Expert Recommendations

Lagos de Moreno is the former Villa de Santa Maria de los Lagos high in the Los Altos region of Jalisco. For a designated Pueblo Mágico, Lagos is actually pretty big. The town is home to some 111,000 people but it never feels even like a small city. Founded as either Pechichitlán or Teziziatlan in 1028 BCE, meaning that it is, in fact, very very old. The colonial town was founded in 1563 and the name held onto until after the Mexican Independence Movement. It was renamed in honor of local Independence hero, Pedro Moreno (1775 – 1817), in 1829.

It was always an important little town, and strolling the central streets visitors get an eyeful of the splendor of past eras. The San Cirilo Hacienda, the Templo del Calvario, and the Hacienda Sepúlveda are just a start. The Centro Histórico just feels much more like the a regional city center than like the center of the local farming community that it is today. Don't miss the Mercado Municipal Francisco González León, or as locals call it, El Mercado Grande. It's a big experience, and one loaded with local cooking. 

People come to Lagos to set up a base for jaunts into the surrounding country, and as a respite from nearby and much bigger León. In fact, Lagos makes the most of these interstate rivalries, with friendly competitions for food and cuisine adding up to a spectacular range of fare available. Local cuisine includes Guanajuato specialties and even dishes usually served in Aguascalientes or Querétaro. Visitors also find advantages in the wide range of lodging from boutique hotels to vacation rentals all vying for travelers coming even from much closer than you might expect. 

From Guadalajara, visitors can expect the trip up to Los Altos and Lagos de Moreno to take about 2.5 hours. Primera Plus runs multiple buses daily.

From the aforementioned cities the trip is much shorter. From León, the trip is just over an hour. TL Premium runs charter shuttles from Aguascalientes that also arrive in just about an hour. In fact, Lagos de Moreno makes a spectacular stop on a regional tour that should include all of these places.

Alas, from Mexico City, the trip can take upwards of six hours on a bus from the Autobuses del Norte station. A quicker option is to fly to AGU (yes, that's Aguascalientes), and arrange a shuttle or taxi from there. It's a spectacular little town, and one with more than enough to satisfy your itch to get away. It's a place, in fact, that inspires lots of visitors to want to stay a little longer.