Trip: January 2018
Below is our Top 5 Things To Do in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico part of the Just Carrying On – Top 5 Things To Do series. These lists are favorite activities, eats, and drinks from our travels around the world—in no particular order.
After spending 4 nights in Mexico City, one of our favorite cities in the world, we took a 4-hour, $25USD bus ride to San Miguel de Allende from the Mexico Norte Bus Terminal in Mexico City. We road Primera Plus and this was definitely the nicest bus ride of our lives. There were two bathrooms on board! We bought our tickets in advance and it was a great experience but you can probably show up and get a ticket (and you also probably don’t need such a nice bus…) We then spent 5 nights in San Miguel before busing back to Mexico City for our flight. There is a smaller airport, Leon, that is only 1 1/2 hours from San Miguel, but flights are often more expensive.
1. Historical Walking Tour
For such a small town, a lot of history was made in San Miguel. It was an early stop on the road to Mexico City at the start of the Mexican Revolution and the sight of a famous art school, for example. This tour is the only walking tour we’ve been on in a small city (as most are in the major city centers), but there was no shortage of information. And historical facts always help a place come alive. This tour is also special in that it is run for the benefit of a local NGO that provides medical care to the poor in the rural areas around San Miguel. On the other hand it also means it is run by retired gringos. Nevertheless it is a walking tour that is worth your time and donation.
Google Maps / Trip Advisor / Company website
2. Jugo Verde in the Mercado Ignacio Ramirez
While traveling through Mexico I quickly became obsessed with Jugo Verde, a delicious green juice typically comprised of fresh squeezed orange juice, pineapple, parsley, celery and cactus. For a few dollars you can buy a liter of the delicious juice at one of the stalls in the Mercado. I tried to go every day. Enter the market from the street Colegio, the doors on the left will take you directly towards the food.
3. Juan’s Cafe
You’ll spot Juan’s Cafe as you are approaching, because the buttons and t-shirts overflow onto the sidewalk with slogans such as ‘Make America Mexico Again’ and other phrases we can’t re-type. If you voted for Trump, you probably won’t enjoy Juan’s (dare I say our blog either, so you’re probably fine). Juan himself serves up a strong and delicious cup of coffee and we hear a good bagel and lox too. Also, in January Juan was selling bootlegged sets of the Oscar Nominee movies to watch in your abode in the evenings. We didn’t buy the full set but we did buy a few, and all but one worked just great.
4. Don Taco Tequila
The best place we found for veggie tacos in town, with some delicious cocktails, all for middle of the road prices. The decor inside is charming but not over the top. There were three or four different types of creative vegetarian tacos that we sampled, and after having wandered the streets with growling stomachs vainly searching for just such a thing, we were delighted to find Don Taco and fork over the extra pesos for the delicious food.
5. Luna’s Rooftop Tapas Bar in Rosewood Hotel
Enjoy the best view of San Miguel by coordinating happy hour with the sunset to watch the light soften over the hills and colonial church as you sip your mezcal margarita. The hotel itself is beautiful as well. It is a pretty fancy place, so maybe show up in the nicer duds you brought to Mexico.
Honorable Mentions
One of the best things about San Miguel is the quality of the food. We ate at far more places that the list above and below include, and many of them were quite good. This is the reason our Honorable Mentions list includes more than one or two recommendations. For a small town, the many options surprise and delight.
El Manatial: The shrimp tacos are amazing. That is why you should go.
Escondido Place: We debated visiting these hot springs based on the mixed reviews we received, and our own recommendation is equally mixed. We went in the morning to ‘beat the rush’ but instead we beat the sun and found ourselves shivering in lukewarm pools. Eventually, however, we found the more discrete pool in the back and down below. It is more like a cave that leads to another cave. And if you exit between the two and walk up a small path you can enter a third dome. These pools were the reason for the recommendation.
La Mezcalería: For a lovely night out, with the best mezcal margaritas in San Miguel and the most delicious plater of roasted vegetables, stop by La Mezcalería. The ambiance is wonderful, with lovely lighting and a simple, clean design.
Chocolate cake at Pegaso: Legit, moist, rich, delicious chocolate cake. If you’re obsessed, like we are, stop in just for the cake.
Top 5 Things To Do in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico is part of our Just Carrying On – Top 5 Things To Do series, which offers our best travel recommendations from around the world.