Colima travel guide
Clay dogs, a Belgian bandstand and the smoking Volcán de Fuego
A small, warm state capital founded in 1523, with garden squares, shaft-tomb pottery museums and the Colima volcanoes on the skyline, plus Comala and the La María lagoon nearby. November to March is dry and pleasant; two or three days is enough. Prices are moderate, and many nationalities enter without a visa.
Spanish settlers founded Colima in 1523, making it one of the oldest European cities on the American mainland, and it still has the unhurried feel of a provincial capital. It lies in a warm valley in west-central Mexico, with the twin peaks of the Colima volcanoes rising to the north on clear mornings, one snow-dusted in winter, the other smoking.
The centre is built around a chain of shady squares. The Jardín Libertad keeps an iron bandstand shipped from Belgium in 1891 and looks onto the cathedral and the government palace. A few blocks away the Jardín Núñez fills with families and food stalls at weekends. Nearby, the Jardín Hidalgo keeps an equatorial sundial that tells the time exactly.
What sets the city apart is its pre-Hispanic past. Ancient shaft tombs across the state have yielded hundreds of plump clay dogs, now the city's emblem, and museums here hold the best collection of them. Comala, the white-walled village that inspired Juan Rulfo's Pedro Páramo, is 15 minutes up the road.
Recent years have also brought a serious problem with violence between criminal groups, which gave the city one of the world's highest murder rates in 2022. Visitors are rarely involved, but the UK Foreign Office advises against all but essential travel to Colima state outside Manzanillo, so read current advice before you go and keep evenings to the busy central squares.
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Top things to do in Colima
Garden squares, shaft-tomb pottery and folk-art museums, Comala, the volcanoes and a slide of volcanic rock for children.
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Best time to visit Colima
Month by month, so you can pick the weather and the crowds you want.
Very little rain (7 to 27 mm a month), highs of 32 to 34 C and nights of 16 to 19 C; the volcanoes are most often visible.
Barely any rain and highs of 35 to 36 C; walk in the morning and spend the afternoon indoors.
Downpours of 100 to 200 mm a month, peaking in September, with occasional hurricanes bringing days of heavy rain.
Early February brings the Petatera fair in neighbouring Villa de Álvarez, and the metro area's hotels fill up; book ahead if your dates overlap.
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Getting there
Highway 54D from Guadalajara, the Central de Autobuses and CLQ
Most visitors reach Colima by first-class coach from Guadalajara, about three hours south on the Highway 54D toll road, arriving at the round-the-clock Central de Autobuses. Colima's own airport (CLQ), about 15 km north, has only a few domestic flights and no bus, so taxis are the way in. Second-class buses to the small towns of the state run from the Terminal Nuevo Horizonte, while the scruffy Central de los Rojos, also called El Manchón, handles local peseros, including those to Comala. From the coast, Manzanillo is about an hour and a half by car.
- Taxi from CLQ
- About 15 km to the centre, around 20 to 25 minutes
- Coach from Guadalajara
- About three hours on Highway 54D to the Central de Autobuses
- Terminal Nuevo Horizonte
- Second-class buses to towns across the state
- Car from Manzanillo
- Roughly 100 km on the toll road
- Use the Central de Autobuses over the regional terminals when you have a choice; buses there are newer and better regulated.
- Book the coach from Guadalajara online ahead of holiday weekends, when departures sell out.
Where to stay
Jardín Libertad, the Jardín Núñez blocks or Vista Hermosa
Stay in Colima's historic centre, around the Jardín Libertad and the Jardín Núñez blocks, where squares, museums and the best restaurants are on foot and evenings on the main square are the city's social life. Northern residential districts such as Vista Hermosa suit longer stays and drivers.
- Centro around the Jardín Libertad
- Boutique hotels in restored houses, such as the six-room Hacienda del Gobernador; walk to everything, with music in the square at weekends
- Around the Jardín Núñez
- Simpler hotels a few blocks east of the cathedral, near food stalls and the family park; livelier on weekends
- Jardines Vista Hermosa and Lomas de Circunvalación
- Leafy residential districts to the north with brunch cafés and restaurants; you will need taxis
- Comala
- Small inns in the Pueblo Mágico north of the city; quiet nights and volcano views, but far from city dining
- Make sure your room has working air conditioning from April to October, when nights stay warm.
Getting around
Walking the jardines, Uber rides and hail-down city buses
Central Colima is flat and compact, with its three main squares, the cathedral and the history museum a short stroll apart; walk in the morning before the heat. Beyond the centre, use Uber, which works well, or hail city buses and ask the driver where they go, since there is no route map. For Comala, a taxi or Uber takes 10 to 15 minutes, a safer choice than the local pesero from El Manchón. A rental car is the easiest way to reach the La María lagoon and the volcano foothills, or to drive down to the coast.
- On foot
- Jardín Libertad to the Jardín Núñez in about five minutes
- Uber or taxi
- Centro to Comala in 10 to 15 minutes
- City buses
- Flag-down routes across Colima and Villa de Álvarez
- Use Uber or agree the taxi fare before you set off; quoted prices often go up for visitors.
Know before you go
What makes Colima worth the trip, and what catches visitors out.
Why travelers love it
- Evenings in the Jardín Libertad, when the Belgian bandstand fills with music and the cafés spill out under the palms.
- The clay Colima dogs at the Museo de las Culturas de Occidente, round-bellied figures placed in tombs some 2,000 years ago.
- Sliding down the Piedra Lisa, a huge smooth slab of volcanic rock in its own park, with a local legend attached.
Good to know
- The Volcán de Fuego is active: the volcano itself is closed to the public, so check Protección Civil notices before driving up towards La María.
- April and May bake, with highs of 35 to 36 C and almost no rain; sightsee early and rest in the afternoon.
Trip fit
BookingMentor editorial ratings out of 5, based on a first-time visitor's experience.
Weather in Colima, month by month
Colima is warm all year, dry from November to May and wet in the summer months. Tap a month for averages.
Climate figures are approximate long-term averages for Colima (Servicio Meteorológico Nacional, via Wikipedia).
Two Colima days from the Belgian kiosk to Comala's white portales
Two days in Colima split between the city centre and the white village of Comala. Start in the Jardín Libertad, shaded by palms around an iron kiosk brought from Belgium in 1891, with the cathedral and the government palace, whose stairway murals tell the state's story, on its sides and the Museo Regional de Historia under its portales.
Afternoon. Take a taxi to the Museo de las Culturas de Occidente, in the Casa de la Cultura complex, for the best display of Colima's clay dogs, warriors and musicians recovered from ancient tombs. The María Teresa Pomar folk-art museum at the university adds masks, costumes and toys from all over Mexico.
Evening. Walk to the Jardín Núñez for street food, then back to the Jardín Libertad for live music on weekends.
Day two, morning. Head north to the La Campana archaeological site on the edge of the city, with its platforms and plazas laid out with the Volcán de Fuego as a backdrop. Continue to Comala, 15 minutes away, where white houses with red-tiled roofs ring a square of portales.
Afternoon. Eat a long lunch in Comala's botanero restaurants, where every drink arrives with free snacks, then drive up into the hills to the Laguna La María, a crater lake in forest at the foot of the volcanoes. Back in the city, children can end the day sliding down the Piedra Lisa.
Pipián, tatemado and Comala ponche around the Jardín Núñez
Colima's cooking draws on the coast, cattle country and coffee hills, and tatemado is its best-known dish: pork slow-roasted in a marinade of dried chillies, spices and vinegar until the edges caramelise. Pipián, a mole thickened with pumpkin seeds, comes over chicken or pork, and breakfast brings menudo blanco and white pozole.
Evening is snack time. Stalls around the Jardín Núñez and the edges of the Jardín Libertad sell sopes with beans, meat and cream, plus steaming cups of atole con leche, a thick, warm corn drink. Locals sit at the cafés of the main square with a tall michelada, beer with lime, salt and spices.
In the morning, cafés in the northern districts such as Café La Buena Vida and Colimita Sabe serve chilaquiles, eggs and fresh fruit; Colimita Sabe is closed on Tuesdays. Garden restaurants like Los Naranjos Campestre are favourites for long family lunches.
Save room for Comala. The village bakeries sell sweet bread to take home, the hills around produce coffee, and the local ponche is a fruit liqueur flavoured with pomegranate, tamarind or guava, sold in bottles from shops around the square.
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How we research our Colima travel guide
Colima's museums, coach links and volcano notes are checked against the official Colima website and the city's Wikipedia record, with entry rules from Mexico's Instituto Nacional de Migración.
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Checked against trusted sources:
Official website of ColimaInstituto Nacional de MigraciónUNESCO World Heritage Centre
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Quick answers to the questions travelers ask most before visiting Colima.
Getting there
No. A taxi is the only option for the roughly 15 km into the city, about 20 to 25 minutes.
General
Usually yes, because Guadalajara has many more flights; first-class coaches then reach Colima in about three hours on Highway 54D.
Clay figures of plump dogs made by the shaft-tomb cultures of western Mexico about 2,000 years ago and placed in burials. They have become the symbol of the city.
In the Jardín Libertad, the main square, where it has stood since 1891 facing the cathedral and the government palace.
A taxi or Uber takes 10 to 15 minutes. Local peseros run from the Central de los Rojos, but taxis are the more comfortable choice.
Yes, on clear mornings, especially from November to March. The active Volcán de Fuego and the taller Nevado de Colima stand side by side to the north.
The city has had very high murder rates linked to criminal groups, though visitors are seldom targeted. Stay in the centre at night, use Uber after dark and check current travel advisories, which at present warn against non-essential travel to the state.
A large, smooth slab of volcanic rock in its own park where people slide down for fun. The playground equipment there is in poor repair, so supervise children.
Tatemado, pork roasted in a chilli and vinegar marinade, is the regional signature; pipián and white pozole are close behind.
Highs average 35 to 36 C with almost no rain, so plan walks for the early morning.
Colima is best known for:
- Evenings in the Jardín Libertad, when the Belgian bandstand fills with music and the cafés spill out under the palms
- The clay Colima dogs at the Museo de las Culturas de Occidente, round-bellied figures placed in tombs some 2,000 years ago
- Sliding down the Piedra Lisa, a huge smooth slab of volcanic rock in its own park, with a local legend attached
Stay in Colima's historic centre, around the Jardín Libertad and the Jardín Núñez blocks, where squares, museums and the best restaurants are on foot and evenings on the main square are the city's social life. Northern residential districts such as Vista Hermosa suit longer stays and drivers.
Timing & weather
The best time to visit Colima is Nov to Mar. Dry, sunny weather with highs of 32 to 34 C, before April and May push towards 36 C.
- Dry and clear: November - March (Very little rain (7 to 27 mm a month), highs of 32 to 34 C and nights of 16 to 19 C; the volcanoes are most often visible)
- Hot and parched: April - May (Barely any rain and highs of 35 to 36 C; walk in the morning and spend the afternoon indoors)
- Rainy season: June - October (Downpours of 100 to 200 mm a month, peaking in September, with occasional hurricanes bringing days of heavy rain)
Visa & documents
Tourist stays in Mexico are visa-free for citizens of the US, Canada, the UK, the EU and many other countries. Immigration officers decide how many days you can stay (up to 180) and stamp your passport or issue a digital record. Holders of valid US, UK, Canadian or Schengen visas may also be exempt.
Health & safety
Most tourist areas are visited without problems, but violent crime linked to organised crime is high in some states. Governments advise against travel to parts of several states. Petty crime and scams occur in tourist areas.
