Where to base yourself
Real de Catorce is small enough that “neighborhood” barely applies. Everyone stays within a few blocks of the Parroquia and the main street, Calle Lanzagorta, and where you land is more about the building, the budget and how much cold you can tolerate than about location. There is no beachfront to chase and no nightlife strip to be near. The real trade-offs here are walkable-and-central versus cheap-and-uphill, and heated-with-character versus bare-bones.
The center, around the church and Lanzagorta
Best for first-timers. Most of the town’s inns and small hotels sit in restored stone houses along and just off Calle Lanzagorta, within sight of Plaza Hidalgo and the church. Step out the door and you are in the plaza, the fondas, the retablo room and the jeep and horse operators. The lodging skews toward atmospheric: converted haciendas with courtyards, thick stone walls and fireplaces. Expect uneven floors and steep stairs. Rough nightly ranges run from roughly 700 to 1,600 MXN for a solid mid-range room, more for the boutique haciendas (approximate). The one thing to confirm before booking is heating, because nights are genuinely cold and the cheaper rooms rely on blankets alone.
Budget and simple stays, the upper lanes
Best for backpackers and the frugal. Small posadas and family-run rooms scattered through the steep lanes above the church cost the least, roughly 300 to 600 MXN a night (approximate). They are basic, quiet, and often run by people who live right there. The trade-offs are real: you haul your bag uphill at altitude to reach them, hot water can be temperamental, and heating is usually a stack of blankets. If you travel light and do not mind the climb, they put you in the most local part of town.
Quiet and character, the edges of the center
Best for couples and anyone chasing the ghost-town hush. A handful of converted mine-era buildings and boutique guesthouses sit just off the busiest lanes, giving you courtyards, working fireplaces and near-total silence after dark. Landmarks to anchor on are the streets climbing toward the old Casa de Moneda mint and the paths above the plaza. These cost more, often 1,500 MXN and up (approximate), and they are the pick if you want the atmosphere without any street noise at all.
Families and remote options
Families do best in the central haciendas with courtyards, where kids have room to move and you are steps from food. Nobody stays down at the tunnel or in the ranch villages below unless they are camping or on a specific desert trip; the town itself is where you want to sleep, so you can experience it after the day-trippers clear out through the tunnel.
Whatever you choose, book well ahead for the early-October St Francis pilgrimage, when the whole town fills, prices climb and rooms vanish weeks out. For everything else you will want nearby, see things to do and where locals go.