family travel blog photo in front of San Miguels famous pink cathedral

What to do in San Miguel de Allende With a Family

San Miguel de Allende has gotten a lot of hype recently and has landed on Condé Nast Traveler’s "Best Small City in the World" five times now. It has long been an artsy escape for expats and even with the press I still think it’s laid back enough to warrant visiting. Here’s why: It’s the perfect combination of old Spanish architecture, beautiful food and for the most part as an American, still affordable. Also, the shopping is fantastic. The markets there are easy to navigate compared to Mexico City so if you aren’t comfortable in large crowded spaces in foreign countries or are looking for a slower pace, this is a great place to dip your toe in.

An important note on planning A Family Friendly itinerary to San Miguel de Allende (or anywhere!)

I don’t love a super structured itinerary when traveling as a family. Instead I tend to plan our days in time blocks, which would vary based on what age kids you have and their nap schedules. If yours no longer nap, then add in a lunch or an activity in place of the nap block. Or, make that block quiet time to recharge then head out for an afternoon activity and dinner as a family.

Here’s what I do when planning a family itinerary:

Make a list of all the things we want to do while in a destination and then pick one of the things per day and focus on JUST that. Everything else is just a bonus. It helps keep me sane (travel with kids is not easy!) and also makes days when you tackle a few things feel like such a win.

While we were in SMA I was working with a midday 2-3 hour break for nap unless for some reason my daughter fell asleep in her stroller. On those rare days we would find a cafe with street level tables, park her in the shade and have drink or an appetizer outdoors.

Also, because hangry family members are never fun, I now always like to plan for early breakfast before attempting anything else, either at our accommodation or a coffee shop I want to try. Keeping it separate from other actives (not “let’s just grab something at a place we see on the way”) ensures everyone gets fed before we venture out.

I always map out a park around where we are staying and try to balance sightseeing and restaurants with regular life experiences peppered in. Like an afternoon on the swings or a picnic lunch somewhere easy where we control the menu and time we eat. If you have good sleepers you could choose to keep them out a little later and have them tag along to dinner as well, but since we had extra adults with us this trip we took the pressure off and took turns going out for dinner instead.

We typically eat at places that don’t require reservations, but if there is somewhere specific I know we want to go that doesn’t make you leave a cc deposit, I will make the reservation for two different times during our stay. That way if we miss the first one, we have a second time option already booked. Also in my experience a late lunch reservation is almost always easier to secure than dinner, fits well after a mid-day nap and is a way to visit higher end restaurants that might be too formal in the evenings with kids (Contramar in Mexico City comes to mind, we had a lovely long lunch there with our daughter and the waiters brought out rice and beans for her immediately upon seating us without us even having to ask for a little something to keep her busy.

What to Know About Traveling to San Miguel de Allende With Kids

Should You Bring a Stroller to San Miguel de Allende?

San Miguel de Allende is an old Spanish colonial city and every road in the center of town is cobblestone. It was fun (and a little challenging at times) to figure out how to get places with my daughter. Strollers are not an option in San Miguel de Allende. Because of the old bumpy streets we mostly used our Ergobaby carrier and also had my daughter walk while holding her hand, although the latter took quite a while. Even if you brought a city cruiser like the Thule jogger the issue would be the narrow sidewalks and streets with cars passing. It just doesn’t make a lot of practical sense once you see how the city is laid out. Plus many of the restaurants and rooftops require you to take stairs on the way up which makes having a stroller useless. So make sure you are ready for a challenge or have kids that are slightly older in age and can easily walk the city by themselves.

Breakfast spread on our suite’s balcony at the Rosewood San Miguel de Allende

Where to Stay in San Miguel de Allende

We stayed in a charming hacienda (photo above on the left with the climbing vine and rust colored building). It was located on the corner of a narrow cobblestone street near the cathedral. When traveling as a family sometimes I prefer an Airbnb stay for the ease of having your own kitchen and space to return to but as a hotelphile (is this a word?) I like to either start or end my trip at a hotel I’ve been wanting to check out. This is a great way to stretch your budget and allow you to experience the service and amenities of luxury properties without having to spend your entire trip bunking up in a single room with a slumber pod and eating dinner on the bathroom floor after the kids go to bed (IYKYK).

Here are my top picks for hotels in San Miguel de Allende:

Rosewood San Miguel de Allende - gorgeous hotel grounds, a stunning pool, famous rooftop tapas bar, Luna. This is where I chose to stay at the end of our trip to have some R&R time after exploring the city.

Casa de Sierra Nevada - a Belmond Hotel with a strong sense of place and beautiful decor. Smaller than the Rosewood if you are looking for a more intimate feel.

Casa No Name - a boutique hotel that is a member of Small Luxury Hotels. It has a tucked-away hidden hideaway feel to it with 6 rooms, a rooftop bar and beautiful breakfast service for guests. I would stay here as a couple if we ever returned without kids.

As a Fora Travel Advisor I can get clients VIP perks at all the hotels listed above, which means I have access to book all of the club or loyalty program benefits. It’s free for you and easy for me to book your hotel stay (and sometimes I can even add benefits if you’ve already booked!) so drop me a line and let me help you get the VIP treatment!

Landscape of San Miguel de Allende

San Miguel is a beautiful colonial city with baroque old world architecture, colorful buildings, cobblestone streets and hilly topography making for stunning views from just about every rooftop patio in the city - and there are quite a few. The city is landlocked and high in elevation at over 6,000’ (similar to Denver, CO). Pack layers as it can go from hot during the daytime to a cool breeze in evenings. We experienced record breaking rain while we were there in September. The city is old, so streets flooded quickly but then dried out quickly as well.

How long to stay in San Miguel de Allende

San Miguel de Allende is a city that you could return to time and time again and still not fully explore every corner. It is doable in just a long weekend, however I would suggest longer, so that the town has a chance to work its magic on you. I found that every time I walked the flower lined street back to our Airbnb I noticed something new, a little shop, a new rooftop, a small cafe I wanted to pop into. I think that is the case for a lot of older cities where the majority of the living happens up off the street level, hidden verandas and patios, rooftops and viewpoints all behind closed doors and walls. It takes time to explore and really sink into the pace of life there. SMA is a popular city break destination, meaning people flock here over long weekends from nearby areas. It tends to be the most crowded Thurs-Sun and most shops here are closed on Mondays.

Evening light after the rain from Luna tapas bar on the roof of the Rosewood hotel San Miguel de Allende

Where to Drink/Eat in san miguel de allende

Luna Rooftop - this tapas bar at the Rosewood in SMA is on all the lists for a reason. It has an amazing view, Rosewood properties are top tier and the grounds are magical. It’s worth the pricey margarita just to stroll around and get a peek behind the gates if you aren’t a guest at the hotel. Make a reservation if you are going during peak sunset hours, or one of my favorite travel hacks if there aren’t any reservations available, walk in during the off hours before the rush. Most of the time you can secure a table and a lot of places we have visited won’t make you leave once you have a seat.

Rooftop at Selina - This one is hard to get up to, be prepared for lots of stairs! But the little bar and patio have a fantastic view. We had drinks and some chips and guacamole (our afternoon staple snack while there) and got to see a large thunderstorm roll by in the distance.

Lavanda Café - there is a location right next to the artisans market, a little easy to miss if you aren’t looking so keep an eye out! It makes good stop off before or after shopping at the markets.

Ki’bok Coffee - this cute spot for coffee in SMA was right down the street from our Airbnb, but it is worth making the detour off the main square for their pour over Chemex coffees and interior decor.

Jacques - A great spot for brunch or lunch. Has a very cool high desert art vibe to it. We hiked the stairs to the top patio and had a leisurely late breakfast here.

San Agustín Chocolate and Churros - great for an afternoon sweet fix, dip them in the chocolate, it’s the only way. This churro cafe in San Miguel tends to have a long wait, pro tip: sometimes it is faster to get a table than carryout!

Casa No Name - above a cute shop with the most intoxicating branded scent. I still think about it. If you are looking for a boutique stay, this is on my list of hotels to try if I ever go back to San Miguel de Allende without kids. We had drinks at the rooftop bar, and my daughter enjoyed the lush vine lined staircase you have to climb on the way to the top.

Café Rama - A laid back brunch spot near the Rosewood San Miguel and Parque Benito Juárez. The food was decent, but our wait for food was pretty long. The interior doubles as a lively art gallery which kept our little one entertained, so it is worth stopping in if you aren’t in a rush.

We did not make it to Mercado del Carmen but it’s on the list if I we ever go again! I love a modern food court with kids or larger groups as there is usually ample space to spread out, everyone gets what they want and you can walk in without reservations.

What to Visit/See in San Miguel de Allende (Easy with kiddos)

Plan to spend an afternoon by the pool at the Rosewood (or your Airbnb!). We scouted out an amazing old house with a courtyard plunge pool that was heated, daily housekeeping, grocery shopping and one homemade meal of our choice per day. This was such a game changer for our family trip to San Miguel. It tends to be affordable if you have a larger group, and for us made all the difference knowing that we didn’t have to even think about one meal a day, we could just eat when we wished in the comfort of our casita. We ended up scheduling this to be our afternoon meal most days, and one of the adults would put our daughter down for her nap while the rest got to enjoy a leisurely meal and then we would all hang by the pool.

We played an ongoing game of ‘spot the door’, keeping an eye out for interesting details like a hand shaped knocker or tall carvings in unique patterns. I now treasure the photos I have of my daughter in front of the many towering doors around town, mainly because she looks so small on the trip compared to now!

Wander around the centro early in the day. Take a leisurely stroll by La Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel, stopping to take a photo in front of the beautiful pink sandstone church. Grab a drink or snack nearby at Lavanda or the famous churro shop and listen for the bell tolls which made my daughter go wide eyed every time they chimed. We enjoyed seeing the church in the early hours of the morning before all the tourists started milling around as well as in the evening after dinner when it was all lit up.

Stroll through Parque Benito Juárez. Not a huge park, but the winding pathways and play structure were plenty to keep us entertained for a morning after brunch at Café Rama. I always seek out a local playground when on vacation with kids, and it served us well to get some energy out before returning to our casita for a siesta.

My tip for keeping things organized while touring is to map everything you might want to visit ahead of time on a google map. That way you can locate places around you while out and about, saving time and wasted energy. I love being able to pull up restaurants I’ve already vetted in my pre-trip research on a map when everyone is hangry or check to see how close we are to a park if everyone is getting stir crazy.

If you choose a full service package with me to plan your next trip I will provide you with a personalized google map with recommendations just like I make for my family! Drop me a line to start planning here.

Shopping in San Miguel de Allende

Mercado SANO - an organic market with artisan textiles and other odds and ends for sale. They have a juice bar right in the middle and small individual stands throughout where you can stock up on organic produce, yogurt and other snacks for the family.

Mercado de Artesanías de San Miguel de Allende - this is the main artisans market filled with textiles and colorful folk art. The market is less extensive than those in Mexico City or other Central American countries I’ve visited making them the perfect place for novice market goers. We went twice during our 6 day stay, partly because we needed to take it in sections as my daughter got overwhelmed and lost interest easily and partly because I have a rule for any big purchase that I like to browse once and then buy towards the end of our trip if I’m still thinking about it. I picked up the cutest hat for my daughter while we were here that she wore nonstop during the rest of our trip, as well as linen napkins, pom pom decor and few child size embroidered Mexican dresses.

Fabrica La Aura: this one is great, but with the caveat that a lot of the art here is not appropriately placed for a toddler. We spent the majority of this visit taking turns with my daughter on the playground at Geek&Coffee, a cute outdoor coffee shop, where she drank hot chocolate and played with other kids outside.

Elsewhere

My brother and sister in law made it to both Escondido Place and La Gruta (sans kiddos) and had a wonderful time soaking. Either would be a fun family addition to an itinerary if your kids are a bit older.

Also on my list was El Charco del Ingenio, we didnt make it but I have heard good things about these botanical gardens located just outside of the city. They have an interactive garden of the senses where they have binoculars and a sunken pollinator garden to explore. This would be a good place to roam and explore after a few days of traversing the city, again, especially with slightly older kids.

San Miguel’s narrow sidewalks and cobblestone streets don’t lend themselves to being stroller friendly but it’s all part of the adventure

6 Day San Miguel de Allende Family Friendly Itinerary

We took this as part of a longer trip, flying into Mexico City and out of Leon so we could combine both Mexico City and San Miguel de Allende and maximize our time in the country with our little one. Multiple flights on one trip seemed daunting as our daughter was 18 months old, and since she slept well in the car seat at the time we opted for a private transfer from Mexico City to San Miguel de Allende (~4 hrs). If you are just doing San Miguel de Allende choose to fly into the city that has the easiest flights from your home airport as the transfer time is negligible (Leon/BJX ~ 1.5hrs, Queretaro/QRO~ 1 hr).

Here is a loose 6 day San Miguel de Allende with kids itinerary based on the places to see / eat / visit in the list section below. A note on restaurants listed for dinner in this itinerary, unless it was listed in the list of places to eat and drink above, we did not take my daughter. Also, it can be so nice to recharge on the final day of your trip before heading home, so while these activities can be easily swapped out, I would recommend keeping the final day of your time in SMA as chill as possible!

Day 1: Travel to SMA

Morning / Depart Mexico City in the morning or fly in to BJX/QRO. Private car with driver to San Miguel de Allende.

Afternoon / Check in at your accommodation. I loved the Rosewood San Miguel de Allende. Set up and unpack all your kid gear so you don’t have to worry about where the sound machine is later tonight when you are exhausted.

Stop by a nearby grocery or Mercado SANO to stock up on essential snacks and easy to gab breakfast items to have on hand during your stay.

Have an early dinner on a patio with a view, or heavy appetizers and a cocktail at The Rooftop at Selina if you ate already at the market like I ended up doing.

Day 2: SMA

Morning / Breakfast at your accommodation or walk over bright and early to Ki’bok Coffee.

Go for an extended stroll through the historic city to get your bearings, or jump on the trolly car tour through San Miguel de Allende if you feel like sitting back and letting someone to guide you (note these are only conducted in Spanish but you can still sit back and enjoy the ride if you don’t speak the language).

Walk through the main square of the tree lined El Jardin and take a look inside the famous pink sandstone church, Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel.

Late lunch at your accommodation / Nap

Evening / Enjoy cocktails and appetizers at Luna Rooftop at the Rosewood. This requires reservations, however we walked right in after some heavy rain and it was completely empty. We got a prime table with an umbrella and it ended up being so great!

Dinner at The Restaurant.

Day 3: SMA

Morning / Breakfast at your accommodation or hit up Lavanda Café at the entrance to the artisan market. Their signature lavender latte is delicious.

Spend the morning perusing the folk art and souvenirs at Mercado de Artesanías de San Miguel de Allende. Bring along a larger tote bag to carry all your finds.

Lunch at your accommodation / Nap

Afternoon / Take a taxi to Fabrica La Aurora and peruse the artwork. If your kids are antsy, head straight to Geek&Coffee to play outside on the lawn and playscape and the adults can trade off going inside to browse.

Day 4: SMA

Morning / Get a slightly later start and head to brunch at Café Rama.

After eating, walk the tree-lined pathways of Parque Benito Juárez and stop to play at the playscape. My daughter enjoyed exploring and people watching as well as posing on top of one of the bronze statues of a turtle.

Mid day / Nap

Late lunch at Mercado del Carmen then take a walk back towards El Jardin. Poke around the shops of the old town and when you have sufficiently walked off lunch, pop in for churros dipped in chocolate at San Agustín Chocolate and Churros.

Evening / Dinner at Quince, The Kitchen or La Parada.

Day 5: SMA

Morning / If you want another pass at the markets, head there first thing. Then back to your accommodation for time by the pool, a spa treatment at your hotel or a trip to La Gruta or Escondido Place.

Mid day / Nap

Late lunch by the pool or on a patio somewhere nearby.

Evening / We ordered in the last night in San Miguel so we could spend a little time packing, have one last dip in the pool and not have to worry about making it to reservations anywhere.

Day 6: Depart Private car and driver to Leon to catch your flight home.

PIN This San MIguel De Allende Itinerary FOR LATER!

about FAMILY TRAVEL BLOG FOUND ELSEWHERE

A disclaimer on my travel style, so you know what you are getting into up front. This is not a family travel blog about how to do Disney World on a budget… I’m not saying I wont EVER take my family on a trip to Disney World. I have a lot of happy memories from Disney as a kid, riding the monorail between hotel pools and the park first thing in the morning, staying up late to watch the light parade over the lagoon, running off Space Mountain to get right back in line again.

This is also not a guide to every family-friendly museum or park in a new city. It’s a real life experience based on how I love to travel, with my pre-kid life experience heavily influencing my post-kid travel itinerary. This is not a guide to cookie cutter destinations or even what some might call easy travel destinations with kids. Just like I did before I had kids, I still love to push boundaries of where we might travel and try to figure out ways to make a destination meet our needs based on the age of my kids and how we approach the itinerary.

What I’ve learned while traveling with kids is that almost anywhere can be family-friendly if you plan correctly and stay flexible. We now practice a much slower pace of travel, staying put in one destination for longer, instead of jumping between hotels or leaving a day after an overnight flight to see the next place. Also keeping expectations reasonably low for each day and focusing on keeping a similar daily routine in a new place allows us to have a reasonably good experience anywhere.

Even with kids, I still like to see cool things, eat good food, savor a drink on a rooftop, explore a market and walk the city top to bottom side to side. The best part is that when your kids are young, as long as you aren’t stretching them too thin between naps they like that stuff too. Because they simply like to be with you!

My family travel style may not be yours and that is okay. But I also want you to know that family trips don’t have to be terrible, boring or mainstream. Are they going to be hard? Yes 100%. Life with kids is hard, and a trip is just life but slightly harder because usually you lack the familiarity of home and routine. But as long as you take that into consideration, you can still have a nice trip even with kids.

6 Day San Miguel de Allende Itinerary With Kids