One Day in Guanajuato: Everything I Wish I Knew Before Visiting

Every time I asked someone if there was anywhere else I should visit while staying in San Miguel de Allende, the answer was always the same: “You have to go to Guanajuato.” After hearing it enough times, curiosity finally won. We picked a day, threw a few things into a backpack, and decided to see what everyone had been talking about.

I'll admit, I'm the kind of traveler who likes having a plan. I usually know what time I'm leaving, where I'm staying, and I've probably looked at the menu before I even get to the restaurant. This time, though, I decided to wing it. We walked into the San Miguel de Allende Central Bus Station without buying tickets ahead of time and booked the next Primera Plus bus to Guanajuato.

I'd heard the buses were comfortable, and they definitely lived up to their reputation. We also learned that buying departure and return tickets together could save us a little money. Our round-trip tickets came to about 234 pesos per person, and roughly an hour and a half later, we were pulling into Guanajuato, curious to see whether everyone had been right.

The second we stepped off the bus, a guide approached us and asked if we wanted a tour. He started listing attractions like Teatro Juárez, Monumento al Pípila, and the Museo de las Momias, and I recognized almost everything from the recommendations people had given me. I hadn't put together an actual itinerary, but these were places I'd hoped to see. When he offered to take us to several of them, it seemed like an easy way to make the most of our day.

We agreed to join him, and he told us to meet him in the historic center a couple of hours later. That gave us some time to explore on our own, which suited me perfectly.

As we walked toward the front of the station, I was about to call an Uber when I noticed a local bus waiting outside. For just 12 pesos per person, it took us straight into Zona Centro. Since almost everything we wanted to see in the historic center was within walking distance, that little discovery saved us some money and made getting around surprisingly easy. I'd barely arrived, and already my transportation plans had been replaced by a bus I happened to notice.

The first thing I noticed about Guanajuato was that it doesn't seem to believe in straight roads. It's one of those cities where Google Maps becomes more of a suggestion than a guarantee. Streets twist between buildings, staircases appear where you expect another road, and brightly painted houses climb the hillsides in every direction.

The city also seemed to have its own soundtrack. Church bells echoed across the hillsides, music drifted out of cafés, and conversations spilled into the plazas. Every so often, we'd hear traffic disappear into the underground tunnels beneath our feet. Guanajuato was interesting enough at street level, but apparently there was another entire road system underneath it.

I'd heard people compare Guanajuato to San Miguel de Allende, but after only a few minutes, I understood how different they were. San Miguel felt polished and elegant, while Guanajuato had a more unpredictable quality that I liked almost immediately. The streets seemed to lead wherever they pleased, and I was happy to follow them.

Our first stop was La Vie en Rose for breakfast, and I wouldn't change that for anything. There's something about sitting down for coffee in a place you've just arrived that gives you a chance to get your bearings. We hadn't seen any major landmarks yet, but I was already enjoying myself.

After breakfast, we started walking. We wandered past the Basílica Colegiata de Nuestra Señora de Guanajuato, admired Teatro Juárez, stopped at Templo de San Diego, and climbed the famous steps leading to the Universidad de Guanajuato. The buildings were beautiful, but I kept getting distracted by everything between them. We'd turn down a narrow street and find another little plaza or catch a glimpse of colorful houses stacked above the rooftops.

One of my favorite stops was Jardín Unión. Families gathered on benches, musicians played nearby, and people lingered over coffee and lunch. We spent some time taking it all in before continuing through Plaza Baratillo and eventually making our way into Guanajuato's underground tunnels.

The tunnels are one of the city's most unusual features. Parts of the network originated as channels for managing the river and floodwaters, while other sections were developed for traffic. Today, they form an underground road system that makes navigating Guanajuato an experience all its own.

After spending the morning wandering through the streets above, walking through the tunnels felt like discovering another layer of the city. I was already having enough trouble figuring out where the winding streets went, and now I had to account for roads disappearing underneath them. It wasn't particularly helpful for my sense of direction, but I loved seeing how the city worked.

By the time we returned to meet our guide, we'd already covered quite a bit of ground. I was glad we'd had those first couple of hours to explore independently, especially since the tour was about to take us beyond the historic center.

Our first stop was the Museo de las Momias. I'd heard about Guanajuato's famous mummy museum before visiting, but knowing what was inside and actually standing in front of the exhibits turned out to be two very different experiences.

These weren't mummies in the way most of us imagine them. They weren't ancient Egyptian mummies wrapped in linen or intentionally preserved through elaborate rituals. As our guide explained, these were real people whose bodies had naturally mummified because of the conditions in Guanajuato's burial grounds, including the unusually dry environment and mineral-rich soil. Many were exhumed during the nineteenth century after their families could no longer afford the burial tax. What began as an unexpected discovery eventually became one of the city's most visited museums.

As we walked through the exhibits, our guide shared stories about several of the people on display. Some were fascinating, while others were heartbreaking. Seeing infants and young children among the exhibits was especially difficult. I try to approach unfamiliar cultural practices with curiosity and respect, but I walked away with mixed feelings.

I'm glad I visited because it gave me an understanding of Guanajuato's history that I wouldn't have gained from wandering around the historic center. At the same time, I found parts of the museum deeply unsettling. It wasn't my favorite stop of the day, but it was certainly one I wouldn't forget.

Afterward, we climbed back into the van and headed toward Monumento al Pípila. I was ready for a change of scenery, although I had no idea just how beautiful the view was going to be.

The monument honors Juan José de los Reyes Martínez, better known as El Pípila, a figure associated with Mexico's War of Independence. Our guide shared the story of how he supposedly strapped a large stone to his back for protection while approaching the Alhóndiga de Granaditas during the battle of 1810. According to the traditional account, he set fire to the building's wooden doors, allowing insurgent forces to enter.

I'd heard the name El Pípila before, but listening to the story while visiting Guanajuato made me more interested in the history behind the monument. Still, as soon as I looked out over the city, I understood why so many people had recommended coming up here.

From street level, Guanajuato had felt like a beautiful maze. We'd spent the morning turning corners, climbing staircases, and following alleyways without always knowing where they would lead. From above, I could finally see how everything fit together. Brightly painted homes covered the hillsides, church domes rose above the rooftops, and the streets we'd wandered through earlier were tucked between buildings that seemed to climb right up the mountains.

I could have stayed there much longer. No photograph quite captures what it feels like to stand above Guanajuato and see the city stretching across the hills in every direction. If I were visiting for just one day again, Monumento al Pípila would absolutely be on my itinerary. It was even better in person than in the photographs I'd seen beforehand.

After leaving the monument, we continued toward Zona Norte to visit Templo de San Cayetano. During this part of the tour, we also realized that several attractions required separate admission fees, even though we'd already paid for transportation and the guide. I wish that had been explained more clearly before we booked.

For anyone considering a similar tour, I'd ask exactly what's included before paying. Based on our experience, I'd also carry extra cash for admission fees, food, and small purchases. Having around 500 pesos available for those additional expenses would have given me some peace of mind, although actual costs will depend on the tour and attractions you choose.

Templo de San Cayetano was beautiful, and I can understand why people make the trip to see it. But as the afternoon went on, I found myself looking at the time more often than I was looking out the window. The drive there and back was taking up a noticeable portion of our day, and with only a few hours left before our return bus, I started thinking about the streets we hadn't explored in the historic center.

At one point, my boyfriend looked at me and smiled. I knew exactly what he was thinking because I'd been thinking the same thing. “I was just thinking the same thing,” I laughed before he could even ask.

Neither of us was unhappy with the tour. We'd visited places we might not have reached on our own, and the stories from our guide had added something valuable to the experience. We just realized that we wanted to spend the rest of the afternoon differently.

So we thanked our guide, called an Uber, and headed back to Zona Centro. With a longer visit, I might have enjoyed completing the tour. But on a day trip, the time spent driving between attractions was beginning to feel more noticeable, especially when there was still so much we wanted to explore on foot.

Back in the historic center, we bought a couple of coconut waters from a street vendor. It had turned into one of those hot afternoons where even standing in the shade felt like a luxury, so we found a quiet spot and took a break.

We were tired from walking, and the heat had caught up with us. I remember standing there with a coconut water in my hand, watching people go about their afternoon and feeling perfectly content. We'd spent the day visiting famous landmarks and hearing stories about people who had lived centuries before us, yet I still remember how good that coconut water tasted.

Once we'd cooled off, we made our way toward Callejón del Beso. It had been on my list from the beginning, and I knew I'd regret leaving without seeing it. If you've ever searched for Guanajuato online, you've probably come across photographs of the famous alley where two balconies sit so close together they almost touch.

I'd heard the legend from our guide earlier in the day, and I was especially curious to see the place where the story was set.

According to local tradition, a young woman named Doña Carmen fell in love with a miner named Don Luis despite her father's disapproval. Determined to stay close to her, Don Luis acquired the house across the narrow alley, allowing them to meet secretly from their balconies.

When her father discovered the relationship, the story takes a tragic turn. According to the legend, he fatally stabbed Carmen, and Don Luis reached across the narrow space to kiss her hand one last time. That final kiss is said to be how Callejón del Beso, or the Alley of the Kiss, got its name.

Today, the alley has a much happier tradition attached to it. Couples visit to kiss on the famous third step beneath the balconies, which is said to bring good luck in love. Different versions of the legend promise different numbers of lucky years, but the general idea is the same. I wasn't about to test the alternative.

What surprised me was how small the alley actually was. I'd seen photographs of it so many times, but standing there in person, I hadn't expected the balconies to be quite so close together. There was barely any space separating the buildings, which made it easy to understand how a story about two people falling in love across that narrow gap had become such a famous part of the city.

Afterward, we wandered through the historic center again, passing streets and buildings we'd seen earlier. This time, I wasn't checking off landmarks. I was noticing little corners we'd missed that morning and wondering where the staircases disappearing between buildings might lead.

Eventually, we had to make our way back to catch the bus to San Miguel de Allende. I'd enjoyed the tour, especially the stories and the chance to visit places outside the center, but I'd plan my time differently if I returned. Rather than making another day trip, I'd spend a few nights in Guanajuato so I could explore without constantly keeping an eye on the clock.

I'd probably fly into the nearby airport and stay in the city itself. There were still cafés I wanted to try, streets I hadn't gotten around to exploring, and places I'd noticed in passing that deserved more than a hurried look.

By the time we boarded the bus, I understood why everyone in San Miguel de Allende had given me the same recommendation. They'd been right about Guanajuato, and I was glad we'd listened. I just wished someone had mentioned that after spending one day there, the hardest part might be getting back on the bus.