Surrounded by lush countryside, the city has a mile of pedestrian walkway in the center of town. We had two great meals. At the posh Hotel Camino Real I ate sliced abalone with hot chipotle chile sauce and vinaigrette salad, and sliced breast and leg of duck in lime sauce. Outstanding nouvelle-Mexican food. Local wines by L.A. Cetto are some of Mexico's best.
Most Mexican wines are decent but a little boring.
Guanajuato is a university town with streets too narrow for cars, and the tiny, perfect Jardin Union where you can spend afternoons at a cafe listening to music and watching the students, professors and families walk by. Food was nothing special. San Miguel de Allende is so dominated by tourists and gringo retirees that it has ceased to become Mexican. The tourists set the tone of the town and the locals serve their needs. We prefer a town where the locals do their own things and let us tag along for the ride.