Less than 200 miles northwest of Mexico City and with easy highway access, the city of San Miguel de Allende is a favorite for both local and foreign tourists. The haunt of U.S. beatnik artists in the 1940s, San Miguel combines a cosmopolitan art scene worthy of a major city with the charms of small-town Mexico. With beautiful historic architecture, a lively social scene and mild weather, the city is a great year-round destination, but visitors should take a few factors into consideration when picking dates.
While San Miguel experiences the occasional scorcher in summer and some chilly days in the winter, temperatures are generally mild. The best weather is from November to April -- when the climate is sunny and dry with cooler nights. Averages stay in the low- to mid-60s and high 50s Fahrenheit from November to March before climbing to an average of 70 degrees in April. Precipitation is also rare to nonexistent during the dry season, making for cloudless, sunny days. From May to October, the climate is cloudier and wetter, with average temperatures rising to the high 60s and low 70s.
Festive San Miguelenos hardly need an excuse to throw a city-wide party. Nearly any month of the year includes a few important festivals, but the month of September takes the cake. The party gets started on the 15th and 16th with celebrations of Mexico's independence and reaches fever pitch on the 29th when the town celebrates its patron saint, St. Michael the Archangel. On the 29th, the city is filled with processions, ringing church bells and a carnival-like atmosphere on the street. The festivities are more than enough to take a visitor's mind off the often hot and wet weather and September -- when tourism tends to be more local -- and is also the perfect date for visitors looking for a more authentic view of Mexican culture
Far from the beatnik hideout it was more than half a century ago, San Miguel de Allende today is a well-developed tourist destination -- with the prices to match its tourist cache. Budget travelers, however, should visit in the off-season for better prices on lodging, food and tourist services. The off-season is generally during the months between May and October. June and July -- as well as the fiesta month of September -- can attract large local crowds, but prices are still more reasonable than in the foreign tourist high-season.
Visitors looking to soak up San Miguel's tranquility sitting in a colonial courtyard should avoid the heavy foreign tourist season from November to April, when San Miguel's weather is at its best and the town is packed with visitors from Europe and the U.S. fleeing the winter. Outside the high season, visitors can arrive without advanced reservations and explore the town before choosing lodgings. Advanced reservations are advisable in the high season, especially around Sept. 29th, Christmas and Easter.
