Road trip through Guanajuato

Magical towns, abandoned mines, and colonial towns, this state has that and more. Read my list of top things to do in Guanajuato and plan your trip!

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When someone talks about Guanajuato, most people refer to the city. However, you’ll miss out if you don’t explore the state.

The state of Guanajuato has a lot of culture, mining ghost towns, colonial history, sanctuaries, cobble stone towns, and beautiful sights. It is a jewel you will want to keeping going back to. And you’ll want to stay.

Best of all, it is only a short 4-hour drive from Guadalajara (or a 5-hour drive from Mexico City) which are the major airports that offer low cost flights.

In this blog I describe our road trip through the state of Guanajuato—home of the birth of Mexico’s Independence, and some of the most famous colonial cities in Mexico.

Mineral de Pozos

Mineral de Pozos is a very small town with a peaceful main square surrounded by a few local restaurants. People go and hang out to spend an evening there. In addition to this, though, there are also spas and some other amenities around. It is a very unique balance of small town with little tourists, and amenities.

What attracted us most to Mineral de Pozos were the ruins of its historic mining center. You can enjoy them by bike, horse, or guided tours. You can go into an old mine, and explore as well.

This is one of my top pueblos mágicos in all of Mexico!

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Guanajuato

The town of Guanajuato is a UNESCO World Heritage city founded in the late 1550’s due to the gold and silver found there. This city deserves a full blog on its own. Every time I take a road trip through the state, I have to allocate multiple days to this city.

Although Guanajuato is a bit large and technically not a pueblo magico, walking its narrow alleys (or callejones), and seeing the cars surface from tunnels, truly makes it an inviting environment. There is a certain small-town feel to this city.

You also have to enjoy Guanajuato’s callejonadas. They are a traditional mix of music, humor, legend telling, and an overall good time. These are mainly sang in Spanish, so you’ll have to brush up on the local language first!

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San Miguel de Allende

San Miguel de Allende offers beautiful colonial architecture to admire and plenty of cobble-stone streets to enjoy. It has attracted a large number of Americans to the region, but from a Mexican national’s perspective, the city still carries a lot of its Mexican charm. 

This town is meant to be enjoyed at a slow pace. Walk its streets, sit in its main square, admire its churches, and visit its markets. There is a good number of hotels with wide array of amenities to accommodate any type of visitor.

This place is great for taking beautiful pictures and to relax. It remains a highly recommended place to visit in Guanajuato and all of Mexico.

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Atotonilco

Atotonilco houses a sanctuary that is considered a UNESCO World Heritage site. It showcases an expression of baroque murals that gets dubbed as the Sistine Chapel of Mexico.

This place is also known for a couple of other facts. This is where the priest Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla stopped to take the estandarte (banner) of the Virgin of Guadalupe as the battle for independence begun. Furthermore, this is where Ignacio Allende—another independence hero—got married.

Outside of the church you find several food vendors (excellent food) and souvenir stands.

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Dolores

Dolores is a small town with a charming, tree-filled main square, and relaxed atmosphere.

It is also a very important place in Mexican independence history. It was from the town’s church that Miguel Hidalgo made the cry for independence on the early morning of September 16^th to begin the war against the Spanish.

Today, you can relax at its main square, visit museums such as Hidalgo’s home, Museo del Bicentenario, and Museo de la Independencia Nacional. You can also try an array of exotic flavored ice-creams at the main square.

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Cerro del Cubilete

This is an emblematic, religious shrine in Mexico. There is a Cristo Rey at the top of the Cerro del Cubilete. The hill stands almost 9000 ft tall. It is a few minutes’ drive up the hill with some good sights of the towns around, along with some vendors along the way. 

Locals find this to be a very spiritual place. During our visit, there was a bus there from religious visitors from nearby towns.

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Yuriria

Yuriria is a small town with hardly any tourists. This is one of those jewels that fall in the ‘road less traveled’ bucket. This town was very laid back.

We visited during the Christmas season, and we got to see an elementary school perform at the main square some seasonal dances. 

The town hosts an ex-convent built in the 1500’s. It showcases the architecture of the time.  Yuriria also has a laguna, which is a nice site at sundown. 

This is a perfect stop to get away from crowds, and experience a pueblo magico.

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We truly enjoyed our visit Guanajuato and we think you will also enjoy it. If you have any questions or comments be sure to let me know in the comments section. And if you are a Pinterest user help us by pinning our blog to your board!

I also have itineraries to other great places. Be sure to check them out!