We Drove Three Hours Past Cabo — And Found the Real Baja
Everyone flies to Los Cabos. The resorts are polished, the pools are infinity-edged, and the bartenders know exactly how you like your margarita. We did that trip years ago. It was fine. But when a friend who’d lived in Mexico for a decade told us that La Paz was the best city in Baja that nobody from the States visits, we rented a car in Cabo and drove three hours north on Highway 19 to see for ourselves.
The moment we arrived, we understood. La Paz is what happens when you take everything good about Mexico — the food, the culture, the warmth, the pace of life — and set it on the shore of the most biologically rich body of water on Earth. Jacques Cousteau called the Sea of Cortez “the world’s aquarium,” and La Paz is its capital. The city wraps around a wide bay where pelicans dive, fishing boats bob, and the desert hills glow pink at sunset. There are no mega-resorts, no spring break crowds, no all-inclusive wristbands. Just a real Mexican city of 300,000 people that happens to sit next to some of the most spectacular natural beauty we’ve seen anywhere.
Jenice felt it immediately. Walking the malecon that first evening — a five-kilometer waterfront promenade lined with sculptures, palapa restaurants, and families eating ice cream — she said it reminded her of the Mexico her family talked about. Unhurried, generous, proud. An old man was playing guitar on a bench while kids chased each other around a public art installation shaped like a whale tail. Nobody was in a rush. We sat down at a seafood cart, ordered chocolate clam tostadas and cold Pacificos, and watched the sun drop behind the peninsula.
We’ve been back four times since. Every trip we discover something new — a snorkeling cove we’d missed, a taco stand that wasn’t there last year, a kayak route through mangroves where we didn’t see another person for two hours. La Paz rewards repeat visits in a way that resort towns never can, because it’s not performing for tourists. It’s just being itself.
Cousteau called it the world's aquarium. Standing on the malecon at golden hour, watching pelicans dive into water that shifts from jade to sapphire, you understand why.
What Makes La Paz Different?
La Paz is the anti-Cabo. Where Los Cabos built its identity around resorts and nightlife, La Paz built its identity around the sea. This is a city where marine biologists outnumber timeshare salespeople, where the biggest tourist attraction is a gentle 30-foot fish, and where the most exclusive beach in Mexico has no entrance fee and no hotel attached to it.
The Sea of Cortez is what makes everything here possible. This narrow body of water between the Baja peninsula and mainland Mexico contains 39% of the world’s marine mammal species and a third of the world’s cetacean species. Whale sharks, hammerhead sharks, manta rays, sea lions, dolphins, blue whales — they all pass through these waters. When you swim with whale sharks off the coast of La Paz, you’re not in a theme park. You’re in their living room.
Then there’s the city itself. La Paz is the capital of Baja California Sur, which means it has government offices, a university, hospitals, supermarkets, and a local economy that doesn’t depend on tourists. Prices reflect what Mexicans actually pay, not what a resort thinks Americans will tolerate. A plate of fish tacos costs 50-80 MXN ($3-5 USD). A craft cocktail on the malecon costs 120-180 MXN ($7-10 USD). A boutique hotel room in the historic center costs 1,200-2,000 MXN ($68-113 USD). You can live extremely well here on what you’d spend on parking in Cabo.
The pace is slower too. Shops close in the afternoon. Families stroll the malecon at sunset. Restaurants don’t rush you. Jenice says La Paz operates on what she calls “real Mexico time” — not the curated, Instagram-ready version of Mexico that tourist corridors sell, but the one where people sit on their porches and actually talk to their neighbors.
Where to Eat in La Paz
La Paz eats like a fishing town. The seafood is absurdly fresh, the prices are honest, and the best meals often come from the simplest places. We’ve eaten at white-tablecloth restaurants and beachside carts here, and the carts usually win.
Bismark-cito
The legendary seafood institution of La Paz. Bismark-cito has been serving the freshest catch from the Sea of Cortez since the 1960s, and it shows — this place is always packed with locals, which is exactly the sign you want. The chocolate clams (almejas chocolatas) are a La Paz specialty you won’t find anywhere else — sweet, briny, and served raw with lime and chile. Their fish tacos are perfectly battered and fried. Expect to spend 180-320 MXN ($10-18 USD) per person for a full seafood spread with drinks.
Tailhunter Restaurant
Right on the malecon with sunset views over the bay. Tailhunter serves excellent wood-fired seafood — the grilled marlin and shrimp tacos are our regulars. The mango margaritas are dangerously smooth. Dinner runs 250-450 MXN ($14-25 USD) per person. Grab a table on the patio and watch the fishing boats come in.
Rancho Viejo
If you want to eat like a local family, this is the spot. Traditional Mexican breakfasts — machaca con huevos, chilaquiles, handmade tortillas — served in a rustic open-air setting. Jenice orders the molletes every time and has never been disappointed. Breakfast for two costs 200-350 MXN ($11-20 USD). Come hungry — the portions are enormous.
Mariscos El Molinito
A no-frills taco stand near the Mercado Bravo that serves some of the best fish and shrimp tacos in the city. The marlin tacos are smoked and shredded, mixed with tomato and onion, and piled onto fresh corn tortillas. Tacos cost 30-50 MXN ($1.50-3 USD) each. We order six or seven between us and never spend more than 300 MXN ($17 USD) total with drinks.
La Miserable
A craft cocktail bar and kitchen in the downtown art district that proves La Paz has a contemporary food scene too. Creative mezcal cocktails, ceviche flights, and small plates with a modern Baja twist. Cocktails run 140-200 MXN ($8-11 USD) and small plates 120-220 MXN ($7-12 USD). Good for a date night or when you want something beyond tacos — though the tacos here are also excellent.
McFisher’s Seafood & Sushi
A local favorite for generous portions and no-nonsense seafood at fair prices. Their aguachile is fiery and fresh, and the combination platters let you sample multiple preparations of the day’s catch. Lunch for two runs 250-400 MXN ($14-22 USD). The location near the marina means the fish was probably swimming a few hours ago.
Knee-deep turquoise water stretching to the horizon, desert rock formations framing a lagoon so clear it doesn't look real. This is the beach that made Mexico vote.
Where to Stay in La Paz
La Paz doesn’t have the hotel density of Cabo, and that’s a good thing. Options range from characterful downtown boutiques to a full resort with a marina. We prefer staying in the historic center for walkability to the malecon and restaurants.
CostaBaja Resort & Spa (Luxury)
The only full-service resort in La Paz, set on a private marina about ten minutes north of downtown. Pools, a spa, multiple restaurants, and ocean-view rooms that rival anything in Los Cabos. Rooms run 3,500-6,000 MXN ($200-340 USD) per night. We stayed here for Jenice’s birthday and the sunset from the infinity pool alone justified the splurge. The downside is you’ll need a car or taxi to reach downtown and the malecon.
Hotel Catedral La Paz (Mid-Range)
A boutique hotel right in the heart of the historic center, steps from the cathedral and a two-minute walk to the malecon. The rooftop terrace has cathedral views and is perfect for morning coffee. Rooms are modern, clean, and well-designed. At 1,200-2,000 MXN ($68-113 USD) per night, this is our default pick — you can walk to everything that matters.
Pension California (Budget)
A La Paz institution since 1914, this historic guesthouse in the downtown core has been hosting travelers for over a century. The rooms are simple — ceiling fans, tiled floors, courtyard garden — but the location is unbeatable and the character is irreplaceable. Rooms cost 600-1,000 MXN ($34-56 USD) per night. John Steinbeck reportedly stayed here while researching the Sea of Cortez. If walls could talk.
Hotel Seven Crown Malecon (Mid-Range)
Right on the waterfront with balcony rooms overlooking the bay. The location is the star — you’re on the malecon with sunset views from your room. Amenities are straightforward but comfortable. Rates run 1,400-2,200 MXN ($80-125 USD) per night. Ask for an upper-floor bay-view room.
What to Do in La Paz
Swim with Whale Sharks (October through March)
This is the main event and the reason many people visit La Paz. Every winter, hundreds of whale sharks — the largest fish in the ocean — congregate in the bay to feed on plankton. Tour boats depart from the marina each morning and take you to the feeding areas where you slip into the water with snorkel gear and swim alongside these enormous, gentle animals. They average 20-30 feet long but are pure filter feeders and completely harmless. Tours cost 1,500-2,500 MXN ($85-140 USD) per person and include gear, a guide, and usually a light breakfast. We’ve done it three times now and the thrill never diminishes — the moment a whale shark glides past you, close enough to touch, is something that stays with you permanently.
Balandra Beach
Consistently voted Mexico’s most beautiful beach, and the vote is accurate. A protected lagoon 30 minutes north of La Paz with shallow, bathtub-warm turquoise water and dramatic rock formations rising from the sand. The famous mushroom-shaped rock (El Hongo) is the most photographed landmark in Baja California Sur. There’s no entrance fee, no hotels, and no vendors — bring everything you need including water, food, and sunscreen. We arrive by 8am on weekdays and often have the beach nearly to ourselves until mid-morning. On weekends and holidays, it gets crowded. A taxi from La Paz costs about 300-400 MXN ($17-22 USD) each way, or rent a car and drive yourself.
Espiritu Santo Island
This UNESCO World Heritage site sits about an hour by boat from La Paz and is one of the most pristine island environments in Mexico. Day trips include snorkeling at a resident sea lion colony (hundreds of playful sea lions that will swim circles around you), beach time on white sand coves accessible only by boat, and lunch prepared on board. The water clarity is staggering — we could see 50-60 feet down. Tours run 1,800-3,000 MXN ($100-170 USD) per person. Multi-day camping trips on the island are available for the adventurous — sleeping on a deserted beach under the Baja stars is an experience we haven’t stopped talking about.
Walk the Malecon
La Paz’s five-kilometer waterfront promenade is the heart of the city. Lined with sculptures, restaurants, bars, and shops, it comes alive at sunset when locals and visitors alike stroll the length of it. Public art installations dot the walkway — whales, manta rays, sea lions rendered in metal and stone. Free, beautiful, and the single best way to feel the pulse of La Paz.
Snorkeling at Los Islotes
The northernmost point of Espiritu Santo Island, Los Islotes is home to the largest sea lion colony in the Sea of Cortez. Snorkeling here means juvenile sea lions buzzing you underwater, blowing bubbles in your face, and occasionally nibbling your fins. It’s included on most Espiritu Santo day trips but can also be booked as a standalone half-day tour for 1,200-1,800 MXN ($68-100 USD). Bring an underwater camera — the photos and videos from this spot are the ones you’ll show everyone back home.
A whale shark materializes from the blue like a slow-moving freight train. Thirty feet long, spotted like a constellation, and utterly indifferent to your existence. You forget to breathe.
The Malecon at Golden Hour
There’s a specific moment in La Paz that we’ve never experienced anywhere else. Around 6pm, when the afternoon heat breaks and the sky begins to shift from white to gold, the entire city migrates to the malecon. Families push strollers. Teenagers cluster around benches with paletas. Old couples sit on the seawall watching pelicans. Vendors wheel carts of marquesitas and elote. A guitarist plays somewhere you can hear but can’t see.
Jenice calls it the “golden hour parade,” and it’s her favorite thing about La Paz. In Cabo, sunset is something you watch from a resort rooftop with a $20 cocktail. In La Paz, sunset is something the whole city shares for free. We buy raspados from a cart — shaved ice with fresh mango and chamoy — and walk the full five kilometers, stopping to read the placards on the whale sculptures and watch the fishing boats silhouette against the darkening sky.
This is the moment when La Paz makes its case. Not through luxury or exclusivity, but through the simple, radical act of a city that still gathers together at the end of the day to enjoy its own beauty. It’s the kind of thing you didn’t know you were missing until you experience it.
Isla Espiritu Santo — A Day We Won’t Forget
The boat left the marina at 7am and by 7:45 we could see Espiritu Santo rising from the sea — red volcanic cliffs, white sand beaches, desert scrub clinging to the ridges. No buildings. No roads. No cell signal. The island has been uninhabited since the 1990s, and nature has fully reclaimed it.
Our first stop was the sea lion colony at Los Islotes. We slipped off the boat into water so clear it felt like floating in air. Within seconds, a juvenile sea lion rocketed toward us, spun in a circle, and hovered two feet from Jenice’s mask, staring at her with huge dark eyes. She laughed so hard she nearly flooded her snorkel. For the next forty minutes, we were surrounded — sea lions corkscrewing beneath us, blowing bubbles, bumping our fins. The adults watched from the rocks with the bored confidence of parents at a playground.
We beached on a cove with no name and no footprints. White sand, turquoise water, cactus on the hills behind us. The boat crew set up lunch on the beach — fresh ceviche, grilled fish, rice, tortillas, and cold beers from a cooler. We ate with our feet in the sand and nothing on the schedule. Scott said it was the most complete day of his life. Jenice said he was being dramatic. She might have been right, but only barely.
The Chocolate Clam — A La Paz Original
If there is one dish that defines La Paz, it is the chocolate clam. Named for the dark brown color of its shell, not any cocoa flavor, the almeja chocolata is endemic to the sandy bays around La Paz and has been harvested here for centuries. The clam is sweet, tender, and briny — somewhere between a littleneck and an oyster — and it’s served raw with lime and salsa, grilled with butter and garlic, or chopped into ceviche.
We first tried them at Bismark-cito on a plate of a dozen, raw on the half shell with nothing but lime and Valentina hot sauce. Jenice, who grew up eating shellfish with her family, said these were the cleanest-tasting clams she’d ever had. The brininess was followed by a natural sweetness that lingered. We ordered a second plate.
The chocolate clam population has been carefully managed in recent years — overharvesting was becoming a problem — and today the fishery is regulated to ensure sustainability. When you order them in La Paz, you’re eating something you literally cannot get anywhere else in the world. At 80-120 MXN ($5-7 USD) per dozen, they’re one of the great seafood bargains on the planet.
Planning Your La Paz Trip
La Paz works beautifully as either a standalone destination or as part of a larger Baja loop. We typically fly into Los Cabos, spend two to three nights in Cabo or Todos Santos, then drive three hours north to La Paz for another three to four nights. The drive itself is beautiful — desert landscapes, distant mountains, and nearly zero traffic once you’re past the Cabo sprawl.
For whale shark season (October through March), book your tour in advance — the reputable operators fill up, especially on weekends and holidays. For Balandra Beach, go on a weekday morning and you’ll have something close to paradise all to yourself. For Espiritu Santo, a full-day trip is worth every peso — the half-day trips feel rushed.
The ideal La Paz trip is four to five days. Day one: arrive, walk the malecon, eat seafood. Day two: whale sharks in the morning, explore downtown in the afternoon. Day three: Espiritu Santo Island full-day trip. Day four: Balandra Beach morning, cooking class or market visit afternoon. Day five: one more malecon sunset, depart with plans to come back.
Scott’s Pro Tips
- Getting There: Fly into La Paz International Airport (LAP) directly from Tijuana (Volaris, ~2 hours, often under $100 one-way) or connect through Mexico City. Alternatively, fly into Los Cabos (SJD) and drive 3 hours north on Highway 19 — the road is well-maintained and scenic. If you're doing the full Baja road trip from the border, budget 16-18 hours of driving over two days via the Transpeninsular Highway (Mexico 1). We recommend the Cabo-to-La Paz drive for first-timers.
- Best Time to Visit: October through April is prime season — dry, warm (75-90°F), and overlapping with whale shark season (Oct-Mar). Summer (June-September) is brutally hot (100°F+), humid, and prone to hurricanes. The sweet spot is November through February — whale sharks are in the bay, the weather is perfect, and crowds are still manageable.
- Getting Around: Downtown La Paz and the malecon are very walkable. For Balandra Beach, Espiritu Santo tours, and the airport, you'll need wheels. Rent a car at the airport for 500-900 MXN ($28-50 USD) per day — we use this for beach day trips and the freedom is worth it. Taxis within the city cost 60-150 MXN ($3-8 USD). Uber works here but drivers are less plentiful than in Cabo or Tijuana. Local buses run fixed routes for 12-15 MXN ($0.70-0.85 USD) if you're on a tight budget.
- Money & ATMs: La Paz runs on pesos — far fewer places accept USD here compared to Cabo or the border towns, and when they do, the exchange rate is terrible. Withdraw pesos from Banorte, BBVA, or Santander ATMs downtown. Credit cards are accepted at hotels and sit-down restaurants but bring cash for taco stands, the market, and taxis. Budget 600-1,600 MXN ($34-90 USD) per person per day depending on activities.
- Safety & Health: La Paz is one of the safest cities in Mexico — Baja California Sur consistently ranks among the lowest-crime states in the country. The malecon, downtown, and beach areas are all safe to walk day and night. Drink bottled water (tap water is not safe). For medical needs, Hospital Fidepaz on Calle Forjadores is the best-equipped hospital in the city. Bring reef-safe sunscreen — the Baja sun at this latitude is intense, especially on the water. Jellyfish are occasional in summer months; most stings are mild.
- Packing Essentials: Reef-safe sunscreen (mandatory — you're snorkeling in a UNESCO marine reserve), a rash guard for whale shark and snorkeling tours, a wide-brim hat, water shoes for rocky beach entries, a reusable water bottle, and a light windbreaker for boat trips. The wind picks up on the water even on warm days. If you're visiting Balandra, pack a cooler with water and snacks — there's nothing for sale at the beach.
- Local Culture & Etiquette: La Paz is a proud, unhurried city. Greet people with "Buenos dias" or "Buenas tardes" — Jenice insists this matters more here than in tourist zones. Tipping 10-15% is standard at restaurants. At taco stands, rounding up or leaving 10-20 MXN is appreciated. When on whale shark tours, follow the guide's rules strictly — maintain the required distance, don't touch the animals, and don't use flash photography. These regulations exist because La Paz takes its marine life seriously, and respecting them is how visitors earn the city's trust.