Tequila Town

Tequila sits 65km northwest of Guadalajara in the state of Jalisco, Mexico, an easy hour's drive or bus ride along Highway 15, or a slower 2.5-hour ride aboard the Saturday-only Jose Cuervo Express train from downtown Guadalajara. Buses depart the Central Vieja terminal roughly every 30 minutes, making the town an easy independent day trip without a car. The town itself is compact and walkable, ringed by the blue agave fields that supply Mexico's namesake spirit and overlooked by the dormant Tequila Volcano. A typical day starts at La Rojeña, Jose Cuervo's distillery dating to 1758, for a tour and tasting, followed by a stroll through the Mundo Cuervo complex where jimadores demonstrate traditional agave-harvesting techniques with the coa knife. Late morning is well spent at Casa Herradura's hacienda-style distillery and museum on the edge of town, or seeking out smaller artisanal producers such as Fortaleza or G4 for a more traditional tasting experience away from the tour buses. Midday, the town plaza and its colonial parish church make a pleasant stop for lunch — birria, carne en su jugo, and tortas ahogadas are widely available at family-run comedores around the square, along with agave-based desserts and licuados. Afternoon light over the agave fields is best for photography, so visitors who arrive by car often save a short drive along the field roads outside town for the last couple of hours before heading back to Guadalajara. The town is busiest and hottest from March through May; the October-to-December harvest season brings cooler temperatures and active jimador demonstrations in the fields, making it the most rewarding window for a day trip.