By air
León/Bajío (BJX), ~40 km
North America · Mexico
Guanajuato, Mexico
A colourful city of tunnels and alleys
Getting there
Best time to visit
October to April; the Cervantino festival is in October
Don't miss
The Teatro Juárez
The Basilica
The Alhóndiga
The Mummy Museum
Things to do
The underground streets
The funicular
The callejoneada serenades
Where to eat
Sources: Photo: Anders Lagerås · CC BY-SA 3.0
What to pack
Walking shoes
A quieter corner
The Pípila monument at sunset
Questions travellers ask
When is the Cervantino festival in Guanajuato?
In October — and October to April is the time to visit. Wear walking shoes.
What is there to do in Guanajuato?
Explore the underground streets, ride the funicular and follow a callejoneada serenade. See the Teatro Juárez, the Basilica, the Alhóndiga and the Mummy Museum too.
Where should I watch the sunset in Guanajuato?
At the Pípila monument. Then settle in for enchiladas mineras.
How far is Guanajuato from the airport?
León/Bajío (BJX) is about 40 km away.
About Guanajuato
- Mountains
Where it is
Guanajuato is the capital of the state of Guanajuato in central Mexico, squeezed into a narrow, winding valley in the Sierra de Guanajuato, with brightly painted houses climbing the steep slopes on either side.
History
The Spanish found rich gold and silver deposits here in the 16th century, and at its 18th-century peak the La Valenciana mine produced a large share of the world's silver. In 1810 insurgents stormed the Alhóndiga de Granaditas granary in one of the first battles of the War of Independence, and the town and its mines became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988.
People
Guanajuato is a university town, and student minstrel groups in Renaissance-style costume lead callejoneadas, singing strolls through its alleys. Each October the Festival Internacional Cervantino fills its plazas and theatres with performers from around the world, and the painter Diego Rivera was born here.
Known for
- Underground streets and tunnels
- The Teatro Juárez
- The Callejón del Beso
- The Festival Internacional Cervantino
- The Mummy Museum
Did you know?
Several of Guanajuato's main roads run partly or entirely underground; the best known follows the old course of the river, which once ran in tunnels beneath the city and often flooded the centre until a dam was built in the 1960s.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.