The hook
A jewel-box colonial city that silver wealth built, its rainbow houses spilling up steep ravines, its traffic hidden in tunnels beneath, and its lanes so narrow that lovers can kiss across one balcony to another.
01Why it's worth it
The Bajío, Mexico's central silver highlands, grew fabulously rich from its mines in colonial times, and it spent the money on some of the most beautiful cities in the Americas. Guanajuato is the star: a UNESCO-listed university town packed into a narrow ravine, a joyous jumble of brightly-painted houses climbing the hillsides, grand baroque churches, plazas, and a labyrinth of stepped alleys (callejones), with much of its traffic ingeniously routed through old mining tunnels beneath the streets, leaving the centre wonderfully walkable. It brims with student life, music (roving estudiantina serenaders), and quirks like the famous "alley of the kiss." Nearby, San Miguel de Allende is its elegant, artsy sibling, a smaller colonial gem of cobbled streets and a fairytale pink church that has become a magnet for artists and expats, while Querétaro and the old mining town of Zacatecas add more colonial splendour. The region is a feast of architecture, colour, and culture, safe and easy to explore, and far less foreign-touristed than the coasts. Guanajuato's autumn Cervantino arts festival is a further draw.
02How to experience it
Lose yourself in Guanajuato's alleys, funicular views, plazas, and tunnels, and take in the student serenades. Pair it with San Miguel de Allende's cobbled elegance and, with more time, Querétaro or Zacatecas. Spring, and the October Cervantino festival, are especially lively; the dry season is most comfortable.