6 best day trips from San Miguel de Allende

Day trips compared

The day trips

14 km · About 20 minutes by road

1.Sanctuary of Atotonilco

This 18th-century sanctuary is covered inside with folk-baroque murals of Biblical scenes, painted over decades by Miguel Antonio Martínez de Pocasangre. It is part of the same UNESCO listing as San Miguel, and Miguel Hidalgo took a banner of the Virgin of Guadalupe from here in 1810. Pilgrims still come for spiritual retreats.

Getting there

Taxi, local bus or tour

Best for

Culture, Quiet stays

95 km · About 1.5 hours by road

2.Guanajuato

The state capital fills a narrow ravine with colourful houses, plazas and underground roads that follow old river tunnels. Highlights include the Teatro Juárez, the Alhóndiga de Granaditas, the funicular to the Pípila monument, the Callejón del Beso and student callejoneada serenades in the evenings.

Getting there

First-class bus, tour or car

Best for

First-timers, Culture, Couples

40 km · About 45 minutes by road

3.Dolores Hidalgo

The town where Miguel Hidalgo launched the War of Independence in 1810 with his call to arms from the parish church. It is known for its Talavera-style ceramics workshops, ice-cream carts with unusual flavours on the main plaza and nearby vineyards.

Getting there

Local bus, tour or car

Best for

Culture, Shopping, Families

70 km · About 1–1.25 hours by road

4.Querétaro

A larger colonial city with a well-kept UNESCO-listed centre of plazas, pedestrian streets and baroque churches, and a long 18th-century aqueduct of stone arches. Its restaurants and plazas are lively in the evenings, and it has good-value shopping.

Getting there

First-class bus or car

Best for

Culture, Food lovers, Shopping

45 km · About 50 minutes by road

5.Mineral de Pozos

A former silver-mining town that was largely abandoned in the 20th century, with roofless haciendas, mine shafts and smelting chimneys on the surrounding plain. A few galleries and hotels have revived the centre, and workshops make pre-Hispanic-style musical instruments.

Getting there

Car or tour

Best for

Quiet stays, Culture

30 km · About 45 minutes by road

6.Cañada de la Virgen

An Otomí archaeological site on a hilltop southwest of San Miguel, with a stepped pyramid and sunken plazas aligned to astronomical events and wide views over the plateau. Visits are with a guide, and the walk around the site is on rough, exposed ground.

Getting there

Guided tour or car

Best for

Culture, Quiet stays

Day-trip tips

• Leave early: most trips are more relaxed with a morning departure and a return before dinner.
• First-class coaches leave from the bus station west of the centre for Guanajuato, Querétaro, León and Mexico City, while local buses run to Atotonilco and Dolores Hidalgo.
• For trips over about 150 km, an overnight stay or an organised tour saves a lot of travelling.

Questions travellers ask