Beaches in La Paz, Mexico

La Paz is not itself a beach city, but within a 10- to 45-minute drive from the center you'll find some of the loveliest beaches in Baja, reminiscent of the Caribbean with clear, calm turquoise waters.

The white-sand beaches that line the malecón are the most convenient in town, but locals don't generally swim there -- La Paz is a commercial port and the water in the bay is not particularly clean. The best beach nearby is immediately north of town at La Concha Beach Resort; nonguests may use the hotel restaurant/bar and rent equipment for snorkeling, diving, skiing, and sailing. It's 10km (6 1/4 miles) north of town on the Pichilingue Highway, at Km 5.5. The other beaches are farther north of town, but midweek you may have these far-distant beaches to yourself.

At least 10 public buses depart from the malecón between 8am and 5:30pm for beaches to the north. From the bus station at the corner of Independencia, buses stop at the small Caimancito (5km/3 miles), Coromuel (8km/5 miles), Tesoro (14km/8 3/4 miles), and Pichilingue (17km/11 miles, just north of the ferry terminal) beaches. Pichilingue, Coromuel, and Tesoro beaches have palapa-shaded bars or restaurants, and umbrellas and beach chairs for rent.

But with a little extra effort, you can reach the most beautiful of these outlying beaches, playas Balandra and Tecolote, approximately 29km (18 miles) from La Paz at the end of a paved road. The water is a heavenly cerulean blue, the beaches look out upon Isla Espíritu Santo, and several local restaurants specialize in lobster. To get there on your own, take a bus to Pichilingue; from there, take a taxi the remaining 13km (8 miles), or rent a car and follow the signs.

If you want to take a general tour of all the beaches before deciding where to spend your precious vacation days, Viajes Lybs (tel. 612/122-4680) offers a 4-hour beach tour for $25 per person, with stops at Pichilingue, Balandra, and Tecolote.