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Journeys: Day of the Dead in San Miguel de Allende

6 days, San Miguel de Allende to San Miguel de Allende

Map of the route for Journeys: Day of the Dead in San Miguel de Allende
Day 1 2 3 4 5 6

Itinerary

Day 1San Miguel de Allende

Arrive at any time. Arrival transfer is included.

Tonight, you will kick off the six days of celebration with a Welcome Dinner at a traditional Mexican cantina featuring local specialties, stories, music, and charm.

If you arrive early, take some time to explore San Miguel de Allende, known for its well-preserved colonial architecture, rich history, and vibrant arts scene. The city is also a UNESCO World Heritage site with the centre of town being a time capsule of cobblestone streets lined with jewel toned houses.

Please note in order for your arrival transfer to be included, travellers must arrive into Guanajuato International Airport (BJX).

Arrival Transfer
Guanajuato International Airport – San Miguel de Allende2h

Sit back and scan the scenery from the comfort of your private vehicle during your included arrival transport from Guanajuato International Airport to your start hotel in San Miguel de Allende.

Your Welcome Moment: Welcome Moment - Meet Your CEO and Group

Your opportunity to meet your CEO and fellow travellers, and learn more about your tour. Opt to join the group for a local meal afterwards. Don't forget to see the notice in the lobby (or ask reception) for the official time and place to meet up with the group.

Meals included:

Dinner

Day 2San Miguel de Allende

Visit the historical sites of San Miguel de Allende and learn about their most vibrant celebration; Día de Los Muertos. Join a local expert and walk through the streets lined with marigolds, altars, and papel picado, as you listen to the stories, legends, and traditions behind this important holiday. Pass by key landmarks like Parroquia, Templo de San Francisco, and the artesanías market, while discovering how the city honors its ancestors through art, memory, and rituals. Later, visit a local shop and personalize your alfeñiques, a traditional, hand-crafted sugar confection, often shaped like skulls with intricate designs and lots of colours. End the day with some iconic Pan de Muerto and hot chocolate as you walk through the square and experience the charged atmosphere. Dinner will be at your leisure.

Taste the Flavours of Pan de Muerto
San Miguel de Allende1h

Savour a true staple of Día de Los Muertos and taste Pan de Muerto, an iconic sweet bread baked in honour of the season. Begin in one of the city's most traditional bakeries where you are able to choose from different types of the dessert. Try the classic orange-scented one paired with Mexican hot chocolate as a warm and flavourful way to connect with local culture.

Free Time
San Miguel de Allende

Enjoy time to rest and recharge in San Miguel Allende. Choose between optional activities like visiting an organic farm, or hiking if you're still feeling adventurous. Dinner this evening is on your own. If you're hoping to dine on a rooftop, reservations will need to have been made in advance during this week of celebrations.

San Miguel de Allende Walking City Tour
San Miguel de Allende2h

Set your eyes on the heart of San Miguel de Allende today alongside a knowledgable local guide. Walk through the cobblestone streets lined with marigolds, alters, and papel picado for the city's vibrant celebration of Día de Los Muertos. Your local guide will share stories, legends, and traditions behind this beautiful holiday. Pass by key landmarks in the city like Templo de San Francisco and the Parroquia. Discover San Miguel de Allende during a time in which the city hnours its ancestors through art, rituals, and memory. Stop by the local artesanías market where your CEO will take you to personalize your alfeñiques.

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Optional Activities - Day 2 HideShow

Hike Coyote Canyon
San Miguel de Allende

Hike to the mouth of the canyon following a river. Then begin your ascent to the top of the canyon, which takes about 1 hour. Enjoy the beautiful scenery before descending back to the base of the canyon. Back at the ranch near the canyon you'll enjoy a traditional meal prepared fresh at one of the homesteads. Foods like fresh cheese, beans, quesadillas, nopales, freshly-made tortillas, rice, guacamole, and salsas.

Guided Visit to Organic Farm
San Miguel de Allende
200MXN per person

Visit a nearby ranch and learn about their ecological management of animals, crops, seed house, and native trees. Enjoy views of the valley and gain a tangible understanding of the importance to regenerative agriculture.

Meals included:

Breakfast

Day 3San Miguel de Allende

Set out to discover the charm culture of San Miguel de Allende. Begin with a visit to a community tourism initiative led by the weavers of a women’s craft cooperative. The women here are the descendants of the Otomi pyramid builders, and this intimate, hands-on experience invites travellers into their homes to spend time in a space where females can support their families, and themselves by designing and making traditional hooked rugs to sell, featuring designs inspired by their daily lives in their rural village.Then, enjoy a typical lunch at the cooperative before joining an expert guide on a visit to Fábrica La Aurora, a former textile factory turned art and design centre. Explore the galleries, artist studios, and creative spaces full of inspiring work blending tradition with contemporary expression. You will gain a deeper knowledge of the local art for Dia de Los Muertos with time to look around and admire the work. Dinner will be at your leisure then opt for a nearby rooftop to watch the revelry from above.

Please note the date of the Día de Los Muertos Parade can vary slightly year to year. In the event that this occurs, days 2 & 3 of your itinerary will be swapped to accommodate the change.

Las Rancheritas Community Visit
San Miguel de Allende1h30m 2km

Enjoy a memorable visit to a rural village where you'll meet the weavers of Las Rancheritas. The 16 women who call this place home are the descendants of the Otomi pyramid builders. Here, they are able to support themselves and their family's through the practice of their traditional weaving techniques. Learn more about the community project making a difference here and enjoy a delicious traditional lunch featuring homemade tortillas as you connect deeper with the locals and the history of San Miguel de Allende.

Art Day at Fabrica La Aurora
San Miguel de Allende1h45m

Gain some exposure to San Miguel de Allende's art scene on a guided visit to Fábrica La Aurora. This former textile factory has become an art and design centre and around Día de Los Muertos it's just the right time to explore the galleries, artist studios, and other creative spaces here.

Catrina's Parade - San Miguel de Allende
San Miguel de Allende1h

Blend tradition with festivity as you witness San Miguel de Allende's Catrinas Parade; a spectacular highlight of the Día de Los Muertos celebrations. The skeleton figures that make up the parade are iconic to this holiday and known as the Catrinas. They are dressed in colourful costumes, painted faces, and adorned with flowers as they move through the streets of San Miguel. Choose to join in and become part of the parade as it moves through the city.

Meals included:

Breakfast | Lunch

Day 4San Miguel de Allende

Begin the morning with a walk to the Cemetery Virgen de Guadalupe for a guided tour with an expert. This experience offers a respectful and insightful look at local traditions of remembrance. Witness where families gather to honour their departed loved ones and observe the colourful altars, marigolds, candles, and music throughout the cemetery. Learn about the symbolism behind these offerings and enjoy time to quietly reflect on cultural connections during a unique window into one of Mexico’s most powerful traditions. This afternoon, enjoy free time for optional artisan workshops like macramé and ceramics. Dinner will be at your leisure this evening.

Cemetery Virgen de Guadalupe Visit
San Miguel de Allende1h 1km

During the celebrations of Día de Los Muertos, you'll visit the Cemetery Virgen de Guadalupe. Enjoy a respectful and insightful look into the local traditions of remembrance. See vibrant alters, marigolds, candles, listen to music from all over as you walk through the cemetery. Led by a local expert, this experience invites quiet reflection, cultural connection, and a unique window into one of Mexico’s most powerful traditions.

Free Time
San Miguel de Allende

Enjoy a free afternoon in San Miguel de Allende and choose from a variety of optional activities. There are many different artisan workshops to consider trying.

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Optional Activities - Day 4 HideShow

Mojiganga Workshop
San Miguel de Allende

The mojiganga is a giant puppet, marionette, or sculpture. It's made of cardboard/papier-mâché, and then mounted on a structure that supports the head/bust and gives it its height of 2 to 6 metres. The dancer will step inside with suspenders on and their legs will become the legs of the mojiganga. Learn how to make one for yourself during this workshop.

Macramé Workshop
San Miguel de Allende

Enjoy a relaxing and creative afternoon with a macramé workshop. Learn the basics of this popular knot-tying technique and make your very own wall hanging.

Meals included:

Breakfast

Day 5San Miguel de Allende

Travel to the nearby hot springs for a relaxing soak in the natural thermal waters just outside of San Miguel de Allende. Find yourself surrounded by gardens, mountain views, and mineral-rich pools to recharge and connect with the environment. Then visit the church of Atotonilco, nicknamed "Mexico's Sistine Chapel" and see the birthplace of the Mexican War of Independence. Arrive back in town for a free afternoon to explore, before gathering in the evening for a unique dining experience. Celebrate your final night in San Miguel de Allende with a flavourful, guided pulque tasting at one of the city’s most unique spots. Learn about this ancestral drink from the gods and sit down for a relaxed, family-style meal of local appetizers in a rustic, cantina-like setting.

Hot Springs & the Church of Atotonilco
San Miguel de Allende

Slip in for a soak in the natural thermal waters outside of the city. Surrounded by gardens and mountain views, these mineral-rich poos offer the perfect excuse to relax, recharge, and connect with nature. The group will also stop for lunch on your own and a visit to the church of Atotonilco, known as the "Sistine Chapel of Mexico" because of its mural work.

Free Time
San Miguel de Allende

There will be a more free time today to continue exploring San Miguel de Allende at your own pace

Your Journeys Highlight Moment: Pulquería La Otomí

Pulque is a milky, fermented beverage made from the sap of the maguey (agave) plant. It is a drink that has been part of Mexican culture for centuries and some traditions in the country view it as a gift from the gods. Visit a pulquería, a type of tavern in Mexico that specializes in serving this beverage and enjoy a guided tasting of this ancestral drink. These locations hold deep historical and cultural roots while serving as important locations for social gatherings. Try Pulque in its traditional al curado forms (made from Cempazuchil flower) while experiencing a shared Mexican, family-style local appetizer meal in a rustic, cantina-like setting.

Meals included:

Breakfast | Dinner

Day 6San Miguel de Allende

Depart at any time.

Meals included:

Breakfast

Journeys: Day of the Dead in San Miguel de Allende

| 6 days - San Miguel de Allende to San Miguel de Allende - from $1999 USD