A Day in Guanajuato, Mexico

A Day in Guanajuato, Mexico

Guanajuato is unlike any tourist city in Mexico that I have visited. The city does not have a beach, or have all-inclusive hotels. What Guanajuato offers is a taste of Mexico history. The city has tons of old churches, colorful homes, and authentic street food. Guanajuato is a popular vacation destination to many Mexican citizens and a hidden gem to the world.

Where to Stay: 

I stayed at the Holiday Inn Express Guanajuato for about $95 a night. The hotel offers complimentary breakfast buffet and free internet. The bed however is probably the hardest bed I ever slept on but it will do for a short stay.

Getting Around:

My hotel is about a 30 minute drive from the BJX airport and about a 15 minute drive to downtown. You can get a cab to downtown for 45-60 pesos ($3-$4) one way. We asked our concierge to call for a taxi for us.

To Do:

Monumento al Pipila Guanajuato

→ Cerro de San Miguel S/N, Zona Centro, 36000 Guanajuato, Gto., Mexico

My first stop was to Monumento al Pipila Guanajuato, a popular destination for tourist. The attraction gives people a glimpse of the city. It was dark, windy but the city lights brought comfort to us. From Pipila, we took the road down to the “Jardin de la Union” for a quick bite.

Jardin de La Union

→ Zona Centro, 36000 Guanajuato, Gto., Mexico

This courtyard is always full of Mariachi bands strolling the streets. From the courtyard, my coworkers and I visited the Universidad de Guanajuato, the Kiss Alley, a classic cathedral, and a beautiful view out of Hotel Antiquo Vapor.

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Where to Eat:

Our main purpose of our visit was to eat all that we can. Mexican food is my favorite type of food and we couldn’t skip anything.

Breakfast:

I had breakfast at my hotel. The hotel gave us a small card to present to the hosts when we walked into the diner. Breakfast is buffet style with a nice selection of fruits, breads, eggs, beans, juices, and more. I filled my plate but left room for extra goodness throughout the day.

Lunch: La Sauceda

After our free breakfast at the hotel, my coworkers and I hit the streets of downtown to find the taco stand that was recommended to us by our supervisor. We did find the stand but decided to find a place to sit down. Since Guanajuato is largely populated with Catholics, lent was in full effect. Meat was not served in most places aside from chorizo. We went to a place called La Sauceda. I ordered one chorizo taco and one cheese quesadilla. I than ordered a homemade fresas con crema ice cream. Oh my was that delicious!!!

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Snack: Corn Stand

After lunch, we were on a hunt to find corn. I love corn on the street but was disappointed with how chewy the corn was. It wasn’t fresh and felt like the corn had been sitting out in the pots for a while. After our disappointment with our corn, we went exploring.

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Dinner: Don Pepe

→ Baratillo 21, Zona Centro, 36000 Guanajuato, Gto., Mexico

We ate at a taco truck called “Don Pepe“. Tacos are 8 pesos/35 cents each, quesadillas are 15 pesos/66 cents, and tortas are 20 pesos/88 cents. That day, they were serving asada, chorizo, ribs, and some other “meat” that I can’t specify (due to my lack of Spanish). I ordered 2 asada tacos and 1 rib quesedilla. It was hands down the best tacos I’ve ever eaten in my life! Sadly, the truck is only open late nights. At Don Pepe, they encourage that you eat your tacos first than pay for your meal after. They do reuse their plates so don’t throw it out.

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Nightlife:

Si Senior

→ Avenida Juarez, #8, Colonia Centro, Guanajuato, GTO, Mexico

After Dinner, we went to Si Senior, a downstairs bar that only serve “40’s” and micheladas. I ordered a michelada but little did I know, the drink would be the size of my head! Along with our drinks, the server offered complimentary pork chips with hot sauce. Delicious!

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Van Gogh

→ Jdn. de la Unión 4, Zona Centro, 36000 Guanajuato, Gto., Mexico

Before the night was over, we headed to our last bar, Van Gogh. I ordered a sangria and spent the rest of the night observing inebriated locals. The night life was “popping”. Everybody was dressed up to hit the town. We saw people getting carried around into bars and running into things. That would never phase in America. You would be turned away with the slightest sight of intoxication.

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After a full day of exploring, it was time to catch our flight home to Los Angeles. What a great day trip! Let’s do this again.

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* * This trip was taken on Thursday, 05 March 2015. I am incorporating a few older day trips into my blog during the covid-19 pandemic.