Must see attractions in Mazatlán

Mazatlán's restored old town is a picturesque compendium of noble 19th-century buildings and pretty plazas. It's set back from Playa Olas Altas, a small…

Surrounded by splendid 19th-century buildings, this gorgeous tree-lined plaza comes alive in the evening, when market stalls pop up, couples stroll hand…

More than 600 petroglyphs, some believed to be more than 5000 years old, are depicted on volcanic rocks along a sublime stretch of coast, some 60km north…

North of the Zona Dorada and marinas, 'Witch Beach' was once serene but has seen a flood of high-rise development in recent years. Still, it's one of…

A popular half-day escape from the city, this peninsula (not an actual island) is just southeast of Old Mazatlán and boasts a beautiful, long sandy beach…

Named after a 19th-century soprano and constructed between 1869 and 1874, this 1366-seat theater just off Plaza Machado was a thriving center of local…

This absorbing museum focuses on pre-Hispanic Sinaloan civilizations. Among obsidian tools and ceramics, standout exhibits include beautiful Aztatlán…

This tiny distillery is the only one of its kind, specializing in brewing up mango liquors, which can be sampled here in their pure form or as part of a…

At the Mazatlán peninsula’s southern end, a prominent rocky outcrop is the base for this lighthouse, which is 135m above sea level. Join the locals either…

Although not as famous nor as spectacular as Acapulco's cliff divers, local clavadistas cast their bodies from a couple of platforms at the eponymous…

At the center of the old town is this striking 19th-century Romanesque and neo-Gothic melange of a cathedral with yellow twin towers. The dramatic…

In Old Mazatlán, the crescent-shaped Playa Olas Altas is where tourism first flourished from the 1920s onwards, although the rocky beach is buffeted by…

Flanked by a broad malecón (beach promenade) popular with joggers and strollers, the golden sands of Playa Norte begin just north of Old Mazatlán. Fishing…

Many of Mazatlán's hotels are on this long strip of sand. Sheltered by picturesque islands, the waters here are generally calm and ideal for swimming and…

One of Mazatlán's better beaches, Playa Sábalo extends north of the Zona Dorada and is backed by several luxury hotels.

North of town, this appealing beach has a cluster of seafood restaurants and decent surf.

One of Mexico’s largest aquariums has tanks with hundreds of species of freshwater, pelagic and reef fish, a display of skeletons, and birds and frogs in…

This is a small museum in a sprawling colonial courtyard complex, which makes a convincing case for the vitality and innovation of contemporary Mexican…

This large waterfront statue is a local landmark.