Guadalajara or Puerto Vallarta?

These two are as far apart as they can be on beaches. Guadalajara sits on a high plateau far from the coast. Lake Chapala is not for swimming, so a dip there means a hotel pool or a spring-fed balneario.

Puerto Vallarta is the coast that Guadalajara's visitors drive or fly to. It has the busy sand of Los Muertos, the rock pools of Conchas Chinas, coves such as Mismaloya and Yelapa, and the wide, calm beaches of Nuevo Vallarta. Most of the year the water is warm enough for a long swim.

Guadalajara is where several of Mexico's best-known dishes come from. Birria at breakfast, the sauce-drenched torta ahogada, carne en su jugo and jericalla custard are all eaten at their source, washed down with tequila and cantaritos. Colonia Americana and Providencia add a modern restaurant scene on top of that.

Puerto Vallarta eats well in a narrower, coastal way. Its strengths are wood-grilled pescado zarandeado, aguachile, marlin tacos and a taste of raicilla. The cooking is less distinctive, and much of what lines the Malecón is aimed at tourists.

Guadalajara has far more to see. Its cross-shaped chain of plazas links the cathedral, the Palacio de Gobierno and the Teatro Degollado, and ends at the Hospicio Cabañas, whose chapel dome holds Orozco's Man of Fire. Colonia Americana's mansions and the colonial streets of Tlaquepaque fill a second or third day.

Puerto Vallarta's charm is the look of the old town itself: whitewashed streets climbing the hill, the crown-topped church tower and the sculptures along the Malecón. A small naval museum and the Cuale island collection complete a single afternoon.

Both stay out late, and both have well-established LGBTQ+ scenes, but the nights feel different. Guadalajara is a university city. Its evenings centre on the mezcal bars, craft-beer bars and old cantinas around Avenida Chapultepec, with dressier clubs and lounges out in Providencia and Zapopan.

Puerto Vallarta's nights belong to people on vacation. Open-fronted clubs face the sea along the Malecón and fill after midnight, while the Zona Romántica has rooftop and beach bars. It is busiest in winter and thins out noticeably in the summer heat.

Puerto Vallarta's setting is the stronger draw. Jungle-covered Sierra Madre ridges drop into Banderas Bay, humpback whales calve offshore from December to March, and boats run to Los Arcos and the Marietas Islands for snorkelling. On land there are coastal trails, a botanical garden and turtle nesting beaches.

Guadalajara has greenery closer than its size suggests. There is the oak and pine forest of Bosque La Primavera, a punishing hike into the Huentitán canyon, and birdwatching around Lake Chapala. Still, it is pleasant countryside rather than a landscape you would travel for.

Guadalajara has the richer choice of outings. Tequila's distilleries and agave landscape are about an hour and a half away. Ajijic's painted lakeside streets make a gentle day, and the circular pyramids of Guachimontones are a real rarity. Tapalpa and Mazamitla offer cool pine air further out.

From Puerto Vallarta, most trips are variations on the beach town: Bucerías, Sayulita, San Pancho, or Yelapa by boat. The best change of scene is the climb to the old silver town of San Sebastián del Oeste.

Puerto Vallarta is the easier of the two with children, as long as the beach is the plan. The calm sands and family resorts of Nuevo Vallarta, boat trips to see whales, snorkelling and turtle releases keep the days full. Steep cobbles and summer humidity are the main drawbacks.

Guadalajara has a good zoo above the Huentitán canyon, rides at Selva Mágica and the hands-on Trompo Mágico museum, and its milder climate is kinder to small children. The catch is that these sights are spread across a big, congested city.

Neither is especially easy without wheels, and in both most visitors rely on ride-hailing, but the layout differs. Guadalajara is a sprawling metropolis with a walkable historic centre, plus light rail and Mi Macro bus corridors that cover some routes. Beyond those, it means long avenues and heavy traffic.

Puerto Vallarta is a long strip along the bay. Buses run along the coast road, water taxis reach the roadless south shore, and the narrow, steep streets of the old centre take some care on foot.

Guadalajara is the clear winner for crafts, and for much else too. Tlaquepaque's galleries of glass and ceramics, the pottery market at Tonalá and the three crowded floors of Mercado San Juan de Dios are joined by leather boots, design shops in Americana and the luxury malls of Andares.

Puerto Vallarta's most distinctive buy is Huichol yarn painting and beadwork from the nearby sierra. Beyond its galleries and river-island stalls, there is little fashion to speak of.

Guadalajara is the cheaper and more predictable place to spend money. Street food, central hotels and trips across town cost little, and only Providencia and Andares carry a real premium.

Puerto Vallarta sets many prices for foreign visitors, especially for beachfront rooms, Malecón dining and boat tours in the winter season. Taco stands, inland family restaurants and simple guesthouses keep a careful traveller's costs reasonable.

Guadalajara offers more, and it is rooted in the region. Mariachi plays daily in the Plaza de los Mariachis and Tlaquepaque's El Parián. The Teatro Degollado hosts the Jalisco Philharmonic and the university's Ballet Folclórico, and the yearly Encuentro Internacional del Mariachi brings players from around the world.

Puerto Vallarta's stage is informal and seasonal. Drag and cabaret in the Zona Romántica, bar bands, restaurant mariachis and the Papantla flyers on the Malecón make for fun evenings rather than serious performance.

Puerto Vallarta is the better place to slow down. Long mornings, hot afternoons and sunsets over the bay set an unhurried pace, helped by resort spas, beachside massage, temazcal ceremonies and yoga retreats in the south-shore villages.

Guadalajara is a busy city, and rest there means long lunches in shaded plazas. Its own advantage is warm volcanic water at the thermal balnearios near La Primavera and Lake Chapala, with quiet Ajijic as a lakeside retreat.