The towns

San Juan Cosalá and its hot springs

The town at the foot of the hill, and the one you are technically staying in.

What it is known for all along the lakeside is thermal water. There is a public hot-springs spa on the lakefront with several pools at different temperatures, jacuzzis and a natural steam cave (a temazcal). It is genuinely hot, geothermal water, and it is the reason people from Guadalajara drive down for the day.

Raquet Club's own description mentions thermal water reaching houses in the development on some days of the week; we can't promise it for this house or for your dates — ask us and we'll tell you what applies. And check with us on the spa before you get in the car — we'd rather confirm it for you than have you drive down to a closed gate.

Photo: Graciela Gallardo Hernandez / Google

Ajijic

The most walkable town on the lakeside and the cultural heart of the area, a short drive east of here.

Murals everywhere. Ajijic is described over and over as a town of murals — restaurant and shop fronts, and even poles and sidewalks, painted. Much of that tradition comes out of the children's art program Neill James founded at the Lake Chapala Society in 1954, which trained several generations of local painters — Javier Zaragoza, Efrén González and Jesús López Vega among them.
Cobblestone streets, galleries and workshops in the center, and the lakefront malecón at the bottom of it.
A lot of English is spoken. The north shore holds Mexico's largest community of American and Canadian retirees — figures cited locally are around 20,000 permanent residents, plus the snowbirds who come down for the winter.

What that means in practice: you'll be understood in English in most Ajijic businesses, there are English-language bookshops, and the Lake Chapala Society works as a community center. It also means Ajijic feels more international than the towns on either side of it — which some guests love and others come here precisely to get away from.

Photo: Zuly Rojas Ajijic / Google

Chapala and Jocotepec, the two ends

Four towns sit in a row from east to west along the same lakeside road: Chapala, Ajijic, San Juan Cosalá and Jocotepec. You are in the third one, so both ends are an easy drive.

Chapala, at the east end, is the biggest of the four and the seat of the municipality — the most straightforwardly Mexican of the lakeside towns, with the historic malecón and its pier.
Jocotepec, at the west end, is the least touristy: a Marian shrine, a plaza with arcaded portales around it, and a serious regional reputation for birria.

They are worth doing as separate outings rather than all in one day. Each has its own character, and the drive between them is part of the point.

Photo: Zuly Rojas Ajijic / Google

Plaza Principal de Ajijic

Ajijic's main plaza, in the middle of the town's murals and its walkable center.

Photo: Angel Marin / Google

Plaza Principal de Ajijic

Things to do / Attractions

Guadalupe Victoria 4, 45920 Ajijic, Jal.

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Hotel Balneario San Juan Cosalá

Thermal-spring resort on the lakeshore, with pools at different temperatures and a traditional temazcal steam hut.

Photo: Hotel Balneario San Juan Cosala / Google

Hotel Balneario San Juan Cosala

Wellness / Spas

Carretera Jocotepec-chapala, La Paz 420-Km. 13, Centro, 45820 San Juan Cosalá, Jal.

Open in Google Maps Website 387 761 0222

Parque de la Cristianía

Public park in Chapala.

Photo: pedro pacheco / Google

Parque La Cristianía

Things to do / Parks

González Gallo 21, Chapala Centro, 45900 Chapala, Jal.

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Parroquia del Señor del Monte

Colonial-era church in central Jocotepec, next to the plaza and its birria-serving arcades.

Photo: Man Hx / Google

Parroquia del Señor de Monte

Things to do / Attractions

C. Miguel Arana 76, Jocotepec Centro, 45800 Jocotepec, Jal.

Open in Google Maps 387 763 0055

Parroquia San Juan Bautista

Main parish church of San Juan Cosalá, the town at the foot of the hill.

Photo: Carlos Gómez Minakata / Google

Parroquia San Juan Bautista

Things to do / Attractions

Del Cardenal 25, Raquet Club, 45820 San Juan Cosalá, Jal.

Open in Google Maps 387 761 0268

Lake Chapala Society

Nonprofit cultural hub for the expat community, with gardens, an English-language library and an open-air café.

Photo: Joi Lex / Google

The Lake Chapala Society

Things to do / Attractions

16 de Septiembre 16, 45920 Ajijic, Jal.

Open in Google Maps Website 376 766 1140

The Wednesday tianguis

On Wednesdays Ajijic sets up its tianguis — the weekly open-air street market, a tradition that predates the Spanish and still runs the same way. It sets up on Revolución and the highway, by the auditorium and the charro ring.

Fish, vegetables, fruit, clothes, crafts and food stalls. Go in the morning, bring cash and bring a bag — it's the best single hour you can spend for a sense of how the lakeside actually eats.

The other towns have their own market days. Ask us which one falls while you're here and we'll confirm it.

Tianguis AJIJIC

Shopping / Markets

Revolución 8D, 45920 Ajijic, Jal.

Open in Google Maps