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Night Tour of Guanajuato with Tuna Music

  • 8.50 / 10 12 reviews | 219 travellers The guys were very friendly, they contacted each other in advance and the experience was incredible. 10 Marcela Chavarria
  • Free cancellation up to 48 hours before the service starts

Explore the historic center after dusk and enjoy the traditional songs of a tuna, a local university group of musicians, with this night tour of Guanajuato with music .

Guanajuato from above

At your chosen time, we'll meet up next to Teatro Juárez . We'll then set off on our night tour of Guanajuato while enjoying live music by a group of tunos, a musical group from the university.

The tour will take us through the most emblematic plazas and alleys of the historic center accompanied by live music. We'll stroll through the town while listening to  serenades and lively songs related to university and student life. You won't be able to resist dancing and singing along!

In addition to incredible voices, the music will be enriched with the chords of guitars , bandurrias , accordions ,   and even tambourines , among many other instruments. All this in a versatile repertoire that offers Spanish and Mexican romantic music as well as traditional folk music!

Dance and let yourself be carried away by the music while the artists of the tuna play traditional songs such as Maria la portuguesa and La Cucaracha .

After we've spent an hour and 15 minutes exploring Guanajuato, we'll end our night tour on the Callejón del Beso . As we say our goodbyes in this narrow alley, we'll discover the love story behind Carmen and Don Carlos...

More Information

1 hour 15 minutes.

The activity takes place with a guide that speaks in Spanish.

Live 'tuna' music

1 refreshing juice

When to book?

You can book up until 24 hours before the activity as long as there are still places. Book now to guarantee your spot.

Type of voucher

Electronic. Show the voucher on your phone.

Accessibility

Not wheelchair accessible.

Sustainability

All services published on Civitatis are carried out in accordance with our Sustainability Code .

Our providers commit to:

  • Provide a safe and satisfying experience.
  • Reduce, reuse, recycle.
  • Incorporate eco-conscious technologies.
  • Uphold fair employment standards.
  • Foster the growth of local communities.
  • Preserve the integrity of local culture.
  • Safeguard both cultural and environmental heritage.
  • Ensure ethical treatment of animals.
  • Operate with honesty and transparency.
  • Encourage sustainable behaviors among customers and staff.

This particular activity contributes as follows:

  • No printing of documentation required.

Callejoneadas Virreynal De Guanajuato Show more

Corporate name: Gerardo Valentín Sánchez Palacios

Not permitted.

Frequently asked questions

Q - Why do this activity with Civitatis?

A - At Civitatis we guarantee the best quality and prices, click here if you want to know how we select our activities.

Q - How to book?

A - To reserve the activity, choose the date and complete the form on this page. You will receive your confirmation immediately.

If you have any other questions please contact us.

Free cancellation

Meeting point, where does the activity end.

Teatro Juárez

Callejón del Beso

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Guanajuato Mexico Itinerary

Posted on Last updated: December 13, 2023

In this Guanajuato Mexico Itinerary, I have highlighted the must-visit cities and towns in the state of Guanajuato and some tips for navigating driving in Mexico . Of course, if you don’t want to drive in Guanajuato it is possible to take public transportation, just bear in mind that it will take longer to get from town to town.

I love nothing more than a good road trip, especially when it involves exploring a new state in Mexico . Although I have a pretty detailed Mexico Itinerary , in all honesty, if you really want to explore Mexico you need at least 6 months. And you should spend at least 2 weeks of that time in the state of Guanajuato .

Guanajuato Mexico Itinerary | Guanajuato City Center

Where is Guanajuato?

Guanajuato is a state located in central Mexico. The capital of Guanajuato is Guanajuato City (or Ciudad de Guanajuato ).

It’s around 5.5 hours driving from Mexico City and it has borders with Jalisco, Zacatecas, San Luis Potosi , Queretaro and Michoacan. 

When Is the Best Time to Visit Guanajuato

Wondering when the best time to visit Guanajuato is? Well, that’s going to depend on what type of weather you prefer. I’ve been in both the wintertime and in the heat of May, and if I’m honest I preferred visiting in the cold. It’s still mild enough to be warm, but you will need a jacket in the mornings and evenings. It’s the perfect weather for snuggling up in bed at night. 

In the summer I struggled a bit as the days were very hot but the nights were awful as many mid-range hotels don’t have AC (as they only need it for a month or 2 a year when it’s hot enough to need it) and even with the windows open and a fan on I was HOT. 

Here’s a chart of the average temperatures in Guanajuato by month so you can decide for yourself the best time to visit. 

Driving in Guanajuato

Ok, so I didn’t do any of the driving on our Guanajuato road trip my husband and 19-year-old stepdaughter did it all. But What I can say about the driving is that it was pretty easy. The roads were good, there were plenty of signs to help you navigate between places, and I would feel very comfortable driving on the highways alone.

That said, I’m not sure I would want to do much driving in Guanajuato city if I’m honest. Although I LOVE the city’s crazy windy roads and tunnel system. Driving up and down those steep hills and through all the tunnels would probably set off my anxiety haha. So maybe find a hotel out of the center with a shuttle, like Hotel Chocolate suites (where we stayed) so you don’t have to drive in the center so much.

Be aware that in Guanajuato (like the rest of Mexico) you have free roads (Libre) and toll roads (Cuota). If you take the cuota roads you will need to pay a toll but you will probably get there faster and in more comfort as the roads are well maintained. That said, do check google maps as sometimes the toll roads might only save you a few minutes and cost a few hundred pesos, so it is not really worth taking!

To give you an idea of the costs for our road trip in Guanajuato we spent around $1000 pesos on Tolls and the same on gas. So about $100 USD in total. We drove our own car, but to rent a car in Mexico expect to pay from $800 pesos per day.

Guanajuato Mexico streets | Guanajuato itinerary

Did You Get Travel Insurance Yet? The Insurance companies I recommend are  Hey Mondo and Safety Wing Hey Mondo  is great if you are looking for a great value flexible policy. They offer single-trip cover, annual multi-trip cover, and long-term travel cover. Safety Wing  is great value, with monthly coverage starting at $45.08. It’s super easy to use, and it just renews each month. I currently use them as they offer me free cover for my son as part of my policy. Read my full  travel insurance post  here, where I go into detail about all companies. 

How to Get to Guanajuato Mexico

There are many starting places for a Guanajuato Mexico Itinerary and it depends on where you are traveling from.

If you are traveling to Guanajuato by Air then I’d recommend flying into Leon and renting a car from there. If you look at the map below you can easily make a loop starting and ending in Leon. 

Alternatively, you could also fly into the airport in Guanajuato city and start the loop there.

If you are driving from another state then here are the starting points I’d recommend;

Entering Guanajuato from Morelia you should start in Yuriria and end in Leon.

Entering from Queretaro start in Comonfort

If you are coming from any other start it’s worth stopping in Morelia and Queretaro on your way into Guanajuato if you have the time, both cities are beautiful with an interesting colonial past.

My Guanajuato Mexico Itinerary Map 

Here is a map of the places I would recommend stopping as part of your Guanajuato Itinerary. You won’t need a night in all of these places, some you will just need a morning or an afternoon, others you will want a few days. I have made recommendations of how long to spend in each place below.

My Guanajuato Mexico Itinerary

Guanajuato view | Guanajuato Mexico Itinerary

The city of Leon is a great jumping-off point for any Guanajuato itinerary if you are arriving by air as it’s just a 20-minute drive from the airport into the city.

I would advise you to spend 1 or 2 nights in Leon before moving on, depending on what time you arrive! Ideally, you will need a full day to explore the city.

The thing Leon is most famous for is its leather goods, another reason you might want to start your Guanajuato Mexico itinerary here, so you can buy yourself some nice shoes and a cute purse ! Head to the Zona Piel district to fulfill your shoe and handbag dreams.

Once you have finished shopping here are a few must-visit places in Leon Guanajuato:

  • Pay a visit to the Temple of the Sacred Heart.
  • Explore the Museum of Art and History
  • Wander around the Metropolitan Park
  • Visit the Triumphal Arch of the City
  • Check out the Leon Cathedral
  • And if you didn’t already go then go shopping at the Zona Piel (Leather Markets).

It’s also worth mentioning that in November Leon is the host to a pretty epic Festival de Globos (That’s a festival of hot air balloons for non-Spanish speakers). I’m planning a visit this year as it looks EPIC. If you are interested in joining me on a small group tour there in November 2022 send me a message. 

Jalpa De Canovas

Guanajuato Mexico Itinerary,Guanajuato Itinerary,mexico,San Miguel de Allende

Jalpa is small but it packs a punch. With just over 670 people still living in this mostly abandoned Pueblo Magico 1 hour away from Leon. Because of its short distance, it’s an easy day trip or a good place to stop on your way to Guanajuato City.

Why visit Jalpa de Canovas? Easy, it’s colorful, has lots of impressive buildings, there are lots of local crafts to buy, and the food is amazing. It’s everything a Mexican Magic Town should be.

There isn’t a ton to do here other than do a self-lead walking tour but here is a little checklist of some cool things to do in Jalpa de Canovas.

  • Pay a visit to the Templo de la Misericordia
  • Marval at the former Hacienda of Cañada de Negros
  • Soak up some sun in the gardens
  • Visit the Santa Eduviges Dam
  • Go wine tasting at Bodegas del Lobo (located in San Francisco del Rincón 20 kilometers from Jalpa)

How to get to Jalpa de Canovas from Leon

If you are driving then use the map above to get driving directions. You can easily take a bus, but you will need to check the times the day before to get the most up-to-date information. Buses are infrequent so you will need to be mindful of that in your planning. Or you can take an Uber or Taxi from Leon to Jalpa.

I would suggest renting a car and driving as you will have the most flexibility that way.

Cristo Rey

I must admit, when my husband suggested driving up here I wasn’t so keen, and not just because our car doesn’t like uphill very much! I visited Christ the Redeemer while I was in Rio many moons ago and didn’t think this one would be anywhere near as impressive. 

I was wrong!  

You should go.

If you are driving yourself then make sure you put the right thing in Google maps as we didn’t! But luckily it’s well signposted and my husband has been several times so we didn’t get lost (Use this link to get the correct destination). Be warned the road is cobblestones all the way up, so be prepared for a bumpy ride.

You can easily visit Jalpa de Canovas in the morning and then aim to be here for 3pm. Be aware it closes at 4 pm so don’t leave it too late. Once you have visited the statue then there are lots of places you can eat on the way down. We stopped at the first one and the food was amazing.

If you don’t have a car then you can easily book a day tour from Guanajuato, so just take a bus from Jalpa to Guanajuato and do a day trip.

Guanajuato City

Guanajuato City

Once you are done marveling at Cristo Rey it’s time to visit the capital of Guanajuato, Guanajuato City. 

Warning, be prepared to fall in love with this magical city. Every time I visit I never want to leave, although my legs and knees say otherwise after all the uphill walking you have to do here… 

When you arrive in the colonial city of Guanajuato for the first time you will be forgiven for questioning if you are still in fact in Mexico and not in a cute Italian hillside town. Guanajuato really does have the WOW factor and it’s like nowhere else I’ve visited in Mexico… and I’ve been to a lot of places. 

Chaotic, charming, and with a whole lot of history you are going to need 2-3 nights here to really soak up this city. It makes me so sad that so many people come to Guanajuato and only visit San Miguel de Allende , which is a beautiful city don’t get me wrong, but there is so much more to see in Guanajuato! Anyway, I digress. I wrote a whole post on things to do in Guanajuato City you can read here . But here is a breakdown of my top things to see and do in Guanajuato city.

  • Wander the streets ( don’t forget your camera )
  • Do a tour of the Teatro Juarez
  • Visit the Mummy Museum 
  • Learn about history while filling your stomach on the street food tour
  • Marvel at the University of Guanajuato 
  • Kiss your love at the Callejón del Beso
  • Experience the Callejoneada (singing tour)
  • Visit the Basilica de nuestra señora de Guanajuato 
  • Take the funicular up to the Pipila 
  • Visit a day spa 
  • Take a picture at the Calle de sopeña and Calle subterránea 
  • Visit the Diego Rivera museum 
  • Visit the Basilica of our lady of Guanajuato, Templo de San Diego and Templo de San Francisco 
  • Go shopping in the Mercado Hidalgo
  • Take a breather in the Plaza de la Paz 
  • Learn about Mexican history at the Alhóndiga de Granadita 
  • Drink an Affogato in El Horla
  • Take the tourist trolly 
  • Visit a cantina – saloon 
  • Have a drink at the Embarcadero overlooking the dam 

Top Tip: when booking your accommodation here book a room with a view. I personally always stay at either Hotel Chocolate or Hotel Chocolate suites and pay a little extra to make sure you have a balcony so you get this view. I actually find myself wanting to just sit there all night soaking up the vibes. 

Dolores Hidalgo

Guanajuato Mexico Itinerary,Guanajuato Itinerary,mexico,San Miguel de Allende

Next up, the Pueblo Magico with a big history, Dolores Hidalgo.

I’m a big fan of Doloras Hidalgo and you could easily spend a full day here especially if you decide to do the Independence Tour (which you really should do FYI). So what exactly is it that makes Dolores Hidalgo so special? Well, this little Pueblo Magico was the starting place of the Mexican fight for independence. You can read all about that here.

But it’s not all about history, there is also beautiful architecture (Iglesia de Dolores), some crazy ice cream flavors to taste, and pottery to shop for! This is THE place to buy your Mexican-style kitchenware. And if you are worried about fitting your new set of plates in your carry-on, don’t be, they will ship it to you and you will still save money on what you would pay for this kind of quality at home. Just brush off your best Spanish and ask in the stop about this service.

Here is a list of all of my top things to do in Dolores Hidalgo:

  • Go shopping for pottery 
  • Eat an exotic flavored Ice cream from La Flor de Dolores
  • Learn about Mexican history at the Museo de la Independencia
  • Explore the house of Hidalgo
  • Visit the resting place of the famous Mexican singer ‘El Ray’ (José Alfredo Jiménez) 
  • Marvel at the Iglesia de Dolores (which took a whopping 70 years to build)
  • Take the independence tour to learn about the role Dolores Hidalgo played in the battle for independence.
  • Visit one of the many vineyards on the Guanajuato wine route

Mineral de Pozos

Mineral de Pozos

I fell a bit in love with this abandoned old mining town. It’s an Instagrammers dream . Around every corner is a new photo op!

But it’s not all about taking photos here, there are also some nice rooftop bars, great places to eat, and a beer spa.

I stayed at Casa Pozos while I was there and it was the perfect place for a romantic night away, although, with a baby and a teenager, we just settled for a nice family getaway . 2 things you must do while here are go shopping in Galleria 6, I found so many cute pieces of clothing I’ve not seen anywhere else in Mexico, all hand made by one of the 15 women working there. After that find the rooftop bar and order yourself a lavender lemonade and enjoy the stunning view, bonus points for going at sunset.

Other fun things to do there are just outside the town, did you know Mexico has a lavender field? Well, it does and it’s just 5-10 minutes from the town so you should go! I think they charge a 25 peso cover. Just don’t go expecting too much as they aren’t anywhere near as impressive as the huge lavender fields in Europe. There are also some mines nearby which might make an interesting trip. Sadly we only had one day here so there was no time!

I’d recommend spending at least 2 nights here, 2 if you want to enjoy the spa and visit some close by mines.

  • Pamper yourself in the Beer spa
  • Drink a lavender lemonade on the rooftop of De Pozos Restaurant bar
  • Shop in Galeria 6 for artisan clothing made on site (15 local women make the clothing available in the store)
  • Wander around the Church
  • Visit the lavender fields
  • Explore the mines
  • Visit Cinco Señores minas 
  • Take lots of beautiful photos for the gram
  • Sweat it out in the prehispanic Temazcal

San Miguel de Allende

San Miguel de Allende walk | Guanajuati itinerary

I have a full blog post you can read here on San Miguel De Allende so head on over there to read a more detailed guide.

But in short San Miguel de Allende is a magical place and you really must visit. I’ve been several times and honestly, my favorite thing to do is just hang around the main square, drink coffee, and people-watch. Or if it’s later in the day I move up to one of the rooftop bars. 

If you are into art then you will be overwhelmed with it here, there are so many artists living here that it seems like every other shop is an artists studio or gallery. There is also a big wellness community here with an abundance of yoga , spas, and beauty salons. 

A few must-do’s are taking a wine tour, visiting La Gruta , eating churros, and drinking hot chocolate from the famous Margarita Gralia.

I’d recommend giving yourself at least 2 nights here, 3 is better.

San Miguel wine

Here is a quick list of some of my best things to do in San Miguel De Allende:

  • Soak up the famous sunset
  • Get lost in the artisan market
  • Eat churros and drink chocolate in Margarita Gralia
  • Visit the Aurora Art Studios
  • Wander the cobbled streets (don’t forget your camera )
  • Eat an ice cream from one of the street vendors
  • Ride the tourist trolly
  • Explore the center and do some people watching from the park by the church
  • Eat some goodies from the French bakery
  • Visit San Miguel Vineyard
  • Relax in La Gruta
  • Take in the view from the mirridor on your way in or out of town

Guanajuato Mexico Itinerary,Guanajuato Itinerary,mexico,San Miguel de Allende

If you need to save time then you can skip Comonfort. But if you have the time then it’s a fun place to spend half a day. 

Comonfort is famed for its molcajete. It’s the place where they are made and one of the best things you can do here (apart from eating your lunch out of one haha) is to go and see how the molcajetes are made by the local artisans. If you want to buy one to take home, here is the place to buy it.

Comonfort also has the most amazing decorated tortillas, it almost seems a shame to eat them. 

Once you are done eating then head out to one of the neighboring vineyards if you didn’t get your fill of Mexican wine in San Miguel Vineyard.

Here are a few other things to do in Comonfort

  • Devour some beautifully decorated Tortillas
  • Sample local wine at one of the Vineyards just outside the town
  • Check out the old railway station
  • Watch how the Molcajete is made by local artisans

Salvatierra

Salvatierra

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed spending a morning in Salvatierra. It’s small so you really do only need half a day in the town itself. You can easily spend that wandering around the market and church and then getting some lunch. 

If you want a list of my favorite things to do in Salvatierra here it is:

  • Look inside the many beautiful Haciendas
  • Peak inside the town’s temples and convents
  • Sample the traditional eggnog drink ‘rompope’ made by nuns 
  • Get lost in Mercado Hidalgo
  • Cross the 200 meter Puente de Batanes (Batanes Bridge)
  • Eat some of the local specialties: largas – giant stuffed tortillas, gorditas de nopal, and volovanes
  • Visit the El Sabinal waterfalls
  • Check out the hot springs Las albercas chamacuaro

Yurida 

Salvatierra

Last but not least Yurida, everything a Mexican Pueblo Magico should be: colorful, clean, lots of green space, with history and culture in abundance.

Yurida is a place you could spend a day or 2 easily, the only issue with spending a night here is that there isn’t much choice in accommodation. We couldn’t find anything dog friendly so we ended up staying the night in Morelia which is just over an hour away.

What I liked about Yurida was that once you are done exploring the center there is a lake and volcano crater park to explore, great if you love the outdoors.

Here’s my list of the best things to do in Yuridia

  • Fish with locals on the lake
  • Get outdoors – go horse riding or hiking
  • Eat carnitas (obviously)
  • Go shopping for Mexican Rebozos (a Mexican shawl)
  • Explore La Joya crater park to see over 15 volcanic craters 
  • Relax and people watch in the park surrounding the cathedral

Thi s blog post was sponsored by Guanajuato Tourism. However, as always, all opinions are my own.

Guanajuato street

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Guanajuato Mexico itinerary

Elisabeth Rolfe

Thursday 1st of September 2022

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Claire Summers

Claire Summers

Hi I’m Claire!

At 34 I sold all my worldly possessions that wouldn’t fit into 3 boxes or my backpack and hit the road.

I started Claire’s Itchy Feet to inspire women to pack their bags and travel more. With no plans to stop anytime soon I’m always looking for my next adventure be it attempting to surf or climbing a volcano I’ll try (almost) anything once!

© 2023 Claire’s Itchy Feet  

Let's Travel To Mexico

Best 29 Things to Do in Guanajuato Mexico + Tips from a Local

Guanajuato Overview by DJI

Disclaimer: This page may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using one of those links, I may earn a commission at zero cost for you. Please see my disclaimer policy here, and my privacy policy here.

Looking for things to do in Guanajuato Mexico? Look no further. In this complete guide to Guanajuato you will find all the amazing things you can do in this pretty city and learn about practical tips that I am sharing from personal experience.

Hey! I’m Isabella and I have lived in Mexico since 2010. I have been to Guanajuato several times, taken many different city tours, and eaten my way around the most delicious restaurants.

In this post, I will tell you all about Guanajuato Mexico, the best tours, and hidden gems of the city, and practical tips on how to make the most of your time there.

So, let’s get started.

Facts about Guanajuato City

  • Guanajuato City – Capital City of the State of Guanajuato
  • Population: 250.000
  • Area: Km2 72.54
  • Elevation: 2000mt
  • Foundation year: 1548
  • Official language: Spanish
  • English is widely spoken

Looking for the best local tour? this is my favorite⤵️

subterranean Road Guanajuato Mexico

Private Historical Tour in Guanajuato

130 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Reviews | 2-3 hrs I took this walking tour of the city by Cacomixtle , a family-owned local company. The guide is Susanna, who manages the company with her dad. They both are very knowledgeable about their surroundings and will fill you in with a lot of interesting information about the city.

Best things to do in Guanajuato Mexico

1. kiss in the callejon del beso.

The city of Guanajuato is full of narrow streets and lanes called “callejones”. One of them is called Callejon del Beso and it’s definitely one of the most visited streets in the city. It’s so narrow that two opposite balconies almost touch.

guanajuato callejon del beso

Here is the short story of the local legend attached to it.

Here we are in the 18th century when a poor miner and a girl from a wealthy family of silver mine owners fell in love with each other and used to meet on the balconies and share words of love, dreams, and kisses.

When the girl’s father found out, in a fit of rage, stabbed her. Needless to say, the young lover couldn’t take the pain and killed himself as well.

Despite the tragic ending, it is a tradition now, that if you kiss your sweetheart on those stairs below the balconies you gain 7 years of love and luck.

Apparently, to have your luck renewed after 7 years you would need to go back to Guanajuato and kiss each other (or somebody else) again. 😉

2. Get lost in the historical city center

Guanajuato House facade with trees beside the door

I always love to wander around without a specific itinerary and just go with the flow. You will be surprised by the amazing hidden gems you can discover.

I usually find amazing corners, beautiful old doors, interesting old buildings and churches, and cute little cafes. Or maybe nothing but it just makes me feel like a local.

Guanajuato is the perfect place for that, especially for its typical narrow alleyways, full of art galleries, colonial buildings, street artists, markets, and street food.

You never know what you will encounter in your wandering.

Also, I love to take locally guided walking tours to learn about all the secret spots of the city. I took this tour with Susanna a young local guide, very passionate about her city and sharing all she knows with visitors. She speaks very good English. ▻ BOOK IT HERE

3. Visit Diego Rivera Museum

Diego Rivera is one of Mexico’s most prominent artists, especially known for his spectacular murals, but also for being the most significant man in Frida Kahlo’s life.

Although his art has been talked about as quite controversial, he’s now considered one of the greatest artists in Latin America.

The building that was his birthplace and home has now been converted into a museum displaying his less popular works and, on the ground floor, a recreation of what was his house at the time of his birth.

Museo Casa Diego Rivera

The visit doesn’t require a long time, but if you like art and culture this is a very interesting visit.

Cost 30 MXN (2 USD)

In the museum you can also find a lovely bookshop specializing in Mexican history and literature, they also have nice mini-guides of Guanajuato and an entire room with kids’ books.

Right in front of the Museum, there is my favorite vegan-friendly restaurant in Guanajuato, Escarola .

4. Hike to el Pípila Statue

guanajuato singing tour

You should go up to the statue to watch the sun setting beyond the multicolored city from the giant Pipila monument that watches over the city.

The Pipila statue has been built in memories of a brave miner who despite his fragile health conditions set Guanajuato free from the Spaniards, while they were finding refuge in the Alhóndiga de Granaditas. Historians don’t know yet if this is a legend or a true story, but it’s a lovely tale.

colorful house market clock

The news of his brave action spread out quickly all around Mexico and it was one of the first battles of the Mexican revolution and one of the triggers. You can read the full story here .

You can also get a ride with the funicular for 70 mxn (return ticket) if you don’t feel like walking. Here below the opening hours and prices

Taquilla funicular el pipila

5. Walk around Mercado Hidalgo

Going to markets is one of my favorite things to do in a city. Mercado Hidalgo in Guanajuato is definitely one of the best places to hang out and mingle with locals.

Not only you can find great fresh fruit and veggies, local food, and all sort of objects, but it is also an example of the architecture of the industrial times.

Guanajuato market entrance

The building is, in fact, a mixture of different styles and ideas and rumor has it that it was originally constructed to become a major central station. But I just learned from my recent visit that this is not accurate just like the fact that Alexandre Gustave Eifel was also involved in the project.

According to the majority of Mexican historians, the building of the present market was built to be a market and a place for the Independence Day celebrations. It was designed by two architects, Antonio Riva Mercado and Hernesto Brunel.

Miguel Hidalgo was, in fact, a Mexican priest who together with a few others instigated the first victory of the Mexican revolution, the storming of the “Alhóndiga de Granaditas”, right a few blocks from the market.

guanajuato singing tour

Mercado Hidalgo Guanajuato

Inside the building, the market is made of three levels and hosts small restaurants with local dishes at a very cheap price, great for breakfast or a quick lunch.

Other stalls sell clothes, local arts, and many other different items, it’s a great place to shop for your Mexican souvenirs or just browse and watch the local life going by.

6. Visit the Alhondiga de Granaditas Museum

Alhondiga Museum Entrance door

Even if you are not fond of museums and prefer open-air activities, I believe that Alhóndiga de Granaditas is still worth visiting.

It’s a regional museum where you can learn about the local history and the different phases of the Mexican revolution besides the historical events that took place in the Guanajuato region.

Guanajuato colorful houses market

The building in itself has historical importance because it is where the locals used to store their grains to supply the population in less productive seasons.

However, the most significant use of the building was in 1810 when the Spaniards were hiding while waiting for reinforcement.

It was there when the inhabitants of Guanajuato, enhanced by the local hero El Pipila (see above story) raised up against the Spaniards.

That’s where the first battle of the war of independence took place. Needless to say, it was the first Mexican victory and the Spaniards were defeated.

The Regional Museum of Guanajuato is open Tuesday to Saturday (between 10:00 am and 6:00 pm), Sunday (between 10:00 am and 3:00 pm), and it’s closed on Mondays.

The entrance fee is $30.00 pesos.

Unfortunately, there is no  English translation of the Exhibits.

I would suggest paying a visit anyway as the interior of the building in itself makes it worth the 30 pesos (1,5 USD)

The exterior and the famous door can be viewed at any time from the main street. It’s located right above Miguel Hidalgo Market.

cathedral guanajuato

7. Visit the Mummy Museum (Museo de las Momias)

To be honest I don’t really understand what’s so interesting in watching creepy mummified bodies which are a little over 100 years old and most of the time with gruesome and horrifying expressions on their face.

I don’t see the attraction in it but, apparently, The Mummy Museum of Guanajuato is one of the most visited museums in Guanajuato and I felt like I should put it on the list of the things you could do, just for the sake of information. I didn’t go there, though.

Guanaguato blue pink home stairs

I intentionally avoid a more detailed description and the creepy pictures, as it doesn’t really make me feel good about it.

I am sure if you are interested in this kind of thing you will find all the information about the history and the installation within the premises of the museum.

The entrance costs $95.00 pesos and the museum is open from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm daily.

Guanajuato doors

8. Pay a visit to the Basílica Colegiata de Nuestra Señora de Guanajuato

guanajuato basilica

In Guanajuato, there are more than 20 Churches, and the Nuestra Señora de Guanajuato or simply called the Guanajuato Basilica is the most significant for the history of the beautiful colonial city.

The exterior walls are painted yellow and red just like the main colors in the entire historical center.

The main portal is surrounded by a decorative pink sandstone formation of stepped layers with carvings of the saints.

The peculiar location of the Basilica is also part of its charm as it’s right in the middle of the city on the main square, in between two main streets converging into Plaza La Paz.

Guanajuato cathedral area

The building is also on a slight hill so that when you see it from a distance it appears to tower over the other beautiful surrounding buildings.

The basilica was initially constructed in 1671 but was remodeled upon demand of the leading silver Baron after the independence of Mexico from Spain, as a demonstration of wealth.

The Basilica was named after the patron saint and protector of the city, Our Lady of Guanajuato (Nuestra Señora de Guanajuato).

9. Walk by the Jardín de la Union

Jardin de la Union is a triangle-shaped Plaza (square) right in the middle of town, behind the Basilica and in front of the Teatro Juarez.

Its main features are the perfectly square-shaped trees wonderfully trimmed to form a square box running around the entire perimeter of the Jardin Union.

These trees were originally planted in 1836 and by 1860 they have become the most popular feature of the square.

Jardin de la union Guanajuato City

Below their shade, you can find a comfortable and stylish french iron bench for you to take a peaceful rest from your walks.

Or you could dine or have a drink in one of the fancy restaurants located around the plaza.

They are of course a little touristic and overpriced, while not necessarily the best restaurants in town.

At night this is one of the most popular places where students gather to offer their callejoneadas , painters display their works, musicians play and other artists come out there in search of temporary fame.

The area is very safe at any time of the day or night.

Guanajuato plaza fountain - Plaza San Fernando

10. Visit Plaza San Fernando

Located in the heart of town, even though a little off from the busier roads, this is a lovely peaceful corner where to hang out and relax, go for dinner or lunch or a coffee.

It’s the typical square, made of cobblestones and a fountain in the middle, surrounded by lovely bars, restaurants, and coffee shops in a bohemian atmosphere. 

Local artists are occasionally playing or selling their works. I particularly loved this spot. 

Also, I would suggest you explore the roads around the plaza as they will take you to other special corners of the city.

Guanajuato Plaza man reading while sitting on a bench and pigeons eating

11. Admire the Teatro Juárez architecture

Inaugurated in 1903 by President Porfirio Diaz it was considered one of the most prestigious theatres of the entire Mexico and it’s now the main focus of the International Cervantes Festival – Festival Internacional Cervantino – where all the activities converge.

Beyond the historical significance and quality of the performance, the Theatre definitely catches your eye with the stunning building that reminds you of ancient Roman architecture.

teatro juarez in guanajuato

It was designed by the architect Jose’ Noriega inspired by the stories of ancient Rome and Greece. The glorious entrance resembles, in fact, the Pantheon of Rome while on the rooftop 8 bronze statues are inspired by Greek mythology.

Certainly a unique building in Guanajuato, massive and majestic.

Teatro Juarez is also a delightful point of reunion where tourists and students gather during the day to rest from their city walks on its stairs.

You can also appreciate street vendors and performers in the nearby square.

Here is also the meeting point of the callejoneadas . (more about it later)

Guanajuato Theatre

12. Take a walk around the University of Guanajuato

Guanajuato is definitely a University town. The University of Guanajuato attracts students from all over the Republic and plays an important role in the cultural life of the city, full of events, like festivals, art, and a vibrant social atmosphere.

university of guanajuato

The main campus building of Guanajuato University is located right in the heart of the city, just a block from the Basilica of Guanajuato.

The beautiful white building is one of the most photographed construction in Guanajuato and it’s definitely worth a visit.

The origins of the university are related to the Jesuits who have been all over Mexico during the Spanish colonization, building beautiful churches and organizing education.

In fact, the building incorporates an important church, Templo de los Hospitales, which caused a little controversy when it was built.

tempo de la compañia de jesus entrance guanajuato

Curious fact – The University of Guanajuato was founded in 1945 and one of the promoters of its foundation was Armando Olivares, a literate who played an important role in the cultural growth of Guanajuato.

The house where he lived has now become one of my favorite luxury hotels in Guanajuato ( Casa del Rector ), just a few steps from the University.

13. Participate in a Callejoneada

If you speak Spanish you should not miss the Callejoneada Cervantina .

Guanajuato is a University city full of traditions, legends, and culture.

The callejoneada is one of those traditions, where very well-prepared students, dressed in ancient elegant clothes, will take you around the most historic corners of the city while telling stories singing songs, and telling jokes.

They make you interact and participate in singing and playing if you want. It costs about 200 pesos and it’s all worth it, better if you speak Spanish otherwise you can just enjoy the music.

Guanajuato uni zoom

The guys are really great performers and they put a lot of work and time into this show. It’s also a nice way to support their studies.

14. Walk around the Guanajuato Tunnels

guanajuato singing tour

Initially engineered to protect the city from frequent flooding, the Guanajuato tunnels have evolved into an essential part of its infrastructure, serving as underground roads.

This network of tunnels, some of which are old mine shafts repurposed in the 20th century, helps in managing the city’s traffic and preserving its historic surface streets.

You can explore these tunnels by car or on foot at certain sections, offering a unique way to navigate and understand the city’s layout.

These tunnels highlight Guanajuato’s innovative approach to urban challenges, blending historical elements with functional modern use, and are a testament to the city’s rich mining history and adaptive urban planning.

Guanajuato narrow lane near the university

Walk around Guanajuato historical center

15. Go to Guanajuato during the international Festival Cervantino

The first time I went to Guanajuato was 15 years ago I was traveling on a budget and I couldn’t find a place where to stay.

I couldn’t understand why. How is it possible? then I found a bed in the aisle of a random house and the owner explained what was going on.

(Internet was not so accessible at that time and smartphones were just starting to appear. Yes I am that old!)

Those were hot dates due to the Festival Cervantino and I didn’t know. I was excited. How lucky I was to be there right for those dates without even knowing it.

The whole town was a big cultural party. Music, poetry, paintings, and food, all over the city. It was a joy, even for somebody like me who doesn’t love crowds.

Walking around those same streets I have walked after 15 years, just full of people playing, singing, and lecturing, it was just a huge cultural show with the beautiful colonial city as the open-air theatre.

The tradition started in 1953 and it is continuing so far, every year richer and better. More international artists, more venues and events, and more days.

It’s normally in October so if you are around I wouldn’t miss it. You can check out this site to see the updated news.

Santo Cafe

Top tours in Guanajuato

16. cerro del cubilete cristo rey guanajuato.

guanajuato singing tour

While walking around the beautiful streets of the historic city of Guanajuato you will find a few stands selling tours. Those are legit and I recommend booking one of the tours to the Cerro del Cubilete and Cristo Rey.

It’s only 30 minutes from there and I believe it costs between 200 to 300 pesos. While the guide will share interesting facts about Guanajuato and surroundings, the vieews from the Christo Rey hill are spectacular.

17. Explore Cerro de La Bufa with a local

If the steep narrow streets in Guanajuato are not enough, this beautiful hike up to the Cerro de la Bufa will keep you entertained and fit.

Worry not it/s, not a long hike. But the meeting point is either at the front door of your hotel or at the offices of the tour operator.

You will start knowing the famous dam “de la Olla” where we will learn about the history of Guanajuato always accompanied by a guide.

You will continue with the route to the “Lighthouse” to see one of the best panoramic views of the city and its old buildings.

You will begin to enter the hill to change the panorama and enjoy the endemic flora and fauna of the area.

The hiking lasts in its entirety 4 hours with approximately 14 km in total.

► Book your tour to Cerro de la Bufa

Food Tour mercado Embajador

18. Premium Guanajuato Historic Tour

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 104 Reviews

Tim will take you through 4 hours of a historical tour of the city while walking through the numerous back alleys of Guanajuato.

The tour also includes a visit to two museums of your choice along the way, including the boyhood home of Diego Rivera or grand Teatro Juarez.

It ends at a rooftop bar or plaza cafe to see the city from a different angle.

All admissions and expenses are included.

Since the tour lasts 4 hours, make sure you fuel up with a good breakfast and you may want to wear some sunscreen , bring drinking water, and wear good walking shoes!

► Book your walking tour to Guanajuato city in advance on VIATOR

Guanajuato historical center - Plazuela de Mexiamora

Day trips from Guanajuato

19. pay a visit at the old hacienda san gabriel de barrera.

Located just a few km from Guanajuato city center, this spectacular estate is a unique place that must be visited both for its extended manicured gardens and for the interesting history of the luxury building.

The San Gabriel de Barrera hacienda was first built in the late 1600s by a descendant of one of the wealthy silver mine owners of Guanajuato.

The beautiful colonial home is now a museum where you can appreciate beautiful pieces of furniture from that era.

It’s located at about 30 minutes drive from the city. Check it on Google Map !

Or you can book this tour that includes the Hacienda among other interesting historical sites.

SAN MIGUEL DE ALLENDE

20. Take a day trip to San Miguel de Allende

Among the best places to visit in Guanajuato the elegant colonial town of San Miguel de Allende stands out big time. The pretty city has been nominated as one of the most beautiful cities in the world several times.

Walking around the pretty historical center, you will be mesmerized by the spectacular colonial buildings, art shops, and galleries.

It’s one of my favorite cities in Mexico. If you don’t have time to include it in your Mexican itinerary you could still take a day trip from Guanajuato .

But I do recommend saving a few days to enjoy the city fully and check out some of its hot springs.

You can also join a guided tour and cover San Miguel de Allende and the historical town of Dolores Hidalgo.

21. Take a day trip to the Valenciana mines

Unfortunately, I didn’t go and visit this time. However, it must have been a lovely day tour of the town and I believe it is a great thing to do if you have extra time in Guanajuato.

You can go on an organized tour or on your own. Buses leave from town, right behind the Alondhiga close to the Miguel Hidalgo Market.

Or there is a little tour Kiosk just outside Mercado Hidalgo where you can buy a tour for about 300 pesos.  It’s about 30 minutes drive.

As I was mentioning before Guanajuato built its fortunes with the mining industry when the Spanish discovered that underneath the city and on the surrounding hills there was a silver fortune.

(There are still underground tunnels below the city)

The Valenciana Mines were the biggest, deepest, and most extensive mining network in the region that extracted vast amounts of silver.

The buildings of the main mining area were restored mimicking the old construction and structure of the 17th century and visitors can descend the first 60 meters of the mineshaft.

The visit is not recommended if you are claustrophobic or if you suffer from heart/back conditions. Some of the tunnels to access the mine are in fact very tiny and obscure and in some parts, it is required to crawl down.

The visit takes just about 30 minutes to 1 hour and can be combined with a stop at the church  “Templo La Valenciana” (Valenciana Temple).

You can also visit a small exhibition of tools and equipment that were being used at the time. Also, a mummified body of a miner is displayed there, which can be a disturbing sight for many (me included) Unfortunately, the descriptions are not in English.

In our history where there was wealth, there was also exploitation. And that was the case also for the mining industry, as you can imagine.

La Valenciana Mine was one of the most important silver mines in Mexico and in the World as they provided the 30% of the total world’s yearly silver vein.

However, somebody had to pay for this fortune.

Underneath the surface, up to 3,300 indigenous were enslaved and forced to work for rich landowners and ultimately for the Spanish Crown. The only consolation was La Valenciana Temple, which was built for them to pray in their newly converted religion.

Although after the independence of Mexico in 1821, miners started to get paid minimum wages, the mine became even more dangerous as they had to dig deeper and deeper to find more silver and the security measures were not ideal.

There is a small figure of Mary carved into the stone on the way down. The miners used to pray before descending and thank upon a safe return.

You can see the statue at the bottom of the first flight of stairs on the right side.

For sure if you take the visit and descend the mine even at fewer meters you will have the feeling of depth and obscurity.

I can’t even imagine being there for the entire day not knowing if you would make it out alive.

guanajuato singing tour

PRIVATE MINE TOURS IN GUANAJUATO

130 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Reviews | 2-3 hrs The Tour includes ✔️ Museo Ex Hacienda San Gabriel de Barrera ✔️ Mina de San Juan de Rayas ✔️ Hotel Castillo Santa Cecilia ✔️ Presa de La Olla

San miguel de allende overview

22. Private Historical Tour in the Sierra Santa Rosa by Bicycle

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Duration: 3 hrs 30 min approx.

This unique bike ride will take you on a historical journey through the mountain of the Sierra of Santa Rosa while you learn about the past and present mining of the city of Guanajuato, as well as the importance of the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro.

The guide will also explain the diversity of the Sierra de Santa Rosa, the people, the local flora, and fauna.

Sierra Santa Rosa

One of the Guest reviews:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Historic ride to Sombrero Mt. Susana and Antonio were fantastic ‘bike guides’, well-informed about local history (including prehistory), plants and fauna. And they were very patient with folks who haven’t been on a bicycle for a while. We rode through Puentecillas and up to Sombrero Pt. which gave us a beautiful view of the reservoir and surrounding landscape of Guanajuato. It was my favorite activity in the city. Will definitely do it again. A Tripadvisor Reviewer, Aug 2022

► Book your bike tour in the Sierra Santa Rosa on VIATOR

23. Hiking through Guanajuato

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️ 7 Reviews

If you love outdoor activities this short hike is for you. Your local guide will take you on a walk around the hills that surrounds the city of Guanajuato all the way up to the top of Cerro de la Bufa while enjoying the spectacular views.

► Book your Hiking through Guanajuato on VIATOR

show from a local school in Guanajuato

24. Private tour of Guanajuato, Dolores Hidalgo, Atotonilco, and San Miguel de Allende route

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4 Reviews

Duration: 8 hrs

This full-day tour will take you through the most important sanctuaries and historical sites of Guanajuato state from the iconic Dolores Hidalgo, to the Sanctuary of Atotonilco, named the Sistine Chapel of Mexico, to the Gothic church of San Miguel de Allende, called La Parroquia, and the nearby Jardin where you will have time to take a walk around and have lunch in one of the cozy restaurants.

This tour is perfect for those who have limited time and want to see as much as possible in a few hours.

► Book your day tour to Dolores Hidalgo, Atotonilco and San Miguel de Allende VIATOR

Atotonilco Sanctuary Overview

25. ATVs through the mountains and city of Guanajuato

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 47 Reviews

Duration: 4 hrs

For all the adventures here, this ATV tour will take you through the old mining towns hidden among the mountains that surround Guanajuato.

The itinerary includes , the underground streets, the monument to Pípila, the viewpoint of the Rayas mine, the panoramic road that surrounds the city over the hills, the viewpoint of the hill of Las Comadres, the Monte de San Nicolas, La Fragua, the Sierra de Santa Rosa de Lima, the dam of Mata, Valenciana, among many other places.

► Book your ATVs through the mountains and city of Guanajuato on VIATOR

26. Private Horseback Ride on El Camino Real in Guanajuato

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 12 Reviews

This fun horseback ride will take you to experience a full immersion in the local culture while enjoy the beautiful natural surroundings of Guanajuato.

You will learn a lot about the work of soil restoration, reforestation and forest care in general with the help of a local guide from the community.

I have taken other tours from this familiar company by Sunsanna and Antonio and I cannot recommend them enough.

► Book your horseback ride tour VIATOR

27. Presa La Purisima Park Kayak Tour

This is a unique tour on a kayak in La Purisima Dam, where you will paddle among the ruins of a submerged church.

Presa de la Purísima is a popular tourist destination in Guanajuato due to its natural beauty and recreational activities.

The dam has hiking and mountain biking trails, picnic areas, and camping sites. The total duration of the tour is 4 hours, while the time in the kayak is approximately 1.5 hours.

Check rates and availability for the kayaking tour here

Las grutas de Tolantongo Waterfalls

Grutas de Tolantongo

28.Visit the spectacular Grutas de Tolantongo

I do believe that Las Grutas de Tolantongo is an experience that requires more time and it’s not to be rushed. It’s located about 5 hours drive from Guanajuato, meaning you will be 10 hours on the bus. However,5-hour since the tour is available I thought I would let you know in case you want to squeeze it in your schedule.

The departure time is 5 am (just saying) –

You can book your tour here , but I would recommend reading my dedicated post first before booking.

29. Private Tour to Mineral de Pozos from Guanajuato City

Take a private tour of the Pueblo Magico of Mineral de Pozos. The guide will take you through the mining history and the spectacular colonial architecture. The tour includes visits to the town’s abandoned mines, where you can witness the tools and equipment used to extract minerals from the earth.

In addition to exploring the town’s mining history, you will also enjoy the town’s natural beauty, with its stunning landscapes and rugged terrain.

The tour includes a visit to one of the town’s scenic viewpoints, which offers panoramic views of the surrounding landscape.

Best restaurants in Guanajuato

If you are looking for great vegetarian or vegan restaurants I can suggest a few that I have tried.

Escarola inside Guanajuato

Located in a lovely garden right in front of the house-museum of Diego Rivera, they not only offer a variety of healthy meals but also organize and promote cultural and art events. Escarola is a great place to check out.

Habibti Falafel

This Middle-east cuisine offers delicious vegetarian and vegan dishes. It used to be a tiny restaurant with a long waiting line.

But now they have changed location and they can welcome more people so you can have a relaxed healthy email in a cozy environment.

Estacion Gelato

Estacion Elado

Stop by Estacion Gelado for delicious refreshing ice cream after walking around the steep callejones of Guanajuato you will appreciate it. But they also have a delicious tiramisù.

Costal Cultura Cafetera

One of the most interesting representations of contemporary Mexican cuisine, with an incredible presentation, great service, and ambiance.

Santo Cafe' and callejon

Santo Cafe’ is a must, very popular for their burgers and fries but most of all for their seating on the iconic bridge over the Callejon del Campanero. I have never made it but you should try it. There are only two or three tables outside though.

Enjoy the views from some of the best rooftop terraces in Guanajuato

Nigromante rooftop.

Nigromante rooftop bar in Guanajuato

Right in the heart of Guanajuato, you can enjoy an incredible sunset from Nigromante Rooftop while sipping delicious cocktails end eating a tasty meal.

La Notaria Terraza y Bar

La Notaria rooftob bar

A stylish rooftop bar and restaurant to watch the spectacular views and citylights, have a drink and eat delicious tacos or hamburger (their specialty). During winter it can get cold but they offer blanket and they have eaters. A cute place to spend the evening.

Casa Del Rector Sky Bar

The exclusive roof top terrace from this luxury hotel is a must if you are in Guanajuato. Sip your expensive drink, have a snack and while enjoying the cozy atmosphere with stunning views.

On a different note, I also enjoyed a delicious breakfast in the hotel internal courtyard.

La casa del rector Guanajuato garden

Cafes in Guanajuato where to work remotely

Cute little cafe with great interior design and beautiful art work on the walls. They are open all day from 8 am to 10 pm. It’s a great place to get work done or just have a coffee and relax after a day exploring.

This is the place where university students tend to go to gather or get some work done. It can be busy at times. I found it has a very bohemien atmosphere somehow.

Great WIFI and delicious backery and healthy dishes.

Where to stay in Guanajuato

Guanajuato is brimming with cute boutique hotels for any budget and style. I would suggest you stay within the historical center so that you can make the best of your visit.

Here are my top favorite hotels. For a longer list check out my post on where to stay in Guanajuato .

La Casa del Rector – Luxury Hotel

guanajuato singing tour

Casa del Rector is a luxury hotel in Guanajuato that blends modern elegance with historical charm. Offering exquisite rooms, a rooftop pool with panoramic city views, and top-notch amenities, it provides an unparalleled stay for those seeking comfort and sophistication in the heart of this UNESCO World Heritage city. If you are not staying there it’s worth trying their delicious breakfast served in the patio.

Hotel El Meson de Los Poetas – Mid-range Hotel

guanajuato singing tour

Hotel Mesón de los Poetas , nestled in the heart of Guanajuato, Mexico, offers guests a charming retreat amidst the city’s vibrant history and culture. With its cozy, poet-inspired rooms, close proximity to major attractions, and warm hospitality, it’s the perfect base for exploring the enchanting streets of Guanajuato.

Casa de Pita – Budget hotel

guanajuato singing tour

Casa de Pita the hotel where I have stayed on my latest time in Guanajuato. The hotel looks like a home with many rooms. It’s very nicely decorated with local pieces of art and it has a rooftop terrace with spectacular views over the city.

The hotel is located in the heart of Guanajuato historical center at a walking distance to all the major attractions, plazas, and restaurants.

Map of Guanajuato

Guanajuato Map

How to get to Guanajuato

As one of the most popular cities among local and international tourists, Guanajuato is very well connected to the most important cities and bus routes. Depending on where you are coming from here are the most convenient ways to get to Guanajuato

Getting to Guanajuato by plane

If you are not in the area the most convenient option to get to Guanajuato is to fly to Leon airport, most commonly known as El Bajìo International Airport. (Airport Code BJX) It’s located 40 minutes drive from the city and you can find both shared and private transportation to your hotel in Guanajuato.

The area is not one of the safest in Mexico and I would recommend booking a reputable service in advance to get to your hotel from the Leon airport.

  • Private transfer from BJX to Guanajuato City – BOOK HERE
  • Leon Airport shared shuttle – BOOK HERE

guanajuato singing tour

Getting to Guanajuato by bus

Mexico city to guanajuato by bus (5 hrs).

Wherever you are in Mexico City you will need to head to Mexico Norte Bus Terminal. I suggest you should UBER in Mexico City as it’s a safer and faster way to get where you want.

From Mexico Norte, you can choose from different bus companies to get to Guanajuato. My favorite is ETN , the most expensive but the most comfortable. You will feel like you are on an airplane in first class.

Otherwise, you can also find Primera Plus which offers good service as well. Futura is the cheapest bus company among the three.

Whatever you choose make sure you travel during the day.

While Guanajuato city is a safe place, the bus will go through less safe cities, such as Celaya. Therefore traveling during the day makes it safer.

Queretaro to Guanajuato by bus (2hrs 30 m)

If you are traveling from Queretaro Primera Plus has 2 trips to Guanajuato every day and it tasks 2hrs 30 minutes

ETN has one bus per day at 7 pm.

San Miguel De Allende to Guanajuato 1h 30 m

ETN bus has different schedules from San Miguel de Allende to Guanajuato throughout the day.

You can now get from Mexico City to San Miguel De Allende directly, in case you were wondering. It will stop in Queretaro.

guanajuato singing tour

Getting from Mexico City to Guanajuato by car

You could also rent a car in Mexico City and drive to Guanajuato. However, I would just be careful about the route you choose and I would avoid driving at night.

Avoid Chelaya and Irapuato for a start. Also, check out apps such as IOverland where other travelers on the road will share their experiences. It’s very useful.

Car rental

Discover Cars Mexico Review

Discover Cars is one of the most popular car rental for many reasons, among which:

✔︎ straight forward information ✔︎ full coverage add-on ✔︎ listing of different companies with reviews

Guanajuato Mexico: a brief history

The capital city of the tiny homonymous state, Guanajuato was founded by the Spanish in 1548 as Real de Minas de Guanajuato.

It became the world’s leading silver extraction center in the 18th century. Its captivating colonial architecture in the colorful historical center makes it one of the most interesting cities to visit in Mexico.

The city was in fact, made UNESCO World Heritage site in 1988 and it is one of the most visited cities in Mexico, both by local and international tourists.

Gunanajuato colorful homes framed

The majestic churches, beautiful examples of Baroque architecture, and neoclassical buildings are a witness to the glorious past of the mining industry.

Glorious for the mines and landowner, less glorious for the enslaved miners who were forced to work in very poor and dangerous conditions.

This is part of Mexican history ; we should not forget it while enjoying our strolls on narrow roads through the beautiful colonial buildings.

Guanajuato has also been home to important events in the history and culture of Mexico including being the hometown of the famous artist Diego Rivera , one of the best internationally recognized Mexican muralists.

But let’s check out all the things you can do in Guanajuato.

Things to do in Guanajuato: FAQ

How many days should i spend in guanajuato.

Although you can visit the most interesting spots in Guanajuato in two days, I would recommend spending more time in the city so that you can experience more of all the incredible experiences and historical sites it has to offer.

What does Guanajuato mean in Spanish?

The name Guanajuato comes from its original name  Kuanasïuatuthe, in Purepecha language,  which means “Hilly place of many frogs”. It was founded in the XVI century by the Spaniards which made the city one of the most important mine settlements of New Spain.

Guanajuato Market - Things to do in Guanajuato

Is Guanajuato safe?

Although Guanajuato state is not one of the safest in State in Mexico for the strong presence of drug cartels, the city of Guanajuato itself and its surroundings are pretty safe and so are San Miguel de Allende and the other Pueblos Magicos of Dolores Hidalgo and Mineral de Pozos. Other than that, just please be just as aware of your surrounding as you would do it anywhere. Don’t leave your belongings unattended, don’t get wasted, and don’t walk around alone in the middle of the night in isolated streets. Also if you are renting a car avoid driving at night. Avoid driving through cities such as Celaya and Irapuato.

Guanajuato cathedral universidad

What to pack for Guanajuato

I would recommend dressing in layers and even when it appears to be hot, bring a jacket with you just in case. Guanajuato as a mild climate all year round. In fact the coldest month is January with an average high temperature of 68 F and an average low temperature of 39 F. The hottest month is May with he highest average temperature of 81F, so all the other months range in between.

Guanajuato Cristo Rey cerro landscape

Things to do in Guanajuato, Mexico: Final thoughts

As you can see there is so much to do and see in Guanajuato in the city and its surroundings.

I hope this post helped you figure out what to do and what to leave for the next time. Or maybe you decided to stay longer and do as much as possible.

No matter how many days you choose to stay you are going to love this city.

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Isabella is traveler and animal lover, a former tourism professional with an multinational background that lead her to Mexico, that she can proudly call home. After seven years in Cancun where she's still a resident, she took a bold leap, leaving her fancy job to embrace a nomadic lifestyle. She traveled all over Mexico, from Baja California to Ciudad Juarez, Oaxaca, Chiapas Hidalgo exploring and living like a local. Isabella founded Let's Travel to Mexico to help travelers plan their own trip on and off the beaten path in this beautiful land that she loves so dearly.

THE 10 BEST Guanajuato Tours & Excursions

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1. Private walking tour in Guanajuato

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2. 3-Hour Guided Walking Tour of Guanajuato

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3. Private Tour in Guanajuato Capital Leaving San Miguel Allende

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4. Guanajuato City Tour

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5. ATVs through the mountains and city of Guanajuato

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6. Private Walking Tour of Exclusive Terraces in Guanajuato

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7. Horseback Ride in Guanajuato with Live Music and Food

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8. Guanajuato Private Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo Tour

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9. Private Cinematic Portraits in Guanajuato City

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10. Private from Guanajuato City: Tunnels, and Mines Tour

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11. Nature Walk - Bufa hill OR Santa Rosa Area

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12. Hiking through Guanajuato

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13. Private Guanajuato Mines Tour

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14. Private Guanajuato City Tour From San Miguel

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15. Mexican Equestrian Experience

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16. Private Tour to the Tolantongo Caves from Guanajuato

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17. Private Historical Tour in the Sierra Santa Rosa by Bicycle

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18. Mountain and city cycling.

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19. Private History & City Walking Tour of Guanajuato

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20. San Miguel de Allende and Guanajuato

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21. Bar Tour in Guanajuato

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22. Rappelling in hills of Guanajuato

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23. Guanajuato Private City Tour

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24. Private tour Guanajuato, Dolores Hidalgo, Atotonilco and San Miguel de Allende route

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25. Transfers To San Miguel de Allende

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26. Colonial Treasures: San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Zacatecas and Guadalajara

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27. One Painting in One Day, Doors of Mexico workshop Guanajuato

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Roads Less Traveled

Are you dreaming of rv living or the sailing life we've been doing it since 2007 and we have lots of nomadic lifestyle tips and stories for you.

Guanajuato Mexico

Guanajuato – Full of Song and Spirit!

Guanjuato has colorful streets

We were captivated by Guanajuato’s beautiful streets.

Early June, 2013 – Guanajuato continued to enchant us. The beautiful cobbled streets wound in and out and up and down, and all were lined with colorful buildings.

There was a cheerfulness about the place that was infectious.

As we were walking down a crowded street one afternoon, it seemed everyone we passed either gave us a nod, or a smile, or was laughing in conversation with a friend.

Incredulous, I said to Mark, “It’s just a happy city!” Behind me I heard a man’s voice say, “Si” I turned around and he grinned at me.

A colorful hillside in Guanajuato Mexico

Every time we looked across at Guanajuato’s hills, we were amazed — again — by the colors.

We couldn’t walk ten steps without stopping to photograph something, and we both kept wandering off, attracted by some fantastic image that took us down an alleyway or up a staircase.

Guanajuato is truly photogenic, and we had beautiful sunny days to enjoy it.

Street photography in Guanajuato

Guanajuato is really fun for photography!

I think it is the colors of Guanajuato that will stay in our memories forever. Primary colors and pastel colors — they’re all there, making the hillsides look like they’ve been spattered from a rainbow paint can.

Plaza de la Paz Guanajuato

Even plaza de La Paz is colorful.

Everywhere we turned, the buildings were done up in vivid shades.

University of Guanajuato

Spiky roofline of the University of Guanajuato

But one building stood out against the crowd: the enormous and rather grand University of Guanajuato in the very heart of town. Imposing, yet ornate, it is bright white and has a series of spiky decorations around the top.

Nuestra Senora de Guanjuato

Inside the Nuestra Señora de Guanajuato basilica.

The city’s most impressive architecture dates back to the 18th century when the region was the world’s leading silver producer.

Since the indigenous silver miners were slaves, there was plenty of profit for the mine owners to spend in whatever way they liked, and the ornamentation in the churches, mansions and former government buildings reflect that immense wealth.

Teatro Juarez in Guanajuato

Teatro Juarez – a lavish theater at the center of it all.

Silver production continued to support sumptuous lifestyles in Guanajuato into the 20th century, and the stunning Teatro Juarez theater is a central landmark dating from that time. It was a thrill fto watch it light up in the early evening.

In front of the theater, the Jardín de la Union is the local hangout. Most Mexican cities have a town square, or “Zócalo,” where everyone can kick back with a beverage and a book or enjoy a conversation with a friend or just sit and people watch.

Jardin de la Union Guanajuato

Shade trees and shiny tiles surround the Jardín de la Union — thetown square (or triangle!).

But this square is unique. For one thing, it’s not a square. It’s a triangle! Also, rather than cobblestone or paved paths, the wide walkways that encircle it are made of shiny, decorative tile laid in pretty patterns.

A stand of trees arches over this waking path. The trees are planted so close together and their foliage is so thick that they make an incredible shade cover for the whole place.

They looked like ficus trees to us. We’ve kept ficus trees as houseplants, but for us they haven’t done very well in a pot. Their leaves always seem to begin to yellow and then slowly drop off, one by one, until the tree is nearly bare.

Vegetable sellers in the street

Selling vegetables street-side.

Not these trees! Their vibrant green leaves are so tightly packed that in mid-day the whole area is dark under their shade, and it makes a great place to escape from the heat of the sun. We kept coming back and back and back again — as did everyone else in town!

But daily life is always humming in the streets beyond the Jardín. And in this town, you just never know what you’ll see.

Scooter carrying lilies

Delivering flowers…

Wandering around, we came across the many scenes we’ve become accustomed to: juice vendors selling fruit juices from rollable carts and people offering veggies for sale on makeshift tables and chairs they’ve assembled from shipping pallets and plastic buckets, or whatever is handy.

But it was the unexpected and whimsical sightings that kept us on our toes and laughing. We just never knew when we might glance up and see something unique, like a scooter rolling past. loaded with bouquets of yellow lilies. What a fun way to deliver flowers!

Horses and donkey in the street

We look up and see these guys coming down the street!

Traffic on the streets can be quite heavy, especially at rush hour, so we were astonished when we were out looking for a bite to eat and suddenly saw a pair of horseback riders and a donkey clip-clopping towards us on the cobbled streets. Was this for real? Yes!

We followed them back towards the town square but quickly lost track of them in the throng of activity. The crowds in the square had grown so jam-packed that when we stood on tip-toe and looked down the street, all we saw was a sea of heads, hats and the occasional waving hand.

Ballerina on Teatro Juarez railing

There’s a ballerina dancing on the theater railing!

Looking past all that, Mark’s jaw suddenly dropped and he pointed, “There’s a ballet dancer on the railing up there!’ I followed his gaze, and sure enough, a dancer in a leotard and toe shoes was posing on the stone railing in front of the majestic columns of Teatro Juarez.

Balloons released above Teatro Juarez

A group of people release a bunch of white balloons from the theater steps.

We made our way through the crowd and discovered she was in the middle of a photo shoot of some kind.

A photographer was nearby, and she assumed one graceful pose after another on the railing while he took a stream of photos.

As this gal was dancing on the side rail of the theater, a gathering of people holding white balloons had assembled on the front steps. What could this be? Who knows!

All of a sudden, they all let go of their balloons at the same time, and we tipped our heads back to watch the little white bubbles disappear into the sky. Then the group of people on the stairs broke up and everyone vanished into the river of humanity flowing around us.

Mariachi band walking

Mariachis doing the Abbey Road walk.

Guanajuato is not just a visual delight. It’s soul is steeped in music too. Everywhere we went around town we heard music.

Mariachi trumpet player

Music is the heart and soul of Guanajuato.

At the Jardín, in the center of town, a myriad of outdoor cafes lines the square, and each boasts a mariachi band. These weren’t the little wandering three-piece bands we were used to seeing on the beach. These were full-on 8-member orchestras, complete with trumpets and violins in addition to the usual guitars.

The town square’s cafes are crammed together side by side, with no space in between. Music springs up from one cafe and then another, and frequently from a few of them at once. Periodically, a band takes a break, and the musicians take a load off and chat together under the shade of the trees.

Jardin de la Union bandstand

A band does a lively rendition of ?Stars and Stripes Forever.”

There is a bandstand at the center of the square, and one afternoon we noticed the crisp white shirts of a band sitting up there as they tuned their instruments to a clarinet’s A-note. Oooh – fun!!!

We found seats on a park bench and were amazed when the conductor tapped his baton on his music stand and the cacophony from the mariachi bands around the square suddenly stopped.

Kid running at the bandstand

Weeeee – two kids zoomed round and round the bandstand.

The band began to play a string of familiar pop tunes, and I found myself transported to my childhood when our town band would play in the bandstand on balmy summer nights. I started telling Mark about how all of us kids would get so wound up at these things, running round and round the bandstand, skipping and leaping and doing cart-wheels.

Suddenly, just as the band started a rousing rendition of “Stars and Stripes Forever,” a little brother and sister began to tear around the band stand at top speed. They ran in opposite directions, and each time they met, they’d stop and high-five each other and then take off again, laughing giddily as they ran.

Street musician in Guanajuato

People make music in every corner of Guanajuato.

Out on the streets of Guanajuato the music continued to fill the air, day and night.

Street musician in Guanajuato

There were street musicians everywhere.

Street musicians of every variety strolled up and down, playing for themselves and playing for tips. It is hard to find a street corner in this city where you don’t hear music.

guitar player on the bus

We were even serenaded on the bus!

Even when we clamored onto a city bus, a guy suddenly broke into song behind us. We turned around to see him standing in the middle of the bus strumming his guitar.

Musician statue at Jardín de la Union

A sculpture depicting the famous Callejoneadas.

But the most famous musicians in Guanajuato aren’t the mariachi bands or the bandstand band or the street musicians. It is the Callejoneadas.

The what? When I first heard this word I had to have the person repeat it three times. “Cah-yay-hone-ay- ah -das.”

An alley is a “callejón” (cah-yay- hone ), and although most cities in the world have lots of alleys, they are often kind of dark and scary places sandwiched between the good stuff. In Guanajuato, the alleys are celebrated, and they harbor the lively soul of the central neighborhoods.

We watched in amazement our first night Guanajuato as a collection of men in renaissance garb gathered in front of the Juarez Theater. Carrying lutes and mandolins and stringed instruments of all kinds, the men mingled with the crowd, urging them to sit on the stairs and watch them perform.

Callejoneadas de Guanajuato

A wandering minstrel.

Suddenly they began to engage the crowd with crazy antics and songs. We couldn’t really understand what stories were being told, but when they persuaded two couples to come in front of the crowd to dance, we laughed with all the rest.

As the couples swung about, everyone around ua began to sing along. Everyone knew all the words to all the songs! Sadly, we didn’t know any, but we sure wished we did.

The callejoneadas start their nightly song-walk through the alleys.

The callejoneadas start their nightly song-walk through the alleys.

After a few songs and stunts, the medieval men in black began to walk out of the town square, strumming their instruments and singing as they went. The crowd of people on the stairs got up and began to follow behind, singing heartily in their wake. Then they disappeared into the alleys.

Donkey carrying wine for Callejoneadas

A donkey carries bottles of wine.

After a short while, the space that this throng had cleared was taken up by another group of musicians and the whole thing began again. The groups of singers gathered in several different areas around the town square, and it seemed there were dozens of these groups.

As they all made there way out into the streets in the early evening, we could hear their songs faintly wafting back to us from various corners of the city.

Donkey with wine on his back

His load will be completely empty in a few hours!

Now we understood why we had been seeing so many men in tights around town. These guys were the Callejoneadas!

We also discovered what all the donkeys we had been seeing in the streets were for.

Wandering through the alleyways on our way back to our B&B, we came across a group of minstrels and followers in front of a neighborhood church.

Callejoneadas de Guanajuato at night

The callejoneadas entertain a group in front of a church.

The minstrels were performing a skit, and every so often a roar of laughter would go up. A donkey stood off to one side, and the pack on his back was quickly becoming lighter as the singers grabbed bottles from the pack and poured wine into special little flasks that the followers were carrying with them!

What a hoot!! We found out later that this whole thing started back in the 1970’s, when a group of people from the university occasionally gathered in the alleys and wandered up and down the streets in the evenings singing songs. Someone would bring along drinks to share, and the participants would contribute a few pesos to whoever did the buying.

Juarez Theater Guanajuato

The Juarez Theater looks very grand at night.

Nowadays, this once impromptu event is a regular nightly party, hosted by university students and faculty.

The whole thing is very well organized, so it is not as spontaneous (and unruly) as it probably was when it first started forty years ago.

A ticket to participate in the festivities is 100 pesos ($8 USD), and along with great memories, you get a very cool souvenir wine flask.

What we loved about all this, though, was that the little B&B where we stayed was right on one of the most popular Callejoneadas routes.

Don Quijote statue

There are statues of Don Quijote all over the place.

Every evening, if we were back in our room, we’d hear the troupes come by. I don’t know who was singing with more gusto, the wandering minstrels or their followers!

Fortunately, there must be some kind of agreement between the singers and the neighborhood residents, because all the noise and mayhem stopped before 10:00 each night!

Don Quijote statue

Don Quijote, like Mr. Magoo, stumbled in and out of trouble, quite oblivious to it all.

We soon discovered that Guanajuato has an affection for medieval things that goes beyond (or was inspired by?) this nightly music event.

All around town we kept running into statues and references to the Spanish medieval author Cervantes and his famous hero, the rather misguided — and Mr. Magoo-like — Don Quijote (or as my little kid’s ears always heard it: Donkey Hotey).

Don Quijote impersonator

This Don Quijote impersonator mingled with the callejoneadas in the town square

Why Cervantes and Don Quijote? Well, around the time that the wandering minstrels started serenading folks in the alleys of Guanajuato in the 1970’s, another group of university students began doing spontaneous performances of Cervantes’ works in the same neighborhood squares and church steps.

This blossomed into an annual event, and now Guanajuato’s Festival Cervantino is known internationally and includes operas, drama productions, film showings and live music with invited guest luminaries from all over the world.

The festival wasn’t going on while we were there, but we did see a fellow dressed up as Don Quijjote who mixed it up every night with the callejoneadas singers.

We were loving the free spirit of Guanajuato, and our curiosity about its origins soon led us to the edge of town and down into the mines where the silver was — and still is — mined in abundance.

More adventures from our inland travels in Mexico:

Other musical happenings that we’ve loved:

  • Grand Teton National Park – An American Treasure!
  • Sun Valley, Idaho – A Joyful Return to a Favorite RV Spot!
  • Chelan, Washington – Summertime Fun and Great Music!
  • Sun Valley Idaho – An RV Traveler’s Delight in Ketchum, ID!
  • Alice Cooper Sells Us a New Truck!
  • Blue Ridge Parkway Highlights (Virginia) – Mills, Music & Farms!
  • Floyd Country Store Bluegrass Music Jam – So Much Fun!
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  • Sun Valley Idaho – Music, History & Celebrities

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Guanajuato Mexico

Guanajuato: A Travel Guide To The Most Beautiful City in Mexico

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The houses of Guanajuato tumble down the hills that surround it in every imaginable colour. There’s no subtle, complementary colour scheme—fuchsia pink mingles with pillar box red, saffron yellow, baby blue, and lime green.

We like the city better for its discordance. Despite its beauty it’s not perfectly restored and retains a gritty realness—it’s a city where people live, work, study, and play, not a museum piece for tourists.

This colonial city in the mountains of central Mexico was once a silver mining town and although it’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site, strangely it’s not very popular with foreign tourists, who prefer San Miguel de Allende just an hour away.

The small group of foreigners in Guanajuato tend to be expats or long stay visitors, here to take Spanish classes.

It’s certainly a better place to learn Spanish than the Mexican coast where we were frustrated by our Spanish being responded to with English by staff keen to please vacationers from north of the border. In Guanajuato locals spoke to us in Spanish and we appreciated it.

Exploring Guanajuato

Things to do in guanajuato, where to stay in guanajuato, where to eat in guanajuato, how to get to guanajuato, travel insurance.

Guanajuato, Mexico

We soon fell for Guanajuato—its colours, graceful churches, shady plazas, and lively atmosphere.

It’s a compact, walkable city but the large student population means there’s plenty going on with many cafes, bars, street food stalls, markets, and art galleries.

It was the perfect place to indulge our favourite slow travel activity of aimless wandering. It’s easy to get pleasantly lost in the cobblestone lanes that climb steeply from the centre, turning a corner to find yet another tiny plaza with locals chatting on benches shaded by manicured trees.

It’s definitely a walking city as the narrow streets are a nightmare for cars and one of the city’s unique features is a network of underground tunnels that are used as roads.

Teatro Cervantes, Guanajuato, Mexico

Fine baroque and neoclassical buildings are the result of the prosperity of the silver mines in the 18th century and there are many churches.

We were visiting during Semana Santa (the week before Easter Sunday) a popular time for Mexican tourists to visit the city. In Guanajuato Holy Thursday is celebrated with the Visita a los 7 Templos , a pilgrimage to seven churches, although for many it’s more a social than religious activity.

We opted out but did manage to walk past six of them as we wandered around town and saw the queues snaking out of the churches.

Basilica of our Lady of Guanajuato

The heart of the city is the main plaza, Jardin de la Union. Indian laurel trees have been trimmed to create a dense canopy shading the craft stalls and benches.

It’s surrounded by bars and restaurants whose outside seating is a prime location for people watching. The area is lively in the evenings with mariachi bands and street performers.

Jardin de la Union, Guanajuato

We were staying with our friends Warren and Betsy who got us up at 6.30am to take advantage of the cool mornings for hikes up to the crosses that top many of the surrounding hills, scorched brown at the end of the dry season, but with sweeping views of the city.

View of Guanajuato, Mexico

One of our hikes was particularly challenging as Warren took us off trail and we ended up fighting our way through brush and clambering down steep rock faces using bridging techniques.

But one of the best things about hiking is the satisfaction you feel when it’s over as with aching limbs you relax and reward yourself for a challenge overcome with tacos, beer, and Guanajuato’s excellent street ice-cream.

Back to Contents

Alhondiga de Granaditas, Guanajuato

Our favourite activity in Guanajuato was walking, both through the centre’s streets and the hills outside it. We didn’t visit many of the tourist attractions but there are a couple of art galleries we recommend:

  • Don Quixote Iconographic Museum — We weren’t sure about this one as we haven’t read the book, but as it was free on Tuesdays we gave it a go and are really glad we did. It’s a diverse collection of paintings, murals, and sculptures depicting the character in different styles. Manuel Doblado 1, closed Mondays and Sunday mornings . 30 pesos entrance fee. 
  • Casa Diego Rivera —While you need to go to Mexico City to see Rivera’s famous murals, the house where he was born is worth a visit and it’s only 25 pesos. It contains some of Rivera’s early works so you can see the development of his style, as well as a gallery for contemporary artists. Positos No 47, closed Mondays.

Goats on the Road have more suggestions for things to do in Guanajuato .

  Lonely Planet Mexico is my favourite guidebook with more ideas on things to do in the area. 

Jacaranda tree, Guanajuato

There are hotels, guesthouses and vacation rentals for every budget in Guanajuato such as Hotel Boutique 1850 , a beautiful high-end hotel, and Casa Tepozanes , an inexpensive, friendly and charming guesthouse.

Search for more accommodation in Guanajuato here .

There are plenty of street food stands all over the city. 

For a break from Mexican, we loved the falafel wraps (with chipotle sauce for a Mexican twist) at vegetarian Habibti Falafel ( Sostenes Rocha 18 C) and you can also get mixed plates of falafel, hummus, tabbouleh, and vine leaves. 

For more veggie options see Happy Cow Guanajuato . 

We arrived and left on very comfortable Primera Plus buses. From Mexico City (Mexico Norte station) to Guanajuato it takes five hours and costs 680 pesos/ $32 with online discounts available. 

To Puerto Vallarta on the coast, the overnight bus takes nine hours and costs 1187 pesos/$62.

Guanajuato’s nearest international airport is Del Bajío (BJX) in Silao 30 minutes away. Search for cheap deals on Kiwi.com , which offers a lot of flexibility (choose a date range to find the cheapest day to fly). From the US it could be cheaper to fly to Mexico City and take the bus. 

Interjet and Aeromexico fly direct from Mexico City to Del Bajío airport if you don’t want to take the bus. Flights take one hour.

Budget airlines charge for checking in luggage. To avoid these fees, pack light and travel with just carry-on luggage. My book, The Carry-On Traveller: The Ultimate Guide to Packing Light , shows you how.

Don’t forget travel insurance for your trip in case anything goes wrong.

We use and recommend SafetyWing , which is available worldwide, covers COVID-19, and can even be purchased after departure. It’s especially good for longer stays as it’s payable monthly and can be cancelled at any time. Read my SafetyWing insurance review for more details. 

Guanajuato, Mexico

Guanajuato has been called the most beautiful city in Mexico and it’s definitely the most attractive city we’ve visited with its colourful buildings, tree-lined streets, lovely plazas, and easy escape to the mountains.

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Is Guanajuato the most beautiful city in Mexico? Take a look at our photo essay and decide for yourself.

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We just spent 4.5 days in GTO and loved it! There were so many tourists, the vast majority are not English-speaking. We enjoyed seeing all colorful buildings, loved the vibe of the city and the cultural aspect of it – went to quite a few museums, saw a contemporary ballet at the Juarez Teatro (what an architectural gem!), wandered the streets and alleys, twice took funicular and once walked up to the monument of El Pipila to see the stunning views. Took hundreds of photos!

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I spent a month in Guanajuato studying Spanish at one of the small language schools. I fell in love with this city. It is exactly as described. So beautiful. A very historic Mexican city that is not popular with American tourists. I enjoyed walking the tiny streets and alleys after morning classes practicing my Spanish in the many tiny shops, cafes and restaurants. The local people are polite, kind and helpful. For those that are concerned about safety, I have lived in NYC, LA and now Palm Springs and felt safer in Guanajuato than I did in the US. People are out and about in the evenings enjoying the plazas, music and restaurants. At night the Callejoneadas lead groups of people thru the streets singing traditional songs. There are many small museums and galleries that you can pop into for a few hours and still have time for coffee or lunch before heading to another. The cathedrals are magnificent. I would stop in if the door was open and take a few minutes to rest and meditate. For photographers it is a dream. I took hundreds of photos of the many callejons, colorful buildings and the stunning view from the monument of Pipila. I could have stayed longer. Anyone who is interested in visiting a vibrant, lively, historic and beautiful city should go to Guanajuato.

Guanajuato is an amazing place and deserves a week to enjoy. There’s absolutely no violence in Guanajuato, but some of the surrounding cities are known to have some cartel presence. Nevertheless, I always laugh out loud any time violence is mentioned in Mexico when the same sources never mention all the horrendous crime up and down the streets where they live. Mexico is safe most places.

Our experience is that the heritage cities of Guanajuato and San Miguel are safe. It is outside these and in other urban centers that can be dangerous.

Nice article! I put this on my bucket list.

Unfortunately, Guanajuato is now the homicide capital of Mexico. But I’m going if things ever calm down.

Hi Peter – It’s a bit confusing but “Guanajuato” is 1) the state, 2) the county or municipio and 3) the city. The violence stats almost always refer to the state – which no doubt has some problems. Guanajuato City actually has a low violence rate – using intentional homicides as a measure, Guanajuato City has an annual rate of 9.23 per 100K population compared to some US cities*: Flint, MI 62.0 per 100K, West Palm Beach 16.6 per 100K, San Bernadino, CA 21.9 per 100K or to the US Virgin Islands at 49.3 per 100K of population. One advantage (if you could call it that) to violent crime in Guanajuato and the entire Bajio area is it’s usually cartel related and they are killing other cartel members – not the random violence that we have in the States where I am from. I live in Seattle and feel 10x safer walking through Guanajuato City at 10pm that I do through downtown Seattle. * The data is from here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/gtomx/posts/1984590878357745

Well said!!!! I just Love this beautiful city, and I can’t wait to go visit my family that live in this wonderful magical city❤️❤️❤️

There is a tradition in Guanajuato: where students of music schools and bands just take to the streets and give their music to all passers-by. Walking around the city, go up to the Pipila monument, a beautiful view of the city opens up from here – it’s an explosion of colors.

Great article! GTO is an amazing place. I’d like to add there are a few great Facebook Groups serving the Guanajuato expat community. The first is geared for those visiting or living in Guanajuato – all sorts of questions asked and answered about everyday life, or ask your own question and experts will answer it for you. The other Group is a constantly updated list of activities and events in Guanajuato – art, music, food… everything.

expat community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/gtomx/

events and activities: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1587748181247376/

Thanks – the groups look useful!

Lived there and it was a wonderful experience…

Debating between language school for 4 weeks in Guanajuato or Merida. Have you been to Merida?

We haven’t been to Merida but I’ve heard it’s lovely (probably quite a bit hotter than Guanajuato which is up in the hills).

Is the city good for visitors with very basic Spanish language skills?

I’m sure you’ll manage fine. Some people speak English and just take a phrasebook or use the Google Translate app if you get stuck.

Absolutely ! Locals would love to be of help. We own a house in San Miguel and visit Guanajuato frequently. A word of caution. Don’t drive, Walk ! Traffic can be horrible in very narrow streets.

Hi, I saw a post where one woman said that the air-quality was very bad there. Is that true? From the photos it looks like the sky is blue and I don’t see smogy air but photos can be deceptive. I would really appreciate an answer.. thank you in advance, Robin

We had no issues with air quality when we were there.

You captured the charm and beauty of the city perfectly!

Thank you Theresa!

How safe is it here ?

We always felt safe in Guanajuato.

Having spent several January’s in GTO it can be rather chilly especially at night. I take warm sleep wear and a heating pad to take the “frost” off my bed. In addition a medium weight jacket (I take my college hoodie) is a good idea. Not intolerable but often not shirt sleeve weather especially on rainy days which can happen.

Should I pack for winter weather? Trip starts January 6, 2018? So excited!!!

The winter climate in Guanajuato is usually quite mild–nights might be chilly, and late afternoons or evenings may be windy. I usually pack a pair of jeans, a wood sweater, and a shawl–socks are good, comfortable walking shoes are a must–don’t forget your sun hat!

The colours of Guanajuato look absolutely incredible! I can’t wait to visit here one day! Thanks for sharing and the great guide!

That’s really beautiful! I NEED to go there at least once in my life.

We definitely recommend it!

Hi. I am in Guanajuato now for the 2017 Festival Internacional Cerventino. I plan to stay for a month. The people are extremely friendly, and the city is beautiful. I find it difficult on the weekends due to the people congestion; tourist from all over Mexcio come for a visit. The festival has been memorable so far. I am also studying the language which helps a good deal. I am 65 year old male. I walk all over town. Lots of ups and downs. Peter

I am female, senior, and travel on my own; how safe is it there?

Hi, Marijke

I’ve travled to Guanajuato twice, solo. I rent a studio near the Embajadoras area. I feel very safe, but almost never venture out alone after dark. I encourage you to visit, stay for awhile–maybe take a Spanish class at a local language school where you will meet fellow travelers. There’s so much to do and see. I highly recommend skipping Cervantino festivities, too crowded for a first-time, solo visit (I went on my second visit). BTW I’m 64 and very fit, bring good walking shoes!

If the US reported all the gratuitous violence that occurs every night, there would be no room for politics. We always feel safe in PV.

Thanks, fortunately I do not live in the US!

When is the best time of year to visit? I’m also a senior female traveler. Thanks

Dori, Guanajuato is beautiful to visit at any time of year. It does get more rain in the summer. Because of the elevation, the nights can be cool in the winter. But the city has so much going for it, the cool nights don’t bother me as it quickly warms up during the day. And in the summer, the rains bring lushness to the hillsides.

Well if you like art. I mean art of all kinds (from paintings to the ballet) . Los Cervantinos, is an amazing art festival that brings some of the best artists from all over the world! Guanajuato is known for its artist community. There have been many famous artists that have lived there. It is beautiful and full of culture. So yes it does get crowded during Los Cervantinos but well worth it if you love art and would like to see why people from all over the world flock there during this World Famous Festival! It’s amazing, and I do recommend it!

I am female and travel on my own; how safe is it there?

I’m senior female and have lived along here for 13 years and visited regularly for 5 years before that. Things happen from time to time, usually when a person is not prudent like walking alone late at night. I feel much safer here than most places in USA. There is MUCH less random violence. Most of what gets into the press is drug related and I don’t “do” and I don’t “deal” and I don’t go to bars late at night, so that leaves me out.

Hi there. I am a 65 female with 2 dogs, one medium and one large. I lived in Mexico about 15 yrs ago and am moving back permanently in about 5 or 6 months. Guanajuato is high on my list and my dogs and I will be renting for a month as I see if this is the place for me. Visited before and like what I know about it. Can you give me advice as to how to find inexpensive place. Yard, for a month? I speak Spanish. Not perfectly but pretty darn Good! Ha! Thanks! Greta

Airbnb is the easiest way to find a place but it’s not the cheapest. It’s the only site I really trust for booking a month long stay in advance (because of the reviews and support from Airbnb if anything goes wrong). Otherwise we look around once we arrive, but that’s a lot more work. Good luck!

Can’t believe I missed going to Guanajuato City. I was in GTO for the first time this past summer and enjoyed the people, climate and the richness of the state. Can’t wait to go back this summer. Looking forward to it. Thanks for the inspiration.

I’ve been all over the World, and Guantato is by far the most beautiful city I have ever seen, no beaches, no shirt, no shoes no problem! It’s like coming in to another place in time thru those tunnels ,many good memories at Bar Ocho and all the history. Danny Lovelace

Hey! Really great write up. We just loved how pristine this place is, and yet it’s still a genuine working town. Most of the activity you see is people going about their everyday business, which makes visiting it a really unique snapshot rather than a relentless tourist mine. We’ve literally just left Guanajuato and thought we’d share this video to help paint a picture…a 360º video of some of the sites we loved the most… https://youtu.be/1FP4UVM–tk

I am just seeing this article for the first time. Very well done – both the writing and the photos! As close as you can come to seeing the beauty of Guanajuato in person! We went to Mexico for the first time in 2007 and visited Guanajuato for the first time on that trip and wham! – fell in love with the place. Three years later, we were renovating a house and then in 2015 we got our “Residente Permanente”. Be careful when you visit Guanajuato….you just might fall in love and put down roots!

Hi Linda. So good to see you comments on Guanajuato. How would you compare it to San Miguel de Allende. I currently live in DC (originally from Tucson) but am thinking of retiring in either G. or SMA. Do you feel safe in the area. Hope to hear from you. Franciska

I just spent some time in both San Miguel de Allende(SMA) and Guanajuato. I really looked forward to SMA but found it a bit boring and depressing,to say the least. Guanajuato on the other hand was one big pleasure. I’ll be back.

Hi Franciska – you would probably get a dozen different answers in comparing SMA and GTO. They are both incredibly beautiful cities, but are very different. SMA has a much larger American population, as evidenced by the fact that many ATMs dispense pesos AND dollars! Most all the restaurants, hotels, shops, etc. will have English speaking staff. This is not as much the case in Guanajuato. Guanajuato is more of a Mexican tourist town, as it is important in the history of Mexico. SMA has a large and thriving artist (of all sorts) community with people from all over. There is more variety in terms of what you can buy. For instance, we went to SMA to buy our light fixtures, cabinet hardware, and some of our furniture. I would also say that because of that, SMA is generally more expensive than GTO. We feel (only our opinion) that Guanajuato has a more “genuine” Mexican culture, while SMA has a more American influenced Mexican culture. My husband and I both speak Spanish, and like learning and improving our Spanish, so communication is not an issue for us. We renovated a house in another country, another language, another currency system, and another system of measurement with an architect who only spoke Spanish, and it was a super successful adventure that I would not trade for anything! It’s really just a matter of what type of atmosphere appeals to you more and in which environment you feel more comfortable. The folks I know who live in SMA make frequent trips to GTO for various reasons and vice versa. I would encourage you to spend quality time in both places. You really can’t lose! Linda

Pro’s and con’s thus far living in guanjuato?

We are spending 6 months in guanajuato (june – nov) this year with our 2 labs. Would like to find info on best spots for exercising them and any pet health tips. . Cannot wait!

Sounds great, Phil. I arrive Thursday for my first time! But staying 3.5 months. Ill be staying out at Presa de la Olla.

Sounds like your are just up the street from my place. Great area!

Returning for my 5th visit this time a bit shorter due to some health stuff but I will be there a full 6 weeks. With the low peso I will be paying under $10 a day for my apartment of a bedroom, kitchen, living room, bath & includes utilities with wifi. It is located in the best area in town but a block from the Governors Mansion. Also near several excellent cafes, coffee houses & tiendas.

Would love to visit for a few months too. Your accommodations sound great. The question I have is can a person with mobility issues get around relatively well?

Love your article. Tried a quote with World Nomads but they only cover under 60. I’m 62.

Oh, that’s annoying. Sorry to hear they don’t cover over 60s.

I have just come back from a wonderful trip to Mexico visiting ‘discovered’ family in Mexico City for the first time. We all have a Great, G,G, Grandfather & Great,G,G, Uncle in common – both of whom came to Mexico to live and work in Guanajuato! I am already planning to return next year, visit this lovely city, and discover and experience more of Mexico, it has been too long since I was last here.

Wow, this post generated so much interest. I am going for 3 weeks to Guanajuato this winter, to explore for possibly of living there in the future. By all accounts it is amazing. If anyone has suggestions about how or where to meet expats there, I’d be grateful. Thanks.

Try this forum, and if you don’t see what you are looking for pose a question of your own. http://gtolist.com/forum/forum-1.html

Spent a wonderful week in Gto in 2004, going back for a week in late Feb. early March. Cannot wait. Gonna eat more ice cream this time, life is short.

I travelled to Guanajuato (GTO) two years for the first time and it was an amazing trip. I fell in love to that city. It was built in the XVII century by the Spaniards, but reached its zenith during the XVIII century and played a key role in Mexico´s Independence movement during the XIX century. It is a Spanish colonial city, but sometimes feels more like an Italian mountain town. Sometimes you get the impression that you are somewhere in South Italy, but colors used in houses and main buildings is Mexican without a question. If you like art, history, architecture and romance, then GTO is the right place for you. You can use GTO as your base city to explore the center of Mexico (referred to as Bajio), which is populated with other worth visiting colonial cities like San Miguel de Allende (equally romantic and colorful but more sophisticated and pricey), Morelia city and Queretaro city. They are safe, affordable and really charming. They are at a 2-hour drive from GTO and can be reached by bus. These 4 cities are World Heritage so that somehow guarantees good quality. In the case of San Miguel de Allende, 3 or 4 years ago it was recognized as the best city for tourists in the world (beating Paris and London) by the prestigious publication Condé Nast and this year Condé Nast recognized San Miguel as the best city for tourists in Latin America and Mexico.

Hi there! I am wondering if you are aware of what GTO is like now? I am planning on vacation this Labor Day weekend. My spanish isnt that great. I’m wondering what the drive is like from the airport to the city. Is it safe to travel at night in the streets?

Hello, I’ve lived in G’to for 10 years and it is a very safe city. That said, of course, as in ANY city it is prudent not to be wandering around alone after 8 or so. The drive from the airport is about 40 minutes but I can’t imagine what you would want a car for. It is hard to drive in the city with many one-way streets&tunnels and parking is very difficult and expensive. G’to is a walking city and quite hilly and with lots of stairs. Sadly, there is no public transport to the city from the airport. A taxi costs about 800 pesos RT — about US$45 — US$23 each way. Where do you plan to stay?

Visited Guanajuato 10 years ago and it has never left my mind. Thought it might be a nice place to retire, and after having travelled all around Mexico quite a few times, GTO remains top of my list. I am in SMA (feeling like adult DisneyWorld) and yes it is beautiful but GTO seems more vibrant. So I am heading to GTO tomorrow to look at the housing market.

Mike Lander, who has posted on this board: where is the Embajadores area?

Whst did you find on your housing search?

Beautiful writing. Gorgeous photos. Am aching to go back to Mexico now.

Hi! My wife and I reside in northern México but have purchased a nice home lot at Comonfort, GTO, about 18 miles from San Miguel De Allende. We plan to build an adobe home there in another year or so. MUCH LESS EXPENSIVE THAN SMA! And still original! When in the SMA area we always take a side trip to Guanajuato City, the state capital. From San Miguel De Allende to GTO City is 58 minutes by very nice buses. (I timed it once.) Upon arrival at the bus station (camionera central) in the city take a taxi for el centro, “distrito historico” or grab a city bus at the camionera central that says “el centro” and/or “distrito historico” on the front windshield (five pesos). It’s easy and very affordable. You will love this city! Best to all of you. Come see us in Comonfort De Chamacuero sometime. Contact at Hotel Posado De Chamacuero on the east side of the central jardin (plaza).

we’re planning a trip of around 8-9 days to include Queretaro, San Miguel and Guanajuato. The current plan is to spend 3 nights in Queretaro, 2 nights in San Miguel, then 3 nights in Guanajuato. Ideally, we would love to base ourselves in one places and not have to move 3 times, but not sure if that’s practical. we don’t want to spend 2 hours in a bus/taxi travelling to/from towns . does this make sense or could we use Guanajuato as a base for San miguel? Grateful for any thoughts and recommendations

hi Glenn, how has your experience in gta, with your home and lot, been thus far?. Sounds interesting. You feel safe? pro’s and con’s living there? I’m thinking of buying land and prefab on top if the price is right.

My wife and I fell in love with Guanajuato City. We have listed our home in a more expat populated Mexican city to fund building a home there. We recently purchased a lot in the Embajadoras area can’t wait to be part of this amazing city!

Wow! Super project. Wishing you good luck.

That’s exciting! Good luck with the move!

never been there would love to visit, but how safe is it?

I’m sure many will concur with the following that Guanajuato is a jewel of a city. Been there last Spring, at a casita on la panoramica. Walked downhill to town every day, early out and back many times in the darkness of night. Never an issue. Same thing for SM de Allende. Two cities that beg visiting, will return soon. Just returned from Merida, Yukatan. Also very charming, with all the nice communities/villages around it.

We felt very safe there.

I have not been to Guanajuato.. But did live for a time in beautiful Aijijic on Lake Chapala.. near Guadalajara I believe it is more beautiful there… it is in the mountains.. more of a Rivera.. though.. more lush and I am inclined to think a little less expensive for day to day living.. owing to the fact that Guanajuato is so close to San Miguel de Allende… Still I will be visiting this gem of a city.. that is called the prettiest place in Mexico in April of 2016..and will compare if it does best .. Aijijic… I am thinking.. she cannot be bested at this point… any feedback ?

I’d love to know what you think. I only heard about Ajijic recently and we’re considering staying there on our next trip to Mexico.

We are currently selling our home n Ajijic so we can make s move to Guanajuato City. Ajijic is a very easy transition for expats to make. A little less Mexican than we like.

If you speak Spanish fluently, you might enjoy living in Guanajuato. It is a small, pretty university town.

If you speak English, you will probably enjoy Ajijic. It is a gringo colony. Very pretty but nothing like Guanajuato.

We have friends that live in Ajijic.

Erin Guanajuato is not obsessed with Cervantes. There is a reason for that. Don Miguel De Cervantes Y Saavedra is a writer form the 1600’s. He wrote El Quijote which is a masterpiece of the Spanish Literature. Guanajuato was a Spanish Colonial City and its mine La Valenciana produced 75% of the silver circulating around the world in its time. I recommend you to read the history of my town Guanajuato is fascinating.

You can have it. You can actually count the number of trees in the whole city. It is in the middle of a totally deforested set of hills. If you like a total absence of nature, Guanajuato is for you. Add to that the utter absence of any quiet–Mexico is an amazingly noisy country, and the Mexicans have a genius for destroying their natural surroundings. They love concrete. Compare it to the charm and setting of any number of cities of similar size in Europe and you’ll see immediately what I mean.

Lorenzo where are you from?

My first visit to Guanajuato was in my youth, being 7 years old at the time, I was enchanted by the town. It is the most beautiful place I have visited. To sit at the plaza and listen to the story tellers speak of “La Llorona” and the “El Callejon del Baso” , all the while I was holding hands with my Chispita.

Will be there with my husband on October 31 :). Can’t wait :)))).

what is a good time (climate) of year to visit?

Hola tienen tours k puedan ofrecer como de 5 dias? Me interesa quedarme en guanajuato como base Pasar anlo nievo ahi

I am from Mexico and although I have enjoyed living in the US for 30 years,I can’t wait to move back to my native country. I haven’t been in Guanajuato in a long time , but I agree with you about it’s enchanting attributes.So, after reading your post, I’ve decided to make a trip there and possibly make it my home. Gracias!

We love Guanajuato. I’m surprised to didn’t mention the Mercado with its tin roof and cupola designed by Gustave Eiffel, the designer of the Eiffel Tower. Or, that Arturo Toscanini conducted the orchestra for the grand opening of the Opera House, or Las Momias!

I want to travel there next year. Will slight mobility issues be a problem with all the steps?

My family is from Guanajuato on my fathers side, my mother is native American Apache, and now that I am married to a Puerto Rican I was very proud to show case the heart of Mexico by bring my husband here to visit. Guanajuato has so much history and culture and some strange natural resources. The Pipila stature was so inspirational and the callejonadas was so romantic culture and tradition is all around and the mummies was incredible sight to see, el callejon del beso was again romantic and El Teatro Juarez was magical Cristo Rey was breath taking. The museums were so classical the town was so peaceful and beautiful. We plan to be there this June 2015 for two weeks we rented a house and we are here to celebrate my husbands 50th birthday. This is Mexico.

Yes, Guanajuato is Mexico. The town seems alive with a heart and soul, my memories hold Guanajuato as a special place in my heart.

I love Gto! San Miguel de Allende is nice, but the Starbucks in the plaza killed its charm so we won’t be going there anymore. We were 3 females traveling in a rented car and didn’t think twice about hiring a guide off the street. It was well worth the 25.00 we paid for a wonderful tour. We visited Diego Rivera’s house, the “Momias”, Pipila, and other landmarks. Dolores Hidalgo is another charming city to visit with so much history and amazing ice cream! My friends and I have made it an annual tradition to visit in late October/early Nov. (Day of the Dead and All Saints Day) and visit Gto. and the neighboring state Michoacán. I can go on and on about how beautiful Gto. is, but one must visit to appreciate its beauty…I love Mexico!

I am planning to spend 4 weeks in Guanajuato this summer to focus on Spanish. I am looking at Escuela Mexicana and their host family program as I’ll be traveling alone, but I’m also curious about the need for immunizations before traveling. Since you were there recently, do you have any suggestions? Did your group get hepatitis a and b and/or typhoid vaccines? Those are the ones listed on the cdc’s website but I’m wondering if they’re really necessary?

You don’t need to get the mentioned shots for visiting this fair city. Generally the shots are necessary for visiting remote places such as Africa that have epidemological issues and/or there is knowledge of insects that transmit diseases that could be prevented with a shot. The chances for getting the conditions you mentioned are the same as the chances of contracting them in the States or in Canada. If you take the same caution that you would anywhere you go (exposed to body fluids of someone who has Hepatitis), then you will be fine. I am a medical professional and have not got the shots specifically for visiting Guanajuato.

I will comment, however, that the altitude is higher than most places in the States. Sometimes I have a problem adjusting to the altitude difference; shortness of breath and gastric issues (and no, it didn’t come from drinking the water … in fact, I was with a Mexican family who had similar problems). Just take it easy, drink lots of bottled water and you will gradually adjust to the altitude.

You will love Guanajuato and one thing I will advise you about is that you will like it so much that you will want to return, and as some have discovered, moved there permanently.

What a beautiful colourful city! Our group of 4 (all very active seniors) spent a week in Guanajuato week before Easter. We felt very safe as we walked up/down steps thru narrow streets and up into the surrounding hills every day and on one occasion thru the underground tunnels late at night. A wonderful adventure!! The closer we got to Easter the crowds started to arrive….but mostly from other parts of Mexico. We feel our timing was perfect…out of there before it became too crowded. We stayed in the Edelmira hotel very close to the main square. Highly recommend it..close to everything…good prices online. Guanajuato had a surprise around every corner/street musicians/dancing/stage performances/interesting restaurants and endless places to explore and walk. Locals were very friendly….We operated on very limited Spanish and the people were very generous in trying to understand our needs..We will be back …but I might tuck a few bottles of white wine in my case….I wasn’t a big fan of what was available but I hear the beer was a big hit!

My wife found this gem of Mexico while searching for nice places to visit in Mexico. (Hi babe, I know you will be reading this!!) it just so happens to be fairly close to the city where my grandpa built a home about 30 years ago, in Guadalajara. I wanna go visit there as well!

Guanajuato, one of my favorite cities on this planet Earth. I learned to appreciate this city through one of my friends who worked at the University. My first visit was for the Festival Cerventino; I loved it. I stayed in a hotel in the center of the city and enjoyed the many acts that came from around the world to perform there. Yes, there were a lot of people but that added to the uniqueness of the event. Of course, it did help to have someone who lives there guide me through the crowds of people.

My camera was busy. After the festival, I enjoyed roaming the winding streets, photographing the buildings, people, and dogs. It’s a pedestrian friendly place. Most of the streets are underground, in tunnels.

In later visits, I went to the Diego Rivera birthplace museum, the many churches in and outside the city, the museum of art/sculptures of Don Quixote, purchased the unique gray pottery with intricate designs that is unique to this region, visited the many galleries and art studios, been up and down the stairs (7 flights) of the University, and enjoyed the wonderful restaurants in the city. Don’t forget to check out the many theaters for performances; there is an orchestra that plays on Friday nights.

It is safe there but as usual, a person needs to simply use common sense, especially when you’re out late at night. It’s no different than being in the States where crime in all cities is significant. The same applies to any other city/town in the world.

I will issue ONE warning: if you go once, you’ll never forget it and will yearn to return someday.

Having a nearby taxi # on your cell phone can work wonders. I know a guy who was drunk and under threat by a gang here in PV at 3am, and he called the taxi and escaped the 3 blocks to his condo.

I lived in Guanajuato of years. Do not trust the appearance! Guanajuato has become a dirty dangerous city, it has nice colonial buildings and a lot of happy colors over the walls in the alleys but is fucking dangerous. Trust me. I speak for personal experience and for what happen to many others! Especially womens. They just try to sell the city as a wonderful cultural destiny… it is not. Just spend there few days no more. I do not have not even a one friends living there who has not encounter violence.

That’s strange you feel that way. We didn’t feel unsafe at all and our friends lived there for six months with no problems.

This is a slanderous and completely inaccurate review of Guanajuato! I came here on a regular basis for 3 to 6 months a year starting in 1999 and going to 2007, when I bought and remodeled a house and I’ve lived here full time since then. Let me state that I am a woman and that I live alone and have never, in 15 years, had any problem. I do have friends who have had some problems, usually after midnight and when alone. I NEVER walk about alone in any city in the world after dark. I’ve traveled to more than 90 countries and sampled many of there cities and it is important to follow common sense rules of precaution. Most travelers leave their brains at home and expect the country to which they travel to be free of the problems that they have at home (though many of them deny ANY crime in their home town — what a crock!) There are some dangerous areas of G’to, as there are in EVERY city/town/village in the world and, as in any city, there is pickpocketing in the areas frequented by tourists who often have expensive toys and no caution. Please do not be swayed by this one rant. Come and enjoy by beautiful and historic city.

I completely agree with Kay. Guanajuato is a safe place to visit and to live. Just like anywhere in the world, you have to make sensible decisions in order to be safe…. all the obvious things that an experienced traveller should already know….don’t walk down dark alleyways late at night alone…know how to call a reliable taxi should you need one…don’t be overtly flashy with expensive items such as jewelry, cameras…don’t leave your belongings unattended. It is not rocket science. I am sorry the earlier contributor had a negative experience and I do not know the circumstances so I cannot comment on what happened to her. However, Guanajuato is a charming and safe place to visit.

Hi Kay, I’ve enjoyed learning about Guanajuato from your perspective here. It’s definitely been on my list of places to visit. I currently spend winters in Puerto Vallarta (I’m there now) but love old colonial cities. How do I contact you about couch surfing with you?

Well I know dozens who live in GTO that have never been victims of violence. I stayed 2 months this Season never feeling even remotely in danger & explored virtually every street in town. I hung with local resident most days, became a member of a local group as well as volunteered at the English Language Library. Not a word from anyone being a victim of violence!

I studied in Guanajuato during the summer of ’89 and loved every minute of it! I stayed with the Santoscoy family in the Plaza de la Paz….Great people and wonderful memories :)

I will be arriving in Mexico City and taking the first bus to Guanajuato and spending a few days there before I continue to San Miguel de Allende. Again, I would love to meet up with any other fellow travelers. I will be there the 26 of December and stay for about 3 to 4 days. Any suggestions for places to stay that are reasonably priced? thanks Phil for your suggestions as well.

Guanajuato is really beautiful both of my parents are from there. I’ve been there like 5 times and there is so much to do and many places to visit. The food is great! You can’t leave that place without going to Tarimoro a little town and having some of there ice cream seriously the best!

I’ll be there starting January 5 for two months. If you would be interested in having lunch or coffee with this 72 YO guy let me know. I’ve been traveling Mexico from almost 30 years, alone much of the time & this will be my third trip to Guanajuato so be happy to give you my input. [email protected]

Hi, I am planning a trip to Guanajuato and San Miguel. I have wanted to go for so long so I am going. The problem is that I may end up going alone. Will leave right after Christmas for two weeks. I would love to meet up with others traveling there during that time. I haven’t travel alone in years, so I am a bit nervous, but nevertheless exited. Is it safe for a woman to travel alone and is there a gathering place to make friends? Any thoughts will be appreciated.

Hi, Cecilia. Speaking from experience, I can tell you that it is fairly easy to meet up with other travelers in Guanajuato so that you’ll have some company while you explore the city. A few places where you’ll find English-speaking staff and travelers hanging out are Café Tal (a coffee shop), Bar Ocho (which has decent food as well as drinks), Café Carcamanes and Santo Café (which recently closed, but will probably reopen soon; addresses and maps for these places can be found with a quick Google search). I don’t remember that any female acquaintances had serious problems visiting Guanajuato solo, but you’ll find that the level of attention from men on the street is sometimes more intense than in many parts of the English-speaking world. Like anywhere else, take basic safety precautions, be aware of your surroundings and you’ll probably be OK. As others have mentioned, one area you should be aware of is the Pípila monument overlooking the city center and the side streets near it – thefts seem to be more common there than in other places, so it’s probably best to avoid it at night and go there with a group. If you’ll be in Guanajuato on a Monday through a Friday, an excellent way to meet other people, learn about the city and learn some Spanish at a low price is to take a class or two at Falcón language school. (I have no business relationship with Falcón other than having been a student there years ago and also being enrolled for classes starting next month.) There are other Spanish schools in Guanajuato, as well – Adelita is one, as is Don Quijote, but Falcón has turned out to have the best balance of quality, price and flexibility for me. It just so happens I’ll be in Guanajuato during the time frame when you’ll be visiting, so post a comment in reply here if you have any more questions. Enjoy the beautiful city!

Here’s a excellent web site along with a listing of weekly get togethers in Guanajuato. http://gtolist.com/forum/

Sarah – check out http://www.internations.org They are a global expat organization to connect expats all around the world. I’m sure they have a group/chapter in Guanajuato.

the closest chapter is Guadalajara about 4 hours drive to the west

Hi, I’m looking to move from San Miguel to Guanajuato but would like to be in contact with the expats that do live in town before amking any firm plans. Any idea how to find the local (small) expat community so that I can find out more about living in Guanajuato? Thanks Sarah

I’m not sure but you could see if there is a couchsurfing group that arranges meetups.

Thank you Erin for the effort in commenting to so many postings, its encouraging especially for newbies like me who’s never been to Mexico before, to find personal info on places one wishes to visit. Have learnt about the area from Santa Fe Workshops who travel to SMA with their students. Will visit it, but too touristy for my liking. The images on your post make me itch to get there, mid March, 2015. I’m a retired educator/photographer who is attracted to places like Guanjuato and surrounding towns. Am particularly interested in learning about the hikes you guys took around Guanajuato, I love the people and the culture, but just as much the wild character of a place. I’ve been a trekker all my life. Any assistance would be greatly apppreciated.

Sign onto gtolist.com and watch for posts for SunBrunch.

After 26 years of Mexican travel I do find Guanajuato the most lovely of those I have visited. After 3 nights in 2012 I spent a month in 2013, then a month in Oaxaca in 2014 & I have booked an apartment for 2 months starting on January 5th, 2015 back in Guanajuato. I like it. Smile

I am also looking for an apartment for January and February 2016. Have you any suggestions for how to find a place? Thank you!

I am from Peru and it is amazing how beautiful this place is… I will be traveling this coming Sunday.. looking forward to it… thank you for the great pictures…. Orlando

We are planning to visit Guananjunta for Thanksgiving. We have 2 small kids – 5 and 1. We really like the place but wondering if it is safe with kids. How did you travel to all the places around Guananjunta? Did you drive? Were there any tours available? Are there any places nearby to see? If so, how did you get there?

Thank you, Gaurab Hazarika

Most definitely a walking city. Forget the car in town with narrow, narrow streets. There is a trolley tour in Spanish & lots of local guides but I have never used one.

PS Cabs are cheap. 35 pesos for any place in town. Bus locally are I beleive 6 pesos & reasonable to the surrounding towns. Lovely ride to Delores Hidalgo a most lovely town. The kids will love the ice cream sold on every corner of the plaza.

We felt safe in Guanajuato. We stayed in the city but you could also get the bus or hire a car to visit places like San Miguel de Allende, another beautiful town.

Guanajuato is a great destinations, you can travel using something like BestMex car insurance, and have an amazing time, specially in these days because Cervantino’s festival is just around the corner.

I’m from Texas and my husband is from acambaro, guanajuato. I’ve heard so many good things about his city. Can’t wait to visit.

I have spent the past 5 summers in Guanajuato studying at the Language School, Universidad de Guanajuato in a masters program. This city is my favorite in all of Mexico. The food is delicious, the people are friendly, the music and street performers are entertaining, the arts are vibrant, and there are so many things to do in the surrounding towns. Day trips to Delores, Leon, or San Miguel will satisfy your tourist shopping needs, but Guanajuato feels more like home. Great place to relax or be as busy as you wish. Like all large cities it is not always safe to be out after midnight, but I have never had a problem. My 14 yo, non-Spanish speaking, spent 3 weeks there basically on his own while I was in classes, with no problems other than being offered a beer at a pizza place. Plan on returning next year even though I have finished school. No desire to do the beaches or towns with nearly 40% foreigners.

I am planning a trip to Guanajuato right after Christmas and will be there for about two weeks. I am not sure if I can get someone to come with me, so my question is how safe is it for a woman to go there alone and is it easy to make friends? I usually travel with my husband, but he can’t take time off work, but I am still going! any tips?

I’ve lived here alone for 9 years, no problem. However, I don’t walk around any city in the world alone after dark.

Yes and there is a museum showing the mummies. The nearest airport is Leon. There is good bus service to/from the airport.

Isn’t Guanajuato known as a “garden” state? And known for it’s”mummies?” Burried under ground? Is there an airport there I can actually fly into?

The airport is BJX and is about half way between Leon and Guanajuato City — about 30 minutes drive. There is no bus service (I’ve lived here 9 years and I wish there were!) and a taxi usually costs 350 to 400 pesos.

We recently met a family from that city and they said so much about it we had to look it up. Thank you for not only the great variety of photos, but also the descriptive wording that helped us to capture what a person may feel when there. We want to go there. Nice job.

I stayed in Guanajuato for 21/2 months this past winter and studied Spanish at Escuela Falcon. The town is every bit as beautiful, safe and comfortable as other posters are saying. If you would like to study Spanish for a few hours each day I highly recommend Escuela Falcon.

Thanks for the tip Jim.

Can you recommend a place to stay for two months this winter? Thanks for any suggestions!

We’ve been here on two previous occasions and looking forward to visiting again soon.

Such a contrast from New Zealand where we live.

hi there – trying to work out my 18 days in mexico and leaving a space for Guanajuato! This was recommended by friends last year and now i’ve found your site – I am an Australian female solo traveller who doesnt speak any Spanish other than a smile and hello. I was going to travel from Bucerias (near Puerta Vallerta) by bus mid October for 3 days in Guanajuato. Whilst it looks lovely – how does basically no Spanish go? Any advice?? thanks for the great pics

I think your enjoyment will be reduced if you do not understand Spanish. Reading up on the history ahead of time will help. I would consider traveling with a bilingual person. But you will get by in all the tourist sites. And it is a university town so most young people (they are everywhere) understand English. Service people can get by in English.

I’m sure you’ll be fine. Pick up a phrasebook or Spanish app and make an effort with the basics. We travel to many countries where we don’t speak the language and even if people don’t speak English we always manage somehow. There will definitely be some people who speak English too. Have a great trip!

I went there when i was a child like about 13 years, and planning to go mid july, any suggestions? Which places to visit? Is there many tourists? Love your post very nice!!!

Hello and thank you for posting this. My family goes back generation to Guanajuato! One day I would love to take my family to see where we come from.

We just got back from a week in Guanajuato. Our first visit. We have been regulars in Mexico for decades and we currently own in Puerto Vallarta. We were very impressed with the city. We will return for an extended stay. May is the hottest month but the dryness makes it very bearable. Also at 6600 feet above sea level, it was very different than living at the sea.

Thanks for your thorough review. The other must do is to visit El Pipila and take a taxi along Panoramica which encircles the city along the mountains. We stayed out by the dam in the La Quinta and it was also a fabulous neighbourhood just 10 minutes by bus from downtown. We recommend that hotel which we found online heavily discounted ($130 a night for their finest suite). We selected that because they welcomed our pet.

Visiting for several weeks this summer – 2014 – cannot wait. Any suggestions for Manuel Doblado must see/places to visit while there? Thanks.

Hi , my husband and I will be visiting Guanajuato June 21, 2014 for just a few short days ;( but would like to fit a couple of day tours in 2 at least.. What would you recommend (4 days to be exact)… Thanks so much for your help…. Mary

I live in Guanajuato, and I’m glad to see you enjoyed your stay. I will say that while your experience might not have demonstrated this, the city IS popular with short stay foreign tourists (European and American especially) and in the nearly two years and counting that I’ve lived here I continue to see those numbers rise as awareness of the city continues to grow. At any moment tourists from abroad can be found here in droves. It may still lag slightly behind San Miguel de Allende as you say in terms of numbers of such visits (which, for the life of me I can’t understand… For my money SMA has nothing you can’t find in GTO and the same cannot be said the other way around) but if you’d been here different dates you’d have found yourselves among plenty of other foreigners only here for a few days. I will also recommend to any first time visitors who may only know GTO for the Cervantino Festival, if you’re interested in getting to know and enjoy the city, Cervantino is perhaps the worst time to come. The city’s streets and all its attractions are overrun with crowds (as well as a disproportionately and unpleasantly high number of police brought in to patrol constantly and attempt to maintain order), the events are expensive, and the businesses, especially bars and restaurants, hit you with covers and other extra charges not present any other time of the year, simply because there’s nothing to stop them from gouging. If it’s your first time, don’t come during Cervantino!!

Thank you for this beautiful post. I am planning to spend three weeks in Guanajuato in November and now I can point people to this post so they can see why I picked Guanajuato. I am going to study Spanish but have not decided on the school. Right now, I am looking at Escuela Falcon and Adelito – any thoughts? They both seem quite good. ¡Gracias!

I attended Adelita for one week only, and liked their informality–and the teachers were excellent. Small classes and great location near the Embajadoras Park. I would visit both schools and pick the one you feel suits you best. They can register you once you compare and decide. I met a nice woman “Lourdes” who owns a little place called “Que Gorditas!” on the Embajadoras Park–you can grab a quick desayuno (breakfast) with fresh orange juice before class!

We are going to Gaunajuato tomorrow, we are currently in Celaya. And have ridden a motorcycle from Seattle, WA, to this point. I have found that the diversity of Mexico is so amazing and the people have been so welcoming as we travel through cities, desserts, towns, and mountains. Thanks for your site Im excited about Gaunajuato !

I’ve only just seen this post. I live in G’to and accept CouchSurfers. I don’t have my ‘available’ sign up at the moment because I’ve been away and will leave again soon but I’m here fora few days. Contact me if you are interested.

Hi ! Are you still accepting couch surfers? I am gonna come to guanajuato at the end of April to learn Mexican cooking and I am looking for a place to stay. Thank you for your answer. Regards, Clara

Check out https://www.couchsurfing.com At the moment I’m out of town so my ‘sigh’ is temporarily up for ‘not accepting guests.

I saw your post and would love to talk with you. I’m planning on moving from the states within the next few months (thank you, Donald Trump) and really don’t know where to begin. Most importantly, I need to learn Spanish and before I come there I’d like to find a good DVD program to study with. I hope you’ll respond. Sheila Cook P.S. I’m a very young senior (not in years, but in spirit.)

Your post made us smile, as my wife and I are in a very similar predicament. We are young-ish seniors and are wondering where to move (our plans greatly accelerated by the election). Guanajuato looks wonderful. Our concern is safety. Living with bars on the windows and passport in a safe is not our ideal. But perhaps we worry too much. Our research continues! Good luck to you!

Thanks for the post. I really enjoyed it- especially the photos! I completely agree with you- one of my favorite activities is also aimless wandering! Actually while studying abroad here two years ago, my friends and I gave it a name- urban hiking! I never get bored of it and even two years later, it is still one of my favorite activities here. I hope you don’t mind that I shared your blog on the facebook page of the language school where I work ( http://escuelafalcon.com/ ). I think our students will really enjoy it. Thanks so much for a great post!

We just returned from visiting Guanajuato (along with the other Mexican colonial towns of San Miguel de Allende and Morelia). And it is beautiful! We just wish we could have stayed longer in Guanajuato than the few days we did. And we would have liked to have done some hiking, as you did :-). Maybe we’ll just have to go back?

I love Guanajuato!! My husband or kids had never visited Mexico outside of Tijuana :) and I am lucky to have family in Leon Guanajuato. We went to Guanajuato and they fell in love with it, so much that my husband wants us to eventually retire there! We visited El Callejon del Beso (alley of the kiss) and strolled through the beautiful streets, visited the Momias and ate the best tortas ever! My kids loved it as well…they came home back sharing everthing detail to Grandparents, family and friends. I encourange everyone to visit at least once in their life. Thanks for sharing your pics. My husband and I are going back next month…without kids :)

Hi…I am travelling to Guanajuato for my first time in March. Thank you for your beautiful website…I can hardly wait to get there. One question I have is when the locals are selling crafts etc in the market places, is it common practice to barter as in many of the beach resorts? I would not want to insult anyone and would like to be prepared. Gracias !

I’m afraid I don’t know for sure as we didn’t do any shopping but I’m sure no one would be offended it you are polite about it.

@Katie – I can confirm, polite bargaining in Spanish is normally well received…especially in the street markets.

Hi! I live in Mexico. If you liked Guanajuato you should also visit San Cristobal de las Casas if you haven’t, it’s beautiful.

Hola Anna, yo nunca he estado en Guanajuato, pero si en San Cristobal y me encanto el lugar, pero sinceramente esta lleno de turistas y eso es algo que en lo particular no me gusta. Es Guanajuato tan lleno de turistas como San Cristobal? Espero Me puedas responer. :)

Hola Hill, vivo en Guanajuato y te puedo decir que sólo en temporadas altas y fines de semana (sobre todo cuando hay puentes) la ciudad está llena de turistas, te puedo decir que el exceso de turistas no es el problema en la ciudad, si algún día llegas a venir, permíteme hacerte las siguientes recomendaciones: ten mucho cuidado con los “guías de turistas” son un monserga, muchos de ellos no tienen autorización del municipio y lo que hacen es estafar a los turistas, engañarlos y llevarlos sólo a esos lugares en donde les dan comisión. La ciudad aunque de apariencia tranquila, tiene puntos muy conflictivos, por ejemplo los callejones que llevan al monumento del pípila, hay mucho vándalo. Asegúrate de conseguir un hotel con estacionamiento, es poco seguro dejar el coche en la calle, verifica antes de venir los precios y paquetes que te ofrecen los hoteles, que dicho sea de paso son carísimos. La ciudad es hermosa si, pero si te aturden las multitudes, mejor no lo visites durante el festival cervantino que es cuando más afluencia de turistas tiene la ciudad.

I absolutely adore Mexico, my husband happens to be from the state of Guanajuato. So, two years ago, almost three now, we also visited during Semana Santa. We stayed at a hacienda turned hotel named Hotel Real de Mina. It was amazing! We actually drive from Idaho, through San Antonio, Texas, and into the heart of Mexico. It was an amazing and wonderful adventure. The streets are very narrow in Guanajuato, we drive a suburban and add you climb the hills towards the Museo de Mumeo, it becomes a but tricky to navigate yourself around. So, we opted to take a bus with a guide. They drive us through all of the city and tunnels and told us about the amazing cities history with multiple stops at too many amazing attractions to even begin with. After visiting Guanajuato, we took a short drive to Leon. Leon was also amazing. We went to the zona de piel, or the leather district. The pieces were absolutely amazing and the prices shoo cheap, that bartering didn’t even cross your mind! Not to forget that also close by is Silao with their denim… But outside of doing, the culture, history, ambiance, and energy of Guanajuato is amazing. I am blessed to have safely driven through Mexico, visited and stayed in many beautiful cities, and came back with an even greater appreciation than the one I had already garnered through visiting the beach resort towns up and down the coasts a half a dozen times. As far as safety goes, I took my one year old, and my in-laws as well. Never once did we ever come up against any uncomfortable situations. If anything, being a guera with a guerito baby (white lady with a white, although he is half Mexican, son) was an honor for them to us host us in their country, states, cities, and homes… Although I am the one that is truly honored to have walked with, mingled with, observed, and fallen in love with a very kind, caring, beautiful, and humble race. The Mexican race is absolutely amazing! I am truly honored to have been accepted by then so lovingly. I long desperately to go back, as Mexico as a whole has captured my heart and soul!

I have tears in my eyes from reading what you feel about Mexico…. I was born in Argentina but I feel Mexico is the home of my soul, the humbleness and warmth of the people is a feeling you can’t forget or find in many other places. Thank you for posting it in such beautiful way!

Mexican RACE??

I rented a home in Guanajuato for 1 month back in July 2010 for my family and loved it. Your beautiful photos capture many of the sights we remember and hope to return to someday again. The summer weather is very enjoyable and the city depends upon the rains to fill the local reservoirs at this time of year. I really enjoyed hiking and mountain biking the back hills surrounding the city and wandering through the endless alleys and side streets each day to find another hidden plaza with a fountain. I hope to return again soon.

i really enjoyed all the great photos in your collection. i personally know how special Guanajuato is and i also know how almost impossible it is to explain and describe to others that haven’t been there how truly unique and extraordinary it is. they just all give me that same slightly puzzled and agreeable expression on there faces when i attempt to explain. i’ve spent some time there off and on since 1997 . my parents purchased a home there in the housing community known as Noria Alta. Sadly i havent been able to visit the home for the last 6 years because of so many family matters directly involving the passing of my parents as well others. i look forward to visiting soon with a close friend and plan to do some much needed maintenance on the home while im there and also have some dental work performed which alone will pay for the entire trip there in the amount of savings i’ll earn. i hope you enjoy your next visit. mario depalma sacramento california u.s.a.

guanajuato es muy bonito un lugar con mucha magia

Great photo story. I can’t wait to visit again. I only had one day there 10 years ago!

Enjoying your blog, thankyou. My husband and I plan to spend six weeks in Guanajuato this summer. We avoid resorts because we like to enjoy the local color and practice speaking Spanish. I thought I would try to volunteering a school to keep myself busy. Any ideas? Also, I am. Hoping that we will be safe. We are looking at a place on the San Fernando Plaza.

Thanks for this wonderful photo compilation about Guanajuato! I’ve been looking into Guanajuato a lot, and this is one of the most helpful posts I’ve seen. Hopefully, I will be study abroad there next school year.

I was just wondering what your opinion on living there for a month would be. I have the choice of Guanajuato or Galway, Ireland. I don’t know which to choose!

It’d be great to live there for a month and the weather would be better than Ireland :)

I lived in gto for 2 years back in the late 80s . I was a student in the universidad de gto. At the time I didn’t realize how beautiful the city is. But now I do.. I was there a few months ago .. Go a little nostalgic …

I was in Guanajuato about 10 years ago for one day. I’ve always wanted to go back and am planning to do so next month! Just saw your post while doing some research. Glad to see it’s as I remember it. :)

Gorgeous city!! One of three places I’m looking to retire in a few years…

Guanajuato is incredible! I noticed you missed a couple of places in your commentary. The indoor market is a great place for fuit, crafts and people watching. The “Mummy Museum” is a bit of a tourist trap, but an interesting place to visit if you don’t mind a long winding drive up the hillside to reach it. It has an amazing story and the displays are respectfully presented.

The mix of colours is very eye-catching! Coming from Canada where everything is a “shade of beige” this was a refreshing find. This palce is on my list to visit again if the opportunity presents itself! Great article :-)

What is summer weather like there? I live in the yucatan and need.a place to escape the heat !

I’m sure it’s cooler than the Yucatan but I don’t know how bad the rain is.

I spent a month in GTO in 2006. I’ve never enjoyed a city as much. I did plenty of walking in the hills but probably walked half of the callejones as well. A beautiful, safe, city with much to see. I could easily spend another month there. January was cool in the evenings but warmed into the 70’s during the day; perfect in my estimation. It was low season, so fairly quiet.

Glad you enjoyed it Steve. It’s definitely a place we could spend longer in too.

This city looks amazing and I plan to visit it on my next trip to Mexico. I was wondering if there are any beautiful lakes or rivers for swimming?

I’m not sure as when we were there in March the rivers were dried up. It might be different at other times of the year (during/after the summer rainy season).

Even in the rainy season (Jul>Sep) the rivers are to small and, sadly, too polluted for swimming. There is both mining and agricultural run-off. There are several very nice public pools, though, and a large Olympic pool at the UnG’to sports complex.

Yes, Guanajuato is a very beautiful city. I personally think that it has a lot more energy than San Miguel, especially at night. I think it has to do with the all the young students attending the nearby university. My best advice is to befriend some of the local students so they can show you the best hang outs. Worked great for my wife and I. Very friendly there.

Just got back from Playa de Carmen and was thinking about you, even though I don’t know you. Kept thinking I might run into you on the streets. :)

Man, I love Mexico. If you are looking for another cool place to visit I would suggest Veracruz “El Puerto”. Things have calmed down now (some drug violence). This is a beautiful city with a rich culture and wonderful food!

I can totally understand why you fell in love with it – it’s absolutely GORGEOUS! That first overhead shot especially… wow.

These photos are amazing. I’ve never considered visiting Mexico before you started posting about it! Seems like the country have lots of amazing things to see and experience! :)

I am surprised that why I did not hear about Guanajuato City before?? This city looks like a riot of colors being thrown into a valley. And its houses, streets and sculptures carry that old world Spanish colonial charm.

Those pictures are absolutely stunning. I’m surprised Guanajuato City isn’t more popular with tourists

Had never heard of Guanajuato, but it looks great! I love seeing all the colorful houses!

Guanajuato looks seriously beautiful, which is saying something since you didn’t even include food photos in this post! ;) I love the riot of colors that seem to infect Spanish-speaking countries and cities, though I admit my experience with them is limited to Puerto Rico at this point. It’s pretty magical how all of those hues don’t seem to clash but rather create an idyllic little place where it seems impossible to be sad. One day we’ll make it to Mexico, and Guanajuato will certainly be getting a visit from us! :D

I know, I seriously slacked on the food photography! I do love the colours in Latin America too – hope you make it to Guanajuato!

Looks like such a cute little town. Do you know any good Spanish schools there by any chance?

Our friends recommend Adelita and Falcon.

The University of Guanajuato has a department of languages​​, registrations are every six months, is very professional and dedicated teachers, I recommend you to go, and learn or improve your Spanish, meet people from almost every continent. Here the link: http://www.dcsh.ugto.mx/index.php/educacion-continua/cursosidiomas/43-cursos/cursos/117-cursoespanol

There are many interesting towns nearby Guanajuato City, along with archeological sites and a UNESCO World Heritage City: San Miguel Allende. Check out this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Y6C6UBC27U

Great post and wonderful pictures! You have me aching to go back. We ate or sat at the lively, yet peaceful Plaza San Fernando many times, but we never could remember the name of it to share. Thanks for that! It’s neat to hear that it was one of your favorite spots too. We can’t say enough about Guanajuato and appreciated the quick trip through memory lane today!

We didn’t know the name either – I had to do a google image search :) Glad you enjoyed your time there too.

We love Guanajuato and have visited many times. We never get tired of the place. Just walking the streets – especially in the central district – is fun as you never know what you will run across. We haven’t been everywhere in Mexico either, but this is our favorite city so far. We look forward to visiting during the Cervantes Festival.

I’m sure it’d be crazy but so much fun to visit during the festival. I entirely agree that just walking the streets is enough entertainment there.

I posted a similar comment below but just to reiterate as it’s relevant here, for a first time visitor who wants to get to know Guanajuato, I recommend coming anytime OTHER than the Cervantino Festival. The city’s streets and all its attractions are overrun with crowds (as well as a disproportionately and unpleasantly high number of police brought in to patrol constantly and attempt to maintain order), the events are expensive, and the businesses, especially bars and restaurants, hit you with covers and other extra charges not present any other time of the year, simply because there’s nothing to stop them from gouging. If it’s your first time, don’t come during Cervantino!!

I have about 10-14 days for my first trip to Guanajuato with my adult daughter. To really get to know the place, would you suggest we stay the whole time there. I am still a little reluctant of travel in Mexico so I thought better to stay there. Also, IS the bus safe to travel with from the airport in Mexico City?

Thank you for these wonderful posts. I am happy to have found your website. I also do like to incorporate a little bit of swimming/water in vacations. Are there any swimming pools you suggest? I believe there are some hot springs near by? Has anyone visited them?

I really appreciate your answers.

You definitely could spend the whole time there and use it as a base for day trips to places like San Miguel de Allende (where I think there are hot springs). The buses are actually really nice in Mexico and we felt very safe. Have a great trip!

You will not go wrong wiht this one on where to stay! Hands down Casa Zuniga! Rick and his Wife Carmen will take very good care of you!

first of all, buses in México are very safe, specially in Guanajuato state, also there is an airport less than an hour away from Guanajuato city, this part of the country is very peaceful and has been almost immune to violence related to drug wars and such, so you will be very safe here. Actually Guanajuato has many other cities nearby, like San Miguel de Allende (a similar city to Guanajuato, but this one is very populated by foreigners), Dolores Hidalgo (another nice, small city), Silao, (about a 20 minutes drive away, but this is an industrial city, don’t go there), León (your average big city, has a little of everything), so if you get bored of Guanajuato you can easily go to another town, all of these are an hour away or less.

I love this part of Mexico. To sit an afternoon in the Jardin de la Union and listen to the music — a brass band, the mariachis or estudiantinas…it’s a lovely place. And your pictures are stunning! Also, the hot springs near San Miguel are pretty and relaxing. There are several, but my favorite is La Gruta.

I just saw a post about Guanajuato and I saw your name….my daughter’s name is Kate Fawcett!!!! I don’t see many people with the last name Fawcett let alone the first name like my daughter’s!

Wow, these pictures are absolutely amazing! We just added Guanajuato to our bucket list – thanks guys!

Thanks Irene, it’s a photogenic city. Hope you make it there one day.

I’m from Guanajuato but outside of the city .

Is it beautiful at night?

I’d never heard of this place before reading your post. Now I definitely want to visit! Great photos.

It is strange that it isn’t better known amongst foreign tourists. I guess it just doesn’t have as many big name attractions or beaches of other places. Hope you make it there!

Hi I’m married to a Norwegian man( I’m mexican myself) but believe it or not I’ve never been to Guanajuato :/. I saw your pictures and the place looks beautiful!!!! And since right now we are traveling around Mexico I thought that Guanajuato could be the perfect place to visit next, but I was just wondering if you think there are many tourist in the area. My husband loves the real Mexico he is not so fan of the touristic places. Do you think that place would be cool for him? I’m sure that it is perfect for me :) looks great!

There aren’t that many tourists in Guanajuato. We were there at Easter and there were quite a few Mexican tourists but not many foreigners at all. I think it’d be great for you.

We are Canadians and visited the city by bus from Puerto Vallarta as part of our trip to see the monarch butterflies near Morelia. We’re loved it, and there were few tourists. We walked around by ourselves and walked around —just the two of us–with a very knowledgeable guide one day. I recommend a visit!

Guanajuato is great. Lots of foreigners study Spanish there because of the university– but it’s no where near as bad as san miguel de allende. Young vibe in this town with plenty of free spirits and artists.

There are quite a lot of Mexican tourists because of the many connections to the revolution. It is like Philadelphia is a local city in the USA with a lot of US citizens coming to see where their history happened. But, it is also very much a working Mexican city of about 150,000 and is the capital of the state and a university city with a symphony and a LOT of cultural venues and museums. Leon, an hour away, is an industrial city of 1.3 million and leather capital of Mexico. This is in no sense, resortsville.

There is a city name San Miguel de Allende it’s a tourist city very pretty I’ve been there yet many years ago also Dolores Hidalgo it’s right before you get to San Miguel very pretty and I think guanajuato the capital has the mummies very pretty but have not been there in years

There are TONS&TONS of tourists in G’to but they are Mexican tourists seeking to see the heritage places of their history. In the USA people go to Philadelphia to see Constitution Hall and the Liberty Bell. In Mexico thousands of Mexican tourists come to see the Alhondiga and the statue of El Pipila.It is charming and invigorating. I’ve lived here 11 years and the foreigners never outnumber the locals.

Most foreigners just want beach&booz from Mexico —— that is SO very sad!

It’s looks great. I am an American tourist. What about the water…can you drink it or is there plenty of bottled available. Thx!Jean and Lou

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The Awkward Traveller

Guanajuato City, Mexico – A Weekend in the State’s Colorful Capital City

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guanajuato city weekend guide

Guanajuato City is the state capital of Guanajuato, Mexico. SMACK DAB in the middle of the country.

Now imma be honest, I had no idea Guanajuato existed. Mexico is a BIG country okay? With 30 states (+ Mexico City), I feel like there is sooo much of Mexico that is still a huge mystery to me. Well, clearly. And while Guanajuato is still off the radar for a lot of Westerners, it is a very popular tourist destination for Mexican citizens! And also…Japanese tourists. So the town is never really EMPTY.

I first heard of Guanajuato because my friend is currently living there. After correcting me like 50 million times (“no, NOT Guadalajara”), she invited me to come visit and see her adopted home for myself.

guanajuato singing tour

That was pretty much all the convincing needed for me to buy a ticket. But, you may have heard of Guanajuato before, or have seen images of this colorful state without even knowing! In fact, if you’ve seen Disney’s Coco, the design of the Land of the Dead was based on Guanajuato City! And if you haven’t, I highly recommend watching it before your trip to Mexico!

What’s good, Guanajuato ??

is guanajuato a good city to visit

So what should you know about good ol’ Guanajuato? Well first of all, don’t expect the warm humidity found on Mexico’s Caribbean coast. Or the dry arid deserts of Baja California.

The state of Guanajuato is (literally) centrally located in Mexico, among the high altitude mountains. Not high enough to get altitude sickness, but the air is definitely cooler in the mornings and at night, but warms up during the middle of the day. If you’ve been to Mexico City, it’s similar. The air is also dry, but more crisp and clean than the north’s desert vibes.

I also want to point out that Guanajuato is NOT very wheelchair friendly, and all the hills and steps make it difficult for people with mobility restrictions.

When to Visit?

when to visit guanajuato

In terms of “when is the best time to go,” I would probably lean towards mid-Spring. April, ideally, as it is usually one of the warmer months but still technically in the “dry season,” with May being in the shoulder between wet and dry.

The second best time is probably winter. November-March has very pleasant temperatures, high 60s-high 70s F (20-25 C). It is also the dry season, so you can expect clear skies!

The summer months are technicallyyy the hottest, but also the wettest. So its a no for me, but there would be lower prices so yay!

Special Events in Guanajuato

festivals in guanajuato

Aside from general weather, it might also be a good idea to visit during one of Guanajuato’s many festivals! Here are just some of them!

Baile de las Flores / Dance of the Flowers

It’s a local annual tradition where young men and women dress up and exchange flowers! Then the town opens the mines for celebrations and they decorate the altars for the patron of miners, La Virgen de los Dolores (Our Lady of Sorrows).

March or April; Thursday before Holy Week

Festival Titerías / International Puppet Theater Festival

It’s literally a puppet festival. There are activities for all ages, and there are a ton of performances, workshops, events, and exhibitions!

Expresión en Corto / International Short Film Festival

It is an international film festival, which also takes place in San Miguel de Allende (about an hour away). All the big-wigs in the Mexican industry are there, from actors and directors, to producers, screenwriters, and designers. There are discussions, workshops, and presentations, as well as viewings of short films!

guanajuato singing tour

Día de la Cueva / Cave Day

It is an annual festival in honor of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, who played a major role in the building of Guanajuato. There are picnics, a fair, and traditional songs and dances!

Día de la Toma de la Alhóndiga / Day of the Taking of the Alhóndiga

It is a special day for Guanajuato, one which remembers when Miguel Hidalgo won the first victory in the fight for Mexican independence from Spain! And it happened right here in Guanajuato! There is a festive parade!

September 28th

Festival International Cervantino / International Cervantino Festival

This is my friend’s FAVORITE festival in Guanajuato! I’m so sad I didn’t visit during it! Basically, it’s a HUGE international cultural fair! Music, dance, art, story telling -you name it! It features both modern Mexican and Indigenous cultures, as well as artists and performers from nearly 30 other countries as well! It’s Latin America’s biggest culture exchange and it sounds MAD DOPE.

Day of the Dead / Día de los Muertos

You’ve seen Disney’s Coco, right? Did you know the Land of the Dead was based on the streets of Guanajuato?? So, you best believe Guanajuato gets pretty lit for Día de los Muertos! it is a celebration to honor passed loved ones. Though it’s roots are in the indigenous communities in Central and Southern Mexico, it is now a national holiday throughout the country. That said, each city and state has its own local customs with the holiday, (and even different names for it), while others do not big city events at all. But – Guanajuato does. Fun fact, before colonization, Día de los Muertos was actually celebrated at the beginning of summer!

November 2nd

México en Globo / Hot-Air Balloon Festival

There’s tons of hot air balloons. ‘Nuff said.

What’s so special about Guanajuato ?

history of guanajuato

Well, it was once one of the richest states in Mexico.

The second the Spanish found out that there was silver in them-there mines, you best believe the exploited THE CRAP out of it. Guanajuato City once produced 40% of the ENTIRE WORLD’s silver – on the backs of the aboriginal peoples of the area of Guanajuato and the surrounding areas (Chichimeca Jonaz, Otomí,  Náhuatl, Mazahua, Purépecha, Mixteco, and Zapoteco).

Some the silver mines are actually STILL operational to this day!

However, the actual name GUANAJUATO comes from the Purépecha word Cuanaxhuato, which means the “mountainous place of frogs.” By frogs though, they were referencing the hills that resemble frogs, not…actual frogs.

Sorry to all of my frog enthusiast subscribers.

Where to Stay in Guanajuato

Okay so full disclosure, I actually stayed with my friend (fo’ free heyyoooo!), but since Guanajuato has such a strong presence in Mexican tourism, there are plenty of good options! There are plenty of hostels and hotels to choose from, but alas, I do not have any specific recommendations. THOUGH, if you are a light sleeper, I do advise against staying near the callejon de beso and theater area because there’s a nightly singing group that goes by (more on that later), but maybe you like being in the center of the action!

where to stay in guanajuato

Luckily, it’s pretty easy to get around Guanajuato City, so it doesn’t matter TOOOOO much about location. There are plenty of taxis and even Uber that can easily transport you where you need to go!

What to Do in Guanajuato

Depending on the days you visit, I feel like if you have at least 4 full days in Guanajuato City, you can easily fit in the following activities!

Museo de las Momias

guanajuato singing tour

I’m just going to start with the -potentially- most squeamish thing to do in Guanajuato. Visit the mummy museum . No joke, it is THE MOST VISITED tourist attraction in the entire city. And I just want to say, Guanajuato has a lot of mummies. But there’s a story behind this!

Long ago, a plague swept through the region, as plagues do. Which resulted in a lot of burials in a short time frame. Fast forward a couple of decades, and the local government passes a burial tax. Any corpse’s tax that isn’t paid for would be exhumed. And…well, a lot of burial taxes weren’t paid. So the bodies were dug up and found to be…completely intact?

The ground had the perfect concentration of natural mummification stuff that even without coffins or bindings, their hair, skin, and ligaments fossilized instead of decomposing. And it was weird to just…get rid of a bunch on intact corpses, so they did what anyone else would do. They were put in an empty room.

There’s a bit of debate on how it became a museum, but the most common one is that one day, someone asked to see the room full of mummies. And then another person. And then handfuls of people. Although it is the most visited, most people (including locals) only visit once, so I didn’t feel it was too busy! But I also went on a weekday. Fun fact: the museum actually holds the most complete mummy IN THE WORLD.

Callejonada

guanajuato singing tour

Imagine an interactive musical mixed with a walking tour. The callejonada groups are usually made up of university students wearing  ‘estudiantina’ outfits, telling jokes, explaining local legends, and playing traditional songs as they guide you through the narrow alleys of Guanajuato. If you don’t speak Spanish, you will probably be very lost. But even if you don’t speak Spanish, it’s a fun atmosphere. It is a nightly occurrence, but only lasts about an hour or two. That said, there are no bathroom breaks, so make sure you’re all good before it starts!

Callejon de Beso

Cellejon de Beso guanajuato

Imagine the classic story of Romeo and Juliet…but err…with a bit more toxic masculinity. As the local legend tells it, this alley was largely funded by a wealthy family. The daughter’s bedroom window looked out onto the alley. So of course, right across the alley was a handsome young man that just happened to be her age. The only problem – he was from a “bad side of town” and renting the room out. Since they could not be seen in public, the two would lean out of their balconies to kiss. One day, the daughter’s father found out and he was so enraged that he stabbed his daughter to death. Some say the young man was so heartbroken that he threw himself from the balcony.

Dark, right? BUT AT LEAST THE ALLEY IS CUTE. In any case, there’s a gift shop and for one peso each, you can go up to the balcony for your own cute kissing picture. If you kiss here, supposedly your relationship will have 7 years of good luck. But…I mean, we all know what happened to the original couple so….

Cristo Rey del Cubilete

You thought Brazil was the only country with a giant Jesus? Think again.

Located about an hour or so outside of Guanajuato City, the 72ft statue (22m for all you non-Americans) is mounted atop the highest peak in the region. It is actually the second biggest in the world, behind Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. AND, it marks the EXACT CENTER of the country of Mexico. You can easily reach it by taxi (~ $150-$250 pesos/$8-$13 USD) or by bus $20 pesos/~$1 USD. Note, that if you DO take a taxi, make sure you buddy up because they won’t take solo passengers. You will have insane panoramic views over the entire state!

Fun fact, Cristo Rey actually faces the city of Leon, and NOT Guanajuato City (the state’s capital). It is a pilgrimage site for Catholic Mexicans, so be respectful if you see anyone climbing the final sections on their hands and knees.

Explore the campus

guanajuato singing tour

This one is more of a laid back activity, but Guanajuato’s young vibe can be attributed to its renowned university! That and…all the hills. But I digress. You definitely feel the youthful spirit of the town as you stroll through the streets near the university! The school itself is beautiful, but there is a staircase outside that all the cool kids, locals, and tourists like to sit on and chat the day away. Plus, at the top, you get a great view of the city! I don’t have pictures from the actual stairs because, 1) they were renovating them so they weren’t very attractive, and 2) my low-cut jeans kept showing off my brightly colored underwear UGH.

AAANNNDDD – cue the most iconic shot you can get from Guanajuato. El Pipila! The great statue stands tall over the city, and from the top, it offers the best viewpoint of the city! But who is this man?

-insert mini history lesson-

Well, his name was Juan Amaro and he was born with a walking disability. He was tormented by his community, and while working in the silver mines, he was given the derogatory nickname El Pipila (in Spanish “the turkey”). During the onset of the Mexican Revolution, the Spaniards feared an uprising from the citizens of Guanajuato. Thus, they barricaded themselves in the strongest building in the city, Alhondiga de Granaditas (which you can also visit, though not much of a view).

Though it seemed impossible to breakdown to everyone else, El Pipila strapped a giant stone to his back and charged straight at the fort’s only weakness. One sole wooden door. The stone protected him from the arrows of the Spaniards, and El Pipila was able to coat the door in tar and lit it aflame. The citizens then rushed the door a killed all of the Spanish troops within.

It was the FIRST victory in the Mexican independence movement. El Pipila’s courageous acts of heroism especially inspired others to revolt as well. Nearly a decade later, the Spanish were driven out of Mexico entirely. That said…the Silver Barons were then free to further exploit the silver mines…but I’ll leave that convo for another blog post.

-end history lesson-

BACK TO THE STATUE. Once you’re at the top, there are a few gift shops and restaurants. The best time of day, in my opinion, would be an hour or so before sunset, and then watch the sun descend behind the hills. That way, you get a view of the city during the day, at it’s most beautiful during Golden Hour (the cathedral Bastila is especially breathtaking at this time), and experience the view at night!

best view in guanajuato

My suggestion would be to take a fun ride up the funicular (a little mini tram) to the top, then take your time walking down the hill. Be warned though, it’s a bit steep so watch your knees! If you’re not about that walking life, or the funicular is down -like it was during my trip- there are plenty of taxis that can take you up and down!

Inscribed at the bottom of the statue, is one phrase that still gives me chills:

“there are still other “alhondigas” to burn”

La Presa de la Olla

This is something that I didn’t do, but I wish I had! It’s basically a huge lake surrounded by gardens and nature. Absolutely beautiful. BUT, I visited during the winter and like the genius I am, I forgot to pack a warm jacket. SO, I didn’t enjoy too many strolls without a warm drink in my hand, but I’d recommend checking this little spot out! You can even rent a row-boat and paddle out on the lake. This entire city is like a romance novel, fo real.

If you visit on a weekend – I didn’t – you can catch a baseball game for only a few pesos. Don’t worry about showing up early to queue, there are plenty of tickets, and you can specify if you want a sea in the sun or shade! The best part, or so I hear, are the snacks! A bit different from American baseball snacks, you can buy pumpkin seeds, fresh churros, beer, and Doritos with extra hot sauce heyyoooo!

Teatro Juarez

You literally can’t miss this theater. Its located in a huge plaza, and the building itself is quite grand! it is a functioning theater, so you should definitely check the box office for any musicals, shows, or performances happening during your visit! It’s a nice chance to rest your feet after roaming around the city all day (and quads after all those hills)!

If there aren’t any shows, you can still take a tour of the inside of the theater, which is pretty rad!

Jardin de la Union

Right next to the theater, you will find this garden! It’s more of a…beautified plaza, with lots of shops and restaurants. On weeknights, there is even sometimes dancing in the middle of the plaza! It’s so freaking cute.

This is also where the callejonada groups meet! But the real drama comes in the form of battling mariachi bands. Yes, you heard me. BATTLING. The bands will serenade diners at neighboring restaurants and then sing over each other. It’s pretty intense!

guanajuato singing tour

Iconic Guanajuato! This beautiful cathedral is just down the street from the theater. It’s…a cathedral. You can go inside if you want (I was not dressed properly lol), but I enjoyed appreciating it from the outside.

My absolute favorite activity to do while traveling! Luckily, Guanajuato is an amazing city to do just that!

The Mercado Hidalgo is basically the heavy lifter when it comes to shopping. It is a two-story market inside of an old repurposed train station. It looks pretty cool, but that said, it is a bit overhyped. The bottom floor has pretty average stall food and the top is all knick-knacks and trinkets. So perfect if you’re looking for a magnet or souvenir! But not as perfect if you want something with a bit more personal touch.

I do want to point out that I bought the most beautifullll blanket from a woman who set up a stall JUST OUTSIDE of the mercado, to the right side. I don’t know if she is always there, but I’d recommend buying from her because they are very high quality for a good price!

There are a TON of cute shoe shops ! Like literally at least 3 on every street! If you are a fan of fun airy sandals and colorful wedges, Guanajuato is definitely the place to pick them up!

Shop Indigenous!

Last but not least, you will find a lot of beaded jewelry at various stall vendors, especially around the theater. BUT, they are mass produced. I strongly recommend buying these beaded jewelry pieces from an actual indigenous jewelry maker! The difference in quality is astounding and so visibly noticeable! Plus, you are supporting indigenous artists that keep their culture and traditions going strong, despite the knock offs that attempt to undercut them.

indigenous jewelry in guanajuato

I don’t know of many by name, but my friend took me to one run by a local Huichol family . It’s around the corner from Estación Gelato ! Look for a shop with beaded jewelry and artwork! Usually, their son is in the store, since the older folks don’t speak much Spanish (or English), but everything has a price tag so it’s easy to shop! I bought two pieces that totaled about ~400-500 ($26 USD) pesos I think.

There’s like a ton of museums, but here are the top 4 I recommend! I’m not the biggest museum person, so I’ll just bullet point them real quick. All of the following museums cost between $30-50 pesos / ~$1.50-3 USD.

guanajuato singing tour

  • Don Quixote : the entire city is obsessed with Don Quixote. The museum is a collection of art surrounding Don Quixote and other characters from the novel.
  • Alhondiga de Granaditas : You can visit the site of the first Mexican victory against Spain! It may seem plain from the outside, but inside it tells the heroes of the Mexican Revolution.
  • Museo de Pueblo de Guanajuato : If you’re an art person, this one is for you. It features local and regional artists, mostly contemporary. Plus, the building itself is beautiful.
  • Museo Casa Diego Rivera : This museum is the birthplace and home to one of Mexico’s most famous painters, Diego Rivera. The other famous painter, his wife, Frida Kahlo. It’s a super small museum, featuring some of his art and period furniture.

Silver Mines

You know that thing Guanajuato is famous for? Yah, the silver mines? Guess what. You can visit them! I didn’t though because I literally forgot until my plane was leaving the state, but they are about an hour to 2 hours long and you get a hard hat and learn about the mining industry! Sounds pretty fun! Most people visit either the El Nopal Mina or the Valenciana Mina .

Tours for Guanajuato

If you’re looking for some tours or context behind all the cool stuff you are seeing, here are a few on Airbnb Experiences!

  • Historic Walking Tour
  • Folklore Dance Performance

Where to Eat in Guanajuato

guanajuato singing tour

Okay, y’all should know by now that I am, unfortunately, not a food blogger. So with that said, I’ll just list some good restaurants for you to choose from!

  • Oajillo: breakfast/lunch
  • Santo Cafe: breakfast/lunch
  • Los Huacales: lunch
  • Escarola: lunch, healthy, vegetarian
  • La Vela: lunch
  • Taqueria Chela & Chuchita: lunch
  • Amatxi: dinner
  • Teresita Restaurant: dinner
  • Anywhere the tacos smell bomb

guanajuato singing tour

  • Babu Te Bar: boba
  • Manzana Verde: juice
  • La Ingrata: candy store
  • Estacion Gelato: dessert
  • Tutti gelati Gelato & Churro Bar: dessert
  • El Felino Pastelero: dessert
  • La Michoacan: ice cream
  • Universo de pays: cheesecake
  • Any random corn vendor: Mexican street corn – get everything on it

Day Trips from Guanajuato City

I said this earlier, but you can pretty much do all of the above activities in four days, easy. So, if you’re staying a little longer in the area, consider venturing outside of GTO!

San Miguel de Allende

day trip from guanajuato

Hands down, the most popular day trip destination from the city of Guanajuato! In fact, that’s what I did! I took a Primera Plus bus over, and they were VERY nice. Picture your average tour bus, with plush seats and TVs. And it was only ~8USD! They even give you a little cookie snack and water bottle for the 1.5 hour ride. Driving a car or taking a taxi won’t get you there any faster, so I’d recommend the bus. SMA gave me the impression of a Mexican Palm Springs. It’s a popular retirement destination, especially for Americans. There are a bit less hills, but even more shopping!

Although I haven’t visited León, I heard it’s a tiny bit more wheelchair accessible than the other cities in the state of Guanajuato. León is also the most populated! Primera Plus buses run about every 20 minutes, and it takes about an hour.

Dolores Hidalgo

This is another city that I’ve heard great things about but did not get a chance to visit yet. Dolores Hidalgo is classified as one of Mexico’s “Magic Town.” It looks EXTREMELY beautiful. And, it’s also only an hour away! Someone told me that the bus was in front of the Office Depot in Dos Rios, near the Alhondiga.

Have fun in Guanajuato!

guanajuato singing tour

Hopefully my post got you all prepped for your upcoming trip! Or maybe even inspired you to visit! If you have any other questions, drop them in the comments below!

If you’re headed to other parts of Mexico, check out my posts on clubbing in Cancun , or the unfortunate time I was attacked by a grasshopper .

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I just love all of the colourful buildings, the architechture is so cute!

And I know the blog is not about your look, but I have to say – you look absolutly amazing, so beautiful! 😀

What a colorful city! I had no idea. Looks really cute.

wow, Mexico was so beautiful! when i look at all those pictures is just so colorful! i really enjoy this x thank you for sharing x

Okay WOW, this city is bursting with color and cuisine and I’m obsessed! Will def be adding to my Mexico itinerary!

Girl, ever since I saw you and Sayland’s post on Guanajuato, I knew that I had to include it on my bucket list. I gonna save this for the future. Thanks for the informative post.

What a beautifully colourful city! Looks like you had a wonderful time. That is so interesting about how the mines used to produce 40% of the worlds silver. It is incredible that some mines are still working!

So much colour! Sounds like a really interesting place to visit and beautiful buildings too. The food sounds amazing! Mexico is still very much on my list 🙂

We loved Guanajuato too. You’ve put together a fantastic guide. We didn’t visit the mines either but we’ve heard from friends that they are definitely worth visiting. We’ll be returning to Mexico soon, so if we are back in Guanajuato we’ll make a point of visiting the mines.

I’m in love with these colors! I wish I could go to Mexico one day!

Really cool post! I’ve never seen one done on GUANAJUATO before, and I loved your info! I visited Mexico City and loved it so I’ll need to add this one to the list now!

I’m loving how bright and colorful the city is! I’ll have to add it to my “visit soon” list. Thanks for all the helpful info!

Guanajuato looks so cute and colorful, definitely a must visit spot on my Mexico list! Which hopefully will happen soon since I also have a friend residing there.

– Laura || afinnontheloose.com

I’m totally sold. It is so stinking pretty there! Love all the history and fun facts. Frogs, mummies, views… I am all in. Thanks for this great guide. I need to get busy planning a big ole Mexico itinerary.

Been wanting to go to GUANAJUATO. Thanks for the detailed post.

This is such a great guide! I love the colors of this gorgeous Mexican town! I will definitely be adding it to my list!

This place looks amazing ‘ only been to two spots in Mexico ! Your imagery is perfection ! I’m trying to learn self photography and it’s so hard !

Do you teach it in a course ?

You should !

OMG you give me way too much flattery, but thank you! I am definitely no photographer, but YouTube helped me out a lot!

Wow! what a lovely and colorful place! I’d love to visit here one day.

YAS! This place is totally calling my name! I am in love with all the color, plus also that cup of mango. I dunno about all those stairs though…I might have to train before visiting XD

What a beautiful, colorful city! Definitely keeping this itinerary in mind during my upcoming trip to Mexico!

Wow, the colors are beautiful!! Even from the vantage points looking over the city, you can tell how vibrant it is. Just beautiful!! Your golden hour shot is stunning! I’d love to be there for the day of the flowers or the balloon festival. Both of those celebrations would add even more color to the city!

I love how you have captured the colour and life of this vibrant city!

I’ve been to Mexico six times and still haven’t managed to make it to Guanajuato yet! It’s definitely on my list — it looks like such a cute city with such colorful architecture.

Mexico has been on my bucket list for so long and it looks perfect! So colourful! Love your pictures too 🙂

Those colorful buildings looks incredible. I have to add Guanajuato in my bucket list I didn’t know it is so beautiful. Thanks for sharing

The pictures are lovely and what a wonderful guide to the city. Definitely inspires me to visit South America soon!

The colors! The music! The food! I want to be there right now.

I would love to go to Mexico, this looks absolutely amazing!

WOW Ok, I appreciate your blog post! I did not know about Guanajuato prior to reading your article but I believe that you have covered everything very well. I would def thought you were living there vs being a visitor! This is a place I would def put on my list of places to go to. Great Job

OMG, Guanajuato has just been added to my places to visit for next year! I love all the colour you have brought it alive on the page!

Fucking kill your self bitch delete your website and die!!! Cringe ass mf

Thank you for documenting your IP address, I (and google’s ranking system) really appreciate the page views 🙂

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Mexico Family Travel

  • Yucatan Peninsula
  • Central Mexico
  • Pacific Coast
  • Northern Mexico
  • Mexican Culture
  • Trip Planning

Best 10 Day Mexico Itinerary For Families: 4 Ideas For The Perfect Mexico Family Trip

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A two week or 10 day family trip to Mexico doesn’t have to involve staying exclusively at a resort. In fact, there are plenty of sites and activities you can pack into a 10 day Mexico itinerary with your family without even setting foot in a resort! 

For families planning a family vacation to Mexico, here’s a compilation of four itineraries to help you make the most of your time in Mexico. Whether you love the beach life, or enjoy exploring the mountains, you can mix and match the right travel itinerary for your family. From old Mayan ruins to vibrant modern cities, there is so much that families can enjoy about Mexico! 

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This post may contain affiliate links. That means this blog will receive a small commission if you click on the link and purchase something. However, this will not result in any extra costs to you.

Table of Contents

Four itinerary options for enjoying Mexico with kids

The following 10 day Mexico itinerary options offer different ways to enjoy Mexico with kids. The first itinerary option showcases the best of what Mexico, while the other itinerary options focus on specific regions of Mexico.

Itinerary option 2 highlights Central Mexico, while itinerary option 3 focuses on the Yucatán Peninsula. Itinerary option 4 explores the beaches along the Pacific coast. For all of these 10 day Mexico itinerary options, feel free to mix and match, based on your family's tastes and needs.

1. Mexico Highlights 10 Day Mexico Itinerary

This 10 day Mexico itinerary includes highlights of the best parts of Mexico: its vibrant cities, rich culture, and beautiful beaches. 

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This itinerary takes travelers through Central Mexico and into the Pacific Coast. Travelers also have a chance to experience the Yucatán Peninsula before returning back to Central Mexico. The best way to get from city to city for this itinerary is either by bus or by airplane.

Day 1-2: Mexico City

Start your 10 day Mexico itinerary by arriving in Mexico City . The capital of Mexico, Mexico City is filled with historic architecture, museums, and cuisine from all over the country.

Spend the first day exploring Mexico City’s sites with an open top bus tour with Turibus . On the second day, head over to El Templo Mayor to see Aztec ruins in the city. Spend the second part of the day visiting Frida Kahlo’s House .

Book your tickets to the Frida Kahlo Museum ahead of time here: Frida Kahlo Museum

Day 3-4: San Miguel de Allende

Named the best city in the world by Travel + Leisure, San Miguel de Allende is full of beautiful colonial architecture. There are also historic ruins and natural hot springs nearby.

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On the first day in San Miguel de Allende, take a walk through Centro and spend some time playing at the park. If you have time, visit the Artisanal Market and end the day at Mercado del Carmen. The next day, choose an excursion to one of the following: El Charco del Ingenio Botanical Garden , La Gruta Hot Springs Spa , or Cañada de la Virgen archaeological site.

Day 5-7: Puerto Vallarta

Located along the Pacific coast, Puerto Vallarta is full of colonial charm, but also possesses a laid-back beach attitude. The city is a good mix of historical and modern elements. It’s also a popular tourist destination for families.

Start your first day in Puerto Vallarta with a walk through Centro and Zona Romántica. In between the two neighborhoods is Isla Cuale Flea Market, which is a great spot for buying artisan souvenirs. 

On day two, take a tour with Ecotours de Mexico to view wild dolphins. Or head out to nearby Yelapa with La Vida Bella Private Boat Tours . On your third day in Puerto Vallarta, take a cooking class with Cookin’ Vallarta , or take an excursion on a pirate ship .

Day 8-9: Playa del Carmen

Skip the craziness of Cancun and explore the laid back beach town of Playa del Carmen. This town has the amenities of a big city without all the traffic or people.

Start your first day in Playa del Carmen with a walk along Quinta Avenida, a pedestrian walkway lined with shops and restaurants. Be sure to walk down to Parque Los Fundadores, near the ferry terminal. On your second day, spend the day at the beach just at the end of Calle 38. End your day with tacos at El Fogón.

Day 10: Mexico City

End your 10 day Mexico itinerary back in Mexico City. Spend the day visiting the city’s many museums and attractions, including the Museum of Chocolate , Museum of Memory and Tolerance , and Kidzania .

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If you appreciate food, book this private food tour from Mexico City locals: The 10 Tastings of Mexico With Locals

2. Central Mexico Tour 10 Day Mexico Itinerary

This itinerary explores the historic cities of Mexico and introduces you to Mexican culture. Visit pre-colonial sites, and also dive deep into Mexican colonial history. During this itinerary, you’ll visit four UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The best way to experience this 10 day Mexico itinerary is to rent a car, so you can go at your own pace from city to city. You can also take a bus from city to city. 

Days 1-3: Mexico City

Mexico City was once the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan. On your first day of your 10 day Mexico itinerary, learn about the city’s history at the Museum of Anthropology . Then take a walk through El Templo Mayor , the ruins of one of the main temples of the Aztecs of Tenochtitlan. 

During your second day in Mexico City, continue learning about Aztec culture and history with a trip to Teotihuacán . On your last day in Mexico City, head over to the ancient canals at Xochimilco , built by the Aztecs. You can rent one of the colorful boats to explore canals. At the time of this writing, renting a boat costs 500 pesos per hour.

Book this full-day Teotihuacan tour for your Mexico trip: Full-Day Teotihuacan and Basilica Guadalupe Tour

Days 4-6: Guanajuato

The old silver mining city of Guanajuato holds a strong historical significance to Mexicans, and it’s a great place to visit during your 10 day Mexico itinerary. Guanajuato played a role in the Mexican War of Independence, where many of the indigenous people working as miners rose up against the Spanish in protest.

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During your first day in Guanajuato, explore the city’s Centro, including taking the funicular up to the Pípila Statue. Be sure to take a nighttime tour with the Callejoneadas Guanajuato. These musical tours will take you through the alleys of Guanajuato, singing and playing music along the way. 

On your second day in Guanajuato, take an excursion to the Ex-Hacienda San Gabriel de Barrera. And if you have time, and the stomach for it, visit the Museum of Mummies . The next day, end your time in Guanajuato with a horseback riding tour from Turismo Alternativo de Guanajuato .

Day 7-9: San Miguel de Allende

San Miguel de Allende is just an hour and a half away from San Miguel de Allende. Like Guanajuato, it’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is filled with colorful buildings and colonial architecture.

Start your time in San Miguel de Allende with a tour around Centro and a visit to the Artisanal Market. End your first day at Mercado del Carmen, a food court with cuisine from all around the world. On your second day in San Miguel de Allende, take a San Miguel food tour with Taste of San Miguel . This walking tour will introduce you to cuisines from all around Mexico. Spend your third day in San Miguel de Allende with a visit to the mask museum , toy museum , or relax for the afternoon at Fabrica La Aurora .

End your 10 day Mexico itinerary by returning back to Mexico City and exploring more of the city’s museums. Take a visit to Frida Kahlo’s House or the Museum of Chocolate . You can also visit the Museum of Popular Art .

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3. Yucatán Peninsula 10 Day Mexico Itinerary

Bask in the tropical climate of the Yucatán Peninsula with this 10 day Mexico itinerary. This itinerary takes you through the cities of the Yucatán Peninsula. Explore colonial cities, visit ancient Mayan ruins, swim in cenotes, and relax on the beach in the beautiful coastal towns.

You will need to rent a car to do this itinerary. Drive times between cities will generally be 1-4 hours. The longest distance, from Celestun to Playa del Carmen, Rental cars cost between $40-$70 per day. 

Day 1: Cancun

Start this 10 day Mexico itinerary with beach time in Cancun . This city is one of the most visited cities in Mexico, and is a popular beach destination for tourists. Head to Playa Langosta, a public beach near the hotel zone. The beach has plenty of white sands and blue water. And there is a playground for kids.

Day 2: Valladolid

On your second day, drive to Valladolid, an old colonial city. If you have time, visit the famous Mayan city of Chichen Itza.

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Alternatively, you can take a stop at one of the many cenotes outside of Valladolid. After the cenote, drive into Valladolid and take lunch at one of the loncherias in the Mercado de Comida. Then spend the rest of the afternoon exploring Centro.

Day 3-4: Mérida

After Valladolid, take a drive to the city of Mérida , the capital city of Yucatán state. Like Valladolid, Mérida is an old colonial town. You’ll find colonial mansions and several plazas surrounding cathedrals scattered throughout the city.

On your first day in Mérida, take a carriage tour of Centro and explore some of the neighborhoods in Mérida. If you have time, take a visit to the Centenario Zoo. The next day, take an excursion to the ancient Mayan city of Uxmal . Be sure to stop by nearby Choco-Story , where you can learn about the history of cocoa and chocolate. 

Day 5: Progreso

On the fifth day of your 10 day Mexico itinerary, head north from Mérida to the beach side town of Progreso . An up and coming cruise port of call, Progreso offers aquamarine waters and plenty of outdoor water activities for families to enjoy.

Start the day with a visit to El Corchito ecological reserve in the morning. In the afternoon head over to the beach. Then enjoy dinner along the Malecón, Progreso’s boardwalk.

Day 6: Celestún

The next day, drive west to the town of Celestún. Visit the Ría Celestún, where you can see flamingos in the wild. These flamingos, and the river itself, get their pink color from the red algae that live in Ría Celestún.

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Day 7-9: Playa del Carmen

Return back to the eastern side of the Yucatán Peninsula with a visit to Playa del Carmen. Like Cancun, Playa del Carmen is a popular destination for families and tourists. The city is walkable, and filled with restaurants from around Mexico and the world.

On the way to Playa del Carmen, avoid the toll road and drive through the Mayan villages. You can stop at some cenotes along the way. End the day in Playa del Carmen with a walk and dinner along Quinta Avenida. The next day, take the ferry to Cozumel and spend the day at one of the many beach clubs on the island. During your final day in Playa del Carmen, spend the day on the beach at the end of Calle 38.

Day 10: Cancun

Finish off the last day of this 10 day Mexico itinerary with another beach day in Cancun. Spend the day in Playa Delfines, in the southern part of Cancun.

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4. Pacific Coast Beaches 10 Day Mexico Itinerary

If your family is all about beach life, take a look at this itinerary that explores the beach towns of the Pacific coast. Enjoy swimming with whale sharks and sea turtles, and try your hand at surfing!

This 10 day Mexico itinerary will require flights to get from one city to another. Each city has an airport and is serviced by the locally owned Mexican airlines.

Day 1-3: Puerto Vallarta

Start this 10 day Mexico itinerary with a visit to Puerto Vallarta. This city played a role in trade among Spain, Mexico, and the Philippines, bringing goods back and forth across the Pacific Ocean. Puerto Vallarta was also a hideout for pirates. 

During your first day in Puerto Vallarta, take a glimpse into the city’s pirate history with the pirate ship excursion and dinner cruise . On your second day in Puerto Vallarta, learn about the marine life of the area with a dolphin tour with Ecotours de Mexico . Spend your third day in Puerto Vallarta with a surfing or paddle board lesson from Xiutla Riders .

Day 4-6: La Paz

Continue on to the city of La Paz, in Baja Sur. During your first day in La Paz, spend an afternoon at the Malecón. You can rent bikes to ride along the boardwalk. On your second day take an excursion to Todos Santos, one of the “Pueblos Magicos” of Mexico. Or visit Cabo San Lucas. 

During your final day in La Paz, take a tour with Todos Santos Eco Adventures . You can take a sailing trip, or a snorkeling trip to see sea lions. During the winter months, you may also be able to see whale sharks in La Paz . 

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Day 7-9: Puerto Escondido

After spending time in the northern part of the Pacific Coast, head south to Puerto Escondido . This city is known for its surf, but the city also has calm beaches that are perfect for families. 

During your first day, head to Carizalillo Beach for an afternoon of beach play. In the evening, head to Zicatella Beach to watch the sunset and the surfers, while enjoying a meal at one of the many restaurants along the beach. 

The next day, take a dolphin watching, whale watching, or fishing excursion with Omar’s Sportfishing . On your third day in Puerto Escondido, learn about baby sea turtles and bioluminescent creatures with a tour from Eco Adventures Puerto Escondido .

Day 10: Puerto Vallarta

Return to Puerto Vallarta for the final day of this 10 day Mexico itinerary. Relax with a cooking class from Cookin’ Vallarta . Learn about the wonderful food culture of Mexico, and try your hand at making some traditional dishes.

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Things to know about traveling to Mexico

Before planning your 10 day Mexico itinerary, there is some basic Mexico family travel information that you’ll need to know. This includes information about money, how to get into Mexico, health, safety, and transportation.

Money matters for your 10 day Mexico itinerary

Mexico uses the peso for their currency. At the time of this writing, 20 pesos is roughly the equivalent of $1 USD. Many larger businesses will accept credit cards, but Mexico is still primarily a cash economy. 

Several banks allow foreigners to withdraw cash at their ATMs. Banorte and Santander will often have the best exchange rates. Keep this in mind as you're preparing your vacation budget

Take a look at more Mexico travel budget tips here.

Visas and Entry/Exit Requirements

All international travels require a passport to enter Mexico. There are around 99 countries and territories, including the U.S., Canada, and countries in Europe, where nationals of that country do not need a visa for stays of up to 180 days.

All travelers, including travelers from visa-free countries, need to fill out a form, called an FMM, before entering the country. Most inbound flights will provide this form to you before landing. Check the Mexican government website for specific entry requirements.

When flying out of a Mexican city, all passengers must fill out a mandatory health status form. This is a short health questionnaire that you’ll need to complete before going through security. All passengers, whether flying domestic or international, must complete this health status form.

There may be additional health requirements for citizens returning to their home country, such as a COVID-19 test requirement. Check with your airline and country’s travel requirements.

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Health and safety during your 10 day Mexico itinerary

In terms of COVID-19, the government of Mexico issues a color-coded system to alert the COVID status of each state. Green means everything is open as usual. Red means everything is closed, and families need to stay home. 

Check the color status of the state you plan to visit, as the statuses vary by state. The Mexican government currently requires people to wear masks in public places.

In general, there are many parts of Mexico that are perfectly safe for families to travel. Families who are planning a 10 day Mexico itinerary can refer to the Mexico Travel Advisory page on the U.S. State Department website to see which cities are safe for travel. The site lists out states with travel advisories, but also points out destinations that are safe to visit within those states.

Transportation

Getting around the country is relatively easy. Mexico has airports throughout the country. Popular domestic airlines include AeroMexico , AeroMar , Volaris , and VivaAerobus . 

There is also a fairly extensive bus system. Popular bus companies include ETN and Primera Plus in Central Mexico and ADO in the Yucatán Peninsula. Tickets can be purchased ahead of time online. 

If you’re planning on renting a car, you should also purchase insurance along with the rental. For families driving into Mexico with their own car, you will need a Temporary Vehicle Importation Permit (TIP) .

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How to prepare for your 10 day Mexico itinerary

When preparing for your 10 day Mexico itinerary, it's important to make sure you have the basic travel essentials. Here are some basic supplies you should buy before your trip:

Osprey Sojourn Wheeled Luggage

Shacke Pak 5 Set Packing Cubes

KEEN Kid's Newport Sandal

Besides buying travel supplies, there are also other ways that you can mentally prepare for your Mexico family vacation. Here are some suggestions to help you prepare your kids for a Mexico family travel experience.

Research places in Mexico you want to visit

The Lonely Planet Mexico guide book is a great resource to give you ideas of where to stay and where to eat during your 10 day Mexico itinerary. You can also use the basic phrases section of the guide book to learn a few helpful Spanish phrases.

Buy the Lonely Planet Mexico guide book here.

Include learning opportunities in your 10 day Mexico itinerary

There’s more to Mexico than purely entertainment. The country has a rich history that is worth learning about. Before visiting Mexico, take some time to learn about Mexican history with books.

Here are some great books you can buy to learn about Mexican indigenous history:

The Fifth Sun (Aztec history)

The Maya (Mayan history)

You can also encourage your kids to learn more about Mexico by reading some kids books about Mexico before your 10 day Mexico itinerary.

During your time in Mexico, plan to take some workshops or classes such as a Mayan cacao workshop or Mexican cooking class. You can also visit museums that showcase Mexican history and culture to learn more about Mexico.

Don't forget to brush up on some basic Spanish phrases for travel before and during your 10 day Mexico itinerary. And take some time to learn some Mexican food phrases too, to make ordering at a restaurant easier.

Choose destinations the whole family can enjoy

A successful family vacation is one that every member of the family can enjoy, young or old. There is so much diversity in throughout Mexico. Some regions are mountainous and dry, while others are lush and tropical.

Explore the many regions of Mexico here to get more ideas for your 10 day Mexico itinerary.

As you plan your 10 day Mexico itinerary, choose destinations that the whole family can enjoy. Also remember to include activities that various family members can enjoy as well.

guanajuato singing tour

Making family memories during your 10 day Mexico itinerary

The best thing about travel is that the unknown can often lead to the most pleasant surprises. As you experience your 10 day Mexico itinerary, be sure to take some time to try something new and unknown to you. It will certainly make your vacation much more memorable! 

A family vacation to Mexico is a gateway to creating valuable family memories. With these itinerary suggestions, your kids will be talking and reminiscing about your Mexico family vacation for years to come!

Have you done some Mexico family travel recently? Share your Mexico itinerary with us on our Facebook page !

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Ready to visit Mexico? Take a look at these tips for planning a Mexico family vacation .

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TOUR DETAILS

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GUANAJUATO CITY + TUNNELS+ MINES TOUR

What’s Included:  

  • 6 hours with a bilingual guide
  • Air-conditioned transportation

What’s not Included:

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  • gratuities for your guide

What to Bring: 

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  • Dress comfortably and conservatively

Mexico

Is Guanajuato Safe for Tourists? Your 2024 Guide by a Local Expat

Is Guanajuato safe for tourists to travel to? You might be concerned about how safe it is to travel to Guanajuato if you are venturing to the Central Mexican state for the first time. 

After all, Mexico isnt always a place that we associate with safety in general, and Guanajuato isnt quite as known to tourists as more popular destinations like Los Cabos, Puerto Vallarta, Tulum, and Cancun.  Guanajuato is both the name of the state and its capital city and in this article, written by a local expat, we will look at the safety of traveling to both Guanajuato City and to other points of interest in the state such as Dolores Hidalgo, Leon, and San Miguel de Allende. 

Me standing in front of the Teatro Cervantes in Guanajuato City

Table of Contents

Is Guanajuato Safe to Travel to in 2024? 

Like many destinations in Mexico, Guanajuato can be a safe place to travel to provided that you use the same common sense precautions as you would when traveling anywhere else in the world. The US Department of State travel warnings for Guanajuato and elsewhere in Mexico can appear stern and unnerving but they should be taken with a pinch of salt for areas of touristic interest in Guanajuato. 

I have been living in Mexico for the last few years and I have traveled extensively across 12 different Mexican states during that time, including Guanajuato. While I didn’t know what to expect prior to my arrival in the region, Guanajuato City in particular quickly became one of my absolute favorite cities in Mexico. 

It has a rich art and cultural scene, and a vibrant, young student population. As a university city, Guanajuato is always teeming with life, and its streets and plazas are filled with people sipping cantaritos in al fresco bars, or heading to underground cocktail spots every night of the week. 

In the central parts of the city, you can feel very comfortable at all hours of the day. As a female traveler, I never had any creepy feelings or felt that I constantly had to look over my shoulder or remind myself that I was in Mexico.  

San Miguel de Allende voted as the “best city in the world” by Travel and Leisure readers on numerous occasions, is a tourist favorite with a large, well-heeled expat population, and Guanajuato pueblo magicos like Mineral de Pozos and Dolores Hidalgo are also very safe.

A charming street in Guanajuato City

Government travel advice for Guanajuato 

It’s a good idea to review your country’s government travel advice before traveling anywhere and the same rings true of traveling to Mexico. The US Department of State breaks each of Mexico’s 32 states down into four different categories based on their perceived safety.

Guanajuato state has been slapped with the alarming label of being a place where you need to “reconsider travel due to crime and kidnapping” . The reality is that safety in Mexico is much more nuanced and the security situation differs significantly from state to state, city to city. 

Most places that you are likely to travel to as a tourist in Guanajuato are perfectly safe. Most crimes are related to clashes between criminal groups or robberies that take place in the southernmost part of the state. 

Rest assured, you are not going to be plucked out of your hotel bed and kidnapped in San Miguel de Allende or Guanajuato City, and the people in Guanajuato are arguably among the most hospitable in all of Mexico. Avoid the southernmost part of the region past Celaya and close to the border with Michoacan and you ought to be fine – you have no reason to be traveling in this part of the state anyway. 

You should also be mindful of what sources of information online. A simple Google search about safety in Guanajuato brings up many articles by people who clearly have never even visited, or who have passed through briefly, and clearly don’t live in Mexico 

guanajuato singing tour

Safe Destinations in Guanajuato Mexico

Guanajuato city .

Guanajuato City is a gorgeous colonial city that sits in the heart of Guanajuato state. It was founded in 1554 and, along with Zacatecas, Mexico, and Potosí, Bolivia, was one of the most important silver mining towns of the 16th century. 

Today, the town’s historic center and the old mines on its outskirts have enjoyed UNESCO-protected status since 1988. Nowadays, Guanajuato is arguably most famous for the macabre “Mummies of Guanajuato” museum – an eerie collection of more than 200 well-preserved mummies of people who died during a cholera outbreak in Central Mexico and, due to the specific conditions and atmosphere in Guanajuato, have avoided decomposition. 

The adjacent “Cult of Death” museum explores the unique relationship that Mexico has with death. One of the most charming traditions that you can participate in in Guanajuato is a  Callejoneada.

These are interacting “singing” tours where a troupe of local musicians in traditional dress lead you through the narrow alleyways of the city (“callejones”) while performing Mexican songs and telling you legends and tales of the city. This tradition has been going on for hundreds of years and started when groups of students would entertain the workers on their way to and from the local mines. 

The historic center of Guanajuato, with its labyrinth-like network of narrow, cobbled streets and abundance of plazas filled with European-style cafes, is walkable. You can easily get between the city’s main attractions, museums, galleries, and restaurants on foot and there are no sketchy neighborhoods that you could accidentally wander into. 

A colorful colonial street in San Miguel de Allende

San Miguel de Allende 

San Miguel de Allende, voted as the “best city in the world” by Travel and Leisure readers on numerous occasions is arguably the most popular travel destination in Guanajuato state. 

Its cobbled streets and leafy plazas are lined with upscale boutique stores, independent art galleries, and chic coffee shops and restaurants that attract a well-heeled crowd. San Miguel de Allende is very safe.  

The Jardín Principal Allende marks the center of town and is flanked by the impressive pastel-pink Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel neo-gothic church which dates back to the 17th century. You can essentially use this central square as a starting point and then take the time to get lost in the cobblestone streets that veer off from here. 

SMA is home to an ever-increasing expat population and English is widely spoken here. In some ways, it feels a little over-gentrified and caters mostly to American tourists, whereas the other Guanajuato destinations on this list possess more authentic Mexican culture. 

However, if you are nervous about venturing into Central Mexico for the first time, it can be a good starting point. 

Visiting Dolores Hidalgo Guanajuato

Dolores Hidalgo 

Dolores Hidalgo is a charming town and pueblo magico that sits in the northern part of Guanajuato state. It was one of the earliest towns to be awarded pueblo magico status, having been designated as such in 2002. 

The town is a crucial stopping point along Mexico’s “Ruta de Independencia” as it was here where the Mexican Revolution and the war for independence started. 

On the 16th of September 1810, Father Manual Hidalgo rang the bells of the Parroquia de Nuestra Señora de los Dolores church in the center of town and started the call to arms for independence from the Spanish conquistadors that controlled the country. 

Today, this shout (“grita”) is repeated on Mexican Independence Day every year across the country. You will see several statues, monuments, and murals dedicated to Manuel Hidalgo throughout the pueblo and you can even visit his home and the local Independence Museum to learn more about his life and background. 

Dolores Hidalgo is a safe and charming place to spend a day or two. The main square (Plaza Del Gran Hidalgo) is a popular rendezvous point for locals who come here to catch up on the local gossip and enjoy delicious street food, as well as the famous Dolores Hidalgo ice creams. 

Participating in Callejoneadas in Guanajuato

Getting Around Safely in Guanajuato, Mexico

Is it safe to drive in guanajuato .

I got around Guanajuato predominantly by using Uber and public transport but now having explored the state extensively, I can comfortably say that I would feel happy renting a car and driving around independently. The roads in Guanajuato are generally in very good condition. 

Perhaps the only stretch of road to mention is that between Guanajuato City and San Miguel de Allende and Guanajuato City and Dolores Hidalgo where the route twists and turns along mountain roads. If you are afraid of heights or hilly roads with a drop at the side, this can be a little scary, but still, the roads are not especially narrow, and they are plenty wide enough for two lanes of traffic at all times.  

Again, you should avoid the southernmost part of the state close to the Michoacan border where organized crime rates are higher. Stick to toll roads where possible as they are better maintained and considered safer. 

You will note that there are many car rental offices at Guanajuato airport, including reputable international names like Avis, Budget, Dollar, Hertz, and Thrifty. Discover Cars is a great rental comparison platform that allows you to compare and contrast the prices and deals offered by numerous different agencies.

Driving in Mexico is not as intimidating as it may sound. Here, you drive on the right-hand side and overtake on the left, much like in the United States and the rest of the world.  

Since public transport runs on infrequent schedules in Guanajuato, renting a car can give you a lot more freedom and flexibility. While prices vary depending on seasonality, you can easily find an economy-style car such as a Volkswagen Vento or a Chevrolet Aveo for as little as $113 USD a week/$16 USD a day. 

Plaza de San Fernando, Guanajuato

Uber in Guanajuato 

Uber operates in Guanajuato and to my surprise, you can find plenty of drivers everywhere. The app not only works in larger cities like SMA and Guanajuato City but also in little towns and villages like Dolores Hidalgo. 

I was relatively sick with a chest infection during my time in Guanajuato and didn’t want to be taking long-distance buses while coughing and spluttering, so I used Ubers a lot – both within cities and to travel between different places. (For instance, I took an Uber from Guanajuato City to Dolores Hidalgo and from Dolores Hidalgo to San Miguel de Allende). 

Depending on where you are coming from, it might come as a surprise to hear that Uber is considered safer than street cabs in Mexico, but when you think about it, it makes sense as there is more accountability. When you take an Uber, you have the driver’s name, vehicle info, and license plate number. 

You simply don’t have that when you get into a random taxi on the street. Express kidnappings are a concern in Mexico which is why I personally always take Ubers over street cabs and would recommend you do the same. 

Express kidnappings happen when an unsuspecting tourist gets into a street taxi. The taxi driver contacts his accomplices who enter the vehicle and rob the tourist of their belongings. 

Sometimes the person is held at gun/knife point and forced to visit numerous ATMs in town making the maximum withdrawal amount until they are rinsed dry. 

Colorful houses cascading down the hilltops in Guanajuato City

Taking Taxis in Guanajuato

The only place where Uber was not available was Guanajuato Leon Airport (BJX) where only licensed cabs can operate. I organized a transfer via the Airport taxi desk and the rate from the airport to Guanajuato city was reasonable. (Circa 500 pesos.) 

From Guanajuato airport to Leon, you can expect to pay around 400-450 pesos. It is better to book your taxi via the airport taxi desk rather than deal with the touts outside. 

You can pay by cash or card and the cashier will provide you with a voucher that you need to hand to an airport taxi representative outside of the airport. 

If you ever find that you cannot find an Uber (or you prefer not to use the app for whatever reason), it is better to have your hotel order a trusted taxi driver for you. Across the state of Guanajuato, official taxis are green in color with a white roof. 

It is a good idea to try and clarify the price before entering the vehicle or insist that the meter is used, to avoid being charged an over-inflated price as a tourist. 

Guanajuato buses are comfortable but subject to overcrowding

Public transport in Guanajuato 

Public transport in Guanajuato is safe and reliable to use. The only problem is that it often operates on a very limited schedule, or you need to make multiple changes even to get between popular destinations. 

For example, there is only one bus per day between Leon BJX airport and Guanajuato City so if you arrive at the airport before or after this, you need to first take a bus to Leon bus station and then change. 

When traveling between Dolores Hidalgo and San Miguel de Allende, you need to take multiple buses. Numerous different bus companies operate on some of the routes including Futura Buses, Autobuses ETN, and Autobuses Anáhuac. 

Since they are all fine to use, you may as well just purchase a ticket via whichever bus company offers the most convenient departure time for your schedule. The buses in Guanajuato were comfortable and comparable to ADO buses in other parts of Mexico. 

The seats recline and come with a built-in footrest, and there is a USB charger, a personal air conditioner, and a reading light above your chair. There are also bathrooms on board, and TVS scattered along the coach play movies for entertainment (albeit in Spanish). 

Some intercity buses appeared to oversell tickets and people were standing in the aisle for long journeys which didn’t seem all that safe (including on a 2-hour bus ride from San Miguel de Allende to Santiago Queretaro). It pays to get to the bus station about an hour before your bus’s scheduled departure and wait to board 10 minutes or so before so that you can be sure to secure a seat. 

Taking care of your belongings on Guanajuato buses 

Since there is limited space in the overhead compartments on board the bus, suitcases and large bags need to be placed underneath them. In most of Mexico, you are handed a ticket receipt when you place your bag under the bus which you then need to show again when you collect it. This didn’t happen in Guanajuato. 

It is a good idea to make sure that anything valuable, any electronics, etc are in your carry-on bag/backpack with you, rather than in your suitcase. 

The spectacular Teatro Juarez in Guanajuato City illuminated by night

Is Guanajuato safe at night? 

The historic centers of Guanajuato City, Leon, San Miguel de Allende, and Dolores Hidalgo are usually pretty lively and still teeming with people at night – Guanajuato City in particular. You will be fine along main streets and plazas but avoid walking down any dimly lit, unsuspecting side streets alone, or wandering aimlessly in lesser-known residential areas. 

Many of the bars across the region sell cantaritos , palomas, and other delicious tequila cocktails but they are often pretty strong and bartenders don’t necessarily measure out how much liquor, etc, they pour inside. Watch your alcohol intake and don’t walk back to your hotel alone intoxicated.  

Descending back down the route from the El Pilpila statue in Guanajuato City

Is Guanajuato safe for solo travelers?

Guanajuato can be considered safe (with common sense precautions) for travelers of all ages, genders, and backgrounds, including solo female travelers. This entire website has been written by a solo female traveler based in Mexico. (Me!) 

You will see other foreign tourists, expats, and Digital Nomads meandering around Guanajuato City and San Miguel de Allende. Guanajuato City, in particular, has a very intellectual scene and attracts plenty of international travelers and Mexican domestic tourists who are interested in the arts. 

There are a lot of cafes, bars, and restaurants that organize social events and classes, making it easy to effortlessly meet people. For example, in Guanajuato City, the Conquistador Cafe chain organizes yoga and bachata classes, while cafe bar Escarola (Positos 38, Zona Centro) hosts live music virtually every night of the week. 

Gorgeous view from the Pipila statue in Guanajuato City

Can you drink the water in Guanajuato? 

It is not safe to drink tap water at all in Mexico and that includes in the state of Guanajuato. Although water is purified at the source, it can get contaminated with bacteria, parasites, and other germs en route to the tap and even locals do not drink it.

Most Guanajuato hotels will provide you with a couple of complimentary bottles of water for each night of your stay, but you can also purchase bottled water for just a few pesos from Oxxo and other convenience stores and supermarkets. 

You don’t need to worry about having ice in your drinks or consuming drinks like agua frescas that are made with water as all restaurants, hotels, etc in Mexico have ice delivered, and drinks are always prepared using mineral water, not tap water. 

Street art mural dedicated to the late Frida Kahlo

The presence of police and armed guards in Guanajuato 

If you have not spent a ton of time traveling in Mexico, it can be a little intimidating when you see armed police or trucks and tanks for the National Guard (“Guardia Nacional) cruising around town or stationed outside various parks and plazas. Their presence is particularly common when there is an event (like the annual Cervantino cultural festival in Guanajuato), or a politician or notable person is visiting. 

This is nothing to be alarmed about and they are there for everyone’s safety. 

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Useful safety tips for visiting Guanajuato 

Some useful safety tips for ensuring that your trip to Guanajuato is trouble-free and memorable for all the right reasons are detailed below. A lot of this is common sense wherever you go, but is worth reiterating here. 

  • Don’t carry wads of cash on you. A maximum of $4000 MXN pesos should be sufficient for several days’ worth of exploration.
  • Watch your personal belongings in crowded marketplaces like the Mercado Hidalgo in Guanajuato City. Walk with your backpack in front of you, rather than slung over one shoulder where you can.
  • Dress modestly and avoid wearing expensive jewelry or flashy designer items and sunglasses where possible
  • Touts selling tours around Jardín de la Unión and Teatro Juarez in Guanajuato City can be annoying but you can just decline what they offer with a polite but firm no.
  • Check your surroundings before withdrawing money from ATMs and try to avoid doing so at night. Official ATMs in banks are less likely to have been tampered with. 

guanajuato singing tour

Is Guanajuato safe to travel to in 2023? Final thoughts 

Guanajuato can be a safe and enjoyable place to visit and after traveling to 12 different Mexican states, it is one of my personal favorites. 

Guanajuato is also safe for tourists for the most part. Violent crime against tourists is rare, and most violent instances that you hear about are restricted to occurrences between criminal groups. 

The chances of you being in the wrong place at the wrong time and something happening to you are very slim. 

Do you have any further questions or concerns about traveling to this part of Central Mexico? I have been living in the Yucatan capital of Merida for the last two years and I am happy to assist with any questions and queries that you may have. 

Please do not hesitate to reach out to me if you need something. Safe travels!

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Melissa Douglas

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Travis kelce is on his way to singapore for taylor swift's next set of eras tour shows, per report, share this article.

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Just when you thought Travis Kelce might be done flying around the world after he flew to Australia to see Taylor Swift play an Eras Tour show in Sydney (not to mention a zoo trip !), there’s news to report.

Swift has three more shows in Singapore before the tour takes a break until May (she’ll release The Tortured Poets Department in between), and I figured Kelce would just wait until next week to see her.

Nope! Per AP sports writer Tom Withers, who covered Kelce and his brother Jason watching the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Boston Celtics on Tuesda night, he’s off to Singapore:

For all the Swifties, Travis Kelce is headed to Singapore. — Tom Withers (@twithersAP) March 6, 2024

I’m sure there are people scrambling to track his jet now.

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Travis kelce dance party at taylor's show after singapore touchdown, 31 3/8/2024 6:49 am pt.

Well, that didn't take long.

Just hours after landing in Singapore with a gaggle of his buds ... Travis Kelce was firmly planted in a box suite for Taylor Swift 's "Eras" tour show -- dancing his face off to at least one of her biggest hits!!

Check out video shot by a fan inside National Stadium ... as Taylor was belting out "Look What You Made Me Do" onstage -- Kelce was getting after it in his seat.

The Kansas City Chiefs star swayed back and forth as he thrust his arms and hips over and over again ... showing no signs of jet lag, this despite flying from the U.S. to Southeast Asia just hours earlier.

Kelce's pals seemed to be enjoying the concert too ... Ross Travis was sitting right by his side groovin' to the tunes -- while Harry Clark posted a vid of Taylor crooning with the caption, "Go Tay Tay."

Afterward, Kelce was waiting for Swift stageside so he could plant a big ole' congratulatory kiss on the pop star.

It's the second time in the last couple weeks that Kelce has flown across the world to watch his girlfriend perform ... in late February, he jetted to Sydney to support her down under .

It's unclear how long Kelce will be in Singapore to be with Swift -- or if any zoo dates are in the works. But she's slated to perform through Saturday night, and with the Chiefs in the middle of their offseason, it seems like a safe bet he'll be around for the weekend.

The two could spend significantly more time together after that as well ... because following her Singapore shows, she's not slated to return to the stage again 'til May.

Soooo ... whirlwind spring coming up?!?!

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Taylor Swift Runs into Travis Kelce's Arms for a Kiss After Changing 'Karma' Lyrics at Singapore Eras Tour Night 5

Kelce flew across the globe to see Swift's fifth Eras Tour stop in Singapore after attending his brother Jason's retirement press conference

The latest chapter of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce 's love story takes place in Singapore.

The Kansas City Chiefs tight end was in attendance for the fifth night of his pop superstar girlfriend's Eras Tour run at Singapore National Stadium on Thursday, where she changed the lyrics of "Karma" to shout him out once again — before they shared a kiss following the show.

Kelce, 34, flew across the globe to see Swift, 34, in concert, and she seemed to express her appreciation by editing the lyrics of Midnights track "Karma," singing on stage, per fan videos , “Karma is the guy on the Chiefs coming straight home to me."

Perry Knotts/Getty; Ashok Kumar/TAS24/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management

After her performance, concertgoers spotted the NFL star standing behind the stage waiting for the Grammy winner, who ran into his arms for a hug and a couple of sweet kisses, per a video shared to social media .

Fans realized Kelce would be in attendance for the show upon spotting him in the stands with friends at the venue in Kallang, per a photo posted to X (formerly Twitter).

Ezra Shaw/Getty

The football player's friend Harry Clark also shared an Instagram Story video of himself sporting an Eras Tour wristband, and he tagged his location as the National Stadium. He then shared another video during Swift's concert alongside the caption, "GO TAY TAY."

Kelce's arrival in Singapore comes after he visited Philadelphia for his brother Jason's emotional press conference to announce his retirement from professional football . He spoke about their family's upbringing during the event, leading Travis to wipe away tears .

Casey Flanigan/imageSPACE/Sipa USA; Steve Granitz/FilmMagic

Travis' last visit to the Eras Tour was during the first of Swift's three shows in Sydney, where he handed out guitar picks  and cheered his girlfriend on from the VIP tent. After the show, the pair was spotted sharing a kiss backstage.

During Friday's Singapore show, Swift performed two mashups in the surprise songs portion of the set: "Sparks Fly" from Speak Now mixed with "Gold Rush" from Evermore as well as "False God" from Lover in tandem with the live debut of "Slut!" from 1989 (Taylor's Version) .

Ashok Kumar/TAS24/Getty

Her run of Singapore concerts concludes with a final performance in the city on Saturday. Then, she'll have a two-month break before the Eras Tour heads to Nanterre, France, for four dates at Paris La Défense Arena from May 9-12.

In the interim, Swift will release her 11th original studio album The Tortured Poets Department on April 19.

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Taylor Swift gives Travis Kelce sweet shout-out during Eras Tour performance in Singapore

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Taylor Swift changed the lyrics in one of her songs, once again, as a shout-out to boyfriend Travis Kelce, in the crowd at her Eras Tour performance in Singapore.

Swift was singing her hit song “Karma” when she changed one of the lyrics to, “Karma is the guy on the Chiefs, coming straight home to me.”

One fan captured a video of Kelce standing right below the stage while he heard his girlfriend’s shout-out.

Taylor Swift performing on stage

The Kansas City Chiefs tight end, 34, was swaying back and forth, but after Swift, also 34, sang the lyrics, he raised both arms in the air and smiled while dancing in excitement.

Swift has previously sung the phrase twice before –– the first when Kelce visited her in Buenos Aires, Argentina , in November and the second in Sydney when Kelce was again in the audience.

Kelce touched down in Singapore with a few close pals on Thursday before heading out to see Swift perform the next evening.

Travis Kelce dancing at Taylor Swift's concert

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On Friday night, Kelce was seen arriving to a VIP box at the National Stadium and later singing and dancing along to his girlfriend’s three-hour concert.

After Swift wrapped up another successful show, fans captured her running off the stage and into Kelce’s arms to share a sweet kiss and tight embrace before leaving the stadium together.

The Grammy winner previously packed on the PDA with Kelce in a similar way after the two other concerts he attended, as well.

Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift kissing in Singapore

Swift has one more show in Singapore on Saturday before she has two months off and resumes her tour in Paris in May.

Kelce appears to still be in the Southeast Asian city, but it’s unclear if he’ll be staying there for her final show.

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The power couple have not been spotted together since Kelce visited her in Sydney in late February and attended her concert, where he  sang along to her songs , waved to fans  and even  handed out guitar picks .

Taylor Swift hugging Travis Kelce

The duo were able to sneak in both a date to the Sydney Zoo  and a boat date  before he returned to the United States to support his brother, Jason Kelce, who retired from the NFL earlier this week .

Kelce still gave a sweet nod to the “Cruel Summer” singer by wearing her signature friendship bracelets  at the press conference Monday.

Meanwhile, Swift rounded out her concerts in Sydney before heading to Singapore.

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Sophie Ellis-Bextor Honors 2015 Paris Attack Victims Before Singing 'Murder on the Dancefloor' at Same Theater

E llis-Bextor spoke about the tragedy at the Bataclan, where 90 people were killed in coordinated terrorist attacks at a concert, during her tour stop

Sophie Ellis-Bextor delivered an important tribute at one of her recent shows.

On Tuesday, the British pop star, 44, honored victims of the 2015 Paris tragedy at the Bataclan — where  90 people were killed in coordinated terrorist attacks during an Eagles of Death Metal concert — during her tour stop at the same venue amid her European tour.

Ellis-Bextor spoke about the horrific events before performing her 2001 hit "Murder on the Dancefloor," which found a  cultural resurgence after the release of Emerald Fennell's film  Saltburn in November.  

Related: Sophie Ellis-Bextor's 'Murder on the Dancefloor' Earns Its Most 1-Day Spotify Streams Ever Thanks to Saltburn

“It didn’t feel right to me to just waltz into a song called ‘Murder on the Dancefloor’ without noting and paying tribute to the history,” she said, according to SkyNews .

In fan-recorded footage of the performance, Ellis-Bextor continued, “All I want to say is that ‘Murder on the Dancefloor’ is not a song with any evil in its heart."

She added: “The whole intention of that song, like this venue, is to bring joy and music onto the dancefloor. So in tribute to that spirit, and in tribute to everybody who has ever danced right here at the Bataclan, this is ‘Murder on the Dancefloor’.”

Ellis-Bextor’s “Murder on the Dancefloor,” originally released on her 2001 debut solo album Read My Lips , has gone viral on TikTok and become somewhat of a pop culture phenomenon. (In the film, the tune plays for an extended period while star  Barry Keoghan  dances through the titular mansion in the nude.) 

“Murder on the Dancefloor” received its  most-ever streams in a single day on Spotify  on New Year’s Eve heading into 2024, and it’s since appeared on the  Billboard  Hot 100  for the first time ever and returned to the  U.K. Singles Chart . 

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Related: Sophie Ellis-Bextor Announces First-Ever U.S. Tour Following ‘Murder on the Dancefloor’ Resurgence

The hitmaker has also performed the infectious dance-pop track on  The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon   and during the  2024 BAFTAs .

Upon the release of  Saltburn , Ellis-Bextor  told PEOPLE  that she was somewhat surprised by how her song was used in the film, but pleased with the results. "Seeing it written down as a premise is different," she said. "I mean, Barry really went for it. And it's, like, the  whole  song!"

She added: "I didn't really know exactly how it would play in terms of the role it was in the movie until I saw it at the screening, but I absolutely loved. I think it's such a clever, funny, smart film. I really enjoyed it."

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Read the original article on People .

Joe Maher/BAFTA/Getty Sophie Ellis-Bextor performs "Murder on the Dance Floor" on stage during the EE BAFTA Film Awards 2024 at The Royal Festival Hall on Feb. 18, 2024 in London, England

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COMMENTS

  1. Callejoneadas

    Las callejoneadas son un espectáculo musical por los callejones más emblemáticos de la ciudad de Guanajuato como el callejón del beso. La estudiantina de Guanajuato va interpretando diferentes melodías romáticas, mexicanas, españolas, alegres y picaras para divertir a todo turista que acude a una callejoneada. Guanajuato, Guanajuato, Mexico.

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    2024 2025 Filter by genre All Rock Comedy Pop Hip-Hop R&B Indie & Alt Electronic Country Classical Metal Latin Folk & Blues Jazz Funk & Soul Reggae 5 upcoming concerts Saturday 09 March 2024 KasiGuapos El Tulillo, San José Iturbide , Guanajuato, Mexico Saturday 16 March 2024 Sonny Beckett

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    1 hour 20 minutes Mobile ticket Offered in: Spanish Overview What's Included Music, dance, party and fun Meeting And Pickup Meeting point Iglesia de San Diego Zona Centro, 36000 Guanajuato, Gto., Mexico Open in Google Maps

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    You can explore the UNESCO World Heritage-listed city on a musical walking tour, take a funicular to the summit of this old mining settlement's best viewpoint for an unbeatable panoramic, and visit museum's dedicated to artists and Mexican heroes. And that's just the beginning of our three-day Guanajuato itinerary, so keep reading to discover more!

  9. Top 29 Things To Do In Guanajuato Mexico + Tips From A Local

    1. Kiss in the Callejon del Beso 2. Get lost in the historical city center 3. Visit Diego Rivera Museum 4. Hike to el Pípila Statue 5. Walk around Mercado Hidalgo 6. Visit the Alhondiga de Granaditas Museum 7. Visit the Mummy Museum (Museo de las Momias) 8. Pay a visit to the Basílica Colegiata de Nuestra Señora de Guanajuato 9.

  10. Guanajuato's bohemian musicians a nostalgic nod to city's past

    May 11, 2021 0 With their Spanish acoustic guitars, Renaissance-style breeches and gold-trimmed doublets and flair for the dramatic Guanajuato's estudiantinas deliberately evoke entertainment...

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    1. Wander The Colourful Lanes 2. Visit the Mummy Museum 3. Enjoy a Show at the Theatre 4. Visit the Alley of the Kiss 5. Go on a Food Tour (one of the best things to do in Guanajuato for foodies!) 6. Wander Through Diego Rivera's Home 7. Ride the Funicular 8. Go Shopping 9. Check Out the Churches and Cathedrals 10.

  12. Top Things To Do In Guanajuato, Mexico

    Did you even visit Guanajuato if you did not participate in a Callejoneada?!A callejoneada is a night event in which a "Estudiantina" (a group of musicians in costumes) will take you around the alleys of Guanajuato singing legendary Mexican songs, telling jokes and drinking… juice.I would consider it a culture tour with a music performance. You will find Estudiantinas offering you ...

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    The callejoneadas start their nightly song-walk through the alleys. After a few songs and stunts, the medieval men in black began to walk out of the town square, strumming their instruments and singing as they went. The crowd of people on the stairs got up and began to follow behind, singing heartily in their wake.

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    A stop at Callejon del Beso during some Guanajuato tours 5. Stop by Teatro Juarez during your Guanajuato tours. The Teatro Juarez, located in central Guanajuato, is a historic theater built in the late 1800s. It is open for Guanajuato tours when there are no performances going on. The first performance at Teatro Juarez was the opera, Aida in 1903.

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    Bus. We arrived and left on very comfortable Primera Plus buses. From Mexico City (Mexico Norte station) to Guanajuato it takes five hours and costs 680 pesos/ $32 with online discounts available. To Puerto Vallarta on the coast, the overnight bus takes nine hours and costs 1187 pesos/$62.

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