Recommendation for December trip - from Guadalajara
 

Will be arriving in Guadalajara on December 3 and flying back out on December. Will be spending a couple days at the beginning and end visiting a friend and visiting Guadalajara. Plan A was to go to the Copper Canyon but my husband still has limited mobility following knee surgery so we wouldn't be able to go in to the canyon. And it'll be pretty chilly up on the rim. So I'm thinking of alternative itineraries. Plan B would be visiting Guanajuato and San Miguel de Allende. I've been hoping to visiting Guanajuato for a few years now.

But then I started looking at the map and am thinking of going to Patzcuaro, Morelia, and the butterfly reserve instead.

Any recommendations on which of these itineraries would work better for this time of year and the available travel time?

Thanks!

I think you left off your return date. That might help figure out an itinerary. And if mobility is an issue, the butterflies may present a problem, as some hiking will still probably be necessary, even if you rent horses. But generally speaking, you could probably use Morelia as a base and visit the surrounding areas (Patzcuaro, Uruapan, Santa Clara del Cobre) in 4-5 days and not be too rushed. GTO and San Miguel are a bit farther from Guadalajara, but again 4-5 days would work. All depends on how much time you actually will have. If you have a couple of weeks, that changes things a bunch.

Whoops! Leaving on December 15.

You didn't mention it but Puerto Vallarta is only 5 hours by bus and the Festival of the Virgin of Guadalupe is going on during those dates. It's a pretty wonderful things to see.

That's such a good idea, Suze, that I did just that in June. (Well, except for the Virgin of Guadalupe part.) I'd be fine with going back but my husband doesn't want to go back to Puerto Vallarta so soon.

There will be Guadalupe celebrations in any town you end up in.

We were in PV about 10 years ago for the celebration. Great street vendors and food. Hope you run across a good one!

Lucky you, that's a lot of time in Mexico! I'm green with envy.

I did a trip to Morelia , and then on to Patzquaro, from Guadalahara two yrs ago in November.

From Guadalahara I took the 1st class bus to Morelia. it was great, the seating was two seats on one side and onion the other, and the seats reclined very far back and long padded leg rests came down from the sat in front of you, so you are almost reclining. The most awesome bus ride ever.

In Morelia I stayed at a wonderful place called Casona Rosa. Excellent inn 3 blocks from the cathedral (which is fantastic) owned by Rose from Chicago, who lives on site, and run by some very nice MX folks. Lovely and unique rooms, I stayed in the Frida Suite upstairs and felt like I had my own apartment. you can use the kitchen and there is an awesome courtyard full of plants.

Rose has a driver, Jesus, who drove me to many of the villages around Lake Patzquaro. Jesus knows all the best craftsmen/women in those villages, and he took me to their workshops for demonstrations and to buy crafts. It was an awesome day.

Then Jesus dropped me at Posada Mandala, an inn in Patzquaro. Small, 5 rooms, lovely, fantastic rooftop views from the upstairs rooms. I can not recommend it and the wonderful owner, Enrique, enough.

Patzquaro was absolutely awesome. Unlike any other town in MX and I have traveled most of the country over the past 40 yrs. surprises all over the place. Awesome market, good food, art and handmade crafts are best of anywhere in MX, IMO. I brought home two extra suitcases of woven good, ceramics, copper, wood items, embroidered items and clothing, leather, etc. GREAT hand made goods market in front of the church on weekends. Cobblestone streets, and I even saw some inns with horses and donkeys tied up outside--where the locals stay when they are bringing their good in to town to sell. Good food too. I walked and walked and walked all over the town.

Patzquaro was just magical. I long to go back and do the same trip, and stay at Casone Rosa and Posada Mandala again.

OOps, I put an H instead of a J in Guadalajara. Sorry about that.

LOL, there was no onion on the other side of the aisle in the bus. It was two seats one side, one season the other side.

Although I have been in some buses in MX where it felt like an onion was in the seat next to me, this was not one of those buses, lol.

I will be spending 2 months in Guanajuato this year. Makes 3 out of 4 years now.
I kinda like it! LOL
PS Patzcuaro is indeed a gem it just is not Guanajuato.
Vote the most colorful city in the World, it's architecture, food, culture, people & atmosphere is the best I've found in 29 years of Mexican travel.

PS Less than 4 hours on a primer classe bus on the best highway in all of Mexico.

I am fortunate to be able to go back. But the more I go back, the more I want to go back and to more places!

Thanks for all the recommendations. I wish I had more time.

I think you'll find the Morelia/Patzcuaro/Uruapan area a tad warmer than San Miguel and Guanajuato that time of year, if that's a concern. And the scenery in Michoacan is more lush and green than that in Guanajuato. And since you mentioned that mobility may be an issue for your esposo, keep in mind that San Miguel and Guanajuato are best experienced on foot and both have their share of hills. Emd's suggestion of a driver is a good one for the Morelia area and probably less stressful on hubby's knee, and would allow you to get off the beaten path. Morelia and the surrounding area is very under-appreciated (and less-traveled) by many US tourists and be no means an inferior destination to Guanajuato/San Miguel. Just different. Either way you can't go wrong.

Sorry Baldone bur at almost a 1,000 feet higher Patzcuaro is far colder & I've spent lots of time at both.
If you elect for Patz be sure to get a room with a fireplace as central heat is unheard of.

Thanks again for the help. I'm tending towards Patzcuaro and Morelia. Guanajuato sounds wonderful but it might be a bit too hilly for mi esposo for now.

Actually, Patzcuaro's altitude is 7020 and GTO's 6600. The average lows are virtually same, at roughly 44 or 45 F depending on your source. Patzcuaro's avg Dec. high, at 76, is a bit (tad?) warmer than both GTO (74) and San Miguel (71). And then Uruapan's avg's are a balmy 77/50.

I was in Patzquaro over thanksgiving two yes ago. It was warm during the days, jeans and a thirty weather. I used a shawl at night. It was lovely.

Sorry, it's two years ago.