Must-see attractions in Baja California

  • The Arch and Land's End at sunset, Cabo San Lucas.

    Land’s End

    Cabo San Lucas

    Land’s End is the most impressive attraction in Cabo. Hop on a panga (skiff), kayak or stand-up paddleboard and head to El Arco (the Arch), a jagged…

  • The beach of Bahía Concepción, Baja California Sur.

    Bahía Concepción

    Mulegé

    One of the most stunningly beautiful stretches of coast in Baja for its blue-green waters, white sandy coves and lack of construction. Great for kayaking…

  • A gray whale breaches in San Ignacio Lagoon, Mexico.

    Laguna San Ignacio

    Southern Baja

    Along with Laguna Ojo de Liebre and Bahía Magdalena, Laguna San Ignacio is one of the Pacific coast’s major winter whale-watching sites. The Mexican…

  • Paddle boarding (SUP) off the island of Espiritu Santo, a Unesco Biosphere Reserve in the Gulf of California, Mexico.

    Espíritu Santo

    La Paz

    A treasure trove of shallow azure inlets and sorbet-pink cliffs, Espíritu Santo is one of La Paz’s gems. It’s part of a Unesco World Heritage site…

  • Parque de la Amistad

    Tijuana

    For a glimpse at what a wall between neighbors really looks like, find your way to binational Friendship Park. On the Mexico side of the wall in Playas de…

  • Parque Marine Nacional Bahía de Loreto

    Loreto

    This park makes Loreto a world-class destination for all types of outdoor activities; a number of outfitters offer everything from kayaking and diving to…

  • Iglesia Santa Bárbara

    Southern Baja

    Designed and erected for Paris’ 1889 World’s Fair, then disassembled and stored in Brussels for shipping to West Africa, Gustave Eiffel’s (yes, of Eiffel…

  • Riviera del Pacífico

    Ensenada

    Opened in the 1930s as Hotel Playa Ensenada, the extravagant Riviera del Pacífico, a Spanish-style former casino, is rumored to have been a haunt of Al…

  • Pasaje Rodríguez

    Tijuana

    This atmospheric arty alley reflects TJ's growing urban art scene. The walls are painted with vibrant graffiti-style murals – the perfect backdrop to the…

  • Mision San Ignacio Kadakaaman, in San Ignacio, Baja California Sur, Mexico.

    Misión San Ignacio de Kadakaamán

    Southern Baja

    With lava-block walls nearly 1.2m (4ft) thick, the former Jesuit Misión San Ignacio de Kadakaamán stands directly across from San Ignacio's small plaza…

  • Lovers Beach (Playa del Amor) in Cabo San Lucas, Los Cabos, Mexico.

    Playa del Amor

    Cabo San Lucas

    Baja's most famous beach, Playa del Amor (Lover's Beach) has stunning white sands adjacent to El Arco on the Pacific and bay sides. You can walk between…

  • Cueva del Ratón

    Southern Baja

    Named for an image of what inhabitants once thought was a rat (or mouse) but is more likely a cougar, this is the most easily accessible cave in the…

  • Cañon La Trinidad

    Mulegé

    Trinity Canyon is great for bird-watchers, with the chance to see vermilion flycatchers, gila woodpeckers and a host of raptors and buteos. The narrow,…

  • Centro Cultural

    Todos Santos

    Housed in a former schoolhouse with a lovely central courtyard, the Centro Cultural is home to some interesting nationalist and revolutionary murals…

  • SEA OF CORTEZ, BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO - 2015/02/18: The interior of the Jesuit Mission built in 1697 in Loreto in Baja California, Mexico. (Photo by Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images)

    Misión Nuestra Señora de Loreto

    Loreto

    Dating from 1697, this was the first permanent mission in the Californias and was the base for the expansion of Jesuit missions up and down the Baja…

  • Misión Santa Rosalía de Mulegé

    Mulegé

    Come to the imposing, stone hilltop Misión Santa Rosalía de Mulegé (founded in 1705, completed in 1766 and abandoned in 1828) for great photos of the site…

  • Parroquia San Jose church, San Jose del Cabo, Baja, Mexico

    Iglesia San José

    San José del Cabo

    The colonial-style Iglesia San José, built in 1730 to replace the Misión San José del Cabo, faces the spacious Plaza Mijares.

  • Reserva de la Biosfera Sierra de la Laguna

    Southern Baja

    Hardcore backpackers can strap on hiking boots, fill water bottles and head into the uninterrupted wilds of this lush and rugged biosphere reserve, south…

  • Malecón de Playas

    Tijuana

    A tranquil, recently remodeled boardwalk by the sea, stretching about a kilometer and livened up with ever-evolving murals, beach bars and cozy cafes. Pub…

  • Playa Balandra

    La Paz

    The most beautiful in a series of beaches north of La Paz, Playa Balandra is an enclosed cove with shallow azure water that's great for toddlers. Kayaks…

  • Misión San Borja

    Southern Baja

    This well-restored mission is between Rosarito and Bahía de los Ángeles in pristine, spectacular boojum-tree-and-cardón desert. The (bumpy) drive alone…

  • Casa Lereé

    Southern Baja

    Part museum and part bookstore, this beautiful old building sits around a verdant garden with magnificent trees, including a soaring (and shady) ficus…

  • Estación Federal

    Tijuana

    Part local art gallery, part coworking space, part drinking and dining hub, with some modern accommodations thrown in for good measure. It's all just a 10…

  • Sierra de la Giganta

    Loreto

    The trails in the rugged, striated mountains that rise up behind Loreto are seldom marked, but there's great hiking for the fit and adventurous. Guides…

  • Museo de las Californias

    Tijuana

    The Museo de las Californias chronicles the history of the Baja Peninsula from prehistoric times to the present. The exhibit kicks off with replica cave…

  • Malecón

    La Paz

    La Paz's waterfront, with its wide sidewalk, tiny beaches, tourist pier, benches, sculptures by local artists and unimpeded sunset views, is the city's…

  • Museo Comunitario de Mulegé

    Mulegé

    This former territorial prison was famed for allowing prisoners to roam free in town during the day, although the women inmates stayed to cook and clean…

  • Museo el Boleo

    Southern Baja

    Built in 1885 by the French to house the offices of the Boleo Company, this mining museum watches over town and the copperworks from its perch on the hill…

  • Museo de Naturaliza y Cultura

    Southern Baja

    A small but captivating natural history museum displaying historical photographs, mammoth bones, whale skeletons, cactus specimens, old mining equipment,…

  • Museum

    Southern Baja

    This small museum offers a glimpse of the area’s natural history and also re-creates the famous cave drawings found in the Sierra de San Francisco.

  • Playa Escondido

    Mulegé

    A pretty stretch of beach just south of Mulegé. You can't see the beach from the road so look for the unpaved turnoff between kilometer 112 and 111.

  • Playa Santispac

    Mulegé

    The most popular beach in the area thanks to its sparkling white sand and protected cove. It gets very shallow here at low tide.

  • Playa Perla

    Mulegé

    This pristine stretch of sand is popular with families at weekends.

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    El Mirador

    Ensenada

    Atop the Colinas de Chapultepec, El Mirador offers panoramic views of the city and Bahía de Todos Santos. Climb or drive (note: there’s no off-street…

  • Museo de las Californias

    Cabo San Lucas

    This tiny museum has an endearing yet fascinating collection of historical artifacts, including maps, tools and journals going back to the 16th-century…

  • Frontón Palacio Jai Alai

    Tijuana

    Oddly baroque in style, the striking Frontón Palacio Jai Alai dates from 1926 and for decades hosted the fast-moving ball game of jai alai – a sort of…

  • Museo de Historia de Ensenada

    Ensenada

    This small yet interesting museum traces northern Baja history from the indigenous Mexicans to the mission period. Replicas of cave art along the…

  • Parque Morelos

    Tijuana

    Parque Morelos is an ecological reserve and the largest park in Tijuana. Bring the kids and enjoy the spacious recreation areas, pool, lake, botanical…