We kicked off our four-week adventure with a flight from Sarasota, Florida, to Querétaro, Mexico. Querétaro is the closest major city to our first stop: San Miguel de Allende (SMA). We spent three days exploring Querétaro on a previous trip, so this time we just stayed overnight before making the 1½-hour drive to SMA. Our original plan was to take a bus, but when we saw that an Uber cost less than $50, convenience won out over adventure.

For years we’d been hearing about San Miguel de Allende, but we honestly weren’t sure what to expect once we got there. It’s a favorite destination for North American expats, and we’d heard mixed opinions: some people rave about its charm, while others say it has become too gentrified and lost a bit of its original culture and heritage. After an enjoyable week’s stay, we decided that we really loved the city’s magic.

San Miguel de Allende

San Miguel de Allende has such a fascinating story. It was founded in 1542 by a Franciscan monk, Fray Juan de San Miguel, as a mission stop along the old silver mining trade route between Zacatecas and Mexico City. You can still feel that history when you walk the cobblestone streets. It has a Spanish colonial charm—Baroque buildings, colorful facades, and churches that seem to glow at sunset.

One of our favorite things about this town is how much history is packed into it. This was the hometown of Ignacio Allende, one of the heroes of Mexico’s fight for independence. They even added “de Allende” to the town’s name in his honor. San Miguel began to grow in the 20th century when artists and dreamers from all over the world discovered it. Now it’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site and has been voted “Best City in the World” multiple times. Honestly, it’s not hard to see why.

What’s also special here is the mix of people. About 10% of the town’s 180,000 residents are expats, mostly from the U.S. and Canada. They come for the perfect weather, the slow pace, and the strong sense of community. You’ll see them volunteering, painting in art classes, or just chatting in the cafés. It gives the town an international vibe but it still feels authentically Mexican.

The Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel

And then there’s the Parroquia—this pink, fairy-tale church towers over the main square. It looks like something straight out of Europe, but it was actually redesigned by a local stonemason, Zeferino Gutiérrez, in the late 1800s using postcards of European cathedrals as his inspiration. The original church was built in the 1600s, but his design is what makes it so magical today.

Inside it’s quieter, full of old paintings and small chapels where people come to pray. It’s still a working parish, so there’s always something happening—weddings, masses, and festivals. During the feast of Saint Michael the Archangel, the whole plaza outside explodes with fireworks, music, and parades. It’s the beating heart of the town.

Jardin Allende

In front of the Parroquia is the Jardin Allende, the central plaza. It’s only three blocks from our apartment, so we pass through it almost every day on our way to coffee, museums, or dinner. We love how alive it feels.

There are people everywhere—sitting on benches under the perfectly trimmed laurel trees, kids playing and chasing pigeons, street vendors selling snacks, and sometimes a mariachi band playing as the sun sets.

At night, the whole place lights up. Surrounded by restaurants, shops, and beautiful old buildings, this plaza really is the living room of San Miguel. We often just stop, sit for a while, and watch the world go by.

Our First Impression

One of the first things we noticed about San Miguel de Allende was how much the city has been shaped by North American expats. It’s clear that housing prices have shot up, and income inequality is a real challenge here. Still, we tried to do our small part to support the local community—eating at family-run restaurants instead of hotel dining rooms, skipping the expat bars, and taking a walking tour with a local guide.

Because we came in the summer, the usual crowd of American snowbirds wasn’t around. Instead, the streets were filled with Mexican families on vacation, which gave the town a very different (and fun) energy.

Our apartment turned out to be in an amazing spot—just a few blocks from the Jardin Allende and, by pure luck, on one of the most photographed streets in the city. We didn’t realize it at first, but people were constantly stopping to pose in front of our door. More than once, we had to politely squeeze past a group taking pictures! 

Stepping through our door was like entering a little oasis. The courtyard was full of flowers and greenery, cared for by a gardener. We even had a private patio where we could sit outside and catch glimpses of the city’s rooftops and church towers.

And the weather—wow. Dry, sunny, around 75 degrees every day. Thanks to the altitude, there’s no humidity, and in the shade, it always feels cool. It’s the kind of weather that makes you want to live outside.

San Miguel is easy to love. The streets are colorful, the churches are beautiful, the food is fantastic (we never get tired of Mexican food), and the people are warm and welcoming.

It also feels like Americans who move here end up choosing one of two lifestyles: either you create a kind of “little America” with all the comforts of home, or you dive into Mexican life—speak Spanish, shop for food at the central market, and follow local traditions. Some people seem to find a balance between the two.

For us, the everyday charms won us over: the religious parades passing by, mariachis playing in the square, lazy afternoons in the park, and the slow, gentle pace of life.