Mazatlán, Sinaloa: 24 Places to Visit, Map & Guide

Sinaloa

24 places with their own page in the municipality of Mazatlán, in the state of Sinaloa.

Map of Mazatlán

Places to visit in Mazatlán

Cities · 1 Villages · 2 Beaches · 5 Islands · 2 Nature reserves · 1 Viewpoints · 1 Landmarks and museums · 12

Cities

Mazatlán · City
Sinaloa's big Pacific port: a restored 19th-century old town, a seafront promenade of some 20 km, beaches, shrimp and one of Mexico's oldest carnivals.

Villages

El Quelite · Village
A cobblestoned Pueblo Señorial north of Mazatlán, known for its fresh cheese, home-style Sinaloan cooking and the Mesón de los Laureanos.
La Noria · Village
An old village in the foothills north-east of Mazatlán, known for its leather workshops, handmade huaraches and Sunday food market.

Beaches

Isla de la Piedra · Beach
Mazatlán's long palm-backed beach across the harbor mouth, a few minutes by water taxi, with calm water, palapa seafood restaurants and horse rides.
Playa Cerritos · Beach
Mazatlán's long northern beach from the marina to Punta Cerritos, with firm sand for walking, steady surf, parasailing and nesting sea turtles.
Playa Norte · Beach
Mazatlán's fishermen's beach on the malecón by the old center, where pangas land the catch, families buy fresh fish and the Fishermen's Monument stands.
Playa Olas Altas · Beach
Mazatlán's historic town beach below the old centre: a 550 m bay of surf, sunsets and old seafront hotels where the city's beach tourism began.
Playa Brujas · Beach
A surf beach at Mazatlán's northern tip, by the rocks of Punta Cerritos, with tide pools, low-tide caves, a witch legend and quieter sand than the hotel zone.

Islands

Isla de Pájaros · Island
The northernmost of Mazatlán's three islands, a protected seabird colony with the main brown pelican nesting site in the bay, seen from boats only.
Isla de Venados · Island
The middle and largest of Mazatlán's three protected islands, a short boat ride off the Zona Dorada, with a calm beach for swimming, snorkeling and kayaking.

Nature reserves

Estero del Yugo · Nature reserve
A small coastal lagoon and dry-forest reserve in Cerritos, north Mazatlán, looked after by the CIAD research center and known as the city's bird sanctuary.

Viewpoints

El Faro de Mazatlán · Viewpoint
The lighthouse on top of 157 m Cerro del Crestón: a stepped climb of about 30 minutes to a glass lookout over the port, the city and the islands.

Landmarks and museums

Gran Acuario Mazatlán · Landmark
Mazatlán's big aquarium of the Sea of Cortez, opened in 2023 in Parque Central, with sharks, rays, sea lions and penguins in a Tatiana Bilbao building.
Malecón de Mazatlán · Landmark
Mazatlán's seafront promenade, about 21 km of walkway and bike lane from the old town to the hotel zone, lined with monuments and sunset views.
Museo Nacional de la Ballena · Landmark
Mexico's national whale museum, opened in 2024 in the Observatorio 1873 park on Cerro del Vigía, with whale skeletons and winter whale-watching trips.
Catedral Basílica de la Inmaculada Concepción · Landmark
Mazatlán's twin-towered cathedral, built over four decades and finished in 1899, with a gilded interior and a Cavaillé-Coll organ from Paris.
Centro Histórico de Mazatlán · Landmark
Mazatlán's old town: 180 blocks of 19th-century merchant houses, plazas, a cathedral, an iron market and a theatre, protected as a heritage zone since 2001.
Mercado Pino Suárez · Landmark
Mazatlán's iron-and-steel central market of 1899 in the historic center, full of produce, seafood, crafts and cheap breakfast counters.
Observatorio 1873 · Landmark
A 19th-century lookout and weather observatory on Cerro del Vigía, now a park with an award-winning funicular, gardens, a museum and sea views.
Plazuela Machado · Landmark
Mazatlán's oldest square, laid out in 1837 by a silver and pearl merchant, with an 1881 iron kiosk and terrace restaurants all around.
Teatro Ángela Peralta · Landmark
Mazatlán's 19th-century theatre, wrecked by a hurricane in 1975 and reopened in 1992: an 841-seat hall that is the city's main stage today.
Zona Dorada · Landmark
Mazatlán's Golden Zone, the hotel strip along Avenida Camarón Sábalo, with calm Playa Gaviotas, restaurants, bars and boats to Isla de Venados.
El Clavadista · Landmark
The cliff divers' rock on Mazatlán's seafront, where local divers leap about 14 m into shallow surf, timing each jump to an incoming wave.
Vinata Los Osuna · Landmark
A working agave distillery in the hills by La Noria, north-east of Mazatlán, with guided tours of the old process and a tasting at the end.