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Tonala


catbird

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I agree with CG. I wouldn't go any other days than Thursday or Sunday. It would be like going to the Ajijic tiangus at 2:30.

I should clarify and say if I knew what I wanted to buy and from which vendor then I would not go on those days.

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Good point. "Best days to visit" implies a tourist day, as opposed to a trip to find some specific items. Although, last tianguis day I was there, I wanted one of those tin/alloy mirrors that are so cool, and found it very easy to get off the main drag to shop. I for one would really appreciate a tourist map of the area; it's so big.

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The best time to go is any day except market day Thursdays and Sundays..where all the cheap stuff from China is for sale.. those days are awful and I make sure I never go then, The stalls hide the better stores , it is more difficult to find what you are looking for those days..so I think it is a question of taste...

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Agree.  We went once thinking there might be some interesting and nice stuff for sale on market days but basically it was a bunch of junk and as bmh noted it made it almost impossible to visit the nicer shops there.

Skip Thursdays and Sundays, you'll enjoy your visit and shopping there more.

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Anyone new to Mexico should take in the Mercado Libertad, and the Tonala tianguis at least once. Both are a real eye-opener, and something you won't see anywhere in the U.S. or Canada. It is exciting and vibrant, with quality merchandise, interesting food and drinks, and a ton of trinkets (including good stuff and cheap imports). If you have kids and friends back home, these are the ideal places to go nuts for souvenirs, hanging pottery, wall hangings, doo-dads and geegaws. Telling someone NOT to go there to make up their own mind is a rather limiting piece of advice.

Plus, simply step off the main tainguis street one short block for a world of impressive stores, completely unaffected by the madding crowd.

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Absolutely, CG.  Especially for visitors. Let them enjoy a trip up one side of the street and down the other, stopping for some shrimp and a beer along the way.....as often as you like.  If you go in the morning, you can just snack, saving your lunch appetite for Tlaquepaque, which you can reach by turning left on Juarez and following that road into Tlaquepaque, turning left again on Niños Heroes and left again on Juarez (a different one), parking a few blocks in and walking to Tlaquepagque Centro.  Try lunch at 2PM at El Patio on Independencia; Combo 2-3PM with lunch, then Mariachi Feminil 3-4PM. You will have a great, and very full day.  Go around the block clockwise to get back to Juarez, turn left on Niño Heroes and follow the green signs (R, L, L.) to get back to the Guadalajara-Chapala highway.

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Anyways, no matter what your decision remember it is very easy to get lost in places like this. Make sure you have a plan for a landmark to meet at, in a half hour after if you find you are somehow split up. You could get cheap walkie talkies too. Or those tether/leashes they use to stop little kids from wandering - adorable when used by tourists!

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We had friends visiting from the beach that stopped at Tonala on the way home. They took the macrolibriamiento off the Chapala highway made a left at the end toward Guad and then another left on 80 (Lazaro Cardenas).  Tonala was the first exit. They said the trip was very quick with no traffic.

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9 hours ago, bmh said:

The best time to go is any day except market day Thursdays and Sundays..where all the cheap stuff from China is for sale.. those days are awful and I make sure I never go then, The stalls hide the better stores , it is more difficult to find what you are looking for those days..so I think it is a question of taste...

That has been my experience also.  I prefer to go on non-market days when it's easier to get to the established stores that sell more authentic Mexican goods.

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