City Los Cabos, Baja California Sur Municipality of Los Cabos Los Cabos
The older, quieter half of Los Cabos: a 1730 mission, Plaza Mijares, Thursday Art Walk in the gallery district and a freshwater estuary for birds.
From Cabo San Lucas: 30 min by car (33 km by road) How to get there ↓
Near here
Plan your visit to San José del Cabo
Where to stay near San José del Cabo
Compare hotels, posadas and guest houses in San José del Cabo.
Tours to San José del Cabo
Day trips and guided outings from Todos Santos often include San José del Cabo; with a local guide you can get there without a car.
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How to get to San José del Cabo
- From Cabo San Lucas: about 30 min by road (~33 km)
- Nearest airport: Los Cabos (SJD), 1 h 17 min by car to Todos Santos
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Popular tours to San José del Cabo
Tours, prices and ratings from Viator, checked weekly. We may earn a commission if you book.
About San José del Cabo
San José del Cabo is the seat of the municipality of Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, on the Sea of Cortez about 33 km northeast of Cabo San Lucas. The town sits about a kilometre back from the sea, beside the mouth of the Río San José, and Los Cabos International Airport is about 16 km to the north. The 2020 census counted 136,285 people, making it the third largest city in the state. It is the calmer, older counterpart to Cabo San Lucas: whitewashed and brightly painted colonial buildings, a shady main square and an evening life built around restaurants and galleries rather than nightclubs.
The town grew from the Jesuit mission of San José del Cabo Añuití, founded on 8 April 1730 by Father Nicolás Tamaral with the visitor José Echeverría, beside the estuary close to the beach. Tamaral was killed in 1734 during the Pericú rebellion, and in 1737 the Spanish set up a presidio here with 30 soldiers. During the Mexican-American War, US forces held the town and were besieged in November 1847; Lieutenant José Antonio Mijares died leading the Mexican assault, and the main square and boulevard carry his name. The twin-towered church on the square today dates from 1940, built on the mission site.
Plaza Mijares, with its kiosk, the municipal palace and the church, is the centre of town and fills with families and music on weekend evenings. Just north of it, the gallery district along Calle Álvaro Obregón and the surrounding streets holds the Thursday Art Walk, when streets are closed to cars, galleries stay open late and artists, food stands and musicians take over, roughly from November to June. East of the centre, the San José estuary, fed by the river and separated from the sea by a sandbar, is the largest body of fresh water in Baja California Sur; walking trails through its reeds and palms make it the best birdwatching spot in Los Cabos.
Further east, the old fishing neighbourhood of La Playita is now home to Puerto Los Cabos, a marina with berths for large yachts and a section kept for the traditional pangas that take anglers out to the Gordo Banks. The beaches in front of the hotel zone face open water with steep shore break, so swimmers usually head west along the corridor to protected coves such as Chileno Bay. The climate is hot desert, with mild winters and hot summers; the busy season, and the Art Walk, run from late autumn to spring, and the patron saint's day, Saint Joseph, is celebrated on 19 March.
How to get to San José del Cabo
Drive from Cabo San Lucas: 30 min, 33 km
Los Cabos International Airport (SJD) is about 16 km north of downtown San José del Cabo on Highway 1, a short taxi or shuttle ride. Local buses run along the Tourist Corridor to Cabo San Lucas every 20 to 30 minutes, taking about 30 to 45 minutes, until around 11 pm. Águila buses also go to La Paz, about two and a half hours away.
Directions to San José del Cabo on Google Maps
Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.
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From the nearest cities to San José del Cabo
- Cabo San Lucas · 33 km by road, 30 min
- La Paz · 189 km by road, 2 h 35 min
- Guasave · about 400 km by road, ~5 h 50 min
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic or stops. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
What to see in San José del Cabo 8
Sights with their own page, closest to the centre first.
Beaches
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Bahía Chileno · Beach · 16 km from the centre
A sheltered cove on the Los Cabos Corridor with a public beach, lifeguards and a reef you can snorkel straight from the sand. -
Bahía Santa María · Beach · 19 km from the centre
A horseshoe cove on the Corridor with calm, clear water, a reef at both rocky ends and a free lot, restrooms and lifeguards. -
Playa El Médano · Beach · 27 km from the centre
Cabo San Lucas's main swimming beach: a long, sheltered bay beach with beach clubs, water sports and Land's End at one end. -
Playa del Amor · Beach · 28 km from the centre
Lover's Beach, the sheltered Sea of Cortez cove beside El Arco, reached only by water taxi; calm enough to swim and snorkel on most days. -
Playa del Divorcio · Beach · 29 km from the centre
Divorce Beach, the Pacific side of the sand neck at Land's End: wide sand and heavy surf, reached through Playa del Amor. Not for swimming.
Landmarks and museums
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Centro Histórico de San José del Cabo · Landmark · 1 km from the centre
The old mission town at the heart of San José del Cabo: Plaza Mijares, the parish church, galleries on Álvaro Obregón and the Thursday Art Walk. -
El Arco de Cabo San Lucas · Landmark · 28 km from the centre
The granite sea arch at Land's End, the very tip of Baja, with a sea lion colony and Pelican Rock nearby; seen by boat from the Cabo marina. -
Marina Cabo San Lucas · Landmark · 29 km from the centre
The harbour at the heart of Cabo San Lucas: yachts and sportfishing boats, a boardwalk, restaurants, and the dock for El Arco water taxis and whale tours.
Map of San José del Cabo
Day trips and tours from San José del Cabo
The closest Pueblos Mágicos and places to visit, with the drive from San José del Cabo and tours that leave from it.
Times marked ~ are estimated from the distance. Links open a partner site. We may earn a commission if you book, at no cost to you.
Before you go: getting to and around San José del Cabo
- The nearest airport is Los Cabos (SJD).
- The best months to go are March, April, May, and December.
- 7 of the places on this page are more than 3 km from the centre: take a taxi, a ride-hailing app or a local bus.
- El Arco de Cabo San Lucas, Playa del Amor, and Playa del Divorcio: reached by boat or on foot, not by road (each page says from where).
- For day trips a rental car gives the most freedom; the tours above leave from San José del Cabo.
Before you go to San José del Cabo: hours, prices and tips
- Best time of day
- Plaza Mijares is liveliest on Saturday and Sunday nights, with music and dancing. Wikivoyage · checked Oct 2026
- Best season
- The Art Walk runs on Thursday evenings, 5 to 9 pm, during the high season from about November to June; it is free. Wikivoyage · checked Oct 2026
Hours and prices change, especially around holidays. Each fact links to where we checked it.
Visiting San José del Cabo: what to see and do
Sit in Plaza Mijares and visit the twin-towered mission church of San José beside it.
Join the Thursday evening Art Walk in the gallery district around Calle Álvaro Obregón.
Walk the trails of the San José estuary to look for herons, egrets and other water birds.
Eat at the restaurants around the plaza and in the colonial streets of the centre.
Visit Puerto Los Cabos marina in La Playita and go out on a panga to fish the Gordo Banks.
Take the bus or a taxi along the Tourist Corridor to swim at a protected cove such as Chileno Bay.
Plan your trip
Places to stay in San José del Cabo
Compare hotels, posadas, and rentals in and around San José del Cabo.
Tours & activities
Day trips and guided outings from Todos Santos often include San José del Cabo; with a local guide you can get there without a car.
Rental cars
Pick up a car at SJD (Los Cabos): about 1 h 17 min by road to Todos Santos, then 70 km more to San José del Cabo, on your own schedule.
Flights
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Los Cabos (SJD), about 1 h 17 min by road from Todos Santos, the base for San José del Cabo.
Mobile data
Signal can drop away from Todos Santos: download a map of the way to San José del Cabo before you set out, or carry an eSIM with data.
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Photos
When to go to San José del Cabo mild
San José del Cabo shares the climate of Todos Santos, 70 km away. The best months to visit are March, April, May, and December.
See the month-by-month climate of Todos Santos
Weather in San José del Cabo now and the next 7 days
Live forecast from Open-Meteo. Chance of rain is the day's highest.
The closest Pueblo Mágico: Todos Santos
Todos Santos is the Pueblo Mágico closest to San José del Cabo, with places to stay, food, and more to see.
Near San José del Cabo
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Cabo San Lucas · City
30 min drive · 33 km
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.