Bajio

Our trip includes some of the most important destinations of Mexico’s heartland, all so culturally and historically rich that we recommend you visit our Web site for the list of sites and background information on each. Distances are short, between one and four hours, very scenic and easily done by rental car on good highways. Our hotels can assist with private car transfers, and all routes have frequent first-class bus service.

Starting Point
As this route is quite circular, you can select your starting point based on the most convenient flights from your home city. We start at Guadalajara, a well positioned city with good outbound highways. Leon International Airport, which receives excellent air service from North America, is also very strategically located, just half an hour from Guanajuato or Lagos de Moreno. Mexico City (not on this itinerary) is also an option, being just over two hours via highway from Queretaro.

Guadalajara
Mexico’s second largest city is an excellent introduction to this country, with its vibrant historic center, the art and craft markets of Tlaquepaque and Tonala, its folkloric ballet and mariachi orchestras. Here, Mexico Boutique Hotels’ Villa Ganz, a beautifully restored colonial mansion, is within 10 minutes of the central historic area, close to good restaurants and shopping. At the other end of the style spectrum, Clarum 101 is a stylized hideaway, a sleek modern hotel tucked away on a quiet street yet central to all the action. Once you’ve enjoyed the city, you can head northeast to Zacatecas, Lagos de Moreno or Guanajuato. For this trip we will head to Zacatecas on toll-highway #80D and continue North on #45 when passing Lagos de Moreno. If you choose to do this itinerary in reverse, take “super” highway 90 (toll) toward Morelia.

Zacatecas
This fascinating city is a bit far from the other major colonial cities in the Bajio Region, but it is well worth the few extra hours’ drive to reach it. The colonial downtown has been well restored and offers plenty of walking tour options with streetside markets and excellent examples of colonial architecture. Your choices here are the Quinta Real Zacatecas, which was once a bull ring and makes for a very impressive establishment, or the Hotel Santa Rita, a modern hotel hidden behind a colonial facade with a fantastic downtown location. To continue the tour, you will backtrack to Lagos de Moreno.

Lagos de Moreno
This quaint town is one of the best preserved in the state of Jalisco. Charming colonial buildings line narrow streets that lead to many small parks and plazas built in honor of the city’s heroes. Hacienda Sepulveda, located less than 5 kms from the city center, is the perfect lodging to get the most from this destination, offering historical insight, Mexican flavor and fresh air. From here you will travel to Guanajuato, only 95 kilometers south on highway #45.

Guanajuato
Guanajuato’s narrow, winding streets—many for pedestrians only—mirror a fascinating system of subterranean roads that were once rivers. Steeped in history, it was one of Mexico’s richest cities thanks to its silver mines. The setting of our hotel, Quinta las Acacias, will heighten your experience. From here, you can opt to go south to Morelia (about three hours) or east to San Miguel de Allende (one hour and 15 minutes). Exit the city on highway 45, exiting at Salamanca for either city. On the way, a visit to Dolores Hidalgo is highly recommended. This artisan town, locked in the past, is found on a more rural route between Guanajuato and San Miguel and, just beyond it, the town of Mineral de Pozos, a smaller, simpler San Miguel, is fast becoming another artists hideaway.

San Miguel de Allende
San Miguel has a very large foreign community, which has fostered its great selection of fine restaurants, good handicraft shops, galleries and numerous art and language schools. Right in the heart of the city stand the gorgeously restored mansions that make up the exquisite Casa de Sierra Nevada. We suggest two to three days here to enjoy mountain biking, horseback riding and side trips to little towns such as Atontonilco. From here you can either branch east to Queretaro, north to Mineral de Pozos or south to Morelia.

Mineral de Pozos
The perfect central location of Mineral de Pozos allows you to consider various circuit options. If you arrive from Guanajuato and go through Dolores Hidalgo, you will arrive at Mineral de Pozos before San Miguel de Allende, which is only another 40 minutes away. However, no matter where you choose to include Pozos on your tour, from here you can contemplate any destination in our Bajio circuit. Main highways will not lead you to this small town but secondary roads are safe and provide a picturesque option for discovering lesser known destinations.

Queretaro
An hour east of San Miguel de Allende is the regal city of Queretaro, known for its colonial architecture and significant as the place where the conspiracy for independence from Spain germinated. Leave San Miguel on toll highway 111 and change to toll highway 57. We boast two member hotels in this magical city: Doña Urraca, just three blocks from the Plaza de Armas, and La Casa de la Marquesa, a Baroque jewel with a history dating back to the mid-18th century.

Morelia and Patzcuaro
About three hours south of either San Miguel or Queretaro, Morelia has some of the region’s most beautiful architecture, excellent food and a rich indigenous culture. This is one of the very best places to procure handicrafts and furniture thanks to its proximity to Patzcuaro and many tiny artisan villages in between. Here, Mexico Boutique Hotels offers you three options. The historic Los Juaninos, overlooking the cathedral, and the lovely Casa de las Rosas both have prime downtown locations, perfect for disovering the city on foot. Up high on the surrounding hills, Villa Montaña offers a spectacular view over the city and the greater valley area. The presence of a boutique hotel in the enchanting artisan town of Patzcuaro –La Mansion de Los Sueños– also allows a luxurious stay in this fabled lakeside artisan town. Don’t forget to set some time aside for visits to the nearby forests, where Monarch butterflies migrate and archaeological sites significant to the regional indigenous peoples are found – all within 30 to 60 minutes of both cities.

Return Trip
Depending on your flight plans, Guadalajara, Mexico City and Leon are all easily reached by leaving Morelia on nearby highway 90 (or connecting from its airport).