Hi Snowbird,

Winters are very cold in the North even here in So. California (5ºC). I was in GDL last December and for me the weather was great! of course the locals were wearing sweaters and jackets and my friends were surprised when I was wearing polo or short sleeve shirts (for them 15ºC or 20ºC is cold). Having GDL as your "center" sounds good to me. The "Tapatio" bus is a good option to visit GDL on and off as part of your day.

M

The end of your trip will find you in Mexico during one of the two busiest seasons for tourism and if you're planning on being at the beach or in another town that's popular at such times of the year, make your reservations now before everything's solidly booked.

If you haven't already done so, get yourself a copy of a good guidebook to Mexico. I like the Lonely Planet Mexico guide. The guide will answer many/most of your questions. Look too, at the great information archived behind the tabs situated in the left-side column of this page, and on the forum pages for GDL, Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo and other possible destinations along the way.

The opinion of how long to spend in each area will vary by person; there's on formula for this sort of thing. Likes/dislikes vary by person.

Your itinerary/route sounds good, and logical.

Toronto in the Fall is probably the weather you should expect for GDL and Morelia. Bring something more than jeans and t-shirts - think "business casual" (as men define the term) for dinner at night. Between the Fall/Spring and Summer clothing you have at home, I don't see why you'd need to purchase clothing in GDL.

Christmas will be "dead" in GDL, compared to how it seems the rest of the year. It's a family day and not many people are likely to be out and about. New Year's in Patzcuaro will be quieter than the same time at the beach, but it may be a bit busy. New Year's Eve is typically another family celebration in much of Mexico; the beaches are where the big parties are.

Bus travel can be busy areound Xmas and New Year's, but the companies add more departures and more busses and the increase traffic flow is accommodated. If possible, purchase your onward ticket once you arrive someplace - the ticket for the next stop along the way. You can usually do this at the bus terminal when you get off the bus, say, from Morelia when you're in Patzcuaro, etc.

Have a great trip!

If you get tired of "busing" cabs are incredible cheap in most of Michoacan. IE Morelia to Patzcuaro 200 pesos. Also a hourly rate to Tour the Lake villages is about 100 pesos or so per hour.

peddler665, that suggestion about using the services of a taxi/driver to visit some of the communities around the lake once you're in Patzcuaro is excellent, and an economical way to handle the situation and the driver probably has some "hidden gems" to show people and/or favorite out-of-the-way restaurants on the other side of the lake.

thank you very much to all of you. Your advice is noted and much appreciated.