Trust me when I say that San Miguel de Allende will be the next hottest destination in Mexico in the upcoming few years. After a weekend spent in this beautiful city with friends, I know why more people are getting married and venturing here instead of the coastal towns. It has an allure unlike other spots.

San Miguel de Allende is one of the most beautiful and enchanting cities that is rich in color & culture, known for its Spanish & Colonial architecture, vibrant art scene & festivals, and located in Mexico’s central highlands. It was recently ranked the best small city in the world by Travel & Leisure and I’d venture to call it “the city of rooftop restaurants”… There are endless places to soak up the beautiful views from the sky and sip on the freshest of Margaritas…

We first heard of San Miguel last Fall and put it on high on our our bucket list for travel. We had other friends interested in joining and with 5 couples on board, we decided the best option would be to rent a house. I always love doing that so you can get up in the morning and have coffee with whoever else is awake, maybe catch the sunrise or at least the city waking up, and catch some of those more in-depth conversations you don’t have elsewhere.

The only plan we had each day was a dinner reservation for the group. The rest was up for exploration. We visited in the month of May which is off-season so we were able to secure a table at every spot we visited. We also timed our trip perfectly because June is the beginning of rainy season.

One of the great parts of San Miguel is that everything is walkable. We never rented a taxi or uber ever (except to get there from the airport). I highly recommend packing some good walking shoes because the city has a reputation for being “the city where women fall down” (a direct quote). Keep those heels at home ladies! Some of the cobblestone roads are original and have been there since the 1740s!

Here are my recs for visiting San Miguel:

– meander around town and stroll into shops
– try the ceviche trio and enjoy the views at the rooftop restaurant Quince
– take a walking cultural tour
-visit The Rosewood, stroll the beautiful grounds, and have a drink on the roof to get the best view of town. The Rosewood also has a great pool that offers day passes but I’m not sure the availability when you’re not a guest
-have dinner at Fatima 7, yet another rooftop restaurant, with delicious food and Mexican wine 🍷 (this was my favorite meal of the trip!)
-visit La Fabrica, a local market of artists
-take lots of pictures and find a piece of art to take home ❤️ (we bought a mirror and a plate!)

Here are other recommendations we received but didn’t have time for!

• brunch at the Rosewood- they don’t take reservations but get there at 10am to get a table… (it was a MUST on our rec list)
• Inside Café- another must with “out-of-this-world” food located across from the library.
• Atrio- awesome spot for pre-dinner drinks… was not recommended for food though
• Rancho Del Sol Dorado: a rand in the countryside that offers horseback riding, cooking classes, yoga, camping & more
• Los Senderos: Natural swimming pool. Recommended to book a cabana ($50 a day)

Whelp, there is SO much to do that we didn’t even get to and we heard from a friend that they have great camps for kids if you’re thinking of doing a family adventure. I can’t wait to get back to this beautiful city. I think this list is a great start for planning a weekend there ;)

Outfit links here!

san miguel de allende travel guide visit san miguel