San Sebastián del Oeste

San Sebastián del Oeste is a celebrated little town especially important for those whose Puerto Vallarta vacations need a fast break from the sun. High in the mountains, it's actually less than two hours drive from the sensations of the Vallarta coast. San Sebastián has sensations all its own. 

Much cooler, and year-round comfortable, it's an old mining that lost most of its population over the course of the 20th century. Today it's home to only about 1,000 year-round residents, but in 1900, there were some 20,000. But don't get the idea that it's all ruins, though there are some. 

San Sebastián began with some mining shafts sunk into the mountains way back in 1542. Through the colonial period it survived as a small center for gold, silver, and lead mining, but by the 20th the mines had largely run out. The Casa Museo Doña Conchita Encarnación tells this story in somewhat more detail, with artifacts left from practically the town's entirely long history. 

But come to stroll the few central streets. (It really is a very small place.) And they come because the sense and feeling of the surrounding mountains is everywhere evident. It's a spectacular place. It verges on the posh side, rather than on the rustic, and following the stone streets means always happening on another wonder. The Hotel El Mesón, somehow, opened here in 1729. It's just one of the wonders of the place. There's a whole slew of older and younger buildings, and learning a little about each is part of the fun.  

ATM buses (Autotransportes Guadalajara Talpa Mascota) buses run regular buses from Vallarta to Estancia. A taxi will get you the rest of the way to San Sebastián is about 20 minutes further and area taxis and combis make the trip all the time. But searching around Vallarta, a number of tour providers will get you there and back in the same day. From Guadalajara, the trip takes about 4 hours, although important for some travelers, bus lines won't generally travel the same route to get to San Sebastián that they use to connect with Vallarta.