Day trip: San Miguel de Allende

What's special about San Miguel de Allende

Parroquia de San Miguel
Arcangel's facade

Mexicans will tell you it's a "pueblo magico", a magical city/town. There are several across the country, and they're recognised for their cultural, historical or natural richness. And San Miguel de Allende doesn't disappoint. This colonial town has pretty churches, museums, and art galleries. It's also home to a Starbucks coffee joint! 

courtyard at Biblioteca Publica
Municipal Ignacio Ramirez

Brief history
San Miguel de Allende played a vital role in the war of independence from Spain, and its present name derives from Ignacio Allende, a hero of the independence movement. The centre of town retains its old world charm and facade partly due to the government's move to designate it a national monument in 1926 (it's also a UNESCO World Heritage Site). San Miguel de Allende is also home to many art colonies which were developed in the 1950s. That aside, don't be surprised if you see many Americans here. A lot of them have lived here for some time, drawn by the art colonies or while escaping a polio scare in the US after the Second World War. 

See/do

- Parroquia de San Miguel Arcangel, one of the town's main draws, its claim to fame is the pink granite used for its construction

dome of the church next to Centro
Cultural Ignacio Ramirez El Nigromante

- one of the town's many art institutes, such as Centro Cultural Ignacio Ramirez El Nigromante 

- El Mirador, for the panorama

- Museo Casa Ignacio Allende, home of the independence hero

Getting around

Walk. It's the best way to explore this little gem. :)

Getting there and away

I came across one guide (or was it Wikitravel?) which claimed San Miguel de Allende is quite challenging to reach by bus. Nothing could be further from the truth. There are regular buses from Guanajuato and connections to Mexico City and other nearby cities as well. I did my trip from Guanajuato (about 1-1.5 hours), which is probably the easiest option. 

view from the Mirador

From the bus terminal to the city centre: 

courtyard at Starbucks

Right outside the main bus terminal (Omnibus de Mexico, along Calzada de la Estacion), a minibus (ruta 1) takes you to the historic centre and drops you off outside the Pero Neri church. This is the same spot where you'll get ruta 1 to return to the bus terminal. Give it at least 30-40 minutes on the way back though. While the buses move slowly because of the cobbled streets, they may (as the one I was on did) make a long pause at one of the bus stops. I even contemplated getting off to walk the rest of the way. Note too that this minibus doesn't take you into the bus terminal per se. Sit on the left side of the bus if you can, and keep a look out for the bus terminal when you're back on Calzada de la Estacion.