San Miguel de Allende turns 200 this year, and the city is riding high after being named World’s Best City by “Travel + Leisure” for two consecutive years. Amid its UNESCO World Heritage-recognized past, the town looks firmly toward the future with a new hotel and booming tourism numbers.
Located in the Bajío region of Mexico, the Centro Historico, or old town area of San Miguel de Allende, still boasts colonial buildings dating back to the 17th century. While the community embraces its centuries-old past, it looks forward to the future, with a year-long celebration of cultural exhibitions, traditional festivals and possibly their own airport.
A new leader in luxury
The newest hotel, Pueblo Bonito Vantage San Miguel de Allende, sits just outside of town, allowing visitors to escape the hustle of the world-famous city center. Tucked next to Parque Municipal Zeferino Gutierrez, Pueblo Bonito offers 111 rooms, all with balconies. The hotel is within safe walking distance to everything the World’s Best City has to offer, yet blissfully quiet.
The spa offers comfort after a long day of walking around. A hydrotherapy circuit joins traditional treatment offerings to present a complete wellness package.
Visitors seeking a deeper connection with the local area can book a bath salt and scrub class, where guides encourage guests to follow their instincts in choosing herbs from the hotel’s grounds. Participants use traditional tools like molcajetes to transform simple ingredients into a one-of-a-kind souvenir with real utility.
Enjoy a meal overlooking the city at the hotel’s signature restaurant, LaFrida. The menu takes diners on a journey through Mexico, and the wine list proudly offers a variety of Mexican producers.
If you end the day in town, rooftop restaurants reward you with a view. Book dinner at NOIA inside NUMU Boutique Hotel, where Chef Hector Perez’s dishes are good enough to draw your eyes away from the iconic cathedral. In-house guests can book a cooking class to learn his secrets firsthand.
Nearby, Tunki Rooftop by Handshake brings some of Mexico City’s celebrated mixology to San Miguel de Allende. Visit in spring for views of jacaranda trees blooming over the city.
A complicated picture
Brief, violent unrest gripped Mexico after the execution of cartel leader Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes in February. Thankfully, San Miguel de Allende suffered no direct effects from the cartel-linked unrest, but its security situation is nonetheless a complicated one.
The U.S. State Department maintains a Level 3 “reconsider travel” security advisory for Guanajuato state, which includes San Miguel de Allende. However, security concerns lie mainly in the south of the state and do not affect the city itself.
Americans following government guidelines and watching the news may be understandably spooked and wonder, “Is Mexico safe?” Inquiries about Mexico to Squaremouth, a travel insurance comparison platform, rose sixfold since February’s events.
Despite recent challenges, Mexico is a favorite for American travelers. Cancun remains the top destination for spring vacations, according to Expedia. The company did see an upswing in interest in Caribbean destinations in the last week of February, coinciding with the disturbances.
A March visit to San Miguel de Allende, just weeks after El Mencho’s passing, showed a vibrant, relaxed city with no safety issues. Locals and visitors alike flocked to the leafy plaza overlooking the historic cathedral, a girl in quinceañera finery took family photos and boutiques and galleries threw their doors wide to welcome passersby.
A city of hidden depths
San Miguel does many things well, but one overlooked delight of the city is its courtyards. Peek behind any unassuming door and you are likely to find an open-air oasis of fountains and greenery.
Nondescript facades give way to sprawling mansions, art galleries and cafes. Unlike planned resort towns, even those incorporating Mexican culture authentically, everything in San Miguel de Allende is one-of-a-kind and organic. It challenges the notion that Mexico is all laid-back beach towns. A Mexico packing list for this trip is less swimwear and more walking shoes.
Rooted in the arts
More well known is San Miguel’s long history as an artist haven. These days, artists cluster at Fábrica La Aurora, a former textile factory-turned gallery and workspace. Dozens of artisans display everything from geometric murals to antiques, including handwritten letters from Frida Kahlo to Diego Rivera.
Visitors who prefer their artistry in food and drink form will delight in quirky cafes on every block and bars on nearly as many rooftops. Oenophiles shouldn’t miss a visit to Viñedo San Miguel, the state’s largest wine producer.
Stop by for a tasting and tour or sample a glass while dining at Trasiego, the on-site restaurant. Chef David Quevedo is deeply committed to introducing patrons to traditional ingredients. Let the excellent rosé or award-winning cabernet sauvignon fortify your courage for dishes like pasilla chile stuffed with ant larvae, known colloquially as Mexican caviar. Or try the Taco Ceremonial, a shredded-rabbit taco inventively served on a traditional Catrina doll, which took home the top prize at the 2021 World Tapas Competition.
Looking to the future
In addition to Pueblo Bonito Vantage joining the list of luxury hotels in town, San Miguel has been shortlisted for a new airport, which would significantly shorten the travel time. Visitors currently fly into either Querétaro or Guanajuato airports, both more than 90 minutes away. Though driving in Mexico is easy, it’s never pleasant to get off a plane and into a long car ride.
San Miguel de Allende’s rising status as a world-class destination brought 2 million visitors in 2025. It is on track to lead the country in the number of weddings in 2026, surpassing the 900 it witnessed in 2025. Not everyone is happy about the growth, however.
Environmental groups warn of stress on the city’s aquifer as expansion wars with natural resources. Locals and visitors alike report mixed feelings about its designation as the world’s best city, citing stress on the local infrastructure, traffic and rising prices.
A jewel worthy of its crown
San Miguel de Allende is a colorful colonial town with a storied past and a celebrated present. It welcomes visitors to the all-new Pueblo Bonito Vantage hotel and looks to the future, even as it strives to preserve culinary tradition and the small-town feel that has welcomed artists and intrepid visitors for decades.
Ashley Wali is a Seattle-based travel journalist and owner of Wanderlux, writing about luxury family travel, sports tourism and wellness travel. Her work has appeared in The Seattle Times, Boston Herald, The Philadelphia Tribune, Orlando Sentinel and more. Recent assignments have had her learning to ski in Mammoth and cruising the fjords of Norway.