In 2022, when we were visiting some vendors that Steve works with in Mexico, we learned about San Miguel de Allende. They told us about the beauty and what a gem of a city it is. Fast forward to 2023, and we all met in San Miguel for a few days for a work/pleasure trip. It was everything I wanted it to be and then some! The gorgeous colors, architecture, history, food and drink, and overall vibe of the city makes for an excellent getaway. I’m hoping to offer you a glimpse into the city as well as share some logistics. As someone who enjoys aesthetics and details, this place absolutely delivers. Here’s how to spend three days in San Miguel de Allende!
Why San Miguel de Allende?
Steve works closely with a business in Mexico. Who better to give advice about where to travel in Mexico than Mexican Nationals themselves! The secret is out about this quaint town because it’s very touristy. Not in a bad way, but there are a lot of American and European tourists. Many have second homes here. Some come back to stay year after year. It’s that good!
We were also told that people from other parts of Mexico come to visit San Miguel for the weekend. San Miguel has a population of around 175,000 people and the streets are narrow and colorful. There are no stoplights. You can walk pretty much everywhere. The aesthetics are dreamy. No obvious chain restaurants/businesses. It’s appealing on many levels! At the center of the city is The Parroquia, the main church, and icon of the city. It’s massive and beautiful and lights up at night.
How to Get to San Miguel de Allende
San Miguel de Allende is a mountain town near the center of Mexico. It’s about a four hour drive north from Mexico City. From Kansas City, we flew American Airlines to Dallas. We had a short layover and flew into Queretero. This is the largest city near San Miguel with an international airport. Once you land in Queretero, you will need transportation to San Miguel, which is about an hour and a half drive from the airport. This is what helps keep San Miguel as sort of a destination because it’s not “easy” to get to. It’s not hard, but you have to drive into the city, which means you can’t fly directly to San Miguel (commercially). We arranged transportation from the airport through our hotel.
Is San Miguel Safe?
When I polled you on Instagram stories, the main question I received about San Miguel was about safety. Yes, San Miguel is safe! We never once felt otherwise. The restaurant staff, hotel staff, shop owners, taxi drivers, tour guides we all wonderful. This is a tourist town, so it is designed to stay that way. We walked around at night and it felt safe. We had to catch a few taxis and they wait right outside of our hotel, so it’s easy access and they are marked taxis.
The group we came with have been to San Miguel many times over the years and they also shared the same sentiment, that it is safe for travelers. San Miguel is designed to be walkable and to be out and about!
Where We Stayed
The work partners we met in San Miguel, who live in a different part of Mexico, planned the trip. Nice, right?! They chose the most perfect hotel in a great location and I would highly recommend it. It’s a boutique hotel with a pool and breakfast. Fabulous rooms, modern art, colorful walls, we just loved it. You can find the hotel website here, the name is Concepcion Hotel. We were able to walk right out of our hotel and catch a taxi, walk to restaurants and shopping, and the city center. Here are some views of the hotel, inside and outside our room. Most hotels and restaurants here have open air courtyards. Dreamy!
Length of Stay
We left Kansas City on Tuesday morning and arrived to San Miguel de Allende in the afternoon. Our flight out was in the afternoon on Friday. Therefore, we had 2.5 days and 3 nights total. Because San Miguel is relatively small, we felt this was a good amount of time. Of course, we could have definitely stayed and explored, shopped, ate and drank more, but we were able to get a feel for the city in this amount of time. One thing we did notice is that it definitely got busier starting on Thursday. People are coming in for a weekend trip from all over the world as well as from different parts of Mexico. Tuesday and Wednesday were great days to visit! I hope you will travel here at any time, but during the week was wonderful!
Weather / What to Pack
San Miguel is in the mountains so it stays fairly temperate. Another reason to love it here. We heard that it rains a lot in San Miguel, but it never did while we were there. We traveled to San Miguel in mid-October and the weather was fall perfection! It was in the 70s during the day and 50s at night. My biggest piece of advice is to dress in layers. It did feel warmer during the day, but as soon as the sun went down, we needed a jacket. You have to remember that everything is outside here! Restaurants and rooftops have umbrellas and retractable roofs in case it rains or it’s super hot. But, be prepared to just be outside.
I packed a heavier coatigan and a denim jacket for the evenings. I also packed a light scarf to wrap around my neck, shoulders, or legs as needed. Don’t forget comfortable shoes! An absolute must. Overall, I wore white sneakers with every outfit. The cobblestone streets, hills, and narrow sidewalks make it difficult to navigate without proper shoes. Because it does get cooler at night, all of the rooftops we went to had blankets and portable heaters for the guests.
Steve wore light khakis, joggers, jeans, sneakers, and a light jacket. A light sweater would be good for the evenings.
What to Do in San Miguel de Allende
Basically, you come to San Miguel to explore the streets, eat, drink, shop, and relax! This is exactly what we did! We had one tour that the people we were with arranged through our hotel, which we enjoyed. Imagine shops, restaurants, rooftops, and bars behind every door you walk by – it’s hard to wrap your head around! You can access all of this easily by just walking around.
- Tour – We took a sprinter van and toured an old town/church, saw views of the city from above, went to an artisan shop. Our tour guide gave us the history of San Miguel and what a role religion plays here. It was informative and I enjoyed it! You can book tours through your hotel. This church holds mass daily in the small town of 2,000 people. The details inside are incredible.
- Rooftop Restaurants – Known for rooftops, this was our favorite way to eat! Outside with a view! This part of San Miguel was such a treat for us. The food is delicious and fresh and the cocktails are wonderful. Mezcal and tequila of course! We ate at and would recommend Atrio, Quince, Case de Sierra Nevada, Hacman’s Cocina, Rosewood Hotel.
- We enjoyed ceviche, steak, sushi, chilaquiles, mezcal drinks, spicy margaritas, tacos, burgers, desserts. Our Mexican friends introduced us to Carajillos last year when we got together. It’s a Mexican coffee drink made with espresso and Liqor 43. They drink these after a large meal and they are delicious (see last photo)! Everything here is colorful, fresh, beautiful, delicious. It was such a treat for us as foodies to explore this city.
- Shopping: You can literally find local shops around every turn! We also went to a local artisan market that we walked to from our hotel. I found a hand woven, textured basket for my kitchen. And I bought my mom a really cool planter from a store called Trinitate, which is know for their stone pots and planters.
Dia de Muertos
If you are lucky enough to be in San Miguel (or anywhere in Mexico) during the time leading up to the Day of the Dead, you are in for a treat! As we were in San Miguel, more and more decorations were being put up around the city in preparation for this day where Mexicans honor their loved ones who have passed. Think bright colors, decorated skulls and skeletons, marigolds, etc. It is all so beautiful and we were lucky to capture it.
Final Thoughts
- Are you still with me?! I hope this has been helpful if you are thinking about a trip to San Miguel! Steve and I would highly recommend a trip. It’s a perfect destination for couples, a girl’s trip, etc. I’m not sure our kids would have appreciated it as much as we did. We did a lot of eating and drinking and walking and shopping. They would have been fine, but I would recommend going with adults. It was too cold to swim when we were there, so that might be an option in the warmer months.
- Other things to do in San Miguel that we heard about but didn’t get to: tequila tasting at Casa Dragones (make a reservation ahead of time), Hot Springs, walking tours, cooking classes, wine tasting
- Cost: I would say that our hotel and food and drink were similar prices to the US. San Miguel is not “cheap” Mexico. But it also not fancy by any means. I would say it is pretty casual and laid back.
- You cannot even imagine what is behind all of the door and buildings lining the streets! It is unassuming and then you walk inside to gorgeous stores and restaurants and homes. We were actually taking a photo of a door when two Americans walked out. They had just purchased the home behind the door this year and were preparing to host a party. They invited us inside to tour their home. A gorgeous courtyard gave way to a huge home with stunning views, a carriage house, and old world charm. I was blown away! Time to start looking for property, Steve!
- I fell in love with the color mostly. Also, the plants and the details. The natural elements of stone and tile and the texture of the walls and streets. Truly an aesthetic paradise.
- The locals in San Miguel are lovely and helpful and the service is wonderful.
I hope this helps with how to spend three days in San Miguel de Allende! We truly enjoyed it and it’s accessible for Americans! Safe travels! XO