Stunning San Miguel de Allende

It only took one quick walk down the cobblestone streets to the beautiful church and garden in the center of San Miguel de Allende and I knew immediately that this was one of the most picturesque cities I had ever seen. The towering spires of the Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel Church reminded me on a smaller scale of the Sagrada Famila in Barcelona. The narrow cobblestone streets were filled with 17th and 18th century houses painted in amber, brick, yellow and orange colors that morphed into different shades as the sun moved across the sky.

San Miguel de Allende lies 170 miles northwest from Mexico City – an easy 3 hour bus ride. And if your thinking these buses are old rundown Greyhound castoffs you couldn’t be more wrong. The buses had comfortable reclining seats with leg rests, individual video screens, his and her bathrooms, and you are even offered a free beverage and snack as you board. No chickens on these buses!

The old town section of San Miguel de Allende is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is the center of much activity especially as the town prepped for the upcoming Halloween and Day of the Dead celebrations.

San Miguel’s only problem may be its own popularity. It is so nice that lots of people want to come to visit or move there altogether. In the last decade San Miguel has topped both Travel & Leisure and Conde Nast’s lists for the best city in the world on multiple occasions. With a population of around 160,000 it counts well over 10,000 ex-pats, mostly retired and mostly from the U.S. and Canada. But we weren’t looking to move here just yet, we were just searching for places to escape to during winter.

Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel - Click to enlarge

So what makes San Miguel de Allende so popular for tourists? San Miguel has a thriving ex-pat community that provides cultural opportunities for locals and visitors alike. The strong presence of so many ex-pats has created a demand for goods and services, including top notch medical services, that has been admirably filled by willing Mexican entrepreneurs. And despite the influx of tourists and ex-pats from North America, San Miguel has managed to keep its charm, its cultural roots, and its beauty.

This is not a Mexican government created tourism site a la Cancun or Los Cabos. This is a real working city that just happens to attract a lot of tourism because of all it has to offer and because of its people and its reputation as being a safe place to visit. I know that we never felt the least bit threatened anywhere we walked at night. 

Another of San Miguel’s attractions is its cost of living. Due to its popularity, San Miguel may be slightly more expensive than some other ex-pat havens in Mexico but it is still a relative bargain if you are coming from the U.S. or Canada.

You can have a lovely meal for two with appetizers, wine and desert and would be hard pressed to spend more than $40 at all but the most high-end restaurants in town. You could live very comfortably in San Miguel for $2000 a month and could certainly get by on much less.

A big attraction for many visitors and ex-pats is the weather. Think of a beautiful late spring or early autumn day and that is the norm in San Miguel. Crisp mornings with warm sunny days but cooling off nicely in the evenings. Most residents and hotels do not have or need air conditioning – maybe a little heat is needed in the morning but that’s about it.

Some call it eternal spring – rarely does it get over 90 or below 40 degrees and being at 7000 feet the humidity is very low. On average the hottest day of the year is May 11, with an average high of 85°F and low of 56°F and the coldest day of the year is January 7, with an average high of 71°F and low of 41°F. Average annual rainfall is 21 inches. In other words perfect for this guy that likes playing in the sun but is not a fan of excessive heat and humidity.

You can see from the weather picture above that the weather during our visit to San Miguel was consistently nice in early November. Tourism peaks at Christmas and Easter and so we are thinking February is a perfect month to get out of Portland, OR and make our way to San Miguel. 

When we didn’t want to walk, taxis and Uber drivers were easy to find. One morning we took an Uber to El Charco del Ingenio Botanical Garden (above) and walked the trails full of butterflies and cacti. 

During our five days in San Miguel we quickly fell into the tourist mode with our days and nights spent wandering neighborhoods, relaxing in cafes, and figuring out which restaurants to visit. An afternoon ice cream was followed by a glass of wine and people watching in one of the bars surrounding the main square and the Jardin de Allende.

San Miguel Street Scenes - Click image to enlarge

The historic center is reasonably compact and though there are some hills it is easily walkable. As opposed to having lawns or parking in front of houses and businesses most structures have interior courtyards many of which are well preserved or have been restored to their original colonial splendor.  These courtyards are where the private homes have their gardens and where restaurants have set up excellent outdoor dining spots.

Around San Miguel - Click image to enlarge

Although San Miguel is relatively small and rural, it has a wide variety of restaurants, markets, specialty shops and art galleries. We had excellent food everywhere we went. We had a list of recommended restaurants that kept growing as we talked to locals and other travelers and so we barely scratched the surface of all the recommendations we ended up with. 

La Gruta Spa - Click image to enlarge

Another morning we took an Uber to a spa called La Gruta (The Grotto) that was about 7 miles out of town. La Gruta has a variety of open air pools, but the star attraction is the grotto where hot water gushes from a tube high in the wall of a dark rocky cave. You approach the grotto via a darkened tunnel in waist deep hot water. At the end there is a steamy cave where you soak in the steam and line up to get a  hot waterfall massage on your head and shoulders.

Another nice attraction to visit is the Mercado de Artesanias, which sells a wide variety of handmade crafts. The market is located in a narrow alley filling three blocks behind the city’s main fruit and vegetable market. 

San Miguel de Allende is an enchanting city and we will definitely put it high on our list of places we could visit for a month to escape Portland during the winter. Our visit to San Miguel was timed to be there for the Day of the Dead celebrations and it did not disappoint. In my next post I give you a look at how they celebrate this unique holiday in San Miguel de Allende.