Mexico : Safety by City
- Acapulco
- Aguascalientes
- Cabo San Lucas
- Cancun
- Chichen Itza
- Chihuahua
- Cozumel
- Cuernavaca
- Culiacan
- Durango
- Ensenada
- Guadalajara
- Guanajuato
- Hermosillo
- Huatulco
- Isla Holbox
- Isla Mujeres
- Ixtapa
- Juarez
- Leon
- Los Cabos
- Manzanillo
- Matamoros
- Merida
- Mexicali
- Mexico City
- Monterrey
- Morelia
- Nogales
- Nuevo Laredo
- Oaxaca
- Piedras Negras
- Playa del Carmen
- Puebla
- Puerto Morelos
- Puerto Vallarta
- Queretaro City
- Reynosa
- Saltillo
- San Luis Potosi
- San Miguel de Allende
- Sayulita
- Tijuana
- Tulum
- Valladolid
- Veracruz
- Zacatecas
- Zapopan
- Zihuatanejo
Guanajuato is a city with plenty of plazas and squares.
Tourists are amazed by the colors of the buildings which are bright and cheerful, and the little streets which are endless so that you can wander through them all day.
Actually, what people most enjoy is the possibility of exploring the city on foot.
Furthermore, visiting a museum filled with mummies is definitely worth seeing.
There are many other great things to do in Guanajuato for sure, so you should not waste your time waiting but put this city on your future travel destinations list.
Warnings & Dangers in Guanajuato
OVERALL RISK: MEDIUM
Generally speaking, it is wiser to be cautious and careful than to do something you may later regret. Acting wisely and avoiding the possibility of becoming a victim is all you have to do to stay safe in Guanajuato.
TRANSPORT & TAXIS RISK: HIGH
There are some parts of the country where illegal roadblocks have also been reported. If you decide to drive, you should take extreme care.
PICKPOCKETS RISK: MEDIUM
There have been several instances of pickpocketing both within and outside tourist attractions, with the aim of taking tourist's money and possessions.
NATURAL DISASTERS RISK: MEDIUM
The city can be affected by earthquakes, as most parts of Mexico are prone to them. You should get familiar with the guidelines on what to do in case this happens.
MUGGING RISK: MEDIUM
If we take into consideration that drug-related violence in Mexico has increased over recent years, but it is usually not against tourists. However, we have to warn the tourists not to get involved with drugs.
TERRORISM RISK: LOW
Being that there is no recent history of terrorism in Mexico, there is a very low risk of the attacks to happen.
SCAMS RISK: MEDIUM
In order not to become a victim of a scammer, you should remain watchful of your surroundings and keep an eye on drinks and food you order. Do not accept drinks from strangers as they might be spiked.
WOMEN TRAVELERS RISK: MEDIUM
Even though there is not a high risk of females being attacked in Guanajuato, it is better for them to choose the safer option and not to walk alone at night than the riskier one.
So... How Safe Is Guanajuato Really?
Due to the fact that there has been a number of reported shooting incidents and other incidents of violence, tourists should not get afraid or worried if a police officer stops them and ask for identification.
That is why they should carry photocopies of the relevant pages of their passports and of the stamped ‘Forma Migratoria Múltiple’ (FMM) given to them on arrival in Mexico and show them to the police.
The government is just trying to protect both tourists and residents of possible criminal acts.
The violence is concentrated in specific areas of the city and tourists should get familiar with the names of those areas and avoid going there, especially at night.
Furthermore, if you get lost while driving and reach those areas, just keep on driving and do not stop to ask for directions.
Also, the frequent illegal roadblocks happen and if you get information about these kinds of incidents, you are suggested to either postpone your journey or to travel during daylight hours.
When coming to Guanajuato, you should monitor local advice, remain vigilant and follow the advice of the local authorities.
How Does Guanajuato Compare?
| City | Safety Index |
|---|---|
| Guanajuato | 53 |
| Acapulco | 63 |
| Cancun | 71 |
| Guadalajara | 62 |
| Mexico City | 45 |
| Playa del Carmen | 69 |
| Cabo San Lucas | 68 |
| Melbourne (Australia) | 80 |
| Montreal (Canada) | 81 |
| Sydney (Australia) | 80 |
| Santiago de Chile (Chile) | 71 |
| Vienna (Austria) | 88 |
| Hong Kong (China) | 70 |
Useful Information
Visas
The entry requirements are the following - your passport should be valid for the period you are staying in Mexico. Tourists do not need a visa but will have to complete an immigration form either when they arrive or online in advance.
Currency
The official currency is the Mexican Nuevo Peso. Debit and credit cards are accepted for payment and in ATMs, or you can exchange your money in exchange offices.
Weather
The climate in n Guanajuato is warm and temperate. Summers can be rainy, while there is less rainfall in winter months. The driest month is February.
Airports
Del Bajío International Airport which is officially known as Aeropuerto Internacional de Guanajuato is an international airport located in Silao, Guanajuato and it operates both national and international air traffic.
Travel Insurance
Your journey can sometimes be challenging if unpredicted and unexpected occurrences happen. That is the moment when travel insurance comes into play.
Guanajuato Weather Averages (Temperatures)
Average High/Low Temperature
| Temperature / Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °C | 21 | 23 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 21 |
| Low °C | 6 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 6 |
| High °F | 70 | 73 | 79 | 81 | 82 | 79 | 77 | 77 | 75 | 75 | 73 | 70 |
| Low °F | 43 | 45 | 48 | 52 | 54 | 55 | 54 | 55 | 54 | 50 | 46 | 43 |
Beautiful, very walkable, very nice people!
I just got back from Guanajuato City, Guanajuato (I’ll call it GTO), in February of 2020, and here is my take on the trip with me (female, 30’s) and my two girlfriends… Before the trip, I discussed the safety of Guanajuato with my Spanish teacher who lives in another part of Mexico. She mentioned that there were some political tensions and that perhaps there are other places I should go preferentially, but that as a tourist, I would be relatively safe and should be fine. This, coupled with some friends of friends who had just visited GTO and said it felt very safe, and we decided we would take the risk. We took a flight from Tijuana and landed in Leon, and took an Uber from the airport.
The Uber driver was scared to pick us up so we had to walk around the corner so we didn’t get caught by the Federal Police, as they have a big issue with Uber. Anyways, she was very nice and drove us into the city.
Also, side note, please pay your Uber drivers toll fees. They are not a lot to us (a couple of bucks) but they are not reimbursed by Uber and so it really can eat into their fares. Anyways, we arrived at our Air BnB, which was right downtown. The owner had a lot of great reviews so we felt safe. She was really nice. The house had two gates and 3 deadbolts on the door.
It felt a little scary that we needed all that, but we also felt really safe in the house because of that. We were close to the Plaza Mexiamora, which was very cute and nice to walk by each night. We walked around, the three of us, eating, drinking, dancing, and just enjoying ourselves.
The food was so affordable and very good! We went to many bars and clubs in addition to museums and other sightseeing (day and night). Pretty much everywhere we went, we were the only people who looked “non-Mexican,” so we got quite a few stares, but nothing that made us feel unsafe. We felt pretty safe actually walking around until maybe 3 or 4 am and never had any issues.
We walked to most places, but when it became too much (a couple of restaurants/museums were maybe a mile away), we took Uber. The streets are all one ways, and not well organized, so sometimes taking Uber is not ideal and takes much longer than walking, FYI.
We found a mezcal bar with really nice servers/bartenders and they gave us great advice about where to go and were so helpful. In fact, everyone in GTO was frankly incredibly nice. We did notice some political statements through the trip: graffiti on the steps of the Juarez Theatre: “GTO estado feminicidad” which basically means GTO kills women just for being women, and a few posters on the streets mentioning that GTO discriminates against people who aren’t blonde-haired and blue-eyed, etc. That made me kinda sad but also curious. That night we met some lovely gentlemen at a club, and they were super respectful and sweet, showing us how to dance salsa, etc.
No one was creepy at all (we actually met another group of guys on a different night and same thing). That was nice. We asked them about the political statements, and they just kind of shrugged, like, yeah, we have some issues. These issues didn’t affect us as tourists, but I was glad to be educated about them and keep them in mind. It seems GTO (state, in general) is friendly toward tourists, but not necessarily always their own citizens. But GTO (city) is a college town, and so it seemed like it would be relatively safe for even long term visitors as long as you aren’t getting into anything questionable. The next day we took a bus to San Miguel de Allende (about 1.5 hours away) and that seemed fine and safe as well (recommend the first-class bus for sure!).
Our lodging there was a hotel and seemed safe. We then returned to GTO via 2nd class bus (1st class sold out) which was still fine but not as nice/luxury. The ONLY thing that I think seemed a little sketchy was on our last night, we took an Uber to the airport, and a mile or so before we got there, he pulled off the freeway onto a street that paralleled the freeway. He slowed down and there was a hotel to our right (freeway was to the left). He put his right turn blinker on and signaled with his hand to the hotel, without saying a word. We all shouted at the same time “AEROPUERTO!” (airport) and he said, “okay” and then got back on the freeway and took us to the airport.
That did make me feel a bit uneasy for a minute, as it was super weird and made no sense. I don’t know what could have happened or what the guy was thinking, so just keep an eye on your Uber routes and make sure they make sense. Make sure the driver is taking you where you should be going, just in case. Note that we took Uber the whole trip and this was the only weird thing, but of course, always be alert. I took one regular taxi in San Miguel de Allende, but it was called by the concierge at a fancy hotel (there were no Ubers in the area) so I felt okay about it.
The driver turned out to be very nice. Overall, I would definitely recommend GTO (City) for vacation. It was beautiful, the people were incredibly nice, and we felt very safe the whole time except that weird Uber driver on the last day. The city is VERY walkable so you really shouldn’t have to take a lot of public transportation anyways, unless you want to explore further or you’re not too mobile. The buses are nice and feel very safe. Cheers!
Thanks for your thorough review!
Updates in travel
Has anyone traveled here this year 2021? My coworkers family just got back from Irapuato and she said drug cartels are everywhere.
Day trip to Guanajuato
We were there in July 2021. We were staying in Leon and took a day trip to Guanajuato. The small city was vibrant and we felt completely safe while visiting. Lots of good local food, everyone was friendly. There are a lot of churches and cathedrals that were very ornate and beautiful and worth visiting. We loved our short stay.