For 2 years in a row Travel & Leisure readers chose San Miguel de Allende as the best city in the world!! And in my opinion they’re not wrong!
San Miguel de Allende is one of the most beautiful cities in Mexico, which is not an easy statement to make; Mexico is full of incredibly beautiful and historic cities.
San Miguel de Allende is very colonial, the streets are covered in cobble stones, and the colors that accentuate the architecture of the city are staggeringly vivid. It feels like a European town but with that special touch of Mexican Artistry literally carved into every door and painted on every wall.
My husband and I chose this city for our honeymoon and we loved it!! We can’t wait to go back.
The city is full of art in so many different forms. There are artists from all over the world that fell in love with San Miguel de Allende and decided to move there. Now they sell their crafts and talent, in beautiful chic shops spread throughout the city.
Enjoy this Travel Guide to San Miguel de Allende.
How to get there
There are a couple of options to get to San Miguel de Allende. There is no airport directly into the City so if you are traveling by air there are 3 city airports to choose from:
- Mexico City: If you fly to Mexico City, you can then take a bus that takes you to San Miguel and it takes around 4 hours.
- Leon or Queretaro: If you Fly to the city of Leon or Queretaro, you can rent a car and drive for almost 2 hours or you can take a shuttle/bus.
If you do not want to drive or go by bus, there are private companies that offer shared shuttle services and private cars you can ask for in advance.
My husband and I flew to Bajío International Airport in the city of Leon; we rented a car and had a nice little road trip to San Miguel for almost 2 hours. While we did have a lot of fun driving together, it is probably more comfortable and safer to just take a shared shuttle from the airport.
How many days should I stay?
I would say at least 3 full days to enjoy everything the city has to offer at a nice pace. San Miguel is a beautiful city made to be walked and enjoyed. With that said, it is very easy to spend quite a bit more time there. It’s easy to lose track of time browsing all the art and exploring the streets.
When should I go?
Anytime of the year is a good option. I did love going late fall, early winter since I got to really enjoy hot chocolate and churros. They also string lights up and down the streets for Christmas, and it is a beautiful experience if you are there for it.
Do I need a car?
San Miguel de Allende is very walkable and there are taxis and Uber if you need anything. If you drove from another city’s airport then you can use the car to go to a winery right outside the city, or even to go to the Rosewood’s Terrace. Other than that, you can easily walk around the city.
Where to stay?
There are several big hotels and many boutique hotels to choose from.
Rosewood tends to be a popular hotel since it is a renowned hotel and it does offer a beautiful terrace restaurant bar where you can see all of the city and the church downtown, however it is one of the most expensive hotels and it is not that close from downtown.
Casa 1810 is a beautiful hotel right in the middle of downtown and it is beautiful. This is where my husband and I spent our honeymoon in and we loved it. The staff is very nice, and they decorated our bedroom when they found out it was our honeymoon. You can book the room with breakfast included and it is unbelievable, there were several options to choose from and they were all delicious. Breakfast became our favorite meal when we were there. I highly recommend this hotel.
What to do
Parroquia de San Miguel Arcangel
This is the most important symbol of the city and is in the heart of San Miguel de Allende. The church has a Neo-Gothic style with beautiful pink, orange tones, with crystal chandeliers inside. It is very beautiful.
Walk the streets
San Miguel de Allende is full of cobble stone streets and colorful houses. If you love doors like me, this will be incredible for you too. The city is full of beautiful wooden doors of different colors and different handles, and they are all works of art. Whether it is ornate wood carving, exquisite cast iron craftsmanship, or brass sculptures, there is always something new around every corner.
Go shopping
There are so many shops around San Miguel. There are even large estates that have been turned into multiple shops connected to each other from the inside. You will walk into one store and somewhere inside that store will be an entrance to a completely different store, and in the back of that store will be a courtyard that links to even more stores. It is great fun exploring the mazes of all the different shops. Since there are so many artists from different parts of the world who fell in love with the city and moved there, you can find jewelry, art, clothing, lamps, and all very high end. That is all on top of the stores full of incredible Mexican craftsmanship.
Winery “Viñedo San Lucas”
Right outside the city is a winery that offers a wine tasting and shows the process of wine making. There is also a small lavender field which they use to make their own lavender oil in house. It’s a short trip from San Miguel and a nice excursion for those looking to get out of the city.
Dôce 18 Concept House
This place is like a tiny gorgeous mall where one little alley takes you to another alley full of high-end shops, restaurants and galleries. I wish there was a better way to describe this because mall is such an injustice, it used to be a big estate that became this place full of elegant shops with great style.
One of my favorite tequilas is “Casa Dragones” and there is a little shop here where you can book a tequila tasting in advance.
There is also a small shop of the winery “Viñedo San Lucas”. You don’t have to visit the winery for a wine tasting, you can just go there and enjoy the tasting, and even buy some wine if you want.
Hit the bars
There are several rooftop bars that overlook the church and the city. They are a perfect way to spend an afternoon having drinks and watching the sunset.
Lunas Tapas Bar
This is the rooftop of the Hotel Rosewood, and the view is unbelievable. They offer many different cocktails and a great selection of food. When I told the waiter, we were on a honeymoon, he was very nice and gave us a delicious dessert with a candle.
Trazo 1810
This is the rooftop of the Hotel Casa 1810. The food there is insanely delicious and is a very nice bar to have drinks and enjoy the view.
Quince
This is another amazing rooftop bar where the food is delicious and it is just one block from the beautiful church. It is a perfect place to have dinner.
Do not miss!!
San Augustin Chocolates & Churros
This is a little café where they offer coffee, of course, but they are known for their churros and hot chocolate.
They have different fillings for the churros like chocolate, cajeta (dulce de leche), condensed milk, strawberry, Nutella and Rompope (the Mexican version of eggnog). And they have like 5 different types of hot chocolate. Everything is delicious.
There is, however, the possibility of a long line, especially to sit inside. At first we thought, “let’s come back in the evening when there are no people.” And when we came back there were even more people! So we decided to ask if we could just order to-go and enjoy the churros and hot chocolate in the park right in front of the café; for that option… no line at all.
Pro Tip: The Spanish phrase for “to-go” or for “takeaway” is Para Llevar
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