is 52.7 miles from GDL Terminal 1, by the Periférico round the south and west of the city to MEX-15. For an arrival day with time to spare, the day can start at the airport, with the luggage in the vehicle, and end at your hotel.
On the way
The agave from the highway
The landscape starts before you arrive. Past El Arenal the blue agave fields begin to line the highway, and by Amatitán and Tequila they fill the view on both sides, running up toward the Tequila Volcano.
Coming back in the evening, the driver takes the same toll road into the city. Nobody in the group has to stay sober for the drive, which is much of the point of booking one.
Groups
Groups and celebrations
A tequila day suits a group — a birthday, a bachelor party, a company outing. A Sprinter keeps up to fourteen together; a coach takes a larger group. The price per person falls as the group grows, and the whole group rides back together.
Nearby
More from Guadalajara
The other routes from GDL and the city hub.
Booking
What we need, and what is included
The date, the pickup address and time, the number of people, and the plan for the day.
The vehicle, the driver, the fuel and the tolls for the hours booked are included. Tours, tastings and tips are not. Cancelling is free up to 24 hours before pickup.
The Guadalajara hub covers the city. For the lake instead: GDL to Ajijic.
Frequently Asked Questions
42.1 miles from the Cathedral, about 1 hr free-flow, mostly on the MEX-15D toll road.
By the hour, with a 4-hour minimum, from pickup to drop-off. The driver waits while you visit.
Whichever you choose. We have no arrangement with any distillery and do not steer groups to one.
No. Tours and tastings are paid to the distilleries; our price is the vehicle and driver.
Yes. They are on the way, and stops only cost the time they take.
Yes. Tequila is 52.7 miles from GDL, and the luggage stays in the vehicle.
No, per vehicle, for the hours booked.