Guanajuato is truly one of the most beautiful cities I have ever been to in my life, and I’m not exaggerating! The colorful houses encaved throughout the mountains gives you a true one of a kind view that I still dream about from time to time. I absolutely loved my experience here, because the city feels very vibrant, youthful, energizing and historical.
Also if you’re wondering if Guanajuato is safe, I would say that I felt very safe while in the capital of Guanajuato. It is mainly a college town where a lot of young college kids are studying. Always use precaution and follow your intuition while traveling but I would say in general Guanajuato, Guanajuato is a very safe and wonderful city.
Why did I go?
I was fortunate enough to hear about one of their worldwide famous festivals called Festival Cervantino. Since I was in Guadalajara at the time, and Guajuato wasn’t far away, I decided to go out for a few days to experience this event in person. This festival got its name from the
inspiration of Miguel De Cervantes, the author of a famous book of literature called, Don Quijote. The professor at the University of Guanajuato named Enrique Ruelas, who started the festival, would gather his students in the city plaza to perform short plays of Cervantes stories. At the start of this annual fall event in 1953, it started gaining more and more popularity and with government funding and help from tourism, this event has turned into a world famous event.
What to do?
Progreso is perfectly located around many historical and beautiful cities and landmarks. While visiting you should definitely check out these places:
Located just blocks away from the town of Progreso, Chicxulub, is the place where a meteorwas believed to have hit approximately 65-66 million years ago that led to the extinction of 75% of life on earth including the dinosaurs. You can visit the museum located in Progreso called Museo del Meteorito, Gran Museo Del Mundo Maya.
Where to stay?
While there I stayed at Hostal Casa de Dante. It was a very clean, comfortable and beautiful place to stay as it had a lot of art on the walls, very well centered in the city and beautiful views from the room and balcony. For the price I paid per night (about $480 pesos at the time) it also felt like a really good deal since I had my own private room and fresh breakfast was included every day which was very tasty and super fresh. The owner of the hostel is a local from the area and provided me with a lot of great recommendations and tips during my stay so I would highly recommend checking them out if you’re in town.
What to do?
While there I recommend checking out some of these spots:
Art and culture:
- Juarez theater (Teatro Juarez)
- Diego Rivera’s House Museum (Museo Casa Diego Rivera)
- Iconographic Museum of Don Quijote (Museo Iconografico del Quijote)
- Granaditas Alhondiga regional Museu
Sacred sites:
- Temple of the Virgen de los Dolores–
- Peralta
- El Coporo
- Arroyo seco
Where to eat:
I am apescaterian so I enjoy seafood, vegetarian and vegan dishes. Here are my recommendations based off of my preferences and recommendations from the locals:–
- Pacifico Surf Antojeria Del Maria (Amazing fish tacos 10/10)
- Los Huacales (locals recommended their mole and chilaquiles)
- Casa Valadez (a good option if looking for something more upscale)
- Mercado Hidalgo (A must go spot for the famous market and arrangement of different.
Tours:
Here are the tours I took that helped me learn and explore the city
Walking Tour and Famous Sites (offered in English and Spanish)
Enjoy!
I send you lots of love and positivity on your journey and wish you safe travels. If you happen to visit this amazing place I hope that my experience and recommendations help you while you are there. While in the area and if you have time to check out more cities I would recommend heading to Miguel De Allende, traveling to Aguascalientes or heading to my favorite city in Mexico, Guadalajara.
You can utilize apps such as busbud or rome2rio to book bus tickets or just show up to the station in person since it is typically cheaper.