CDMX & San Miguel De Allende
Twenty days across Mexico City and San Miguel de Allende — world-class museums, colonial charm, hot springs, and Bajío day trips, all linked by one easy bus.
What makes this trip work
Twenty days, two of Mexico's most rewarding destinations, linked by a single easy bus ride — and no need to rush. Ten days in Mexico City lets you go well past the highlights into neighborhoods, markets, and day trips most visitors never reach. Then a 3.5-hour first-class bus delivers you to San Miguel de Allende for ten unhurried days of pink stone, rooftop bars, art, hot springs, and Bajío day trips. No internal flights, no rental car required, and at this length you unlock weekly accommodation discounts that make the daily cost remarkably low.
Budget snapshot — per person
From North America → Mexico City (MEX)
~$300–550
direct from many US/Canada hubs, 3–5hr
From Europe → Mexico City (MEX)
~$500–850
direct or 1-stop from major hubs, 11–13hr
Daily spend on the ground
$80–140
lower with weekly stays — excellent value
Part 1 — Mexico City (Days 1–10)
Arrive Mexico City (MEX) — settle into Roma / Condesa
North American travelers: direct flights from most hubs, 3–5hr. European travelers: direct or one-stop, 11–13hr. Authorized airport taxi or Uber into the city (~$12–18). Base in Roma Norte or Condesa — leafy, walkable, full of cafés. High altitude (2,240m): take it easy, hydrate. First tacos al pastor and a mezcal.
Centro Histórico — Zócalo, Templo Mayor & murals
The Zócalo, one of the world's largest squares. Templo Mayor (Aztec ruins beside the cathedral, excellent museum), the Diego Rivera murals inside the Palacio Nacional (free, bring ID), and the Palacio de Bellas Artes. Lunch at a classic cantina. Sunset from a Centro rooftop over the cathedral.
Chapultepec & the Anthropology Museum
The National Museum of Anthropology — one of the best museums in the world, home to the Aztec Sun Stone. Allow 3+ hours. Walk Chapultepec Park afterward; visit Chapultepec Castle for city views. Evening: a standout dinner back in Roma or Condesa — the food scene here is world-class.
Teotihuacán pyramids day trip
Out to Teotihuacán (~1hr) — the vast ancient city with the Pyramids of the Sun and Moon. Go early for light and fewer crowds. Optional sunrise hot-air balloon over the pyramids — a genuine bucket-list ride. Lunch at the cave restaurant La Gruta nearby, then back to the city.
Coyoacán, Frida Kahlo & San Ángel
South to Coyoacán — cobbled streets, the Frida Kahlo Museum (Casa Azul, book ahead), and a lively market. Nearby San Ángel is leafy and colonial; the Saturday Bazar Sábado art market is excellent if timing aligns. Diego Rivera and Frida's studio-house museum is here too.
Xochimilco & Mexican design
Morning: the canals of Xochimilco on a colorful trajinera boat — food, music, and floating gardens (a UNESCO site). On the way, the Dolores Olmedo collection or the Anahuacalli Museum. Afternoon: ease back for Roma/Condesa design shops, specialty coffee, and a relaxed dinner.
Day trip: Puebla & Cholula
Two hours southeast to Puebla — Talavera tile, baroque churches, and the birthplace of mole poblano and chiles en nogada. Nearby Cholula has the largest pyramid base in the world with a church perched on top and Popocatépetl volcano views. A full, rewarding day. (Tepoztlán is a shorter, more bohemian alternative.)
Markets, street food & lucha libre
Dive into the food: a market tour (Mercado de San Juan or Mercado Medellín), a taco crawl, or a hands-on cooking class. Evening: lucha libre (masked wrestling) at Arena México — pure theatrical Mexican spectacle, and genuinely fun. Mezcal afterward.
Polanco, Soumaya & fine dining
North to Polanco — upscale boulevards, the striking Museo Soumaya (free) and Museo Jumex for modern and contemporary art. Polanco is home to several of the city's (and the world's) most celebrated restaurants — book one well ahead for a special dinner if the budget allows.
Slow day — favorites & loose ends
A flexible day to revisit a neighborhood you loved, catch a museum you missed (Museo Tamayo, MUAC, or the Memory & Tolerance museum), shop for crafts at La Ciudadela, and pack. Last great CDMX dinner before the morning bus north.
The link — first-class bus, CDMX → SMA
Part 2 — San Miguel de Allende (Days 11–20)
Bus to San Miguel — arrive & settle in
Morning bus from Terminal Norte, arrive SMA early afternoon, 10-min taxi to the historic center (~$5). Check into your apartment or boutique hotel. Walk to El Jardín for your first view of the pink Parroquia at golden hour, then an easy first dinner nearby. Altitude here is 1,900m and the streets are cobblestone — comfortable shoes from here on.
Historic center on foot
Step inside the Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel (before the 7am mass for solitude), the Templo de San Francisco, and the Oratorio de San Felipe Neri. Wander Calle Reloj and the streets east of El Jardín — wooden doors, courtyards, terraces. End with a rooftop cocktail (Luna at Rosewood, Cielo, or La Azotea — reserve ahead).
Art day — Fábrica La Aurora & galleries
Fábrica La Aurora, a former textile mill now full of art galleries, design studios, and cafés (Saturday mornings have open studios; Thursday evenings galleries stay open late). SMA is one of Latin America's great art towns — take your time. Lunch in the galleries' courtyard café.
Hot springs day
Drive 15–20 minutes out to the area's geothermal springs — La Gruta has thermal pools and a cave-like grotto with lush gardens; Escondido Place is a quieter alternative with a series of warm pools. The signature relaxation experience of the region. An easy, restorative day.
Day trip: Guanajuato city
1.5 hours to Guanajuato — a UNESCO city of tunnels and rainbow houses stacked up steep hillsides. Funicular up to El Pípila for the famous panorama, the Teatro Juárez, the university steps, and the underground street network. Completely different in character from SMA — a real working city. Back to SMA for dinner.
Independence route — Atotonilco & Dolores Hidalgo
The Sanctuary of Atotonilco ("the Sistine Chapel of Mexico," a UNESCO site, 15 min from SMA) covered in 18th-century murals. Continue to Dolores Hidalgo, birthplace of Mexican independence — and famous for unusual artisanal ice cream flavors. A rich half-day of history with time to spare back in town.
Bajío wine country
A growing wine and spirits region surrounds SMA. Tour two or three vineyards (Cuna de Tierra, Viñedo San Lucas, or the Dos Búhos organic winery just outside town) with a long lunch among the vines. Mexican wine is a genuine and underrated pleasure — and the high-desert scenery is beautiful.
Nature & a cooking class
Morning: El Charco del Ingenio, a botanical garden and nature reserve a 15-minute walk from the center — desert flora, birdwatching trails, panoramic views. Afternoon: a Mexican cooking class — shop the Ignacio Ramírez market for ingredients, learn salsas and classics, finish with margaritas you made yourself.
Cañada de la Virgen & artisan shopping
Morning: Cañada de la Virgen, an Otomí-Chichimeca pyramid complex outside town (guided access only) — far quieter than Teotihuacán and beautifully sited. Afternoon: serious craft shopping — textiles, tin, ceramics, and silver in the centro and at Mercado de Artesanías. One last sunset rooftop.
Fly home from Bajío (BJX) or Querétaro (QRO)
Both airports are about an hour from SMA by taxi or shuttle. BJX (León) has the most US connections via Aeroméxico, VivaAerobus, and others; QRO is the alternative with more limited service. Or bus back to Mexico City (MEX) if your home route is cheaper from there. A last breakfast in the centro before heading out.
Each place — what to expect
Mexico City world-class
A genuine global capital — museums, food, architecture, nightlife. Roma Norte and Condesa are the easiest, safest bases. High altitude (2,240m): take day one easy. Use Uber liberally; it's cheap and reliable. Ten days lets you go far beyond the highlights.
San Miguel de Allende UNESCO charm
Compact, walkable, exceptionally safe, beautiful. Pink stone, art, rooftops, hot springs. Altitude 1,900m and cobblestone streets — good shoes essential. A large expat community means English is widely spoken and apartments are easy to rent by the week.
Bajío day trips from SMA
Guanajuato, Dolores Hidalgo, Atotonilco, wine country, and Cañada de la Virgen are all within an hour or so — enough to fill the SMA half without ever repeating a day.
CDMX day trips from the capital
Teotihuacán, Puebla & Cholula, Tepoztlán, and Xochimilco give the Mexico City half real variety. All doable as comfortable day returns.
Full budget — per person (19 nights / 20 days)
Practical tips
Stay by the week
At 9–10 nights per base, apartments beat hotels on both price and comfort. Airbnb weekly discounts commonly run 20–40%, and having a kitchen for breakfasts and the occasional dinner stretches the budget further. Roma/Condesa in CDMX; centro or San Antonio in SMA.
Money & payments
Pesos for street food, markets, and taxis; cards work in most restaurants and hotels. Withdraw from bank ATMs (BBVA, Santander) inside branches. Tip 10–15%. A generous meal with drinks runs $15–30pp; street tacos are $3–6.
Getting around
In Mexico City, use Uber — cheap, safe, avoids hailing issues. Both centers are highly walkable. SMA's cobblestones are hard on wheels and heels; pack good shoes. No rental car needed — day trips are easy by tour, driver, or bus.
Reservations to make ahead
Frida Kahlo Museum (Casa Azul) sells out — book online days ahead. Top SMA rooftops and Polanco restaurants need reservations. Teotihuacán balloon rides and Cañada de la Virgen guided visits book up. Most else can be arranged day-of.