Travel Guide: San Miguel De Allende
San Miguel De Allende is everything we hoped for and more. A completely charming, fairly quiet city with the kindest people, most beautiful streets, so much to see and even more to eat. The cobblestone streets and jewel toned facades will have you wandering all day which more beauty behind each turn you take!
Traveling to San Miguel is easy, we flew into QRO which is an easy 1 hour and 25 min drive in SMDA! It’s also a 3 hour drive from Mexico City if you’re planning on heading there first (we did San Miguel first & drove to CDMX afterwards). We hired a driver to pick us up from the airport, take us on a day trip tour to Guanajuato (more about that below) and drive us to Mexico City. After all of our research we felt that hiring a local to drive us the long distances was the safest option. We were recommended Antonio from a family friend and he was AWESOME. Super friendly and very knowledgable. If you’re looking for a driver or guide you can reach Antonio at AntonioGomezh@yahoo.com.mx - let him know I recommended him!
The charm is just where San Miguel starts. Let’s break down all there is to see, eat, do & best spots to stay! We did LOADS of research before this trip and I’m confident that these recs are the best of the best in San Miguel!
WHERE TO STAY
We stayed at Casa Sierra Nevada and it was STUNNING! We loved the room, the pool, the location and the service was all impeccable! We weren’t impressed by the food at the hotel restaurants (but in experience it’s best to eat outside of your hotel when traveling anyways)! We absolutely loved our stay and would surely stay again.
Other recommendations:
Airbnb! We are headed back to San Miguel tomorrow actually and opted for Airbnb this time around. There are a ton of affordable Airbnb options. Our specific Airbnb also gave us information for a private chef, in home masseuse and they also stock the fridge with your requested groceries upon arrival! San Miguel is quite affordable so having a private chef will actually cost less for four of us than our dinners at our previous hotel cost for two. Highly recommend this option! If we love the chef, airbnb and masseuse, I’ll update this post with all that info too!
We are actually headed back tomorrow for what was going to be one of my closest child hood friends weddings (& also happens to be my 30th bday weekend so it’s a double celebration). The story is kind of comical. About a month after Sam & I booked our trip, one of my best friends decided to get married in this same town the day after my birthday! Fast forward to one week ago when she actually had to cancel her wedding due to covid. Super super bummed for her but also excited because her family, my family and a few other friends are still headed that way. So it will be a small celebration but still very grateful to be able to reunite! We live on opposite ends of the country so I really can’t wait to see her!!!
Below are the hotels recommended by her local to San Miguel wedding planner so I’d bet they’re super trusty recs!
WHERE TO EAT
Quince: Another amazing rooftop with great food and a fun, upbeat vibe!
Panio: amazing bakery and great cafe next door for breakfast!
El Manantial: one of the most famous local bars! Famous for their ginger margaritas and tacos! There are two but go to the one in Baranca!
La Parada: Peruvian
Tacos San Francisco: one of the best taco carts in San Miguel!
Bovine: delish French bistro
Aperi: they have an incredible tasting menu and an option to do the chefs table if you want an experience!!!
WHERE TO SHOP
There is incredible shopping in San Miguel. I highly recommend wandering the streets and walking in anywhere that looks interesting! Tons of amazing local artisans. You’ll find everything from inexpensive souvenirs like hand beaded animalitos to handmade designer pieces that are $$$. Evern if you’re not buying (we didn’t buy anything but my new cowboy hat which I found at the local market listed below) but it was so fun looking at all of the incredible Mexican made designs. Don’t miss:
Mercado De San Juan Dios: The local mercado where I found my cowboy hat! This is the market where all the locals do their shopping. We didn’t see another tourist in there and it was one of our favorite stops of the trip! They also have AMAZING looking food vendors inside. We were bummed because we had just eaten lunch but I will definitely go back here and eat my way through!
Aquila Brasa
Aurora Factory: incredible art gallery absolutely worth a visit whether you’re looking to buy or not! There is also a restaurant inside which was quite good! Save at least 1.5-2 hours to explore here!
HELPFUL TIPS
SNEAKERS/comfy shoes! The streets are cobblestone so dress your feet accordingly.
The weather fluctuates in a major way. It’s COLD in the AM and HOT in the afternoons. Often even felt cold in the shade but hot in the sun so just pack layers!
Get pesos before you go! Most places take credit cards but to shop at the local markets or eat street food you’ll want pesos. There are plenty of ATMS in San Miguel but the lines were always SUPER long. So best to get pesos before you travel!
Uber, don’t taxi. Advice we were given- we actually were on foot the entire time in San Miguel though! Didn’t uber once!
San Miguel feels extremely safe. The locals are kind and welcoming. I always recommend being aware of your surroundings, especially in a place you don’t know, but we never once felt even a little unsafe here!
Take a mask with you always! We were so extremely impressed by the care the locals give in both San Miguel and CDMX. There is a high vaccination rate AND locals wear masks EVERYWHERE including outdoors. We of course wore ours everywhere inside (it’s required) but we often time put on masks in busier spots outdoors to because we wanted to be respectful of the locals. They’ve done a great job at keeping covid cases low so best to show care and respect and stay masked when you’re in crowded areas outdoors too!
WHAT TO DO
EAT! The food is amazing so just save room.
Walk the streets. The whole town is gorgeous so save some time to get lost and wander in and out of stores.
The botanical garden is supposed to be amazing! It’s about a 10 min drive from the city center. We didn’t make it last trip but plan to visit this weekend!
Aurora Factory: A must visit
Visit Las Bellas Artes
Get a massage! We had massages at the spa at Casa Sierra Nevada and they were HEAVENLY. Highly recommend a visit.
Take a day trip to Guanajuato! Antonio took us here for an afternoon (his info is above) and it was incredible! Guanajuato has a major French influence and the town truly feels like Europe. It’s worth doing a day trip if you have time! Here are some photos from our day there:
Have any other questions about San Miguel, let me know! Have recommendations of your own that I may have missed? Would love to hear them! Please leave in the comments!
xx Ali