San Sebastián del Oeste is a near-perfectly preserved colonial mining village set 1,500 metres up in the Sierra Madre, about a 90-minute drive east of Puerto Vallarta. Founded in 1605, it became the centre of an enormous silver-mining district in the 18th and 19th centuries, supplying raw metal to the Mexican mints. When the silver market collapsed and the revolution arrived after 1910, the town shrank to a dot on the map — which is precisely why the cobbled streets, whitewashed adobe houses, and 1608 parish church survive essentially unchanged.
The climb out of the coastal heat into pine forest is part of the experience, and the cool mountain air alone makes the trip worthwhile in the height of summer. Day tours run from Puerto Vallarta, but the place rewards an overnight stay. Several restored haciendas now operate as small hotels, and staying over lets you hike up to La Bufa, an 800-metre granite outcrop above the village, for a sunrise view that on a clear day reaches all the way to the Pacific.
The coffee grown on the surrounding hillsides has become increasingly well known, and several small farms offer tours and tastings. Between the architecture, the mountain setting, and the coffee, San Sebastián is the most rewarding inland trip from the coast — a complete change of pace and altitude from the beach towns of Banderas Bay.