Instagrammable San Miguel de Allende

As I mentioned in a previous post, my visit to Mexico in 2019 was the first trip I've taken 100% because of social media. I'm pretty sure the sweeping views of Guanajuato and the shot of the back of the Parroquia in San Miguel de Allende were the first two images that really caught my eye while browsing Pinterest and Instagram.

We ordered an Uber to pick us up at our Airbnb and set off for San Miguel de Allende's mirador, or overlook. It's a steep trip up, so we decided to save our energy for the pretty walk down hill instead. I'd mapped out a path on my phone that would take us down to the Parque Benito Juarez, and then on to the central square via the street with the iconic shot of the back of the Parroquia.

We walked down Callejon de Chorro, which turns into a pedestrian path pretty quickly. The cobblestone walkway takes you past doors and gates behind which are large and beautiful haciendas, hidden away from the street. It levels out around the cultural center, which has pretty patios where you can take a break. We enjoyed watching a few egrets which were nesting in the jacaranda trees nearby.

Near the bottom of the hill were the Lavaderos del Chorro - a public, outdoor laundry. Next to a colonial chapel, the pretty little plaza was edged with basins filled with water. A few people were there washing up. We chilled for a moment before I realized the hotel across the street was one I'd bookmarked as a place to visit - the bar has a lovely mural. The Belmond Casa Sierra de Nevada is one of the nicer hotels in town, but if you don't have the money to splurge on a stay (raises hand), you can enjoy the scenery by grabbing a couple of coffees for under $10 USD.

Next up was the Parque Benito Juarez. Shady pathways were interspersed with open plazas with fountains or sculptures in the center. We each bought a small painting for an artist camped out in one of the squares. Down one pathway, there was also a butterfly garden with a small flock of Monarch butterflies hovering around - pretty cool, as their winter home isn't too far away, one state to the south in Michoacan. Teens getting out of school for their lunch break began filling the park as we headed north, back toward the center of town.

And then we were there, at the corner of Calle Adama, possibly the most picturesque street in SMA. A few blocks up, we started to see the famous view of the back of the Parroquia. About 50% of the time, when I handed Mom my phone to take a quick picture, she'd accidentally do a burst shot and I'd end up with a dozen identical photos. Here, I let her go for it as I twirled a few times, getting the insta shot that had sparked this entire trip.

After having fun taking way too many photos, we walked up to the central plaza. We did a bit of souvenir shopping, buying some painted tiles and tin hearts before heading back to our casita for a well-deserved afternoon siesta.

That evening, we walked back down toward Parque Benito Juarez for drinks at Luna, the Rosewood Hotel's rooftop bar. The Rosewood is probably the nicest place to stay while visiting San Miguel de Allende. Drink prices here are comparable to those in U.S. cities - about $10 each - but the drinks are fun and pretty and the views at sunset are absolutely priceless.