Guanajuato Scouting Weekend

Description

Three days in Guanajuato City with Paul, for people who are seriously considering moving here. You walk the neighbourhoods, view real rentals, work through healthcare and residency with the site’s own verified data, and leave with written next steps. Paul leads every session and every walk, in English. The group is at most 10 people, plus Paul. No other guide, no hired local host.

At a glance

• Price: from $1,495 per person, by city. Full payment at booking.
• Dates: any Friday to Sunday weekend through mid-March 2027. You choose the weekend at booking.
• Group: at most 10 people, plus Paul. No minimum.
• Included: three days with Paul, three group meals, real rental viewings, and a written next-steps sheet.
• Not included: travel, your stay, breakfasts, and travel insurance.
• Booking: bookings close 7 days before the weekend.

Choose your weekend

Choose any Friday to Sunday weekend through mid-March 2027. Paul lives in Guanajuato, so there is no minimum group and no go or no-go decision: your weekend runs. Choose your weekend at booking.

Maximum: 10 people per weekend. When a weekend reaches 10, the page shows it as sold out and opens a waitlist. Waitlisted buyers are contacted in order if a place frees up. Places left are shown only from the true booking count, never from an invented number.

The weekend, day by day

Friday: arrive and settle in

Fly into Guanajuato International Airport (BJX) in Silao, about 30 minutes from the historic centre, or arrive by first-class bus (Mexico City 4 to 5 hours, Guadalajara 3 to 4 hours, San Miguel de Allende about an hour).

• 17:00 Paul meets the group in the lobby of the recommended hotel (see below).
• 18:00 to 19:30 Welcome walk: Jardin de la Union, the Teatro Juarez from the outside, Plaza de la Paz, and the Plaza del Baratillo. Paul frames the weekend and briefs the group on safety in person.
• 19:30 Welcome dinner, included, at a restaurant in Centro.

Saturday: the core day

• 08:30 Meet at the hotel.
• 09:00 to 10:00 Mercado Hidalgo, the cast-iron market hall built in 1910: the working food market below, crafts above, cash in hand, little English at the stalls.
• 10:00 to 11:30 Walking tour of Centro Historico: Plaza del Baratillo, Calle Alonso, the Alhondiga de Granaditas, and the Teatro Juarez, including how the tunnels and alleys work in practice.
• 11:30 to 13:00 Rental viewings: three to four real rental properties across Centro Historico, Marfil, and San Javier and Presa de la Olla, chosen by Paul nearer the date and shared with the group 7 days before the weekend.
• 13:00 to 14:00 Lunch, included, at a restaurant in Centro, including the city’s signature dish, enchiladas mineras.
• 14:00 to 15:00 Healthcare session: how care works in Guanajuato, from the site’s verified data, including the honest limit that serious cases go to Leon, 45 to 60 minutes away. Paul presents the system; he gives no medical advice and no personal medical recommendation.
• 15:00 to 16:00 Residency session: the routes, the consulate income and savings figures, INM fees, and the 30-day canje window, using the site’s own verified Residency Table and consulate data.
• 16:00 to 17:30 The funicular up to the Pipila monument and the viewpoint, then the walk down through the callejones.
• 18:00 Free time.
• 19:30 Group dinner, own expense, then the Saturday callejoneada, the traditional student serenade walk through the alleys, included in the price. If no callejoneada runs that weekend, Paul leads an equivalent guided evening walk instead.

Sunday: practical day and departure

• 09:00 to 10:00 Marfil and San Javier and Presa de la Olla, the flatter, more residential south of the city, the “where you would actually live” half of the weekend.
• 10:00 to 11:00 Practical errands: a supermarket run, a pharmacy stop, and a SIM and eSIM stop.
• 11:00 to 12:30 Valenciana, up by the famous church and the old silver mine. Group transport by taxi, included.
• 12:30 to 13:30 Sunday lunch, included, at a restaurant in Centro.
• 13:30 to 14:30 Wrap-up: each person leaves with a written next-steps sheet, their city shortlist, their residency route, and their dated next three steps.
• 15:00 Departures, own travel to BJX (about 30 minutes) or the Central de Autobuses.

Download the weekend itinerary (PDF): Friday to Sunday, day by day, with times, meeting points, and what is included. A 2-page PDF.

There is no San Miguel de Allende day trip. The weekend is Guanajuato only, and three days is not enough to do both cities honestly.

Where you stay, and where we meet

Recommended hotel: Casa del Rector Hotel Boutique, Positos 33, Centro Historico. A boutique hotel in the historic centre, about 300 metres from the centre and a 5 minute walk from the Teatro Juarez, with a rooftop bar and valet parking. Rooms start from about US$196 per night, with a published range of about US$205 to US$557 depending on room and date (rates checked November 2026; check the current rate when you book). The hotel is adults only. If you are travelling with children, book another central stay and meet the group at the hotel lobby.

Meeting point: the lobby of Casa del Rector Hotel Boutique, Friday 17:00. Check-in is your own; the group gathers in the lobby. You book your own stay. No group rate has been negotiated, and the hotel charges its own rate for your room. A solo traveller booking a room alone pays the hotel’s single-occupancy rate; MyMexicoMove charges no single supplement on top of the weekend price.

DisclosureAffiliate link: if you buy or book through it, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. The full disclosure

Booking.com is running Late Escape Deals on stays at participating properties: 15 percent or more off, with no code to type, for stays between 1 October 2026 and 7 January 2027 when you book by 7 January 2027. Save 15 percent or more on your scouting trip stay before your weekend.

Meals

Three group meals are included: the Friday welcome dinner, the Saturday lunch, and the Sunday lunch. Coffee and water during the sessions are included. The restaurants are in Centro: the Friday welcome dinner at a Centro restaurant near the Jardin de la Union, the Saturday lunch at a Centro restaurant serving enchiladas mineras, and the Sunday lunch at a Centro restaurant. The specific restaurant names are confirmed in the email sent 7 days before the weekend, once the bookings are made. Breakfasts are not included; most central hotels include breakfast, so check with your own hotel. The Saturday and Sunday dinners are your own, and so is all personal spending.

Pricing and cities

From $1,495 per person. Full payment at booking through WooPayments (card). No deposit option is offered. Travel and your stay are your own. Choose your city on this page, and your weekend at booking: the price is the $1,495 base plus a travel supplement per person.

Guanajuato is the home base. Paul lives in Guanajuato, so Guanajuato weekends run on any Friday to Sunday through mid-March 2027, with no minimum group.

The same weekend runs in the highest-demand cities, at these prices per person:

• Guanajuato, $1,495: no supplement. Home base.
• San Miguel de Allende, $1,645: $1,495 + $150 travel supplement.
• Queretaro, $1,645: $1,495 + $150 travel supplement.
• Mexico City, $1,895: $1,495 + $400 travel supplement.
• Guadalajara / Lake Chapala, $1,895: $1,495 + $400 travel supplement.
• Oaxaca, $1,895: $1,495 + $400 travel supplement.
• Merida, $2,095: $1,495 + $600 travel supplement.
• Puerto Vallarta, $2,095: $1,495 + $600 travel supplement.

A couple pays double the city price.

Tax: from $1,495 per person, tax exclusive. Tax is collected only in Alabama, where services are untaxed, so no tax is charged on this service today. If the tax treatment changes, the price and this page change together in the same pass.

Who it is for

People who are seriously considering Guanajuato, not casual tourists. Partners and couples are welcome; the price is per person. This is a premium price for 3 days without hotel or flights, and the page does not pretend otherwise. What earns it: Paul has lived in Guanajuato since 2018; the group is at most 10 people; and the content is move planning, not sightseeing: real rental viewings, a healthcare session built on verified data, and a residency session built on verified consulate and INM figures.

Booking

Bookings close 7 days before the weekend so Paul can confirm the rental viewings and the restaurant bookings. The price shown is per person; the cart shows the per-person price and the quantity (1 for a solo traveller, 2 for a couple, so a couple pays double the city price). At checkout you will be asked for:

• Full name
• Email
• Phone (optional)
• How many are travelling
• Arrival date and time and flight number (or bus arrival)
• Hotel booked
• Mobility needs (the city is steep, with stairs and cobblestones and no flat route through the centre; the group walks, and the funicular helps at Pipila, so Paul needs to know in advance)
• Dietary requirements
• Spanish level (none, some, conversational, fluent)
• Residency route if known (temporary, permanent, unsure)
• Top three questions for Paul
• Emergency contact name and phone
• Travel insurance held (yes, or no and I will arrange it before the weekend)

Confirmation email, sent immediately on purchase: what is included and what is not; the hotel recommendation and the meeting point and time (Friday 17:00 at the hotel); what to bring (layers for cool nights, comfortable walking shoes, cash for the market, passport or ID); the cancellation terms and the 14-day guarantee; the $200 credit and how to claim it; the advisory note below; Paul’s contact email (info@mymexicomove.com). A second email 7 days before the weekend carries the rental viewing addresses, the restaurant names, and the final meeting details. After the weekend, one email, within 3 business days, carries the written next-steps sheet, the $200 credit reminder, and the Planning Session booking link.

Safety, weather, and mobility

Travel advisory: Guanajuato state is at Level 3 (Reconsider Travel) in the US State Department Mexico advisory dated 11 August 2026. Read the Safety section of the Guanajuato profile for the neighbourhood nuance, and check your own government’s advisory before booking. Paul briefs the group on it at the Friday welcome walk. This note is not hidden, and it is in the confirmation email too.

Weather and packing: January to March is the dry season. Days are mild, nights are cool. Pack layers and comfortable walking shoes. The city sits at about 2,000 metres, and the altitude affects some people on the first day; Paul says so at the welcome.

Mobility: Guanajuato is a walking city with hills that test knees, steep alleys, cobblestones, and stairs, and there is no flat route through the centre. If you use a cane, a walker, or a stroller, tell Paul in the intake form; Marfil and the flatter streets near the Jardin de la Union are the easier ground. The group walks, uses taxis where the route needs it, and takes the funicular at Pipila.

Cancellation, credit and guarantee

The 14-day money-back guarantee

The 14-day money-back guarantee applies exactly as written: “14 day money back guarantee. Full refund on an email request within 14 days.” A full refund on an email request to info@mymexicomove.com within 14 days of purchase, provided the weekend has not yet started. Once the weekend has started, the schedule below governs the attended portion.

The $200 credit, exactly

$200 credit toward a Planning Session or the My Mexico Move Plan within 90 days of the weekend. One credit per purchase, never stackable, largest credit only. It applies to one purchase only: either a Planning Session ($249, so $49 after the credit) or the My Mexico Move Plan ($499, so $299 after the credit), bought within 90 days of the weekend. It cannot be combined with any other credit on the same purchase, and it cannot be applied to the weekend itself or to any other product. No other product’s credit applies toward the weekend, and the weekend earns no credit toward any other product. The Master Guide $47 credit toward the My Mexico Move Plan within 12 months is a separate rule and is unaffected; a buyer who holds both credits toward the My Mexico Move Plan uses the largest one only ($200), not both. Claim it by emailing info@mymexicomove.com with your order number.

Cancellation and refunds

• Full payment at booking. From $1,495 per person, paid in full at booking through WooPayments (card). No deposit option is offered.
• After the 14-day guarantee window: full refund up to 30 days before the weekend starts; 50 percent refund from 29 days to 15 days before the weekend starts; no refund within 14 days of the weekend, except the free date move below.
• One free date move. A buyer may move once to another weekend, requested at least 14 days before the weekend starts, subject to a place being free on the new date. The move does not restart the 14-day guarantee, and the refund schedule then runs from the new date.
• If we cancel a date: every buyer chooses, in writing, either a full refund or a free move to another weekend. The $200 credit stays valid for 90 days from the original purchase date either way.
• No-shows and late arrivals: no refund. The buyer may join the group when they arrive.
• Travel insurance is strongly recommended. The buyer is asked at checkout whether travel insurance with medical cover is held. It is recommended, not mandatory, because there is no fair way to check it at the door without demanding documents, and a rule that cannot be checked is not a rule. Check your own cover before you travel.
• Refunds go back to the original payment method within 5 business days.

Frequently asked questions

Can I choose any weekend?

Yes. Any Friday to Sunday weekend through mid-March 2027. Choose your weekend at booking. Bookings close 7 days before the weekend so Paul can confirm the rental viewings and the restaurant bookings.

Is there a minimum group size?

No. Paul lives in Guanajuato, so your weekend runs with no minimum group. The group is at most 10 people, plus Paul.

What happens if a weekend reaches 10 people?

When a weekend reaches 10, the page shows it as sold out and opens a waitlist. Waitlisted buyers are contacted in order if a place frees up. Places left are shown only from the true booking count, never from an invented number.

What does the $200 credit cover?

$200 toward a Planning Session ($249, so $49 after the credit) or the My Mexico Move Plan ($499, so $299 after the credit), bought within 90 days of the weekend. One credit per purchase, never stackable, largest credit only. Claim it by emailing info@mymexicomove.com with your order number.

Do I need travel insurance?

Travel insurance is strongly recommended. It is recommended, not mandatory, because there is no fair way to check it at the door without demanding documents, and a rule that cannot be checked is not a rule. Check your own cover before you travel.

Is the weekend suitable if I have mobility needs?

Guanajuato is a walking city with hills that test knees, steep alleys, cobblestones, and stairs, and there is no flat route through the centre. If you use a cane, a walker, or a stroller, tell Paul in the intake form; Marfil and the flatter streets near the Jardin de la Union are the easier ground. The group walks, uses taxis where the route needs it, and takes the funicular at Pipila.

Can I bring children?

The hotel is adults only. If you are travelling with children, book another central stay and meet the group at the hotel lobby.

Is there a single supplement?

No. A solo traveller booking a room alone pays the hotel’s single-occupancy rate; MyMexicoMove charges no single supplement on top of the weekend price.

What about the travel advisory?

Guanajuato state is at Level 3 (Reconsider Travel) in the US State Department Mexico advisory dated 11 August 2026. Read the Safety section of the Guanajuato profile for the neighbourhood nuance, and check your own government’s advisory before booking. Paul briefs the group on it at the Friday welcome walk.

When do I get the rental viewing addresses and restaurant names?

A second email 7 days before the weekend carries the rental viewing addresses, the restaurant names, and the final meeting details.

What clients say

“I was working remotely and needed a city with character. Guanajuato checked every box.”

James R., settled in Guanajuato City

Read more client stories

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