Colorful hilly Mexican town with lots of culture and museums.
Guanajuato is a perfect-sized town. Small enough to feel like you saw all the main parts in 2 days. Big enough for you to discover more and more should you decide to live there. It’s a hill city with lots of angled streets and corners to wander around. On the hills you can see colorful views of houses and buildings on the other hills.
There’s also a full range of “real Mexico” life here. Nice and fancy shops/restaurants as well as more cheap local shops/eateries. It’s fun, it’s beautiful. And worth exploring from the usual beach-side Mexico.
Where to stay:
- Along “De Sopena” street – try to be as close as you can to De Sopena street. Keep in mind that the closer you are to it, the noisier it is during the afternoon and night. (Mornings are quiet since people are still passed out, hahaha.) De Sopena actually takes on other street names depending on which direction you go. To make things easy, I’m gonna refer to this as the “main street”.
- North of the “main street” – obviously, you can’t be on De Sopena as it’s full of shops and stuff. So hostels and AirBnB’s are usually up the hills either north or south of the main street. North is more lit up at night (considered safer), has more museums and things to do during the day. Also the university is here. IMO, this is the best area to get. It’s closer to more things to do and safer.
- South of the “main street” – literally nothing here except the Pipila Monument (beautiful lookout spot). This side is less lit up at night and considered “dangerous” although I didn’t have any issues when I wandered around. But you might choose this side since it’s cheaper.
In all honesty, Guanajuato centro is small enough that whether you choose north or south of the main street shouldn’t matter too much. Both won’t have much to do during the night. It’s just during the day that you might find the north side to have more things to do and more beautiful parts to walk. But the walking distance between them is negligible. The most important is to stay close to the main street.
Yes, there are probably worthwhile neighborhoods outside of the centro as well, but I haven’t been here long enough to know. I do know Guanajuato is a favorite spot where many travelers settle but I don’t know where.
Should you care if you place has a view? Yes the hillside views are very attraction and unique quality of GTA. But in my opinion, I would pick a place on its proximity to the center areas that you want to go…and that it’s quiet enough to your preference. Guanajuato can be really loud at nights depending where you are.
Hostels:
- I didn’t try any, sorry. But I did see some in great central areas.
Neighborhoods & Walking areas:
- “Main street” – is the street where you’ll see most of the stores, restaurants, and people walking around. I call it the main street, but it’s actually one physical street that takes on several names. The most main part of this main street for me is called De Sopena. Going east on De Sopena, it becomes Manuel Doblado. Going west on De Sopena, it becomes Luis Gonzalez Obregon then De Paz then Avenida Benito Juarez.
- Museum street – go to the area with the Diego Rivera House Museum, and walk down to towards the Museo Iconográfico del Quijote. You’ll see many other museums nearby and real good ones to check out.
- Pipila Monument lookout – 10 minutes of walking up steep hills and stairs and you see beautiful views of the city during the day and night. Be careful at night as a local told me that area is a little dangerous. It has some robbers but you’ll be fine if you’re in a group. FWIW, I was totally fine walking up and down alone. Maybe it’s because the night I went was more cold/windy. Btw, some tour buses take you here too.
Activities to do:
- AVOID bus tours – do not listen to those clowns with the booth on the street selling bus tours for $150-250MXN. They are an absolute waste of your precious time. You’ll feel the scam within the first 10 minutes. They just drop you off at tourist museums and souvenir/candy shops. I think the only one worth doing is the $100mxn tram that drives around the whole town in 1.5hrs.
- Funicular – a tram that quickly climbs the hill and easily gives you panoramic views of the city from up above. A nice (and cheap) option for those who don’t want to climb the hills.
Restaurants & Cafes:
- Banh Mi – hip little Vietnamese spot with lots of foreigners or cool locals. The quality is good, although flavors are modified to fit the local Mexican palate. FWIW, my 65 year old Vietnamese mother liked it. We both agree it’s not 100% authentic but it’s still good. If you want exactly pinpoint authentic Vietnamese the way it’s made in Vietnam or other Vietnamese neighborhoods in the US/Canada, this probably won’t hit the spot for you.
- La Tasca De La Paz – great view in front of a church and busy street. Prices considered expensive for locals, but still cheap for foreigners. Food quality was exactly average. Good enough to eat, but not like amazing.
- Mercado de Gavira – super cheap place to eat breakfast or lunch. My full plate of enchiladas and chicken and fresh-squeezed orange juice was like $7usd. The Mercado Hidalgo shopping area right next to it has good/cheap local food places inside as well.
Bars & Clubs:
- Pulques “El Guiso” – only walked by but I liked the music and vibe.
I didn’t try any because I travelled here with my mom and we weren’t about that vibe. But I did spot some places I wanted to try. FYI: things are usually closed down (or early) on Sundays and Mondays because people work.
Miscellaneous tips:
- Safety – a local explained to me that wherever is lit up at night is safe. Wherever is dark, is considered dangerous (with robbers/thieves)…but you’ll be fine if you’re in a group, it’s only bad if you’re alone. The side of town with the university and museums is well-lit and considered safe at night. The side of town with the Pipila lookout monument is considered dark and dangerous. For what it’s worth, I didn’t know this and went to the Pipila at night with no issues.
Nearby towns:
- San Miguel de Allende – super nice and totally worth checking out. Super easy, cute, colorful, posh, beautiful. Great restaurants and shops. Touristy in a good way.
- Leon – haven’t been.