The town
San Miguel de Allende is a colorful, compact town full of surprises. Open a plain-looking door and find gardens, design, art. Easily walkable (with sturdy shoes—you’re on cobblestones), there is so much to explore. Pick a copy of the local bilingual newspaper, the Atención, to see what’s going on in town (at the biblioteca or the jardin, among other cafes). San Miguel de Allende is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a Pueblo Mágico, and a community full of artists, musicians, chefs, and other creative folks. Outside of town, in Atoltonilco, is the church called the “Sistine Chapel of the Americas,” as well as hot springs —Escondido and La Gruta are our favorites. Below are a few of our favorite things to do in town. And here are a few the New York Times liked.
The best thing to do in town is just walk around and explore. The biblioteca offers walking tours where you can learn the history of the “cradle of independence” of Mexico, and learn about the historic buildings. They also have a house tour so you can peek inside some fabulous places.
Mercado de artesanias
The mercado is fun to explore. It runs across Calle Loreto, up and down blocks on each side. There are lots of amazing craftspeople there (and yes, some that sell stuff from China). My favorite part of the Mercado is up towards the produce section, where it widens out and there are a lot of Huichol indigenous people who make fantastic beadwork. I also always love to visit the people who sell flowers, and the stall with embroidered cotton shirts. You’ll find your favorites!
One note: a lot of people come thinking that they should bargain. You shouldn’t. Pay the price people ask. It’s respectful.
Jardín botánico
The jardin botanico, or the charco, is a wonderful place to go above town. There are trails as well as hundreds of species of cactus, succulents, and other desert plants. And great view. Take a taxi up there and then you can walk back down to town.
Shopping & art
It’s an artisanal town, and there’s lots of shopping. The mercado has lots of crafts, as do the small shops on Calle Loreto. There are lots of galleries all throughout the Centro.
The Aurora Design Center used to be a textile factory, powered by the water coming down the canyon from the charco. Now it holds lots of small galleries of paintings, jewelry, furnishings, clothes, restaurants — easily walkable from the houses. When you go in, one of the first shops on the left, Arte Textil, has lovely Mexican textiles, including weavings from my friend Nelly (the mother of Anja, who designed Casita Laurita).
Then there are boutiques. One of my favorites is Mixta, which is where my family stayed when I was a child and it was a boarding house. Now it has a tempting, eclectic mix of artisanal clothes, jewelry and textiles from around the world. Across the street is Tallulah de la Lune, where Maggie designs fabulous boots and clothing. Then on Zacateros, there are wonderful shops, including Abrazos, which has great Mexican fabrics in all manner of configuration (shirts, napkins, aprons, etc.). There are lots of great little shops all the way down Zacateros, including a bird-themed shop called Silvestre. You can take that street down to the bigger Ancho San Antonio and see the Institute de Arte.