One Week (7-Day) Central Mexico Itinerary
Only have 7 days in Mexico and wondering what to do? This one week Mexico itinerary is perfect for a first time visitor to explore Mexico City, Guanajuato, and San Miguel de Allende.
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Mexico is a fun and colorful country to visit and I wish I had done it sooner. Actually I can’t believe it took me so long to visit Mexico, especially since I used to live in California.
From the beach to the mountains to large metropolitan cities, Mexico’s diverse geography really appeals to all types of travelers. Coupled with its rich culture and amazing food, Mexico’s really got it all.
You probably know you can spend 3 months in Mexico and not see it all, but let’s just narrow it down to 7 days for your first trip to Mexico. And yes I know there are so many potential 7 day Mexico itineraries but this particular one will focus on Central Mexico and Mexico City.
This one week Central Mexico itinerary will also give you useful Mexico travel tips that I learned while on the trip so let’s get started!
Is one week in Mexico long enough?
One of the first things you may wonder is if 7 days is enough for Mexico. Well the answer is complicated.
One week in Mexico is perfect for a taste of the country, especially if it’s your first time.
Yes there is so much to see and do in Mexico and one week cannot possibly cover everything (you will need at least 2 to 3 months I would say), but 7 days is great to explore a few places in Mexico to see how you like it.
Personally I cannot travel to a country for more than 2 weeks at a time, I just get…kinda bored and need a break. So I like to break up my travel into 7 – 10 days at a time. Since Mexico is so close to the United States, it’s so easy to just keep going back and explore different areas.
So essentially all I’m trying to say is that one week in Mexico is great for exploring a few places but you would need to keep going back to Mexico to visit other areas.
Where to go for the first time in Mexico?
So we’ve established that there is a lot to see in Mexico, so now let’s talk about exactly where you can go as a first timer in Mexico.
Since Mexico is super big, you will have to pick and choose how to spend your 7 days there. For the purpose of our itinerary, we decided to spend 7 days exploring 3 different cities in Central Mexico:
- Day 1: Arrival in Mexico City, then bus to Guanajuato
- Day 2: Exploring Guanajuato
- Day 3-5: Exploring San Miguel de Allende then bus to Mexico City
- Day 6-7: Mexico City
This is a pretty tight schedule but allows you to see the highlights of each city. If you prefer to spend more time in Mexico City, then you can shorten the San Miguel de Allende portion and make it 1.5 days instead of 2.5 days like what we did.
There are definitely a lot of places we wish we could’ve covered but simply didn’t have time, and one such place is Oaxaca, which is the opposite direction from Guanajuato and SMA. If you enjoy arts and moles, then you might want to go to Oaxaca instead of Guanajuato and SMA.
Best (and Worst) Months to Visit Mexico
Mexico is one of those countries that you can visit all year round. It never gets too hot or too cold, at least in Central Mexico mentioned in this itinerary. There is not a “worst” time to visit Mexico but there is a rainy season in Mexico (when we visited).
The warmest months to visit Mexico City and central Mexico are April and May, with temperatures going up to the 80s (keep in mind that Mexico City is higher in altitude so it is slightly cooler than Guanajuato and San Miguel de Allende).
The most popular time to visit Mexico is in December during the holidays as well as the end of October to early November for the Dia de los Muertos celebrations.
June to September is the rainy season in Mexico. While it doesn’t rain all day everyday, you can expect thunderstorms if you plan to visit in the summer, especially in the late afternoon and at night.
When we visited in July, we had perfect weather in Guanajuato and San Miguel de Allende, but it did thunderstorm everyday in Mexico City starting at 5pm sharp. Although we did have rainy days starting at noon the last two days we were there (and my plane got hit by lightning upon taking off but clearly I am fine).
In summary, you won’t go wrong visiting Mexico any time of the year, but if you absolutely have to choose one, I would recommend visiting at the end of October and early November.
How to get around Mexico
It was easy for us to get around Mexico during the one week we were there. As tourists, we used a combination of buses, taxis, and share ride services.
Flying in Mexico
Depending on where you want to go in Mexico, flying may be the fastest and easiest way to get around. For this itinerary, you could fly from Mexico City to Leon/ Guanajuato Airport for relatively cheap. I usually use Google Flights and Kayak to look for flight deals.
Taking Buses in Mexico
For mid – long distance travel in Mexico, it is super convenient to take a bus! ETN and Primera Plus are two really well reviewed bus companies and what we considered using in Mexico. Mexico City North Bus Station (Central de Autobuses del Norte) is where many buses depart from, including the bus to Teotihuacán.
Besides the two companies above, there are many other bus companies to choose from. Once you get to the bus station, you will see ticket counters and buy your tickets there.
Bus travel in Mexico is generally safe, but definitely keep an eye on your bags and pockets, especially at the bus station and if the bus is crowded.
Note that if you are in Mexico City, there are local buses and subways you can take to get around. But most tourists do not take local buses and opt for Uber/ Didi instead. But if you speak Spanish, are on a budget and feel comfortable navigating the public transportation system then you can take those!
Taxi and Rideshare Apps in Mexico
If you are traveling to bus stations and airports, you will see a ton of taxis waiting for you right outside. While I generally am reluctant to take taxis since you don’t know if they are legit or not, during our 7 days in Mexico we didn’t have any problems.
In places like Guanajuato and San Miguel de Allende, it was a lot more convenient to grab a taxi instead of calling an Uber from the bus stations. We asked the hotels ahead of time how much we should be expected to pay for taxis, so we knew the price before talking to the taxi drivers.
Rideshare services are also a transportation option for you. I found that Didi (the Chinese ride-share app) worked better than Uber for us in San Miguel de Allende.
While an Uber would take 15-20 minutes to arrive, Didi came a lot faster. However keep in mind that you may need to pay cash for Didi (at least the app did not take my payments).
My General Mexico Travel Tips
Before we jump into our detailed itinerary, let me just give you some information to help you plan your trip to Mexico.
- Currency: Mexican Pesos. The exchange rate to USD is 1 USD = ~15 pesos (sometimes higher, sometimes lower). It’s best to take out money from ATMs for the best rate (remember to pick local currency, not USD option). Get a Charles Schwab ATM card or a Fidelity Debit Card to get all ATM fees reimbursed.
- Outlet Plugs: You do not need a converter for Mexico if you are from the US. If you are from Europe or Asia, you will need to get a converter.
- Money: While many large restaurants, cafes and hotels all accept credit cards, especially in Mexico City, you definitely want to have some cash with you to pay for street food and shopping at markets. You also need cash to pay for bathrooms!
- Best Apps for Mexico: Google Translate, Google Maps, Uber and Didi are all good apps to have in Mexico. I would also recommend download the offline map from Google Maps just in case you have no internet. We found Didi more useful than Uber in San Miguel de Allende.
- Internet: If you are from the US and have T Mobile or AT&T, you should have free international roaming (depending on your plans I would say). Restaurants and coffee shops generally have wifi. You can also get an eSim or a physical sim card when you land in Mexico City.
- Learn some basic Spanish: I don’t really know Spanish but the friends I travelled with knew basic Spanish and it made things so much easier! If nobody in your travel party knows Spanish, it’s ok, just use Google Translate!
- Watch for the weather: We visited in July which is rainy season in Central Mexico. It thunder-stormed every single day when we were in Mexico City, so if you are visiting in the summer month, be sure to bring an umbrella and maybe rain boots.
Our Detailed 7 Day Central Mexico Itinerary
As I mentioned earlier, we spent one week Mexico and went to the following cities:
- Guanajuato
- San Miguel de Allende
- Mexico City
There are many places you can visit in Mexico for a week, so why did we pick these three cities instead of some of the other ones mentioned above?
For one, we wanted to visit Mexico City, so we wanted to stay in Central Mexico for ease of traveling. So the choices were either going southeast to Oaxaca or going northwest to Guanajuato and San Miguel and we chose the latter. Yucatan is too far away from Mexico City and deserves a separate trip by itself. After much consideration and research, we decided on these three beautiful cities.
Day 1 in Mexico: Fly into Mexico City + Bus to Guanajuato
Our first day in Mexico was a pure travel day, and a rather long one!
Since our itinerary actually starts in Guanajuato (we will come back to Mexico City towards the end), we had the option of either fly directly to an airport near Guanajuato (Leon Airport) or fly to Mexico City.
Depending on where you are flying from, there are some direct flights to Guanajuato/ Leon Airport from Texas and other parts of Mexico. You will need to take an Uber or taxi from the Leon Airport to your hotel in Guanajuato.
We decided to fly into Mexico City since we would have to transit in Mexico City anyway (no direct flights from New York City to Guanajuato unfortunately!).
Bus from Mexico City to Guanajuato
After landing in Mexico City, we Ubered from the airport to Roma first for a quick lunch before taking another Uber to the Northern Bus Station (Central de Autobuses del Norte) to catch our bus.
From Mexico City, it is a 5 hour bus ride from the Northern Bus Station to Guanajuato.
The best bus companies to Guanajuato are either ETN or Primera Plus. We took ETN because it was supposed to be the best and it was really nice! There’s a ton of leg room, your personal screen and USB charging. The bus costs about $50 USD one way. It actually is one of the best bus rides I’ve taken!
One thing I learned immediately about Mexico City is the terrible traffic. Even during the day traffic is really bad, so if you are trying to catch a bus like us, you should definitely give yourself at least 3 hours from when you land to when the bus departs.
After we got to Guanajuato around evening time, we then took a local taxi from the station to our hotel. It is not possible to walk from the bus station as it’s another 15 minute ride. We just grabbed a taxi that was waiting in front of the station since we didn’t see any Ubers around. Once you reach Guanajuato (again, depending on the time), you can grab dinner in town or just go to the hotel and rest.
Where to stay in Guanajuato:
Most people stay in the old town area in Guanajuato. The area is small and lively since it is a college town (and it is super safe). We stayed at Casona Alonso 10. This hotel is centrally located in the historic town with large and clean rooms (and 2 large beds!). We really loved staying here and would highly recommend it.
Day 2 in Mexico: Exploring Guanajuato
After arriving late night, we had an entire day to explore Guanajuato before our evening bus to San Miguel de Allende.
Guanajuato is largely off the radar for foreign visitors (at least not as famous as Cancun or San Miguel de Allende). This little town was once one of the richest cities in Mexico thanks to its rich silver mines.
Known for its UNESCO World Heritage historic town, colorful buildings, cobblestone alleys, underground tunnels and historical significance, Guanajuato is the perfect place to start our trip in Mexico.
We started our day early, grabbed a coffee from a local coffee shop and headed out to the Funicular. The funicular took us to Monumento Al Pipila, an observation deck on top of a hill. You could walk there but I would suggest taking the funicular up and walking down like what we did. The walk down was nice since we went through many colorful alleyways and found a ton of photo opportunites!
After we walked down, we were back in the historical town center. The historic town area is not very large and we actually saw everything within a few hours. We did have some of the photo spots bookmarked (as we always do) but also just randomly walked around to explore on our own.
Some of the most noteworthy buildings, museums and square in Guanajuato include:
- Templo de San Francisco: a beautiful pink Catholic church that can be seen from the observation deck
- Museo Iconografico del Quijote: a museum dedicated to the story of Don Quijote
- Teatro Juarez: One of the most beautiful performance arts theaters in Mexico
- Jardin de la Union: a large local park with beautifully trimmed trees surrounded by restaurants and hotels
- Basílica Colegiata de Nuestra Señora de Guanajuato: the most famous church in Guanajuato. It has the statue of Virgin Mary inside and it is featured in every photo of Guanajuato
- Callejón del Beso (the Kissing Alley): a narrow alleyway with a tragic love story that draws couples to visit and exchange kisses
- Mercado Hidalgo: a vibrant indoor market selling fresh produce, cooked food, clothes, shoes, and other souvenirs and handmade crafts
- Plaza de San Roque: the cutest square in Guanajuato with tons of restaurants and some nice photo spots
- Museum of the Mummies: a museum displaying naturally mummified bodies from the cemetery next door
Check out my detailed one day Guanajuato itinerary for details.
Bus to San Miguel de Allende
We needed to leave Guanajuato around 5pm to take the bus to San Miguel de Allende. San Miguel is about one and half hours away. We took the ENT bus again and after getting off the bus, we got an Uber to our hotel.
Where to stay in San Miguel de Allende:
Similar to Guanajuato, San Miguel de Allende’s historic town center area is not super big, but it is lively and safe and that’s where I would recommend staying at. We stayed at Casa Mia Suites. It is ocated only a couple of blocks from the main square, this hotel had a large living room and bedroom. It was super convenient and the courtyard is super cute.
Exploring SMA at night
After checking into our hotel and getting settled in, it was time for us to go out and get some food.
San Miguel is super lively all day long. It felt super safe to to walk around the historic town center at night. As we wondered around, we walked by several highly reviewed restaurants, but unfortunately everything was fully booked.
Eventually we came to Andy’s Taco Truck, a highly rated taco truck on the side of a street in SMA. There was a line when we got there around 8pm, so you can imagine the popularity of this truck. As expected, the tacos were really good and worth the hype (and it was my official first taco in Mexico)!
Serena’s tips: be sure to research restaurants in SMA and make reservations at least a day or 2 early, otherwise you probably can’t get seated at any of the popular restaurants.
Day 3 & 4 in Mexico: Exploring San Miguel de Allende
San Miguel de Allende is one of the most popular towns in Central Mexico among American tourists. It is obvious why it’s so popular and why we decided to come.
From colorful colonial buildings to vibrant nightlife to the amazing gastronomy scenes to beautiful sceneries tohot springs, San Miguel de Allende is a haven for those seeking a relaxing vacation (or even retirement).
I found out that San Miguel de Allende has been voted as the best small city in the world by Travel + Leisure and Condé Nast. That says a lot and it well deserves this recognition.
During our two days in San Miguel de Allende, we got to fully explore its UNESCO World Heritage historic town center, otherwise known as El Centro.
Compared to Guanajuato, San Miguel de Allende’s historic town feels bigger and more refined, lined with gourmet restaurants and luxury boutique hotels. In fact most restaurants and hotels we walked by were so beautifully decorated and fully booked!
During our 2 days here, we mostly just walked around the historic center (many more than once), and got to explore a lot of the stores, buildings, and of course restaurants.
The first thing we checked out was the famous pink Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel and all the street vendors and stores at the square. Another way to start the day was to get breakfast at a rooftop bar overlooking the church.
A cool thing to do in San Miguel is to see all the beautifully decorated doorways, streets and eventually stop by Casa de los Soles, instagram famous for its courtyard decorated with hundreds of colorful suns (hence the name) before continuing to Mercado Ignacio Ramirez, one of the largest market in San Miguel de Allende.
Being the artsy town that is, you simply cannot leave without checking out the Mercado de Artesanías (an artisan market) as well as the art center Fabrica la Aurora. You will find art pieces, galleries, sculptures and other artsy stores here and can spend up to half a day there to see everything.
San Miguel de Allende is known for its food and rooftop bars, so it should be no surprise that we spent a lot of time going to different restaurants and rooftop bars (keep in mind that many restaurants do have a rooftop terrace).
Some of the rooftop restaurants and bars I would recommend include Rosewood Hotel, Restaurant Cielo, Trazo 1810, Quince, Zumo Rooftop Restaurant, Luna Tapas Bar just to name a few. You need to make a reservation a few days in advance (at least) if you want to visit these rooftop bars/ restaurants, otherwise you probably cannot get in.
Lastly, if you want relaxation, be sure to check out the hot springs in San Miguel de Allende, such as La Gruta Spa, the Mayan Baths, Escondido Hot Springs, etc. We didn’t do this since we are not the relaxing type of people, but I do know friends that spent some time in the hot springs.
Day 5 in Mexico: San Miguel de Allende + Mexico City
If you want to spend more time in Mexico City and just feel like you saw enough of San Miguel, then take the bus to Mexico City in the morning. But if you still want to walk around San Miguel de Allende a little more, then take a noon or afternoon bus to Mexico City. You have a little more flexibility here.
We decided to walk around San Miguel a little more in the morning to get some more photos (if you haven’t noticed, I am very big on photos).
We found some really nice photo spots just in random alleys up the hill (and in front of our hotel actually). The most famous photo spot in SMA is probably on Aldama Street, where you can see the pink cathedral.
After we got our photos, we went a nice breakfast at KI’BOK Coffee SMA, which also has a very small rooftop that we checked out. After which, we went back to our hotel to grab our luggage and headed out to the bus station.
Bus to Mexico City & Exploring Mexico City
The bus from San Miguel de Allende to Mexico City North Station took about 4 hours (could be longer, depending on traffic conditions). After we got to Mexico City, we used Didi to grab a car to our hotel in Condesa or Roma, the two best areas in Mexico City.
Where to stay in Mexico City:
As a first timer, I would recommend staying in Roma or Condesa as those are two of the best and cutest neighborhoods in CDMX.
We stayed at Casa Decu in Hipódromo Condesa and had an entire suit in this beautiful and safe neighborhood. The area is very green, with a ton of restaurants and cafes. I was super impressed by how beautiful and lovely the area was and would definitely stay there again.
Since we got to Mexico City in the early afternoon, we had some time to explore the Condesa neighborhood to check out Parque México, known for its beautiful architecture and flowers, grabbed tacos at Taqueria El Greco and Tacos Hola El Güero, stopped by the cute art gallery Mooni, grabb a drink at a local bar, and ended our night at Lardo, an AMAZING Mediterranean restaurant in Condesa.
All the places I mentioned above are not very far from each other, so we could just walk around ourselves. On the way back, since it was pouring (yep, summer thunderstorms), we got a Uber back, but we could’ve totally walked if the weather was good.
Day 6 in Mexico: Explore Mexico City
Mexico City is the capital of Mexico and it is on every first time in Mexico itinerary. You can spend a week in Mexico City by itself if you want to fully explore it. But in this 7 day Mexico itinerary we spent 2-3 days to see the essential attractions in Mexico City and eat at some of the best restaurants (there are so many!).
We spent our first full day in Mexico City to explore Bosque de Chapultepec, a large city park featuring a zoo, museums and most importantly, the famous Chapultepec Castle. The castle itself houses the National Museum of History and has a sweeping view of Mexico City.
You can spend a few hours to even half a day at the park depending on what you like to do. We spent about 1.5 hours there as we had a pretty packed agenda, but I would probably recommend 2-3 hours at a more leisurely pace.
If you are into architecture, then I would highly recommend stopping by two of the most famous houses in Mexico City: Casa Estudio Luis Barragán & Casa Gilardi. Both require reservation at least a week or two in advance if not more.
We visited Casa Gilardi as that was the only reservation we could get in advance. We had to do a house tour in order to visit; the stories behind the house is very interesting and we got a lot of free time to take photos during the visit.
In the afternoon, We headed over to Polanco, otherwise known as the Beverly Hills of Mexico City. Polanco is an upscale and expensive neighborhood in Mexico City, known for its luxury residences, high end boutiques (think Chanel and Hermès), fancy restaurants, cafes and bars.
While in Polanco, we walked around Parque América for the view of St. Augustine Church, strolled by Parque Lincoln, and stopped by the famous bookstore + cafe, Cafebrería El Péndulo. The bookstore has multiple levels, and they have both Spanish and English books as well as a cafe inside. Since it was thunder storming again, it was the perfect place for us to avoid the rain.
After exploring Polanco, it was time for tacos (and desserts again). One popular snack in Mexico is churros and one of the most popular chains for churros is El Moro. There are multiple locations and they had one in Polanco. For dinner, we stopped by another popular taco chain, Orinoco, back in Roma Norte.
Finally we finished the night at Handshake Speakeasy. This place has 2 different “bars”, one is much harder to get in (and need a reservation) than the other. We ended up going to the easier one with a different menu, but drinks were very good (and they had good virgin drinks as well).
Day 7 in Mexico: More exploration in Mexico City
During our second full day in Mexico City, we explored the touristy Centro, a busy area with tons of museums, monuments and markets.
Some of the best things to see in Centro include Zócalo, the main square in Mexico City, Templo Mayor Museum, Metropolitan Cathedral. At Zocalo, there is a CDMX sign that we absolutely had to stop by to grab a photo. If you are into history, then definitely should go inside Templo Mayor Museum. This museum is built on the ruins of a temple, and you get to learn a lot about the Aztec civilization.
Another popular area to check out in Centro is the Palacio de Bellas Artes, one of the prettiest buildings in Mexico City. This building is best seen from the Finca Don Porfirio cafe on top of the Sears department store. We went to the cafe right at opening in order to grab a spot on its terrace with a direct view of Palacio de Bellas Artes.
Another option is to go up an observation deck, the Mirador Torre Latino right across the street from Sears.
If you have time, stop by Palacio Postal, a super beautiful post office in Mexico City, as well as The House of Tiles for the architecture, mural and the restaurant inside. Also be sure to stop by the beautiful Gran Hotel for a quick photo of its ceiling.
If you want to spend the day in Centro, you can visit Museo Franz Mayer, a beautiful art museum nearby and also stop by Mercado de San Juan, a large indoor food market dating back to 1955 or the Mercado de Artesanías La Ciudadela, a large handicraft market with clothes, bags, and other art and handicrafts.
My suggestion would be to spend half a day in Centro, then head down to Frida Kahlo Museum (reservation required) to learn more about the life and work of Frida Kahlo at her former home. It is also a popular Instagram photo spot in Mexico City.
Lastly, if you have time, you can go down to the Xochimilco neighborhood, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and take a ride on its famous boats. In fact you can do a fantastic tour that takes you to Xochimilco, Coyoacan, Frida Kahlo & UNAM all in one afternoon, saving you the hassle of getting multiple Uber rides back and forth.
Unfortunately for us, since it thunder stormed again that afternoon, we didn’t make it down to Xochimilco, instead we went back to Centro and explored Mercado de Artesanías La Ciudadela instead before finishing our night in Roma.
Day 8 in Mexico: Teotihuacán (Optional)
I know I said this is a 7 day Mexico itinerary BUT if you do have one more day, then I would recommend that you take a day trip to see the pyramids from Mexico City in Teotihuacán.
Teotihuacán, meaning “birthplace of Gods”, was one of the largest and powerful cities in Mesoamerica. It is now a famous archeological site the Mesoamerican pyramids and ruins of other temples.
The most famous pyramids at Teotihuacán are the Pyramid of the Sun (Pirámide del Sol) and Pyramid of the Moon (Pirámide de la Luna) and you should also visit Quetzalcoatl Temple (Templo de Quetzalcóatl). Keep in mind that you cannot climb the pyramids at Teotihuacán anymore.
There are many tours that go to Teotihuacán from Mexico City (along with a few other sites), but you can also take this hot air balloon tour to fly over Teotihuacán before visiting the pyramids and temple.
Alternatively, you can take public buses from Mexico City North Station to Teotihuacán. This would give you more freedom to explore the pyramids and temples, and also allow you to go to the beautiful restaurant La Gruta. The restaurant is all over social media due to its uniqueness; it is literally located in a cave lit by candles.
This concludes your awesome one week in Mexico trip! If you want to fit in the pyramids in 7 days, I would suggest spending less time in San Miguel de Allende in this sample itinerary.
Other Questions You May Have about Traveling to Mexico for a Week
Is it safe to travel to Mexico
Mexico seems to have a bad rep when it comes to safety. In fact before my trip to Mexico so many of my friends who have never been to Mexico were worried and told me stories of someone their friends know got kidnapped or got mugged.
I felt Mexico was perfectly safe during our trip. However the places we went were known to be touristy and safe. If you follow this itinerary, go to touristy areas and cities, stay in the nice parts of Mexico City, don’t wander around late at night in bad neighborhoods or get into unmarked cars, I think you should be fine.
Do I need to speak Spanish to visit Mexico
Your trip to Mexico will be a lot more convenient and comfortable if you speak Spanish, even just some basic Spanish enough to check in with bus counters, restaurants, ask about reservation, and talk about prices.
If you really don’t speak Spanish, I would suggest you download Google Translate so you can use it offline. Also make sure you have the translate photo function so you can translate menus and signs!
I don’t speak any Spanish and my friends spoke some basic Spanish and we got around fine! There were blank looks a lot of times on our faces but we survived, so will you!
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