San Miguel de Allende by car · San Miguel de Allende by car
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San Miguel de Allende by car
San Miguel de Allende by car
Driving in San Miguel is even more nightmarish. There was a time when the city was not so wealthy and only taxis could be found on these roads. Now that the real estate market has boomed, an influx of money has made cars more affordable and now the average resident is more likely to own one - good news for the economy, but bad news for the roads. Many two-way streets in San Miguel are too narrow to support two lanes of traffic, and it's not uncommon for a street to become so choked with cars that drivers have to get out and negotiate which one is going to back up to a wider street to let the other pass. Many streets are one-way so look for an arrow on the side of a building indicating which direction the traffic is going. A double arrow indicates a two-way street. Watch out for very steep streets. They can get even steeper than you realize and at least one in San Miguel is so narrow at the bottom that no more than a medium-sized car with its side mirrors pulled in can safely maneuver between the buildings. Scratches on the walls attest to drivers who have literally had to scrape between the buildings. Backing up the hill is not an option.
For this reason, and for the serious lack of parking spaces, it is strongly recommended avoiding driving a car within San Miguel. Taxis are extremely inexpensive and reliable, and they can take you anywhere in or outside San Miguel you'd want to go when you don't feel like walking. Additionally, San Miguel has its own pleasant and reliable bus system that serves the entire town, including out-of-the-way areas like Gigante and the bus depot. Leave your car in a parking lot in the outskirts of the City - it's entirely unnecessary here, and its suspension will thank you.
Another warning on driving a car into San Miguel: if you manage to find a parking place on the streets rather than in one of the (pay) parking lots in town, do NOT leave it parked for more than 24 hours, or the police will come by and remove your rear license plate. You can get it back by going to the police station on the main square, but it will cost you MN$ 99 in fees. There are no signs warning about this.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about San Miguel de Allende
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in San Miguel de Allende - updated May 2024
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San Miguel de Allende Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.