Guanajuato
5
Day Itinerary •
Mexico
Five days in Guanajuato, the Bajio and Michoacan reveal the full extraordinary depth of colonial central Mexico. Beyond the silver city of Guanajuato and the famous streets of San Miguel lie the extraordinary Purepecha ruins of Tzintzuntzan, the butterfly forests of the Monarch Biosphere, the fine leather of Leon and the most underrated colonial city in Mexico at Lagos de Moreno. This route moves through the heart of colonial Mexico from the extraordinary callejones of Guanajuato to the pink stone of Morelia and the volcanic lake of Patzcuaro, then west to the artisan quarter of Leon and the extraordinary forgotten colonial town of Lagos de Moreno. Five days that cover the finest colonial heritage, the most extraordinary natural spectacle and the finest food in central Mexico.
Best Time To Visit
October to May
Getting There
Fly into Leon (BJX) or Queretaro (QRO)
Getting Around
ETN bus, hired car for Patzcuaro and Monarch Reserve
Budget Per Day
Approx 45 to 250 USD per person per day
Difficulity
Easy, walking and day trips
DAY 1
GUANAJUATO CITY
MORNING
GUANAJUATO CITY, THE MOST COLOURFUL CITY IN MEXICO
Guanajuato is the most extraordinary colonial city in Mexico, its entire historic centre a UNESCO World Heritage labyrinth of coloured facades, callejones and plazas built on silver mining wealth. The city spreads across a narrow valley with no grid system, its streets connecting through extraordinary tunnels that run beneath the entire city. The Basilica of Our Lady of Guanajuato with its Valencian image is the finest in the Bajio. Entry to basilica free. Drive/Travel: 15 min walk
MIDDAY
THE ALHONDIGA DE GRANADITAS AND THE INDEPENDENCE MUSEUM
The Alhondiga de Granaditas is the most historically significant building in Guanajuato, the granary stormed by Hidalgo's forces in 1810 in the first major battle of Mexican Independence. The hooks from which the heads of the four Independence leaders were hung still protrude from the four corners. The extraordinary museum inside traces the complete history of Mexican Independence with remarkable artefacts. Entry approx 75 pesos. Drive/Travel: 10 min walk
AFTERNOON
THE CALLEJÓN DEL BESO AND THE EVENING ESTUDIANTINAS
The Callejón del Beso, the narrowest alley in Guanajuato where balconies are just 68cm apart, is the most romantic spot in Mexico according to local legend. The extraordinary estudiantina student music groups, dressed in Renaissance costume, perform and parade through the callejones from 8pm. The rooftop view over the multicoloured city from El Pipila monument at sunset is extraordinary. Entry free.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Diego Rivera Museum occupies the house where Rivera was born in 1886, a beautifully restored colonial townhouse containing extraordinary early works by the muralist. The birthplace of the artist who painted the National Palace murals is rarely on tourist itineraries despite being the finest small art museum in the Bajio. The collection of pre-Columbian figurines from Rivera's personal collection is extraordinary. Entry approx 70 pesos.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Mercado Hidalgo, Guanajuato Extraordinary enchiladas mineras and gorditas at the finest covered market in the Bajio. | Lunch: El Jardin restaurant, Jardin Union Outstanding Bajio cuisine on the finest plaza in Mexico. Extraordinary pozole and local cheese. | Dinner: La Carreta, Guanajuato The finest traditional Guanajuato dinner. Outstanding enchiladas mineras and local beef.
DAY 2
SAN MIGUEL AND DOLORES HIDALGO
MORNING
SAN MIGUEL DE ALLENDE, THE MOST BEAUTIFUL COLONIAL TOWN IN THE AMERICAS
San Miguel de Allende is considered the most beautiful colonial town in the Americas by numerous international publications and the former UNESCO World Heritage designation confirms its extraordinary architectural integrity. The neo-Gothic Parroquia de San Miguel Arcangel, designed by indigenous mason Zeferino Gutierrez from a postcard of a Belgian church in 1880, is the finest facade in Mexico. The streets of coloured mansions surrounding it are extraordinary. Entry to church free. Drive/Travel: 30 min drive
MIDDAY
THE FABRICA LA AURORA AND THE SAN MIGUEL ART SCENE
San Miguel de Allende has the most extraordinary concentration of art galleries, studios and design shops in Mexico, a community of international and Mexican artists who have settled in the colonial mansions since the 1930s. The Fabrica La Aurora, a converted textile factory housing 30 galleries, is the finest art complex in the Bajio. The Escuela de Bellas Artes in the former convent is extraordinary. Entry to Aurora free. Drive/Travel: 20 min drive
AFTERNOON
DOLORES HIDALGO AND THE BIRTHPLACE OF MEXICAN INDEPENDENCE
The town of Dolores Hidalgo 45km from Guanajuato is where Father Miguel Hidalgo rang the church bell on September 16, 1810 and gave the Grito de Independencia speech that began the Mexican War of Independence. The extraordinary parish church where Hidalgo gave his cry and the Independence Museum in his former home are both remarkable. The ice cream flavours of Dolores Hidalgo are extraordinary and famous throughout Mexico. Entry to museum approx 30 pesos.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The hot springs of La Gruta near San Miguel de Allende are among the most extraordinary in Mexico, a series of natural thermal pools including one accessible only by swimming through a tunnel into an extraordinary cave illuminated by candles. Entry approx 200 pesos. The pools are finest on weekday mornings before tour groups arrive. The cave pool at the end of the tunnel is extraordinary and completely dark.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Cafe Monet, San Miguel Outstanding coffee and extraordinary pan dulce in the finest cafe in the Bajio. | Lunch: The Restaurant, San Miguel Outstanding modern Mexican cuisine in San Miguel's finest restaurant. Book ahead. | Dinner: Aperi, San Miguel The finest tasting menu in the Bajio. Chef Matteo Salas uses extraordinary local ingredients. Book ahead.
DAY 3
QUERETARO AND BERNAL
MORNING
QUERETARO, UNESCO COLONIAL CITY OF THE SILVER ROUTE
Queretaro is the most underrated colonial city in Mexico, its extraordinary UNESCO historic centre of aqueducts, plazas and baroque churches visited by a fraction of the tourists who go to San Miguel. The extraordinary 1.28km Los Arcos aqueduct with its 74 arches built in 1735 is the finest in Mexico. The Neptune fountain, the extraordinary Templo de Santa Rosa de Viterbo and the Cerro de las Campanas are all remarkable. Entry to most sites free. Drive/Travel: 30 min drive
MIDDAY
THE SIERRA GORDA BIOSPHERE AND THE UNESCO FRANCISCAN MISSIONS
The five Franciscan missions of the Sierra Gorda, built by Fray Junipero Serra between 1751 and 1768 before he went on to found the California missions, are UNESCO World Heritage sites of extraordinary indigenous Baroque architecture. The mission at Jalpan de Serra with its extraordinary churrigueresque facade incorporating Mayan and Aztec symbols alongside Catholic imagery is unlike anything else in Mexico. Entry approx 30 pesos each. Drive/Travel: 1 hour drive
AFTERNOON
THE PEÑA DE BERNAL, THE THIRD LARGEST MONOLITH IN THE WORLD
The Pena de Bernal is a 350-metre granite monolith rising above the extraordinary colonial town of Bernal, the third largest freestanding rock in the world after Gibraltar and Sugarloaf. The climb to the base takes 30 minutes through extraordinary scrubland with views over the Queretaro valley. The town of Bernal below has the finest quesillo and gordita street food in the Bajio. Entry free.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The extraordinary underground tunnels of Guanajuato city run for several kilometres beneath the entire historic centre, originally built as flood control channels in the 18th century and converted into roads after a dam was built upstream. The tunnel road passes beneath the city for 2km through extraordinary engineering at multiple levels. The view looking up from the lowest tunnel to daylight above is extraordinary. Walking the tunnels on foot is free and permitted.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Mercado de la Cruz, Queretaro Outstanding gorditas and atole from the finest market breakfast in the Bajio. | Lunch: La Mariposa, Queretaro The most extraordinary traditional restaurant in Queretaro. Outstanding local Bajio cuisine since 1940. | Dinner: 1810, Queretaro Outstanding modern Mexican cuisine near the UNESCO historic centre. Extraordinary local wine list.
DAY 4
MORELIA AND PATZCUARO
MORNING
MORELIA, THE FINEST PINK STONE COLONIAL CITY IN MEXICO
Morelia, capital of Michoacan, is the most extraordinary pink stone colonial city in Mexico, its entire historic centre built from extraordinary pink volcanic cantera stone that glows at sunset. The extraordinary Cathedral of Morelia with its twin baroque towers is the finest in the Bajio. The Mercado de Dulces y Artesanias sells the extraordinary Michoacan sweets including ate de membrillo and cajeta that are famous across Mexico. Entry to cathedral free. Drive/Travel: 1.5 hours drive
MIDDAY
PATZCUARO AND THE ISLAND OF JANITZIO
Lake Patzcuaro near Morelia is the most extraordinary lake in the Michoacan highlands, its Purepecha fishing villages producing the extraordinary butterfly net fishermen images that are the most photographed in Mexico. The island of Janitzio in the lake centre, dominated by an extraordinary statue of Morelos and famous for the Dia de Muertos cemetery vigil, is accessible by lancha from Patzcuaro pier. Entry approx 45 pesos return. Drive/Travel: 1 hour drive
AFTERNOON
TZINTZUNTZAN AND THE PUREPECHA CAPITAL ON THE LAKE
Tzintzuntzan was the capital of the extraordinary Purepecha empire, the only major pre-Columbian civilisation in Mexico never conquered by the Aztecs. The extraordinary yacatas, a series of T-shaped temple platforms overlooking Lake Patzcuaro, are the finest Purepecha ruins in Mexico. The 16th-century Franciscan convent with its extraordinary olive grove planted by Vasco de Quiroga is remarkable. Entry approx 75 pesos.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve at El Rosario in the Michoacan mountains is one of the most extraordinary natural spectacles in the world, tens of millions of monarch butterflies overwintering in the oyamel fir forests from November to March, their weight bending the branches and their wings creating a constant rustling in the extraordinary pine-scented air. Entry approx 150 pesos. The butterflies peak from late January to early March.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Mercado de Dulces, Morelia The finest sweet market in Mexico. Extraordinary ate, cajeta and local chocolate before the drive to Patzcuaro. | Lunch: El Primer Piso, Patzcuaro Outstanding Michoacan cuisine above the main plaza. Extraordinary carnitas and corundas. | Dinner: Casa del Portal, Morelia The finest dinner in Morelia. Outstanding Michoacan beef and local wine. Extraordinary churipo stew.
DAY 5
LEON TO AGUASCALIENTES
MORNING
LEON AND THE FINEST LEATHER MARKET IN MEXICO
Leon is the leather capital of Mexico and Latin America, producing the finest handmade boots, belts, bags and huaraches in the country at the Zona Piel market and the Plaza del Zapato. The extraordinary craftsmanship of Leon bootmakers, where bespoke cowboy boots can be made in 24 hours for a fraction of their international price, is one of the finest artisan experiences in the Bajio. Entry free. Drive/Travel: 45 min drive
MIDDAY
LAGOS DE MORENO AND THE FINEST BAROQUE TOWN IN THE BAJIO
Lagos de Moreno is the most extraordinary and least visited colonial town in the Bajio, its extraordinary Baroque temple facades, the magnificent Teatro Rosas Moreno and the coloured houses along the extraordinary Rio Lagos making it the finest undiscovered colonial city in Mexico. The city has produced four Mexican presidents and the finest traditional cuisine in Jalisco. The extraordinary Templo de la Senora de los Lagos is remarkable. Entry free. Drive/Travel: 1 hour drive
AFTERNOON
AGUASCALIENTES AND THE SAN MARCOS NATIONAL FAIR
Aguascalientes hosts the San Marcos National Fair each April, the finest and most extraordinary traditional fair in Mexico, a three-week celebration of mariachi, bullfighting, cockfighting and the finest regional food in the country. The extraordinary Museo Jose Guadalupe Posada, dedicated to the artist who invented the Catrina skull image, is the finest single-artist museum in the Bajio. Entry approx 40 pesos.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The underground hot spring pools of Aguascalientes, from which the city takes its name, are among the finest thermal baths in Mexico. The extraordinary Balneario Ojocaliente, a 19th-century thermal bath complex still operating in its original building, has pools of natural mineral water at 40 degrees. Entry approx 150 pesos. The extraordinary tile work and iron railings of the Victorian bathhouse are remarkable. Open from 7am.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Leon market stalls Extraordinary carnitas and local cheese from the Mercado Municipal before the leather district opens at 9am. | Lunch: Lagos de Moreno comedor Outstanding traditional Jalisco food in the finest undiscovered colonial town in the Bajio. | Dinner: Mitla, Aguascalientes The finest modern Mexican restaurant in Aguascalientes. Extraordinary local wine from the Cava Quintanilla.
Where To Stay
Guanajuato, Nights 1 to 2 Hotel Boutique 1850 or Quinta Las Acacias. Approx 60 to 150 USD per night. San Miguel, Night 3 Casa de Sierra Nevada. Approx 100 to 350 USD. Budget: Hostal Alcatraz 15 to 30 USD. Morelia, Nights 4 to 5 Hotel de la Soledad or Villa Montana. Approx 60 to 180 USD per night.
Top Tips
1. Book Aperi in San Miguel weeks ahead. The finest tasting menu in the Bajio requires advance reservation.
2. Monarch butterflies at El Rosario peak late January to early March. Go on a weekday morning.
3. Patzcuaro Dia de Muertos (Nov 1-2): the cemetery vigil on Janitzio island is the finest in Mexico. Book ahead.
4. Leon bespoke boots: allow 48 hours for custom-made cowboy boots. Bring a design or let them guide you.
5. La Gruta hot springs near San Miguel: go on a weekday morning. The cave pool tunnel is extraordinary.
6. Queretaro aqueduct: the finest view is from the Cerro de las Campanas hill at golden hour.
Total Budget
45 to 245 USD/day