This past summer I took an unforgettable trip to Guanajuato, Mexico. While the trip itself didn’t get to last as long as I would have liked (I was there for only a few hours), I still managed to enjoy my time spent in the beautiful and historical city.
Before we dive into the unique and unforgettable things to do in Guanajuato, I want to make sure you guys understand I was only there for a few hours and didn’t get to do as much as I would have liked but we made it work.
It’s also important to know that my journey to Guanajuato started in Zamora, Michoacan. It’s not the farthest place but not the closest either. I was told my aunt (and Google Maps) that it would be a 3-hour ride and considering I usually drive 4 hours to Vegas, I said “let’s go!” not knowing what I had signed up for lol
Getting to Guanajuato
If you’ve ever been to Mexico, you know that most people there use public transportation to get around since cars are expensive and a lot of people don’t make enough to own a car.
This meant that if I wanted to go anywhere while I was on vacation, I had to either walk, hop on a bus or call a taxi.
Okay, now that we got that clear, let me tell you about my bus ride from hell as my family and I traveled to Guanajuato.
When I say bus ride from hell, I actually mean BUS RIDES FROM HELL (as in multiple 😭)
We woke up at 6am, got to the bus station by 6:30ish and were told that they were sold out of direct bus passes so instead we went with the regular bus….as in the bus that makes MULTIPLE STOPS!
Long story short, we ended up having to hop on to three different buses, THREE! And the trip that was supposed to be 3 hours turned into 7 hours!
We ended up arriving to Guanajuato by 2pm and were told that the last bus to Zamora would leave by 6pm so needless to say, our trip was short (and very rushed.)
Museum of Mummies
The first thing we did when we arrived was go straight to see the famed mummies of Guanajuato at the Museum of Mummies.
This museum is dedicated to the bodies that were found naturally mummified during the cholera outbreak in Mexico in the 1800s.
The museum itself is built next to a cemetery and holds over 100 mummies, including the world’s smallest mummified fetus!
The Guanajuato Mummies
What makes these mummies so unique is that one, they aren’t thousands of years old like the Egyptian mummies and two, the bodies founds weren’t rich and idolized people. In fact, during the 1800’s a new burial tax took place and people had to pay to keep their loved ones buried and if they couldn’t pay, they would be dug up and moved.
According to our taxi driver, this led to the groundskeeper discovering the mummified bodies. From there, the bodies were kept in a small underground area where people would break in to peek at the mummies so the groundskeeper began to charge a few pesos to see the dead.
Today, each mummy has a story next to their body explaining how they died or how they were found. Most bodies found were victims of cholera but you’ll find bodies of those who died of different causes including being buried alive, shot, drowned, beat up and stabbed.
The entire experience was eerie and a bit morbid but well worth it!
Callejon Del Beso
To lighten things up, our next stop was a few miles and a short taxi ride away, El Callejon del Beso “the alley of the kiss.”
El Callejon del Beso is just that, a small alley where people go and, well, kiss lol
If you’re not a hopeless romantic like me, you can probably skip going to the little alley, however, I do want to point out that it is quite a unique experience all in it’s own (and the shops around there are pretty neat.)
The Legend
In true forbidden love/ Romeo and Juliet style, the legend has is that a wealthy woman fell in love with a local miner whose room window was across from hers. Their windows were so close they would kiss from their balcony.
When her dad found out of his daughter’s love affair, he stabbed her to death. Distraught by his loves death, the young man then jumped from the balcony to his own death.
Because of this, tourists flood El Callejon del Beso each year along with their significant others to kiss on the third step. Doing so grants eternal love for the couple …sweet, right?
Like I said, I’m not a hopeless romantic and I’m actually quite embarrassed of PDA. If you plan to lay one on your significant other, expect a line an audience.
People literally yell “beso, beso!” (kiss,kiss) as they wait in line encouraging couples to kiss but I could not bring myself to do it lol Especially with my mom, grandma and my aunts there. To top it off the heat and altitude got the best of my boyfriend and he got a bloody nose right before it was our turn. LMAOOO!!
Eating in Guanajuato
One thing I loved about Guanajuato (and Mexico in general) was all the food! Whether it’s a small restaurant or street food vendor literally every corner has something to offer.
We ended up eating at a restaurant across from the museum that looked like it was in someones house and someone’s mom was cooking for us and the food was simply amazing!
Zona Centro
Because of our time constraint, we didn’t get to shop after our stroll through the callejon del beso and the plaza near it. I did however see a lot of shops, more restaurants (americanized like McDonalds) etc.
Visiting Guanajuato Tips:
Wear comfortable shoes
Guanajuato is a super hilly! It’s just as bad, if not worse than San Francisco. Because there’s a lot of walking and sightseeing to do, I suggest taking a comfortable pair of shoes so you can enjoy your time comfortably.
Go with time to spare
There’s so much to do and see in Guanajuato. I highly recommend going with at least a full two days to spare to fully get an experience you’ll truly enjoy.
Be prepared to be bombarded by people selling souvenirs
If you plan on visiting the Museo de Momias “Mummy Museum” be prepared to have people bombard you with souvenirs as you walk out.
Take extra spending cash or pesos
Since Guanajuato is a popular tourist destination, you can get away with using your Visa or Master card but I recommend going with space cash or pesos so you can pay and tip street vendors and taxi drivers.
Take public transportation
Did you know that Uber is in Guanajuato? yeah, I didn’t either until I went lol If you’re like me and not good at flagging down taxis, or if you feel safer in an Uber, it’s nice to have that option.
Whether you chose, to take an Uber, bus or taxi, make sure you utilize public transportation instead of driving ad relying on Google maps.
Overall my entire trip to Mexico was unforgettable and amazing! Unfortunately, I didn’t know all that Guanajuato had to offer, so we ended up going on our very last day in Mexico 🙁
Have you visited Guanajuato? What do you think of the mummies? Let me know in the comments!
As always talk soon babes!
