Guanajuato

Start with Teatro Juárez, Callejón del Beso, Pípila monument and funicular and Museo de las Momias. Guanajuato is inland, so build the plan around heritage, food and landscape. Three days — the centre on foot, the flagship sight plus market, one booked excursion into The Colonial Bajío. Five days — add a second excursion and a slow day for museums, food and a local festival if the dates line up. Seven days — add two longer trips further into The Colonial Bajío and a rest day. Group each day by walking distance and never cross Guanajuato twice in one day.

Mexico needs no tourist visa for EU, UK, US, Canadian, Australian and most South American passports for stays up to 180 days; you receive an electronic entry record (FMM) rather than a stamped card at major airports. Bring a passport valid for the whole trip, an onward ticket and an address for the immigration form. No vaccinations are mandatory, though hepatitis A and typhoid cover is commonly advised, plus mosquito precautions on the coast. Requirements change: confirm against your own government's travel advice and the official immigration site before you book.

Guanajuato is safe for visitors by the standards of Mexico (the colonial Bajío): violent crime is rare and the real risk is opportunistic — pickpocketing on crowded transport, at photo spots and in busy markets, plus unmetered taxis and card machines pre-set to a higher amount or your home currency. Avoid deserted station areas and unlit outskirts late at night, use the official taxi rank or a ride-hailing app after dark, keep your bag in front of you in queues, photograph your passport, and check your own foreign-office travel advice page before departure. Travel insurance with medical cover is worth it.

Walk, and use the funicular up to Pípila for the view; driving inside the city is a puzzle. In Mexico (the colonial Bajío), first-class coaches connect Guanajuato, San Miguel de Allende, Querétaro and Guadalajara hourly — far better value than internal flights For accommodation, stay inside or immediately beside the historic centre of Guanajuato for a first visit: you walk to the sights and save two taxis a day. The edge of the old town is the value option — a few minutes further out, noticeably cheaper and quieter at night. Ask for a room over a courtyard rather than a bar street.

Prioritise Teatro Juárez, Callejón del Beso, Pípila monument and funicular and Museo de las Momias. What you can skip without regret: the restaurants with photo menus and touts on the main square, any hop-on bus if the centre is walkable, and paid "panoramic" viewpoints when a free one gives the same picture. Guanajuato is inland, so plan around heritage, food and landscape rather than beaches.

Day 1 — the historic core of Guanajuato on foot, clockwise from the main square, with lunch where you end up rather than walking back. Day 2 — the single biggest sight first thing, then the market and the residential streets around it, and a viewpoint at sunset. Day 3 — one excursion into The Colonial Bajío booked in advance, back for a late dinner. Group everything by walking distance and never cross Guanajuato twice in a day.

The classics are the same everywhere: unmetered taxis quoting a flat fare, "free" bracelets or flowers, distraction pickpocketing on crowded transport and at photo spots, card machines handed over pre-set to a higher amount or to your home currency, and restaurants without printed prices. Check the meter, always pay in local currency, and keep your bag in front of you in queues.

In Mexico (the colonial Bajío), 10–15% in restaurants, MX$20–50 for a guide or a driver, MX$10 a bag for porters and small change for the person who packs your shopping. Breakfast 08:00–11:00, comida is the main meal at 14:00–16:00 and dinner rarely starts before 20:00; taquerías run late. Cover shoulders and knees inside churches, greet staff before ordering, keep your voice down in residential streets at night, and expect shops in smaller towns around Guanajuato to close in the early afternoon.

Breakfast 08:00–11:00, comida is the main meal at 14:00–16:00 and dinner rarely starts before 20:00; taquerías run late. Book dinner for anything popular, ask for the bill (it won't arrive unprompted), and split payment is usually fine by card. 10–15% in restaurants, MX$20–50 for a guide or a driver, MX$10 a bag for porters and small change for the person who packs your shopping.

Most of what makes Guanajuato memorable costs nothing: walking the historic centre and its squares, the market hall, the outside of Teatro Juárez, the churches that ask only for a donation, the parks and gardens, and the viewpoint that looks back over the roofs. Add a stretch of the old walls, the riverside or greenway path, and the ridge road above town at sunset. Municipal museums in Mexico (the colonial Bajío) usually have one free afternoon or evening a week, and many cathedrals are free outside visiting hours if you go to pray rather than to tour — check the times at the door on your first morning.

first-class coaches connect Guanajuato, San Miguel de Allende, Querétaro and Guadalajara hourly — far better value than internal flights If your 3-day plan is mostly on foot in Guanajuato with one excursion, buy singles or a multi-journey card and skip the tourist pass; if you're crossing the city several times a day or using it with museum entry included, a 48 h pass pays for itself.

Keep two indoor blocks in reserve: the main museum or cathedral of Guanajuato, a market hall with food stalls, a long lunch, or a thermal bath or wine cellar in The Colonial Bajío. In extreme heat, invert the day — sights before 11:00, indoors from 14:00 to 18:00, and the evening back outside. October to May; book far ahead for the Cervantino festival.

Locals go where there's no ticket desk: the residential lanes just outside the walls of Guanajuato early in the morning, the neighbourhood bar with four tables and one dish, the cemetery or convent garden that nobody photographs, and the hill road out of town at dusk. Ask the person serving you coffee where they eat on Sunday — in The Colonial Bajío that question opens more doors than any list.