La Paz hasn’t got the hecticness most state capitals have. The city, surrounded by many abandoned shops, feels static and lonely; yet, filled with many unique activities and beautiful places to go. Things you wouldn’t expect to find here.
These are our best insiders’ tips on where to eat, where to relax, where to shop, where to take the perfect photo and where to wonder around. Hope you find it useful!
EAT
Doce cuarenta
Great coffee shop to have breakfast. Besides the tasty food and eye-catching-delicious sweet bread, the decoration is beautiful (industrial chic with Mexican touches) and their shop has excellent souvenirs. Buy one of their cushions made out of a floor-cloth or what we know as ‘jerga’, it will add the perfect touch to your home.
Where: in the corner of Francisco I. Madero and 5 de Mayo.
Nevería La Fuente
Locals go-to ice cream parlor. If you want a true Mexican flavor, try the Mamey one (you can ask for a tasting before ordering the full scoop). They have benches outside, so you can enjoy your dessert while looking at the ocean.
Where: in front of the malecón, next to I. Bañuelos street. The same block as the Burger King.
Toro Güero
Every local we asked told us to eat here, apparently it’s THE place to go for seafood: big plates and good prices. Order ‘tacos de camarón’ (shrimp tacos), it’s a staple in Baja.
Where: in the corner of Mariano Abasolo and Sinaloa.
Las tres vírgenes
Very nice and intimate restaurant. We ate a delicious New York stake and a mouth-watering crème brûlée.
Their specialty is the manta ray cazuela, but we couldn’t bring ourselves to order it. Are we the only ones who feel there’s something about ‘exotic’ food that just doesn’t seem right? Is winter even the season to catch manta rays?
Where: Francisco I. Madero 1130. Between Constitución and Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla.
Tail Hunter
An interesting place to go for drinks and snacks –the décor is between a sports bar, a fisherman’s cabaña and a pirate ship–. If you go, head upstairs and sit on the balcony; you’ll enjoy the view and the breeze.
Like to fish? They cook your catch for free,when arranging a tour with them.
Where: in front of the pier, next to the hammer sharks statue.
Cuquita Mariscos
At the end of our Espíritu Santo Island tour, we stopped at a beach to eat a delicious ceviche made by our captain. The recipe is from this restaurant.
Where: it’s near Marina La Paz. Follow Nayarit street until you reach the shore and see a palapa.
SHOP
Casa del Artesano Sudcaliforniano
This shop sells the pieces of over 120 local artisans that don’t have the space to exhibit their work. It has a great selection of souvenirs (postcards, liquors, jewelry, accessories, wooden and shell crafts, etc.) and the prices are good. We saw the same crafts for double the price in markets and street stalls.
Where: in front of the pier, between the streets Nicolás Bravo and Antonio Rosales.
Umbrella alley
It’s a small alley with approximately 15 stalls selling local crafts made from abulón shell and wood, and river pearl or seashell jewelry. Don’t forget to haggle; they usually double the price for foreigners (and Mexicans).
Where: from the pier, take 16 de septiembre street. Then, cross the first intersection and walk a couple more meters until you reach the 21 de agosto alley.
RELAX
Balandra Beach
The most beautiful beach of La Paz and, in our opinion, of Baja California Sur.
The sand portions are little and can get crowded easily, but its beauty is in the waist-height sea level (I’m 1.60m) that allows you to walk the entire bay. Just be aware of stingrays –don’t worry, you can easily see them through the crystal clear still water, but you can also take a kayak like we did.
Don’t forget to go all the way to the mushroom rock formation, where the low tide meets the deep ocean. It’s a wonderful view and the shore there is less crowded.
The whole journey, I (Maggie) was frustrated about standing in the beach and not being able to swim because of the freezing cold water of Baja California. Well, Balandra came to me as a gift. Because of the low tide, the sun can actually warm up the ocean and leave a pleasant and refreshing beach to enjoy.
Tecolote Beach
We wouldn’t recommend this beach for sunbathing, because it is very windy and the sand is filled with rocks, seashells and dead coral, which makes lying down or walking mighty painful.
But, it has a stunning view, perfect to enjoy with some fresh seafood and a long after-meal chat. The vibrant turquoise of the sea is out of this world.
Tecolote is located within a five-minute drive from Balandra Beach.
WONDER
Espíritu Santo Island
It’s a five-hour tour (one hour in the island) where you get to see flying rays, coral reefs, turtles, ruins of a pearl farm, frigatebirds nesting and a sea lion colony.
We’ll be honest. The highlight of the tour, and the only thing that makes it worth it, is swimming with the sea lions. If you aren’t planning on doing that, don’t waste your time and money.
Having said that, swimming with the sea lions was one of the best experiences we had in Baja. We only wish it lasted longer; 20 minutes is next to nothing!
But, we were compensated in the last stop with the delicious ceviche the captain prepared at one of Espíritu Santo’s bays.
Museo de la Ballena
We had a one-hour guided tour by a very well informed 15 year-old volunteer. The museum design is wonderful, and they’ve got many real bone structures from dolphins, whales, sharks, turtles and other marine life. They even have a real Megalodon tooth.
We highly recommend it. The information you get here makes your encounter with wildlife even more amazing.
PICTURE WORTH IT
Malecón
The perfect spot to have an ice cream and relax, and the best place to see the sunset. There are benches along the pier, but the view is far better from the dock.
Street Art
The streets behind the malecón are filled with extraordinary pieces of graffiti; many of them signed by the artist Ulises Martínez (FB: ulimartinezfrentealcolor). If you are into Instagram, they make a beautiful backdrop.
HIGHLIGHT
Whale Shark
In Mexico, there are only two places where you can swim with whale sharks, and La Paz is one of them. It’s an opportunity you don’t want to miss, and maybe one that won’t come around again since they are at high risk of extinction. Quick tip: do it in summer for best visibility.
You can read more about the experience here. You’ll laugh the whole post, guaranteed.
Useful information
Balandra
- Take water shoes, and drag your feet at all time. That way you’ll slightly touch the stingrays and scare them away.
- There’s a free parking space in front of the beach. Just make sure not to leave valuables at plain sight.
- In the white stall at the entrance, you can rent a two-seat kayak for an hour in $200 mxn and a parasol for the whole day in $150 mxn. An hour of kayak gives you quite enough time to slowly get around the bay. With our very (very) poor kayaking skills it took us 15 minutes to get to the mushroom.
Espíritu Santo Island
- Bring a jacket, because the four-hour drive back and forth from the island is very windy and splashy.
- Long sleeve wetsuits are a must. Besides the water being extremely cold, a bank of jellyfish stung a guy from our tour; his whole body was covered in blisters. Nils and the guide also got stung by one.
- If you want to swim with the sea lions, don’t forget to pack a towel.
Espíritu Santo & Whale Shark
Tour contact: Eduardo’s Tours (cel: 044- 612-152-1213; phone: 612-166-1657; e-mail: [email protected]).
Tour price: Espíritu Santo $950 mxn per person/ Whale Shark $850 mxn per person. We managed that deal, because we booked both tours and haggled a little bit. The guide’s tip isn’t included.
Wetsuit rental
Eduardo’s Tours don’t have wetsuits, but you can rent them ($100 mxn, per piece) from a guy that stands in front of the Burger King, near the malecón. Be there early (8.30am), or call him the day before, because he rents them quickly. His name is Héctor Villaseñor Acevedo, cel. 044-612-168-2312.
Other beaches
Next to Balandra and Tecolote, Pichilingüe and El Tesoro aren’t worth the trip; awful sand and no place to lie down and relax.
Keep in mind
Stores close from 2:30 to 4:30 because locals go to their houses to eat and take a nap.
