For centuries, travelers to Guadalajara have fallen in love with the city’s rich colonial heritage, the woeful music of its mariachi bands, its stirring folk dances, bustling markets, classic local cuisine, cultural diversity and, not least, the twinkling eyes of its young women, generally considered the most beautiful in all Mexico.

Now a burgeoning metropolis of around three million people, the traditional charms are still there but Guadalajara has transformed itself into a dynamic 21st century urban giant, with plush shopping malls, fine hotels, international restaurants, golf courses, businesses centers, art galleries and world-class telecommunication services. The city encompasses the best of ancient and modern but regardless of your tastes, it’s a great city to explore.

The first port of call for most visitors in Guadalajara is the Centro Historico (Historic Center). With its twin, neo-gothic towers, the Metropolitan Cathedral is the most recognizable icon of the city. Pretty plazas surround the cathedral on all four sides; the Plaza de Armas, whose bandstand overlooks the State Government Palace, is great for  relaxing and people watching. Pop inside the palace to see the magnificent mural winding up the main staircase. On the other side is the Rotunda of Illustrious Jalisco Citizens, which faces the Regional Museum.

Behind the cathedral, facing the huge Plaza de la Liberacion, sits the Teatro Degollado, an imposing neoclassical theater and the venue for many major performances throughout the year and during the games.  A Wax Museum and Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum also border this spacious plaza.

Stroll east through the massive Plaza Tapatia and you will come to the Instituto Cultural Cabañas, a large mansion that was converted into an orphanage in 1810 and is decorated with  the fiery murals by Jose Clemente Orozco.

Equally close by is the Mercado San Juan de Dios, one of the largest indoor markets in Latin America. On the market’s 2,980 stalls you can haggle for clothing, sunglasses, shoes, movies, video games, CDs, electrical goods, arts, crafts and much, much more. The lower level includes typical Tapatio (native to Guadalajara) cuisine, such as “tortas ahogadas,” (a sandwich “drowned” in hot  salsa that must be eaten with a spoon) as well as delicacies such as sopes, pozole, caldo michi (fish soup) and other local dishes.

Want to see the city without a lot of walking? Tapatio Tours (board next to the Cathedral) offer double-decker bus tours of all the city’s major sights. Passengers are given headphones for pre-recorded narration in six different languages, while the buses allow you to hop on and off wherever you please.

A 20-minurte cab ride away are the craft centers in the suburbs of Tlaquepaque and Tonala. The former contains a number of classy restaurants where mariachis play the traditional music that originated in Jalisco, while the latter is a great place to pick up household furnishings. Serious shoppers are unlikely to leave empty handed!

The municipality of Zapopan is actually bigger than Guadalajara and the largest in the metropolitan area. The Basilica de Zapopan is best known for housing the Virgin of Zapopan, a revered statue of the Virgin Mary that was made in the 16th century and is credited with a number of miracles. Beside the main plaza you will also find the municipal palace and the excellent Zapopan Art Muesum.

A night at the Lucha Libre is a uniquely Mexican experience. Every Tuesday (8 p.m.) and Sunday (6 p.m.) at the Coliseo Olimpica absurdly dressed wrestlers do battle before baying, beer-fueled crowds, clad of course in the masks that have become almost as iconic a symbol of Mexico as the sombrero.

For a different kind of evening, Avenida Chapultepec is a hub of nightlife, awash with trendy bars and cafes. This avenue will host the Fan Fest during the games making it the perfect place to chill out at night.

One of the most famous icons of Guadalajara is La Minerva, the statue of the Roman Goddess of Wisdom. Closed to traffic at weekend, she looks stunning at night, as the mist from the fountains is illuminated in the ever-changing colors of the atmospheric lighting. Just one block east on Avenida Vallarta is Los Arcos, Guadalajara’s Arc de Triomphe-esque gateway that used to mark the entrance to the city.

The Guadalajara Zoo offers a great day out for all the family, featuring one of the largest and most important animal collections in Latin America. The zoo houses practically any creature you can think of, along with rare indigenous species such as the Mexican wolf and the endangered Morelet crocodile. It offers a train ride, safari park and aquarium, while thrill seekers can even submerge themselves in the  shark tank, safe in a transparent acrylic cage.

Close to the zoo on the northeastern outskirts of the city lies an enormous canyon known as La Barranca de Oblatos. With a length of 16 miles and an average depth of 600 meters, the canyon boasts spectacular views and is home to a host of exotic wildlife, including vampire bats, collared peccaries and red-tailed boas.

Nature enthusiasts will also love the Bosque de la Primavera, a large forest to the west of the city. This 30,500-hectare nature reserve is home to 1,000 plant species, 135 bird species and even large mammals such as pumas, coyotes and foxes. With hot springs running through the pine, oak and cacti forests, it is a hiker’s paradise.

For an altogether different day trip, visit the town of Tequila, an hour’s drive north of the city. Several of the most famous tequila brands offer factory tours, in which you can taste samples and discover how Jalisco’s most famous export makes its way from the blue agave fields to your liquor cabinet. To arrive in style (and slightly inebriated) take the Tequila Express, a train that runs from Guadalajara to Tequila from Wednesday through Sunday throughout the games, leaving at 9 a.m. from the city’s Train Station and returning at 6:30 p.m.