Things to do
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Islas Marietas
Uninhabited volcanic islands an hour out across Banderas Bay, protected as a national park and the nesting ground of blue-footed boobies. A collapsed crater on one holds a beach open to the sky, entered by swimming a low tunnel that only clears at low tide. Access is capped: licensed boats, a daily quota, a time limit ashore, life jackets and no sunscreen. Book well ahead in winter.
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Malecón
Pedestrianised seafront running the length of the old town, rebuilt in stone and lined with bronzes: Rafael Zamarripa's seahorse, the city's own emblem, stands near the south end by the arches of the open-air amphitheatre. Voladores spin from a pole most evenings and sand sculptors work the beach below. Sunset draws the walk; the bars at the north end run late afterwards.
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Parish of Our Lady of Guadalupe
An outsized crown sits on the tower above the old town, modelled on the one worn by Carlota and rebuilt in fibreglass after an earthquake brought the original down. Inside, the church is plain enough to see in minutes. For twelve days each December the parish receives nightly processions of dancers and bands, and the street outside fills.
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Playa Los Muertos
The town beach, walkable from the old town and busy all day with loungers, vendors and volleyball. A white pier shaped like a sail runs out from the middle, and water taxis leave it for Yelapa and the beaches south along the bay, reachable no other way. Surf can be choppy in the afternoon. The south end has been the heart of the gay scene for decades.
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Zona Romántica
South of the Río Cuale, a grid of cobbled streets on a slope: low tiled roofs, bougainvillea, and restaurant rows along Basilio Badillo and Olas Altas. The district is the centre of one of the larger gay scenes in Latin America, and the evening crowd is mixed and easy. Steep pavement and uneven stone underfoot. Best explored late in the day, on the walk down to the beach.