Guadalajara is blessed with one of the world's greatest climates. Summer and winter both are usually very mild. The climate is often described as "nearly perfect" and is much of the attraction to so many foreign residents. Afternoon rains come during the summer months from June to September with July and August being heavy rainy months. Rain lasts only a few hours and the air becomes much cleaner and dry afterwhile. No specific immunizations are needed to enter Mexico, however, when traveling in Mexico, it is prudent to purify or boil water.

Guadalajara Chamber of Commerce, Tel.: 00 52 33 3122 9020

American Chamber of Commerce, Tel.: 00 52 33 3343 3609

Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Tel.: 00 52 33 3343 3609

United States General Consulate, Progreso 175, 44100 Guadalajara, Jalisco, Tel.: 00 52 33 3825 2700

Canada Consulate, Hotel Fiesta Americana, Consulado de Canada en Guadalajara, Local 31, Aurelio Aceves 225, Sector Juárez, 44110 Guadalajara, Jalisco, Tel.: + 52 3 616-5642

United Kingdom Consulate, Cónsul Honorario Británico, Paseo del Eden No 2449-4 Prolongacion Colinas de San Javier 45110 Guadalajara, Jalisco

France Consulate, Lopez Mateos Norte 484-1, Col. Ladron de Guevara, C.P. 44600 Guadalajara, Jalisco, Tel.: 00 52 33 36 16 55 16

Czech Republic Consulate, Consulado Honorario de la República Checa, Tulipan 870, Ciudad de los Nino, Tel.: 00 52 33 31 22 68 56

Italy Consulate, Ave. Lopez Mateos Norte 790, Piso 1, Col. Ladron de Guevara, C.P. 44680 Guadalajara, Jalisco,Tel. : 00 52 33 36 16 17 00

Business centers generally provide a range of services that include secretarial, translation/interpretation, and office services, including computer rentals, audio/visual equipment rentals, cellular phone rentals, copy and printing services, and temporary office space and staff. Most large hotels (some of which may be listed here) also have business centers that offer many of the same services that independent centers provide.

Hotel Camino Real, Av. Vallarta 5505, Tel.: + 52 33 3124 2424

Hotel Fiesta Americana, Aurelio Acevas 225. Expo Guadalajara. Tel : 00 52 33 3343 3000

Hotel Hilton, Av. de las Rosas 2933, Tel.: 00 52 33 36 78 05 05

HQ Business Center, Prol. Américas 1600, Tel.: 00 52 33 36 78 92 99

InterContinental Tamanaco Caracas, Avenida Principal Caracas, 1060-A Venezuela; Tel: 58-212-9097111

Expo Guadalajara, Av. Mariano Otero 1499, Tel. : 00 52 33 36 71 00 55

Club de Industriales, Tel.: 00 52 33 3615 1010

World Trade Center de Guadalajara, Tel.: 52.33.38803020

Mextech, Tel.: 00 52 33 3121 9833

Quinones Elsa, Tel.: 00 52 33 36 31 86 90

Old Knight, Tel.: 00 52 33 3121 5318

Traductores Asociados de Occidente, Tel.: 00 52 33 3629 6080

DHL, Tel.: 00 52 33 3669 0214

Fedex, Tel.: 00 52 33 3616 2210

UPS, Tel.: 01 800 902 9200

All upper-range and most medium-priced hotels are equipped with dataports that allow guests to use laptop computers. Many hotels offer business centers equipped with computers and Internet access. Outside hotels, cyber cafés are available including :

Cybercafe Videobeer, Lopez Cotilla 773 Of. 203, 1er. Tél: 00 52 33 38 26 67 76

Servired, Av Tepeyac 4937. Tél: 00 52 33 36 20 32 33

Internet puro, Av. Vallarta 2425 Local B22 Guadalajara, Jalisco 44500, Tel.: 00 52 33 3630 2210

Passports valid are required for all except for Canadian citizens who only need a proof of their citizenship and identity (birth certificate). Citizens of many countries - including the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Argentina, Chile and virtually all Western European countries - do not require visas to enter Mexico as tourists. However, if they are staying longer than 72 hours, or are traveling beyond the Border Zone or certain exempted areas, they must obtain a 180-day Mexican government tourist card (tarjeta de turista), available from embassies or at border crossings (US$18).

The Area Code for Guadalajara is 33. It is not necessary to dial the area code when making calls in the metropolitan Guadalajara's area. (metropolitan area: Zapopan, Tlaquepaque, Tonalá, El Salto, Tlajomulco de Zúñiga)

The emergency phone number for Guadalajara is 080.

Police Department 080

Traffic Police 3823-3220

Municipal Police 3668-0800

Fire Department 3619-5155

Ambulance 3616-9616

For local calls, dial the eight-digit telephone number. For long-distance calls in Mexico, first dial 01 then area code ( 2 figures in Mexico, Guadalajara and Monterrey, 3 figures in other areas), then the eight-digit number for Mexico, Monterrey and Guadalajara or the seven-digit number for others regions in the country. For international calls, dial 00, then the country code, then the telephone number. " 800 " is a toll-free call. To make a toll-free call, dial 01, then 800, then a seven-digit number. " 800 " and " 888 " can be American or Canadian toll-free calls : some of these calls are free from Mexico dialing 00-1, then 800 or 888, then a seven-digit number. For national directory assistance, dial 040.

There are several cellular service providers in Mexico including Telmex and Nextel. If you call a cell phone which number starts by 044, dial 044, then the area code, even if it is a local call. Other cell phone numbers follow the regular phone telephone number convention.

If you choose to bring your cell phone to Mexico, check with your home cellular service provider the compatibility of your phone with systems abroad. Rent a locally compatible cellular telephone before you arrive to obtain reasonable rates and reliable services.

Foreign currencies must be exchanged to pesos. Money can be exchanged at banks and various foreign-exchange services called "Casas de cambio." Most restaurants, shops and hotels will take travelers checks and major credit cards. Travelers can also withdraw from ATMs.

The basic unit of Mexico currency is the peso, which equals 100 centavos. Coins are 5, 10, 20 and 50 centavos and 1, 2, 5,10, 20 and 50 pesos. Paper bills come in denominations of 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500 pesos.

In heavily touristed areas, you can often spend US dollars as easily as pesos at hotels and restaurants (although the exchange rate will not be worthwile). Note that the dollar sign is used to refer to pesos in Mexico; prices in US dollars are usually marked US$ or USD.

Restaurants : 10 to15 % of bill, none at fast food restaurants

Bars : 10 to15 % of the drinks price

Taxis : none

Hotel Room service : 10 % of the bill

Hotel Bell Desk : US$1 for two pieces of luggage

Service station : US$ 0,25 to US$ 0,50

Guadalajara follows "La Hora del Centro" (GMT - 6 hours in winter and GMT - 5 hours in summer).

Mexico has a 15% value-added tax (IVA) which by law must be included in quoted prices. Sometimes - usually in top-end hotels - prices are quoted without this tax.

110V, 60Hz, plugs are of the flat, two-pin type.

Guadalajara's bus network is excellent despite vehicles' rudimentary comfort. Buses come every 5 minutes from 6AM to 22PM and a single ticket costs US$ 0,40. US$ 0.80 Blue buses (TUR, PLATINO, TURQUESA, CARDENAL Company) are more comfortable (air-conditioned, seat) and the ticket cost US$ 0,70. To know more about bus itineraries, call the Tourism Office (3668 - 1600).

The Guadalajara's subway is pretty comfortable and fast. There are two lines (Linéa 1 and Linéa 2).

Taxis can be called from any payphone, and hotels, bars, restaurants will gladly call them for their patrons. They can also be flagged from the street. Almost all of them are equipped with a meter but many taxi drivers apply a set price (US$ 3 from the city centre to Parque Agua Azul, US$ 4.50 from the centre to Tlaquepaque and Zoo, US$13 to the airport). Ask for the price before going into the vehicle.

Cars can be rented. Although be aware that national companies are often more expensive than local ones.

Auto Rent de Guadalajara : 3826 - 2013 3826 - 8693

Budget : 3613 - 0027 3613 8634 3613 8728

Quick Rent A Car : 3614 - 6006 3614 2247

No specific immunizations are needed to enter Monterrey. However, traveling in Monterrey does not present many risks, but water must be purified or boiled.

Many good restaurants can be found in the Centro Historico: El Mexicano, famous for its revolutionary atmosphere, or La Chata, known for its excellent Mexican food. In a glorious colonial setting La Rinconada serves seafood, US-style steaks and a range of Mexican specialties. Downtown you'll find the Fonda de San Miguel, a very beautiful restaurant located on a building that used to be a convent, it specializes in Mexican gourmet food. Other great places to eat include the Suehiro, unquestionably the best Japanese restaurant in Guadalajara, and La Trattoria, well-known for its succulent Italian food. Serving traditional Spanish cuisine, Siglo XV has arranged and decorated its dining room after 15th-century Spain with torches, wood and stone.

The area around Guadalajara is mainly known for the quality and the beauty of its Arts and Crafts. Nearby is the town of Tequila, a bottle of the most famous Mexican drink is a popular gift from Guadalajara.

One of the highlights of Guadalajara is to pay a visit to the historic center. it is a great place to get a taste of the incredible colonial architecture that has made Guadalajara one of the nicest cities in Mexico.

Zapopan, a separate city and municipality (county) that was founded in 1540, should also be visited: its center is dominated by the incredible Basílica de Zapopan and the beautiful main Plaza. But Guadalajara has plenty of attractions to keep its visitors in other ways than exploring old buildings and churches: a wonderful zoo, bullfights at Plaza de Toros Nuevo Progreso (most Sundays), rodeos at Lienzo charro de Jalisco, every Sunday at noon, and of course mariachi performances in many places. Other attractions include jogging in Los Colomos Park or in the Parque Agua Azul, a round of golf, a tennis game or a shopping afternoon in Tlaquepaque.