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Patzcuaro and Tlaquepaque are both beautiful in different ways. Patzcuaro is like going to Lake Tahoe and is a small town. Tlaquepaque is charming old pre-colombian city which has now been swallowed up by the Guadalajara urban area.
If you do select Tlaquepaque, then keep in mind that Tonala has many of the same things for much cheaper.
If you are staying within central north Mexico, I'd recommend the San Luis Potosi-Aguascalientes-Zacatecas triangle. All three cities not as popular as the ones in the central and southern parts of the country, yet charming in their own rights. Take note that since they're not that touristy, you may encounter fewer people who'd speak English. But if language is not a problem, here are my suggestions:
Zacatecas; imo the only city that rivals Guanajuato in colonial beauty. Great museums, quaint little streets filled with local shops and places to eat, a former mine converted both a museum and a nightclub, an spectacular view of the city from La Bufa hill and not far from the city; La Quemada ancient archeological site.
San Luis Potosà and Aguascalientes, I'll elaborate on those once I get back.
Well, if you're really bent on not going south of Mexico City, then it's unfortunate that you're excluding Puebla. It's only about an hour southeast of the capital. For me, Puebla is the epitome of Mexican/colonial. It's among the oldest cities in Mexico and has wonderful scenery (volcanoes, mountains, valleys), colonial architecture, rich history, colorful plazas and mercados for shopping and browsing, good food and a very walkable "el centro." The Cholula pyramid is only about 10 miles away, too. No... I don't work for their tourist board , but I am a fan of this area of Mexico.
I would agree with Aztec Goddess- Zacatecas is off people's radars but spectacularly beautiful. I have been there and it is a great, clean city with lots of culture.
I have also heard that Queretaro is great as well.
Thanks for all your input. Based on reading some other sources as well I've narrowed it down to these three:
1. San Luis Potosi
2. Zacatecas
3. Queretaro
Of these three which strikes you as the least touristy? I read a few sources saying San Luis Potosi is somewhat under the radar compared to others. Is this true?
Yes, those are your best three options, I am from San Luis Potosi, but currently working a few miles away so, I am there only on weekends, let me give you my point of view on these three cities.
Zacatecas will just blow your mind with its architecture, some good festivals and small tours.
San Luis Potosà has a lot to offer, as a local sometimes I do not appreciate all its beauty since when I go downtown I always go in fast mode, lol, but there are some nice museums, like Museo del Virreynato, Museo Federico Silva, Museo de la Máscara, Museo de Arte Contemporáneo and a few others, you can also take the tranvÃa, a small bus that takes you on a tour to the most important places in the city, you can not miss by any chance the centro de las artes, it was a jail and they turned it into an arts facility, with museums, expositions, workshops and the architecture and the vibe you feel in there is supercool.
I hope I helped you and if you decide to come to SLP feel free to give me a call and if I am in the city I can come with you to some of these places.
None of them are overtly touristy, but there are tourists around in the center of each. I don't think any are under the radar, but for isolation SLP is probably the least touristy. Zacatecas doesn't have a lot of tourists, but its not much of a real city in the center without tourism so on weekends it probably will feel a bit touristy to you, but weekdays its pretty empty. Queretaro is relatively booming economically so lots of people around its center, but a lot of them are Mexicans and even a good number of locals spend plenty of time there so not sure if that's the feel you want.
There are places most tourists pass over for various reasons, but they won't have the overall tourist appeal of a place like Guanajuato. If you want really not touristy places in feel you probably will have to go find it yourself. There are no undiscovered places in Mexico in the internet age. Travel enough and you find cities a bit off the tourism path which just feel right to you.
Zacatecas being the more isolated one is the least touristy.
Zacatecas did a pretty amazing thing by turning over the old bull ring to become a hotel. It may be the least amount of money (usually less than $150) you will spend to stay in a hotel of such high quality.
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