Planning a trip to La Paz, Mexico? You’ve come to the right place to learn all you need to know about this surreal destination. La Paz is an ethereal destination on the Baja Peninsula of Mexico, where the desert meets the ocean. Here, you can stand in the most beautiful, clear turquoise waters a foot away from a giant saguaro cactus.
The greater La Paz area is home to some of the most beautiful and protected wildlife. There are vibrant coral reefs, sea lion colonies, whales, dolphins, and a variety of fish and birds that call La Paz home.
If you’re an adventure seeker, love wildlife, or want to relax on the beach, there is something for you in La Paz.
Greater La Paz is one of my favorite beach destinations in the world. It’s a place I want to keep going back to. It’s up there with the waters of French Polynesia, Hawaii, and Milos, Greece.
First, a Little Story About My Time in La Paz
I’m an American currently living in Seattle who loves Mexico and has been traveling there for over 15 years. La Paz was not on my travel radar until a friend recently suggested it. This friend relocated to Guadalajara for work and said that her colleagues all highly recommended La Paz for a relaxing beach vacation.
My friend suggested we meet in La Paz for a girls’ beach trip. I eagerly jumped at the chance to go to a new place in Mexico, especially when I saw how picturesque the beaches looked and how walkable the town seemed. I’m passionate about walking and staying in walkable beach towns. I was happy to see there was a direct flight from Los Angeles to La Paz, so it would be a reasonable trip for a long weekend.
Sadly, my friend had to cancel her side of the trip the night before we were planned to depart. Her cat needed emergency medical care but is now doing well. I went to La Paz by myself and had an extraordinary time as a solo traveler.
Whether you’re a solo traveler, couple, or family, I believe you will have an amazing time in La Paz. Read on to learn more about La Paz and how to make the most of your time there.
La Paz Recap TLDR
If you want the TLDR (too long didn’t read) version of this post, here are my absolute top favorites from La Paz and the must-dos for your vacation.
- Duration: Minimum of 3-5 days to enjoy the beaches and town
- Travel: Fly to La Paz airport or drive from Cabo, which is 2 hours away
- Activity: Isla Espirito Santo Boat Excursion to swim with sea lions from September through May. I recommend booking with Mexico Travel Adventures for English and Spanish-speaking guides.
- Beach: Balandra Beach is a must-see, and it has timed entry, so buy a ticket in advance here: Balandra Beach Entry Pass
- Food: Try the chocolate oysters at Oyster House by FISM and get a reservation for a sunset dinner at Azotea.
- Stay: Get a vacation rental in the Centro district or stay at the swanky Baja Club Hotel. Below is a map of the Centro area that you can explore for places to stay.
How to Get to La Paz Baja, Mexico
La Paz is the capital city of the Mexican state of Baja California Sur. It sits on the eastern side of the Baja Peninsula. It’s located on the Gulf of California, also known as the Sea of Cortez.
When my friend from Guadalara suggested we meet there, one of my top concerns was how accessible it would be from the United States. I was happy to find that La Paz has its own airport and was relatively easy to visit from the West Coast.
La Paz has a small international airport (IATA code LAP) that connects the city to other destinations in Mexico and to Los Angeles. If you’re coming from the United States, you can fly directly to La Paz or to Cabo San Lucas, which is 2 hours away and has many more daily flights from the United States.
Flights to La Paz, Mexico, connect
- La Paz to Los Angeles (1 flight a day) on Alaska Airlines
- Mexico City on several flights via Aeromexico
- Guadalara
- Tijuana
- Multiple other Mexican cities on TAR Mexico, Viva, Aereo Servicio Guerrero, and Volaris airlines
If you’re roadtripping around Baja California Sur, some drive times to La Paz include:
- Cabo San Lucas: 2 hours
- Todos Santos: 1 hour
- Mexicali: 16 hours
- Tijuana: 18 hours
Coming from Seattle, Washington, I flew Alaska Airlines from Seattle to La Paz with a layover in Los Angeles. It was around 8 hours of travel each way, with the layovers.
Things to Do In La Paz, Mexico
If you’re debating whether going to La Paz is for you, let me persuade you to visit by highlighting the amazing things to do there. The nature and beaches in and around La Paz are breathtaking and worth the visit.
Walk the Malecon
The Malecon is the beach promenade that runs along the Bay of La Paz in downtown in the Centro District. It’s around 3 miles long and is a popular tourist destination for walking, running, and rollerblading.
As someone who loves walking, I found myself walking several miles a day along the Malecon without getting bored.
There are unique art sculptures along the pathway, as well as the beach and playgrounds for children. At certain places, you can hop off the promenade and into the sand and take a stroll along the water.
Depending on the day of the week, you may also find festivals and vendors set up along the Malecon.
This is the perfect place to watch the sunset, and a wonderful walk at any time of day.
Take a Boat to Isla Espíritu Santo
Isla Espiritu Santo is a protected UNESCO site for eco-tourism. It’s a 1-2-hour boat ride from La Paz and is an uninhabited island oasis. On the boat ride to Isla Espiritu Santo, you may be lucky enough to see whales and dolphins during the winter.
Isla Espiritu Santo is home to colonies of sea lions that breed their pups on its shores and some of the most stunning beach landscapes I’ve ever seen. You can snorkel and dive alongside the sea lions from September to May.
Under the sea, there are lively, colorful reefs with a plethora of fish and sea life orbiting around them.
The beaches are soft white sand with desert landscapes next to the shore. It’s the only place in the world where I’ve looked down to see my feet in the ocean and up to see saguaro cacti. Truly a magical experience and place.
If you’re English-speaking, I highly recommend going on this tour with Mexican Travel Adventures. They had multi-lingual tour guides who were knowledgeable about the island and provided a wonderful tour. As a primarily English-speaking person, I found it a little more challenging to find a bilingual tour and was happy to find Mexican Travel Adventures.
Book here: Mexican Travel Adventures to Isla Espiritu Santo
Relax at Balandra Beach
Balandra Beach is often ranked as one of the best beaches in the world, and I concur.
The beach sits on a shallow bay that doesn’t get more than a few feet deep. You can wade through the clear, glassy water or walk out to the deeper parts for a bit of a swim.
A Few Important Tips for Balandra Beach
- You need to advance-purchase a timed $6 pass online for each person. Purchase here: Balandra Entry Pass. Print the pass or save it to your phone prior to reaching the beach, as there is no cell service at Balandra.
- Again, there is no cell phone service. If you drove, download your map to get back. You cannot call an Uber from Balandra to get home.
- People line up at the start of the timed entry. It may be upwards of a 30-minute wait to get in at your time.
- Balandra is about a 30-minute drive from the center of La Paz.
To avoid the lines and timed entry, you can hike the cliffs next to Balandra and get a birds eye view of the beach.
- Mexico Travel Adventures offers a group excursion to Balandra for hiking and kayaking. I was signed up for this excursion, but sadly, not enough people signed up, so they had to cancel. This was one of the sadder parts of my trip. I really wanted to do this excursion. If you’re reading this, get a group of friends to sign up for it, as it looks amazing.
- If you want to hike on your own, you can follow the Playa El Tecolote to Playa Balandra AllTrails map here. Definitely download the map from AllTrails in advance since there’s no cell reception.
Book Here: Balandra Hike and Kayaking
Visit Other Local Beaches
There are several other beaches near La Paz that are a bit easier to access than Balandra, which has a timed entry. Balandra is a must-do, but if you have extra time, here are some other beaches worth a trip that are within a 30-minute drive of downtown La Paz.
- Playa El Tecolate – Close to Balandra, you can easily do both beaches in a day
- Play El Coromuel – Closer to the town of La Paz
Eat Fresh Baja Seafood
I was so impressed with the quality, selection, and flavor of fresh seafood in La Paz.
Must try seafood in La Paz:
- Chocolate clams – a Baja shellfish that lives in the Sea of Cortez and is primarily eaten raw on the half shell
- Ceviche – raw fish and vegetables marinated in lime juice. Full of flavor.
- Fish tacos – fresh fish with a plethora of toppings
- Octopus – prepared in different ways, from ceviche to grilled
- Shrimp – from ceviche, fish tacos, and grilled dishes- shrimp are a Baja staple
Shop in the Centro District
The Centro district is home to many wonderful restaurants, boutique shops, and vendors. It’s fun to wander around and go in and out of stores.
Visit The Art Museum and Luminarias
In the center of downtown La Paz, the Art Museum of Baja California features an impressive curation of Baja art by local artists. The art speaks to Baja’s rich history and Spanish colonialism.
Outside of the museum, on the south side of the street, is a light installation, Luminarias, that you can walk through.
You can also visit the Our Lady of Peace Cathedral, which is across the street from the art museum.
Places to Stay and Hotels In La Paz
I think the beauty of La Paz is staying in the Centro, the walkable, central district of downtown with shops and restaurants.
One of my favorite things to do in La Paz was to wake up, walk the Malecon boardwalk, and stop at a cafe for coffee and a pastry in the morning. From The Centro, you can walk to the harbor to take boats to your adventures and be steps away from fabulous restaurants.
Here are some of the top hotels in the Centro District of La Paz
- Baja Club: A trendy boutique hotel in the heart of La Paz. Also home to tasty restaurants and a vibrant rooftop.
- Republica Pagana – An adults-only hotel with stunning architecture and design in the heart of downtown.
When booking this trip, my friend and I opted to stay in a vacation rental apartment so we could each have our own bedroom and a kitchen. I was obsessed with the location and amenities of the vacation rental that my friend and I booked for La Paz. It was a 2-bedroom and a block from the beach in the most central part of town.
Book the same VBRO here: La Paz Apartment 1-Block from the Beach
To help you find a hotel or vacation rental, here’s an interactive map you can search to find a place to stay in La Paz.
Finally, if you want to stay out of the hustle and bustle of downtown on a resort property, Hotel Indigo offers an elevated resort stay.
Restaurants in La Paz
When in La Paz, I encourage you to try fresh Baja cuisine at the many local restaurants. All of these recommendations are in the Centro district, a more tourist-friendly area, so prices may be higher than in places farther from the Centro.
While this can definitely vary, I found that breakfast and lunch were in the $10-20 range and dinner in the $20-40 range per person.
Here are some restaurants that I enjoyed and recommend. There are many more wonderful places to try.
- Amelier 21 – Fresh bakery and coffee shop. Perfect place to grab a latte and croissant in the morning.
- Paradiso Bakery – Bakery also serving a robust breakfast and lunch menu with whimsical outdoor seating.
- Azotea – A must try for sunset. Wonderful fresh seafood and perhaps the best sunset view in La Paz. Book a reservation on OpenTable in advance if you want to go at sunset.
- Taco Fish – Fresh Baja seafood tacos with a taco bar of vegetables and sauces
- Oyster House by FISM – Fresh seafood dishes and a great place to try chocolate oysters
- Casamarte Oyster Bar & Grill – Oysters and fresh seafood right on the Malecon
- Baja Club – Mediterranean cuisine food in a beautiful, secluded garden setting
Do I Need a Rental Car?
I’m going to be honest here, yes.
I say that a bit defeated because I’m not a car person. I love walking, and my favorite part of traveling is walking in new places and not driving. Personally, I despise driving, especially in a car I’m not familiar with and avoid rental cars at all costs when I travel.
That being said, La Paz does not have an abundant taxi market, and Uber/Lyft market and rental cars are affordable.
I rented a car for 5 days from the airport at Budget Rental Car, and, including the basic car insurance, it was under $35/day. Of course, rates are subject to change. I compared rates on Booking.com to find the best deal.
But having a car to drive to and from the airport is useful, as well as going to Balandra and the other beaches. Many places you go will not have cell service, including Balandra Beach. So, you could take a taxi there, but you won’t have service to call for a ride back home.
How Many Days to Spend in La Paz
I recommend at least 3-4 days to enjoy the beauty and nature of La Paz. It’s the perfect place to go for a long weekend getaway.
Sample La Paz Itinerary
- Day 1 – Walk around the Centro district and stroll the Malecon. Visit the Art Museum, luminarias, and have a sunset dinner
- Day 2 – Take a boat tour to Isla Espiritu Santo with Mexico Travel Adventures and have dinner in the Centro District
- Day 3 – Visit Balandra Beach and Playa El Tecolate
- Day 4+ – If you have extra days to spend at La Paz, you can spend them relaxing on its beautiful beaches. Swimming, kayaking, diving, etc. Also consider a day trip to the magical town of Todos Santos, which is an hour away.
Final Thoughts on La Paz
La Paz, Mexico, is a surreal travel destination. The desert landscape meeting the turquoise waters is forever imprinted in my mind.
Whether you travel there solo (like me), with a partner, or with family, there is something for everyone. I hope you enjoy your trip.