You have just landed at Bajío International, in Silao — the gateway to Guanajuato, a silver city folded into a ravine about 35 minutes up the highway. This guide covers the taxi-booth ride in and its real fares, where to sleep, the digital entry stamp and the 4 percent lodging tax, your first plate of enchiladas mineras, and the independence towns and night walks that fill day two.
You just landed in Guanajuato. You actually touched down at Bajío International (BJX) in Silao, about 35 minutes by road — the move is the authorised taxi at about MXN 550 or an app cab for less, with an Airalo eSIM live for maps, and the callejoneadas and museum days that fill up first worth booking ahead through GetYourGuide.
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Find your arrival stop, hotel, and first meal. Stays, sights, and landmarks in Guanajuato — live hotel prices plus the key places from this guide.
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It sits by Silao, about 30 km away, and the first decision is how you cover that highway run into a city built in a ravine.
An Airalo eSIM loads in minutes, so maps and ride apps work from arrivals. For a longer Mexico trip, compare Saily and Yesim.
Check the days the immigration officer wrote in your passport before you leave the counter — that number, not 180, is your limit.
Or walk out to the app pick-up point.
Markets, buses and museums are cash work.
AirHelp checks whether the airline owes you compensation.
Journey times are approximate and refer to the listed stop — not necessarily your hotel. Allow extra time for waiting, walking, and connections.
In a hurry? Authorised airport taxi is the fastest option listed, at about 35 min.
Watching the budget? Bus via Silao is the cheapest option listed, at about MXN 110.
Heavy bags, a group, or a late arrival? Authorised airport taxi takes you door to door — about MXN 550, about 35 min.
Fixed zone fares are sold at the booth inside arrivals — the ticket price is the price, whatever anyone outside offers; 2026 quotes run MXN 400 to 700 by zone, with the Centro at about MXN 550
Uber and DiDi both serve BJX and usually undercut the booth taxi; pick-up is outside the terminal, so walk out, check the plate and expect the fare to swing with demand
Shared vans leave from outside arrivals when they fill and drop at Centro hotels; per-person pricing suits solo travellers, less so groups of three or more, who should price the booth taxi first
No bus runs from BJX straight into Guanajuato city: ride Primera Plus or Futura to Silao, change to a local bus for Guanajuato's Central de Autobuses, then a city bus or short taxi into the Centro; luggage space is limited
BJX is a small, single-terminal airport, and the run into Guanajuato follows the highway past Silao before dropping into the city's tunnel network. There is no train and no direct airport bus — the four real options are these:
Choose the booth taxi with luggage or a late arrival — the fare is fixed before you ride. Choose the app cab to save money in daylight. The bus route is a local's workaround: cheap, but it lands at the Central de Autobuses on the city's edge, with a bus or short taxi still to go.
Prefer to be met? A Kiwitaxi transfer or a Welcome Pickups driver puts a name board in arrivals at a fixed price. Driving yourself, price the pickup on AutoEurope first — a car is a liability in the tunnels.
In town, walk. The Centro is compact but steep, threaded by callejones (stepped alleys) no car can enter. City buses run the tunnel roads for a few pesos, and the funicular climbs to the Pípila viewpoint.
Start at the Jardín de la Unión, the laurel-shaded wedge where the city meets itself. Facing it stands the Teatro Juárez, the 1903 theatre with bronze lions on its steps, and the church of San Diego. Calle Positos runs past the Diego Rivera house museum — the muralist was born here in 1886 — to the Alhóndiga de Granaditas, where the first battle of independence was fought in 1810.
Ride the funicular behind the theatre to the Pípila monument, the statue of the miner who torched the Alhóndiga's door, for the full bowl-of-houses panorama. Come down and get lost on purpose: the callejones climb between coloured houses, and the most famous, the Callejón del Beso, is so narrow its balconies touch.
Give half a day to the mines. The Valenciana church rises over the old mining village in pink stone, and the Boca del Infierno shaft drops 600 metres into the silver that made the city rich. The Mummy Museum is the macabre signature — go early, or skip the queue.
Browse GetYourGuide for guided versions of all of it, and compare Klook when stacking activities.
Sleep at Allende 7, steps from the Jardín de la Unión and the Teatro Juárez — a 19th-century townhouse rebuilt as a spa boutique, its 27 rooms set around original stone walls, with an indoor pool and hot tub. Book it for the fullest version of Guanajuato polish.
Stay on the Jardín itself, at Jardín de la Unión 12 — a colonial palace founded in 1862, its terrace restaurant spread under the laurels. Book it for the classic base: the city's living room at your door.
Bed down on the Presa road at Paseo de la Presa 25 — dorms and private rooms in a tall house famous for its rooftop terrace, where the coloured bowl of the city is the view. Book it for the social version of budget Guanajuato — and pack light, because the house climbs its hillside in stairs.
Base in the Centro on a first visit — the Jardín end puts the theatre, the funicular and the evening callejoneadas on your doorstep, on lanes that stay lit and busy late. The Paseo de la Presa road, south towards La Olla reservoir, is the calmer alternative — a 15-minute walk or short ride in. Wherever you book, ask about stairs: a front door can sit a steep climb from its street.
Book ahead for October, when Cervantino fills every room. Confirm the total includes the 4 percent lodging tax and 16 percent VAT.
Eat the miners' food first. The dish of the city is enchiladas mineras — tortillas dipped in guajillo chile, filled with cheese and onion, served with carrot, potato and chicken, built to feed men coming off a shift. Around it: guacamayas, crusty rolls stuffed with pork crackling and salsa, and pozole. Three first stops:
Map → Eat inside the great 1910 market hall, part market and part train station in pink stone — fondas upstairs serve enchiladas mineras and pozole; the stalls below cover fruit, sweets and cajeta. Start here at lunch on day one.
Map → Graze the garden's edge in the evening — tables under the laurels, mariachis working the square, the Teatro Juárez lit across the way.
Map → Sit at the tiny café on the Puente del Campanero — coffee above one of the city's most photographed lanes. Arrive early; there are only a handful of tables.
For food tours and cantina crawls, browse the Guanajuato listings on GetYourGuide.
Three escapes cover the region at three speeds: the independence towns by group tour, the city's own night walk, and an afternoon in its historic cantinas. Carry a layer — each runs into the cool evening.
Nine hours by group tour, up to 14 travellers: Dolores Hidalgo, where the Grito launched the independence war in 1810 — parish church, Independence Museum, artisan ice creams — then the frescoed Sanctuary of Atotonilco, and San Miguel for its pink Parroquia. Transport included, from about US$25. Check availability →
Seventy minutes after dark, following a student tuna band in period dress from the church of San Diego through the flood-lit alleys, songs and legends on the way, ending at the Callejón del Beso. Rated 4.7 from 90 reviews, from about US$8. It runs in Spanish, and it does not matter — this is the one thing everyone tells you to do. Check availability →
About two hours through three historic cantinas, starting at the Alhóndiga de Granaditas: Aquí Me Quedo, Los Barrilitos and Bar Luna, bars that served miners and students for two centuries, with mezcal and legends between stops. Rated 5 from recent reviews, from about US$20. Check availability →
Leave a spare day for León, 45 minutes away — the shoe and leather city.
October to May is the dry season and the sweet spot: warm afternoons, cool nights, the city at its clearest. October is also Cervantino, the arts festival founded in 1972 — three weeks of concerts and street performance that double crowds and room rates, so book months ahead or aim either side of it. June to September rains most afternoons. At 2,000 metres, nights ask for a jacket even in May.
Budget in pesos, at about MXN 18.7 to US$1 (October 2026). A city bus ride is a few pesos; the funicular about MXN 40 return; enchiladas mineras at the market MXN 100 to 150; a cantina mezcal MXN 80 to 150.
A backpacker in a dorm, on market lunches and buses: MXN 700 to 1,000 a day. Mid-range — a Centro room, terrace dinners, one guided day: MXN 1,800 to 2,800.
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Pack for a walking city built on a slope, at altitude, with cool nights — the callejones are stairs. This is the full list:
Add the Guanajuato extras: shoes with real grip — the alleys run slick after rain — and a warm layer for evenings at 2,000 metres. European visitors need a Type A and B adapter.
! Check visa requirements before you fly
Spanish runs Guanajuato, in a university city that stays young and musical — the Universidad de Guanajuato, founded in 1732, fills the Centro with students, and its estudiantina bands lead the callejoneadas. Hotel staff mostly work in English; markets, buses and cantinas run on Spanish, and a greeting before a question is local etiquette.
Four phrases do most of the work:
Sort your entry paperwork before you book anything non-refundable. US, Canadian, British, EU, Australian and New Zealand nationals enter Mexico for tourism without a visa for up to 180 days. Flying in, there is no paper form: your FMM permit is created digitally at immigration, the officer stamps your passport and writes in the days you are granted — up to 180, at the officer's discretion, often matched to your stated trip. Check that number before you walk away, and keep your return flight and first nights' booking on your phone. The permit fee is inside your air ticket, and your passport must be valid for the whole stay.
The US State Department lists Guanajuato state at Level 3, Reconsider Travel (Mexico advisory updated May 2026), citing crime and kidnapping. That violence is concentrated in the industrial south — Celaya, Salamanca and Irapuato — not in the colonial capital, whose Centro stays busy and walked late. Go in informed, and keep intercity roads to daylight.
Uber and DiDi are cheap, tracked and the local default at night; the airport booth covers arrivals. Walk the lit lanes around the Jardín, and take a car up the hill rather than climbing dark steps late. Never drive the intercity highways after dark.
Festival weeks, the market and the callejoneada crush are the working patch: phone away between photos, bag in front, passport in the hotel safe. In cantinas, watch your drink being poured, and agree any mariachi price per song first.
At 2,000 metres the first day's mezcal hits harder and the sun burns faster than it feels — hydrate with purified water, never the tap, and take the climbs slowly. For anything serious, dial 911.
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The AmericasThe airport run, the entry stamp and the state advisory, in short.
Facts checked October 2026.
Fly into Bajío International (BJX) in Silao, about 30 km away. The authorised taxi from the booth inside arrivals runs a fixed zone fare — about MXN 550 to the Centro, 35 minutes. Uber and DiDi pick up outside for about MXN 400. There is no direct airport bus; the budget route is a bus to Silao, then a local bus on to Guanajuato, about MXN 110 and 90 minutes in all.
No visa for US, Canadian, British, EU, Australian and New Zealand nationals for tourist stays of up to 180 days. Flying in, there is no paper form: your FMM permit is created digitally, the officer stamps your passport and writes in the days you are granted — up to 180, at the officer's discretion. Check the number before you leave the counter.
Guanajuato state charges a 4 percent lodging tax (ISH) on room rates, on top of the national 16 percent VAT. It lands on the hotel bill and is sometimes added at check-out rather than shown in the headline rate — confirm the total includes both.
October to May, the dry season: warm afternoons and cool nights at about 2,000 metres. October also brings the Cervantino festival, when rooms sell out months ahead. June to September is the rainy season, with heavy afternoon storms.
The US State Department lists Guanajuato state at Level 3, Reconsider Travel, but the violence behind that rating sits in the industrial south — Celaya, Salamanca and Irapuato — not in the colonial capital. The Centro is busy and walked late; use app rides or authorised taxis after dark, keep intercity roads to daylight, and take normal crowd care at the market and festivals.
No. Drink bottled or purified water (agua purificada) — hotels supply it, and established restaurants make their ice from it, so ice is fine. Carry a bottle for the climbs; at 2,000 metres you will need it.
Prices are typical 2026 rates in Mexican pesos (MXN). Entry rules and the Guanajuato lodging tax verified October 2026.
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Airport and transfers against GAP's BJX listing and 2026 fare reporting: authorised taxis sell fixed zone fares at the booth inside arrivals — MXN 400 to 700 by zone, about MXN 550 to the Centro — and app cabs usually undercut the booth. Buses run from BJX to Silao and León with Primera Plus and Futura; no operator runs a direct airport bus into the city, so the guide prints the Silao change. Entry against the digital FMM practice now standard at Mexican airports: passport stamp, days written in, up to 180 at the officer's discretion. Lodging tax against the 2026 state ISH tables: Guanajuato 4 percent, plus 16 percent VAT. US advisory: Guanajuato state Level 3, updated 29 May 2026. Exchange anchor: about MXN 18.7 to US$1, October 2026. GetYourGuide hub and all three products opened and read October 2026. Expedia returned rate limits during this build, so hotel URLs are empty pending the confirmation pass. Photo credits as in the guide data. Last verified October 2026.
Affiliate disclosure: hotel names, transfers, experiences, and products linked in this guide may earn After You Land a commission at no extra cost to you. Prices and times were checked in Oct 2026 and change often — confirm before you book.