3 days of tunnels, alleys and mummies in Guanajuato

Guanajuato's old centre, on foot, with plenty of steps. A garden shaded by trimmed trees, a grand theatre, a basilica on a quiet square, a university with a white stair front and a legendary alley where the balconies almost touch.

1. Breakfast

   Chilaquiles and coffee

   Fried tortilla pieces in red or green sauce, with cream and cheese, and a strong coffee, in a cafe around the main garden.

   Local tip Ask for the sauce on the side if you want to control the heat.
2. 1
   Morning

   Jardín de la Unión

   The triangular garden at the heart of the old town, with trimmed laurel trees, a bandstand and benches, set between a theatre and an old church. It is where the city sits down to talk, and a good place to start.

   Go when Morning, with a coffee, or at dusk when the bandstand fills.

   Local tip Take a bench in the shade and watch the town. Musicians often play here in the evening, and the cafes around the edge are the place to sit.

   About 2 min walkunder 0.1 km
3. 2
   Morning

   Teatro Juárez

   A theatre from the turn of the 20th century, beside the garden, with a front of columns and bronze figures on its roofline. Inside, the halls mix Moorish and Roman styles in rich colour. Check ahead on when visitors can go in.

   Go when Morning, before the garden fills.

   Local tip Look up at the bronze figures on the roofline before you go in. Check ahead on visiting, since a working theatre can close for rehearsals or shows.

   

   About 2 min walk0.1 km
4. 3
   Midday

   Basilica of Our Lady of Guanajuato

   A baroque basilica on the Plaza de la Paz, its walls painted a warm yellow, holding an old statue of the Virgin that is the patron of the city. The plaza around it is ringed by the grand houses of silver barons. A working church, so stay quiet during services.

   Go when Midday, outside the hours of services.

   Local tip A working church, so cover your shoulders and stay quiet. Stand on the square afterwards and look at the old houses of the silver barons around it.

   

5. Lunch

   Enchiladas mineras

   The miners' enchiladas, a dish of Guanajuato: corn tortillas dipped in a chili sauce, filled with cheese, folded and served with potato, carrot and chicken.

   Local tip Eat them hot, and try them with a cold fruit water.

   About 2 min walkunder 0.1 km
6. 4
   Afternoon

   University of Guanajuato

   The main building of the university, whose white stair front climbs the hill above the old centre. The school began as a Jesuit college in the 1700s. Go up the steps to the top for a view over the roofs, and see the students passing, since this is a student city.

   Go when Afternoon, when the light is soft on the white stone.

   Local tip The steps are wide and long, so go slowly. From the top there is a good look back over the roofs and the church domes.

   

   About 4 min walk0.4 km
7. 5
   Evening

   Callejón del Beso

   The Alley of the Kiss, so narrow that the balconies of the houses on both sides almost touch. The legend tells of two lovers whose families were enemies, who met at those balconies. Go in the evening, when it is cooler, and be ready to wait your turn with others.

   Go when Early evening (about 6:43 PM), once the day has cooled.

   Local tip The alley is very narrow and often busy, so be patient and polite. Do not lean from balconies and mind your step on the stairs.

8. Dinner

   Tacos and a stroll

   A plate of tacos from a small place on a side street near the garden, then a slow evening walk past the lit churches.

   Local tip Choose a busy stall with a short wait, a sign that the food moves fast.

The western side and the high ground above it. A market hall, the old grain exchange of the independence war, the museum of the mummies in the west, then a funicular ride at the end of the day to the monument and the lookout over the whole city.

1. Breakfast

   Fresh juice and sweet bread

   A glass of fresh orange or mixed fruit juice and a sweet roll, picked up from the stalls of the market hall.

   Local tip Ask for what is in season.
2. 1
   Morning

   Mercado Hidalgo

   A market hall of iron and stone from the early 1900s, with stalls of fruit, spices, sweets, pottery and leather on two levels. Eat a plate of something hot upstairs and buy a few local candies to carry.

   Go when Morning, when the stalls are fullest.

   Local tip Eat upstairs among the stalls and ask for a local dish. Hold your bag in front of you, since the aisles are crowded.

   

   About 2 min walk0.2 km
3. 2
   Midday

   Alhóndiga de Granaditas

   A fortress-like grain exchange built in the late 1700s, where an early battle of the independence war was fought in 1810. It later served as a granary and a prison, and today it is a regional museum with murals by Mexican painters. A sober, important building.

   Go when Midday, as an indoor stop.

   Local tip Look for the murals inside, which tell the story of the independence war. Read the plaques in Spanish if you can, as they give the details.

   

4. Lunch

   A guacamaya torta

   A roll of crisp pork rind and pork, topped with onion, coriander and a sharp green sauce, a classic street sandwich of Guanajuato.

   Local tip The sauce is hot, so add a little at a time.

   About 11 min walk0.9 km
5. 3
   Afternoon

   Museo de las Momias

   A museum of mummies from the city cemetery, bodies preserved naturally in the dry ground and shown behind glass. It is a famous stop in Mexico, and not for everyone, so decide for yourself. It sits on the western edge of the city, a short bus or taxi ride from the centre.

   Go when Afternoon, when you can spare the ride out.

   Local tip It can be upsetting, and some of the display is of very young people. Think before you take children, and keep your voice low inside. Cars and buses run past, so wait on the footpath.

6. Treat

   Candies and charamuscas

   Twisted candy sticks and small sweets of milk and nuts, sold by the street vendors, the kind a child in Guanajuato eats on a hill walk.

   Local tip Buy a mixed handful and share.

   About 17 min walk1.4 km
7. 4
   Evening

   Pípila Lookout

   A tall monument on a hill above the old centre, to a miner called El Pípila, who by legend carried a stone slab on his back to help set fire to the gates of the grain exchange in 1810. Ride the funicular up from the old centre, or climb the steps, and look out over the coloured roofs.

   Go when Late afternoon into evening (about 6:43 PM), as the lights come on.

   Local tip Take the funicular up and walk the steps down if your knees allow it. The view of the coloured houses at dusk is the reason to come. Keep your valuables close and leave before it is very late.

8. Dinner

   Pozole and a hot drink

   A warm bowl of hominy corn soup with pork and a plate of toppings, a good supper after the climb in the cooler air.

   Local tip Add the lime, onion and chili at the table to your taste.

A day on the silver that made the city, and the museums of its great names. A short ride north to a grand church and a mine, then back to a painter's birthplace house and a museum of Don Quixote in the old centre.

1. Breakfast

   Eggs and beans

   Eggs with beans and warm tortillas, plain and filling, before a day on the hill and in the museums.

   Local tip Fill up, since there are few places to eat at the mine.
2. 1
   Morning

   La Valenciana Church

   The church of San Cayetano, built in the 1700s by the owner of the Valenciana mine, in a rich baroque with gilded altarpieces covering the walls inside. It stands on the hill above the city, a short ride north of the centre by local bus or taxi.

   Go when Morning, outside the hours of services.

   Local tip A working church with rich gilded altars, so stay quiet and cover your shoulders. Look at the carved stone of the front before you go inside.

   

   About 2 min walkunder 0.1 km
3. 2
   Midday

   Valenciana Mine

   The old San Ramón shaft of the Valenciana mine, once one of the richest silver mines in the world, and the reason the city has its grand houses. A deep opening in the hillside, with a small site to look around. Check ahead on how visitors can see it.

   Go when Midday, with a hat for the sun.

   Local tip The shaft is deep and the ground uneven, so wear shoes with grip and keep to the marked paths. Check ahead on how visitors can see the mine.

   

4. Lunch

   A simple lunch at the church square

   A soup, a few tacos or a plate of quesadillas from the small places on the square near the church.

   Local tip Eat before you head back down, since the walk is easier on a full stomach.

   About 10 min by car or transit2.7 km
5. 3
   Afternoon

   Diego Rivera Museum

   The house where the painter Diego Rivera was born in 1886, now a museum with furniture of the family and a good collection of his drawings and paintings. A short, rewarding stop in the old centre.

   Go when Afternoon, as an indoor stop.

   Local tip It is a small house, so it takes little time. Look at the family rooms upstairs for a sense of how a well off family lived in the city.

   

6. Dinner

   A last supper in the old centre

   A plate of enchiladas mineras or a pork stew with rice, followed by a cup of hot chocolate, on one of the quiet side squares.

   Local tip Order what the table next to you is having.

   About 7 min walk0.5 km
7. 4
   Evening

   Don Quixote Iconographic Museum

   A museum devoted to the knight of La Mancha, with hundreds of paintings, sculptures and objects by artists from many countries. The city has a long link with the writer Cervantes, since its big arts festival is named after him, and this museum is a quiet place to see why.

   Go when Late afternoon, as an indoor stop.

   Local tip The collection is large, so choose a few rooms rather than all. The small square outside is a pleasant place to sit afterwards.