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At 5,200 feet above sea level, this sprawling city of more than 4 million enjoys some of the best weather in Mexico year-round. Even though it is Mexico’s second-largest metropolitan area, Guadalajara is a surprisingly tourist-friendly town with most historical sights, shopping, hotels and entertainment concentrated in the well-preserved colonial center and a handful of nearby cultural districts.

-- By Dave Roos

For affordable, clean rooms with excellent service and location, the best options are the Holiday Inn & Suites Guadalajara in the historic center, and the reliable Hotel Lafayette in the lively Zona Rosa near the intersection of Avenidas Chapultepec and La Paz.

Guadalajara is an active international business hub, drawing throngs of business travelers to its massive convention center, Expo Guadalajara. There are several nearby hotels catering to the upscale business crowd, including the Presidente Intercontinental, Fiesta Americana Guadalajara and the Crowne Plaza, all located west of the city center, along the busy Avenida Lopez Mateos.

For a luxurious boutique experience, try the Villa Ganz in the Zona Rosa or La Casa de Las Flores, a flower-filled retreat tucked away in the charming shopping district of Tlaquepaque. About 45 minutes outside of town are two full-service spa hotels, the popular Rio Caliente and the enchanting (if more expensive) Hacienda El Carmen.

-- By Dave Roos

Like much of Mexico, some of Guadalajara’s best food is found far from the fancy restaurants and well-trod tourist haunts. Birria, slow-roasted goat served in a mildly spicy broth, is a local specialty. Some of the best is served at the Birriería las Nueve Esquinas in a tiny, attractively preserved neighborhood south of the historic center.

For well-prepared Mexican standards (enchiladas, pozole, carne asada) in a family atmosphere, try Los Otates, Los Chilaquiles, La Chata and the colorful (and colorfully named) Fonda Doña Gabina Escolástica in the adjacent town of Zapopan. For gourmet, high-end Mexican fare, the favorites are El Sacromonte, Santo Coyote and La Tequila.

Guadalajara has its share of excellent international restaurants concentrated in the Zona Rosa and western suburbs. Funicula and Ostería 10 turn out perfect brick-oven pizzas. La Matera is a steak-lovers dream, specializing in Argentinean beef. And Suehiro and Toyo serve high-quality sushi and other tasty Japanese specialties.

For meat overload, check out the roadside restaurantes campestres (rural, country-style restaurants) out past the airport driving away from Guadalajara. Delicacies like goat, suckling lamb and pig, quail and tongue are slow-roasted on iron stakes before an open fire and served in gluttonous piles to delighted customers.

-- By Dave Roos

A proper visit to Guadalajara starts with a stroll around the wide plazas and historic buildings of its easily walkable, well-preserved colonial center. Start with the famous Cathedral – the view from outside is enough – and make your way to the neighboring Plaza de las Armas with its ornate bronze bandstand built by Gustave Eiffel.

Here you can visit the Palacio de Gobierno, known for muralist José Clemente Orozco’s striking depiction of a torch-bearing revolutionist Miguel Hidalgo. From here, you can walk to the nearby regional museum and the stately 19th-century Teatro Degollado (ballet folklórico performances every Thursday and Sunday). Further down a long pedestrian walkway lined with shops and cafés is the expansive Instituto Cultural de Cabañas, a former orphanage-turned-museum, which houses Orozco’s best-known mural, El Hombre de Fuego.

Every Sunday during bullfighting season (October to March), there are fights in the Plaza de Toros Nuevo Progreso. And if it’s not bullfighting season, you can watch traditional Mexican rodeo (another Guadalajara export) every Sunday at noon at the Lienzo Charros de Jalisco. Or if it’s soccer (fútbol) season (which it is most of the year), cheer on the Chivas – Mexico’s only all-Mexican pro club – at the Estadio Jalisco.

Visit the nearby town of Tequila and take distillery tours of famous labels like José Cuervo and Sauza. For a boozier experience, hop on the Tequila Express, a train (with an open tequila bar) that runs from Guadalajara to the town of Amatitán, home of the Herradura distillery.

-- By Dave Roos

While Guadalajara is no party town, there are enough university students, new money and tourists to fuel a wide variety of entertainment options. The modern Teatro Diana hosts big-name Mexican and international rock and pop bands, opera, theater and dance. For more live music, you can catch the nightly mariachi extravaganza at the Casa Bariachi restaurant, Cuban music at nearby El Bodeguito del Medio and popular bands at the Hard Rock Café Guadalajara.

For dancing, a cool spot is the Salón Veracruz, an old-style dancehall with a 15-piece live band specializing in salsa, cumbia and other spicy Latin rhythms. And most weekend nights, you can dance along with live Cuban music at El Cubilete in Las Nueve Esquinas. On Wednesday nights, all the cool kids flock to a handful of trendy nightclubs like Barzelona, Klio, and Wall Street. Just don’t be surprised if the stylish guys and girls at the next table are still in high school.

There’s a solid bar scene in Guadalajara, with everything from streetside michelada joints (a surprisingly refreshing combination of beer, lime, Clamato, Worcestershire sauce and chili pepper or chili sauce) to European-style pubs and old-school cantinas, the most famous being La Fuente in the historic center.

-- By Dave Roos

Guadalajara is worth a visit for the shopping alone. The abundance of affordable, hand-crafted furniture, ceramics, decorative items, and clothing can be overwhelming for the incurable shopaholic. Just to be safe, pack an extra bag to take home at least a sampling of all the regional and national goodies for sale.

Tlaquepaque is the best bet for high-end, locally produced art and handicrafts. A 15-minute drive from the center of Guadalajara, Tlaquepaque boasts a wide, pedestrian-only cobblestone street lined with endless shops selling decorative ceramics, blown glass, paintings, pewter sculptures, hand-crafted furniture, charming tin-framed mirrors, candles and everything in between. And if you get tired, take a break at one of the local cafés or restaurants, including the popular Casa Fuerte.

If you venture further out from the city center, you’ll find Tonalá, a no-frills factory town where many of the goods sold in Tlaquepaque are made. It takes a little more legwork, but there are some incredible deals to be found here on hand-painted ceramic dishware, wood furniture, glassware, and decorative home items of all shapes and sizes. Thursdays and Sundays are market day in Tonalá when the streets are packed with stalls selling cheaper items and tempting treats like gorditas (thick tortillas stuffed with pork, cheese, beans, or whatever you like) and hand-cranked ice cream.

Right in the city center of Guadalajara is the behemoth Mercado Libertad, a four-story, indoor-outdoor structure next to the Instituto Cultural de las Cabañas. When we say you can literally find anything here, we mean it. There’s jewelry, clothing (a good place to buy huaraches, ponchos, and mariachi costumes), electronics, inexpensive regional crafts, musical instruments, fresh produce, prepared food and aisles of sticky local sweets called dulces regionales.

And if you somehow miss the malls of your homeland, Guadalajara has several posh shopping centers, including the ultra-upscale Galerías and the huge, outdoor Plaza del Sol.

-- By Dave Roos

Mexico’s second-largest city enjoys some of the best weather in the country. The rainy season is June through September, so bring an umbrella if you plan to visit during that time. In general, temperatures during the day are very pleasant year-round, usually in the low 80s. Winters in Guadalajara are also very nice, with temperatures in the mid-70s to low 80s, but temperatures drop quite substantially at night, so don’t limit your wardrobe to tank tops and bring a jacket.

Best time to go: January through April (high 86º, low 44º)

Average annual temperature: 67º

Hottest months: April, May, June

Coolest months: December, January, February

--By Judy Jenner