Hotels in Guanajuato

Guanajuato is a former silver-mining capital squeezed into a narrow ravine, its candy-coloured houses stacked up the hillsides above a tangle of alleys and plazas. The wealth from its mines built the churches, mansions and the grand Teatro Juárez, and the whole historic centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is also a student town, thanks to the University of Guanajuato, which keeps the evenings lively, with roaming estudiantina musicians leading crowds through the lanes.

Other draws include the Alhóndiga de Granaditas, tied to the start of Mexico's independence war; the Pípila monument, with its sweeping view over town; and the famously macabre Museo de las Momias. Traffic runs largely through old tunnels beneath the streets. The streets are steep, driving and parking are a headache, and during the Festival Internacional Cervantino in October rooms fill fast and the centre gets packed. Stay in the historic centre near Jardín de la Unión so you can walk everywhere and leave the car behind.