Guadalajara.

Nightlife centres on Avenida Chapultepec and the surrounding Colonia Americana, where bars, taquerias and live music spill onto the street, especially at the Wednesday Chapu market nights. The Universidad de Guadalajara's campuses keep the city young, and cantinas offer cheap beer with free botanas (snacks). It is sociable, affordable and easy to plug into.

• Bar-hop Avenida Chapultepec and Colonia Americana for the liveliest nights
• Drink at a traditional cantina where beer comes with free botanas
• Catch mariachi at the Plaza de los Mariachis or a Tlaquepaque courtyard

Guadalajara is comfortably affordable, so around 500 to 800 euros (roughly 9,500 to 15,000 pesos) a month covers a shared flat, food and transport, below Mexico City prices. Street tacos and market lunches cost a couple of euros, and the transport card is cheap. Colonia Americana and Providencia carry a premium, while outer colonias are far kinder on the wallet.

• A torta ahogada or a few street tacos costs 30 to 60 pesos (1.50 to 3 euros)
• A comida corrida (set lunch) at a market runs about 80 to 120 pesos
• Rooms in trendy Colonia Americana cost more, while outer colonias are cheaper

Most exchange students share a flat or take a room in Colonia Americana, Providencia or near their campus. Facebook groups like Cuartos y Departamentos Guadalajara and the app Inmuebles24 are the main tools, and student residences cluster near the CUCEA and CUCEI campuses. Verify listings and avoid paying deposits before you view.

• Search the Roomies and Cuartos Guadalajara Facebook groups and Inmuebles24
• Colonia Americana and Providencia are central and social but pricier
• Ask the Studcasa Guadalajara group to check an area's safety and commute first

SITEUR runs the Tren Ligero (three light-rail lines) and the Mi Macro bus-rapid-transit corridors, all paid with the rechargeable Mi Movilidad card. MiBici, the public bike share, is excellent for the central colonias, and Uber and DiDi are cheap and widely used. The historic centre and Americana are very walkable.

• Get a Mi Movilidad card for the Tren Ligero and the Mi Macro BRT lines
• Use MiBici bike share to get around Colonia Americana and the centre
• Uber and DiDi are cheap and safer than street taxis late at night

The Universidad de Guadalajara (UdeG) is Mexico's second-largest public university, spread across thematic campuses: CUCEA for business and economics, CUCEI for engineering and sciences, and CUCSH for humanities. The private ITESO (Jesuit) and the Tec de Monterrey campus are strong too. UdeG runs a large exchange programme, mostly taught in Spanish.

• UdeG's campuses are themed, from CUCEA (business) to CUCEI (engineering) and CUCSH (humanities)
• Solid Spanish helps, though ITESO and Tec de Monterrey offer some English-taught courses

What you need depends on your nationality and how long you're staying, so treat this as a starting point and confirm with the Mexican consulate for your country. Many nationalities, including most Europeans, can enter visa-free as tourists for up to 180 days, which covers a single semester. For a full academic year or formal enrolment, you'll usually apply for a temporary resident student visa at a consulate before you travel.

Start early, since consulate appointments and document legalisation take time.

• Short exchange under 180 days, often visa-free entry for many nationalities
• Full year or formal enrolment, temporary resident student visa from a consulate
• Bring your university acceptance letter and proof of funds to the appointment
• Requirements vary by nationality; always confirm with your Mexican consulate

Guadalajara's signatures are the torta ahogada, a pork sandwich drowned in spicy tomato sauce, and birria, the rich goat or beef stew now famous worldwide. Wash them down with tejuino, a fermented-corn drink, and finish with jericalla, the local custard. The huge Mercado San Juan de Dios is the place to graze.

• Try a torta ahogada from a street stand, with the sauce as spicy as you dare
• Eat birria for weekend breakfast, the Tapatio way
• Graze the food stalls at Mercado San Juan de Dios (also called Mercado Libertad)

Colonia Americana is the hip, walkable heart of cafes, bars and Porfirian mansions, while Providencia and Chapalita are leafier and upmarket. The Centro Historico holds the cathedral and markets, and Tlaquepaque and Tonala, technically separate towns, are artisan quarters famous for crafts. Zapopan to the north has the malls and newer developments.

• Colonia Americana: coolest, most central and most walkable for students
• Providencia or Chapalita: leafy, upmarket and quieter
• Tlaquepaque: artsy, full of craft shops and lively courtyard restaurants

Weekends write themselves here. The town of Tequila and its agave fields are an hour away, reachable on the Tequila Express or Jose Cuervo Express train, Lake Chapala and Ajijic an hour south, and the beaches of Puerto Vallarta about three and a half hours by bus. The pueblos magicos of Tapalpa and Mazamitla add cool mountain escapes.

• Tequila town and the agave fields: about 1 hour, or take the tequila train
• Lake Chapala and Ajijic: roughly 1 hour south
• Puerto Vallarta's Pacific beaches: about 3.5 hours by ETN bus

Locals call themselves tapatios, so learn the word and you will earn a smile. Use Uber or DiDi rather than street taxis at night, carry cash for markets and street food, and pace yourself with the tequila (and try a mezcal or raicilla too). Afternoon rains hit hard in the summer wet season, so pack a small umbrella.

• Use Uber or DiDi after dark instead of hailing street taxis
• Carry pesos in cash for tianguis markets and taco stands
• Ask the Studcasa Guadalajara group for the best-value neighbourhoods and day trips