Guanajuato is gorgeous! Is just an hour away drive from San Miguel de Allende. Guanajuato was long time ago a prosperous mining town. The city has a lot of tunnels and small cobbled streets that are beautiful.

Start your journey early after breakfast. One of the main attractions of Guanajuato is the cable car that takes you to a viewpoint of the city. The earliest you arrive the better because this viewpoint is usually packed with a lot of tourists.

When arriving to the city at the entrance to the Historic Center before getting into a tunnel you will find local tourist guides trying to stop cars. I have never stopped so I cannot say that they are bad. But it looks to me more as a tourist trap so I recommend not stopping.

As soon as you get into the Historic Center a problem arises… Where to park the car? You will find some parking lots in your GPS and I guess they are all fine.  Those who book one of my itineraries with this activity will recieve my parking advise.

There are many things to do so you might want to stay a night in Guanajuato. For me the best places to go are as follow:

1. Cable car that takes you to Monumento al Pipila – You can walk up the mountain to get there but I do not recommend it. The cable car is cheap and fun! The Pipila is an historical hero of the war of independence of Mexico. He carried a big stone in his back and walked with it and a torch to the entrance of the enemy’s door to burn it and allow the local army to win the battle.
2. Teatro Juárez and Historic Center Main Plaza – The architecture of the theater is amazing. Guanajuato was a very prosperous town in colonial times. There was a lot of culture and the elites went to this theater.
3. Basílica Colegiata de Nuestra Señora de Guanajuato – It is the main church of Guanajuato. It is yellow and it looks amazing from the viewpoint of Monumento al Pipila.
4. Main Building of Universidad de Guanajuato – Just by the side of the Basilica is the Building of the Universidad de Guanajuato. This building is a very particular white building with a lot of stairs. I dare you to climb to the entrance!
5. After that walk to Museo Casa de Diego Rivera – Diego Rivera is probably the most renowned artist from Mexico. He was born in Guanajuato and his childhood house is now a museum.
6. After that walk to Mercado Hidalgo – There you will find a lot of Mexican art crafts and souvenirs. I like very much this market because it is very authentical. It has also a charm of past times.
7. From Mercado Hidalgo Walk to the Alondiga de Granaditas – I do not like very much the place but for Mexicans it has an especially important historical value. The Alondiga was the base of the army of the invaders. The independent army fought them there to gain Mexico’s liberty from the Spanish Crown.

There is another attraction that Mexicans like, but I do not so much. The “Museo de las Momias” de Guanajuato is a museum of mummies that became very famous due to a movie of El Santo, a famous Mexican wrestler of the 70s. The museum is far away but if you have a lot of energy you can walk. My personal advice is to go by car.

If you are not a mommy fan my advice is to walk around Teatro Juarez and all the other sights I just talked you about.  There are tons of souvenir shops, art galleries, terraces, plazas, and cafes that you will certainly enjoy.

I also advise doing a Callejoneada Walk before coming back to San Miguel just after the sun comes down. In front of Teatro Juarez are students dressed in a funny way offering Callejoneadas. In colonial times students used to walk through the city singing love songs.

If you stay until night and do the Callejoneada you should be very tired because of the long day. If so I advise staying one night in Guanajuato to be more relaxed. If not try to go back to San Miguel de Allende around 6 pm.