Instagrammable Guanajuato

Guanajuato is an incredibly photogenic city. While nearby San Miguel de Allende has a relatively strict color palette for historical buildings (which, lbr, they all are), Guanajuato's buildings are a rainbow explosion of every shade under the sun. During spring break, when the purple jacaranda trees are in bloom and the weather is lovely and mild, you can spend the entire day walking around just snapping photos. Here are a few good places to hit up on your walking tour of Guanajuato...

Whether you start or end at the Pipila Monument, you've got to see the iconic view of the city from this overlook. To get here, take a taxi or the funicular - neither is very expensive. I'd recommend walking down, as you get great views as you make your way toward the Callejon del Beso.

The sidewalks level out around the Callejon del Beso. A few feet away is the Plaza de Los Angeles - while it's not super photogenic, this plaza is a good place to pop down and see the a few of the tunnels that run underneath the city.

If you haven't had breakfast, now's a nice time to take a brunch break at the lovely Plaza de San Fernando. It's not far from here to the Casa Diego Rivera, worth a visit if you're an art lover.

Also a few steps away are the Alhondiga and the Mercado Hidalgo. The Mercado is far from the most interesting or pretty you'll find in Mexico, but is worth a quick walk through. We didn't visit the Alhondiga, but if you want to follow in the footsteps of Mexican independence, it's an important stop.

The next plaza you'll hit is the Plaza de la Paz, where you'll find the Basílica Colegiata de Nuestra Señora de Guanajuato. If you've spent enough time sightseeing and are ready for a late lunch, this is a good spot to pause. If you're lucky, you might catch a wedding or two. We saw one party going into the church, while another had recently exited and was heading down to the next plaza on our list...

The wedding party was accompanied by the oversized walking puppets known as mojigangas. Music played as we followed the crowd to the Jardin de la Union. This plaza is the heart of the city, with a green space and a gazebo. The Teatro Juarez is here, and just behind it, the funicular that takes you up to Pipila - coming full circle. There are a few neat spots in the city we didn't get to see, but overall, this is a great place to relax at the end of the day and watch the world go by.