Sightseeing Attractions
Mazatlán Sightseeing Guide español A free 2023 guide to 15 tourist attractions and sightseeing
Download a free self-guided Centro Historico Walking Tour map with descriptions!
CENTROCentro Historico
Plaza Machado
Angela Peralta Theater
Basilica Mazatlan
Fine Art Museum
Archaeology Museum
Infante Museum - español
Pino Suarez Market
NEAR THE BEACH
The Malecon!
Aquarium
El Faro Lighthouse
Mazatlan Cliff Divers
La Carpa Olivera
Bosque de la Ciudad
Estero del Yugo
The quality of Mazatlan sightseeing and the diversity of Mazatlan tourist attractions make The Pearl of The Pacific unique among Mexico's tourist and vacation destinations.From sightseeing around the Centro Historico Plaza Machado with its beautifully restored Angela Peralta Theater to watching cliff divers on the Malecon; from visiting our archeology and fine arts museums to touring the aquarium and botanical garden; from visiting the Central Cathedral to shopping at the Central Market or picniking in our central City Park; our Mazatlan City Guide offers a wide range of things to do in The Pearl of The Pacific and attractions for tourists and longer-term visitors or residents.
Drone video of Mazatlan!
Many of the best sightseeing and tourist attractions listed listed in our Sightseeing Guide are free, and the rest are extremely inexpensive compared to what Americans and Canadians are used to!
While you're walking around you'll probably want to eat and drink. Two small notes:
• Many of Mazatlan's best restaurants, bars and coffee houses are located in the Centro Historico which is, obviously, prime sightseeing territory in our city.
• Mazatlan has a vibrant Street Food Scene. Carts and vendors are present in virtually all neighborhoods, particularly in the Centro Historico and Centro. You may want to take a look at the Mazatlan Street Food page on this site to get yourself acquainted with the delicious inexpensive food that you will encounter on your walk!
We encourage every visitor to explore some of the many sightseeing, culture, art, and entertainments that our City Guide offers. We know that it can sometimes be hard to get off your perfect beach -- but you'll be glad you did when you experience our many delightful tourist attractions!
The Historical Center: Heart of the Pearl of The Pacific
Plaza Machado | Angela Peralta Theater | Fine Art Museum - Museo de Arte
Archaeology Museum - Museo Arqueologico
Pino Suarez Mercado Centro | Central Mazatlan Cathedral
Download a free self-guided Centro Historico Walking Tour map with descriptions!The Centro Historico in Mazatlan is the living beating heart of The Pearl of The Pacific, and the birthplace of both its commerce and its culture.
Located at the Southern end of the greatly expanded modern city, the Centro Historico and the beautifully restored Plaza Machado exemplify what the Mazatlan Renaissance is all about: over the past decade the Historic District has seen building after building rehabbed and returned to vibrant glory.
Below is a zoomable map of Mazatlan beginning in the Centro Historico. This map can also be opened in a new browser window (View Larger Map) to provide a full screen viewing area.
Zoomable street map of Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico
beginning in the Centro Historico
The Centro Historico has drawn artists and entrepreneurs from around the world who have chosen to make Mazatlan their home and be part of the vital re-building of Centro.
The City has also played and important positive role in maintaining and improving the lovely small museums and art facilities that populate the Centro Historico, and that reflect well on both our long cultural heritage and our ever-blossoming present.
If you think that the Centro Historico is only about history, think again.
Each year in early June, Cultura Mazatlan stages a Dia De La Musica (Day of Music) where stages are erected throughout the Centro Historico and musicians of many types perform -- for free.
Have no doubt about it -- the Mazatlan Centro Historico Grooves!
LEARN MORETake a time-lapse Pulmonia ride through Mazatlan's Centro Historico!
LEARN MORELa Plazuela Machado: Heart of the Centro Historico
#2 / Mazatlan Sightseeing Guide and tourist attractions information
One of the most highly recommended destinations in the Mazatlan City Guide, sightseeing in the Centro Historico begins at Plaza Machado.
The Plaza is the heart of the Mazatlan Centro Historico, and one of the loveliest plazas in all of Mexico.
The restored Plaza Machado is at the heart of the culture-rich Mazatlan Centro Historico renewal, and the focal point of a massive revitalization that has taken place in recent years. Today the restored Plaza Machado and its 19th century historic buildings are populated with sightseeing and tourist attractions like chic cafés; bars; art galleries; the Angela Peralta Theater and other Mazatlan Centro Historico cultural attractions.
One of the most popular tourist attractions in the Pearl of The Pacific, the Plaza Machado is great for sightseeing -- especially people watching!
LEARN MORELocation Centro Historico
Admission Free
LEARN MORETeatro Ángela Peralta Mazatlán: Theater performances, cultural icon
#3 / Mazatlan Sightseeing Guide and information about tourist attractions and theater activities
The restored Angela Peralta Theater in Mazatlan (Teatro Ángela Peralta) is truly one of Mazatlan's most important cultural treasures, and has played important role in the revitalization of the Centro Historico.
Located just off the Plaza Machado in Mazatlan's Centro Historico, the Angela Peralta Theater is one of the most important Mazatlan tourist attractions; hosts our most sophisticated theater and musical performances; consistently draws internationally known artists; and is considered one of the premier performance venues in all of Mexico.
Beyond its role as one of the premier performance spaces in Mexico, the Angela Peralta has become an important center for cultural development that is home to a municipal cultural center, art galleries and an internationally-acclaimed fine arts school that are important resources for Sinaloa State and all of Mexico.
Our Mazatlan City Guide cannot too highly recommend a visit to the Angela Peralta Theater -- whatever the performance or performer, the building itself is worth the price of admission!
LEARN MORELocation Carnaval 1024 / Centro Historico just off the Plaza Machado
Admission Varies by performance
Central Cathedral, the Heart of Catholicism in Mazatlan
LEARN MORE#4 / Mazatlan Cathedral sightseeing guide and tourist attractions information
In the view of the Mazatlan City Guide, no day of sightseeing in Mazatlan is complete without letting the towering double spire of the Basilica de la Inmaculada Concepción guide you to the very center of The Pearl of The Pacific.Begun in 1856, completed in 1899 and consecrated as a Basilica in 1937, it is the heart of Roman Catholicism in Mazatlan, and considered a treasure throughout Mexico.
Inside Mazatlan's Central Cathedral the image of the city's patron saint, the Virgen de la Purisima Conception (Virgin of the Immaculate Conception) floats over the glided, baroque main altar, while overhead soaring rounded Renaissance domes and gilded gothic arches create an airy and spiritual space that has awed visitors for generations.
The Basilica de la Inmaculada Concepción is located on the Plaza de la Republica -- just a short stroll from Olas Altas Beach, the Plaza Machado or other locations in the Centro Historico.
LEARN MORELocation Avenida Benito Juarez and Calle Canizalez / Plaza de la Republica
Hours Open daily 6am-1pm and 4pm-8pm
LEARN MOREMazatlán Centro Histórico Fine Arts Museum
#5 / Mazatlan Sightseeing Guide and visitor activities and info about museum tourist attractions
Mazatlan's fine arts museum is located in a beautifully restored Mazatlan Centro Historico building just one block off the Malecon and directly across the street from the Museo Arqueológico. The Museo de Arte is one of the most delightful, must-see, of Mazatlan tourist attractions.
The Mazatlan Art Museum is filled with outstanding examples of 20th and 21st century Mexican art. Operated by the Instituto Sinaloense de Cultura (Cultural Institute of Sinaloa), the Museo de Arte is an excellent example of the intelligent best-use of a Centro Historico vintage building.
LEARN MORELocation Sixto Osuna and Avenida Venustiano Carranza, Centro Historico
Telephone 669 985 3502
Hours Tuesday - Saturday 10am-2pm and 5-8 pm, Sunday from 10am - 2pm.
Admission Inexpensive, donations welcome
LEARN MOREVisit our archaeology museum and discover pre-Colonial Mexico
#6 / Mazatlan tourist attractions information and a guide to museums
The Museo Arqueológico de Mazatlán -- Mazatlan's archaeology museum -- offers well-organized exhibits outlining pre-Columbian Sinaloan history and culture and is a great Mazatlan sightseeing tour stop.
The Mazatlan Archaeology Museum is located within a beautifully restored buliding just yards from the Plaza Machado in the Mazatlan Centro Historico directly across the street from the Museo De Arte.
A INAH (Instituto Nacional De Anthropologia E Historia) facility, the Archaeology Museum displays include cases of human and animal figurines; pre-Columbian burial artifacts and tokens; and ancient polychrome pottery from pre-Colonial Sinaloa.
A must-see on any Mazatlan Centro Historico cultural tour!
LEARN MORELocation Sixto Osuna 76 / Centro Historico
Telephone 669 981 1455
Hours Open Tuesday - Sunday from 10am-1pm and 4pm-7pm
Admission Under 50 pesos, free on Sunday
LEARN MORECentro Historico house museum devoted to the film & recording legend
#8 / Mazatlan Tourist Guide, sightseeing attractions and museum information
Whether you are a huge Pedro Infante fan or barely aware of his work, a visit to the Pedro Infante Museum in Mazatlan will open your eyes to one of the great film and music stars of the mid 20th century.
Pedro Infante made an astounding 62 films in his 18 year career, nearly all of which he starred in. Extremely versatile, his performances encompass dramatic roles to slapstick comedy -- and everything in between. Infante's career as a singer was as prolific as was his acting career. In just 13 years -- 1943 to 1956 -- Infante recorded a remarkable 366 songs, many of which are ranked among the best of 20th century Mexican popular music.
The El Rincon de Pedro Infante museum in Mazatlan evokes the triumph and tragedy of Infante's rich life, and includes numerous personal items donated by many of his friends and family here in Mazatlan and throughout Mexico.
LEARN MORELocation Constitución 1108 / Centro Historico
Hours 10am to 6pm every day except Sunday
LEARN MOREFresh food and local flavor at the Mazatlan Central Market
#9 / Mazatlan Tourist Guide and information about sightseeing attractions and activities
Located at Aquiles Serdan and Melchor Ocampo in the Centro Historico since 1900 (the central market was originally located in Plaza Republica), Mazatlan's Mercado José María Pino Suárez market is a great shopping experience that has been a recommended tourist attraction for many years!
The Pino Suarez Market is divided in sections by food types. You'll find aisles with fresh seafood; chickens; beef; and pork -- and miles of aisles of fresh fruits and vegetables. Our central market sprawls onto the streets: it is surrounded by a variety of small shops, food vendors and juice bars where you can enjoy fresh fruit and vegetable juices and iced Agua Frescas.
Often overlooked, stairs at the Mazatlan Mercado Pino Suarez lead to an upper level that has numerous small restaurants, many with a balcony view over the delightfully active street scene surrounding the outer stores and street carts.
LEARN MORELocation Aquiles Serdan and Melchor Ocampo / Centro
Admission Free
LEARN MOREThe waterfront walkway of Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico
#10 / Mazatlan Tourist and Sightseeing Activities Guide
The Mazatlan Malecon is 13 miles long, running north from Olas Altas Beach (the southern edge of the Centro Historico), and is one of the longest seafront walkways in the world.
It is a wonder of intelligent public planning that assures that access to our beaches and the serenity of unobstructed views of the ocean will be preserved for generations to come.
The Malecon is also a wonderful place for Pearl of The Pacific sightseeing -- especially people-watching -- and no time of the year is better for people watching on the Malecon than during the Mazatlan Carnaval!
Other times of the year, the Malecon offers great views of remnants of the city's history including parts of the old ice works on the side of Icebox Hill and the ever-popular Devil's Cave -- Cueva del Diablo -- that conjures up ghosts of Mazatlan's pirate past.
LEARN MOREAdmission Free
LEARN MOREOne of Latin America's Largest Aquariums
#11 / Mazatlan Tourist Guide, sightseeing attractions and visitors information
The Mazatlan Aquarium -- Acuario Mazatlan -- is one of the largest in Latin America, and makes for very enjoyable Pearl of The Pacific sightseeing when you need a beach break.
Founded in 1980, the Mazatlan Aquarium is the only aquarium on the Pacific coast of Mexico. Its construction was funded by the state of Sinaloa, and their objective is to provide a space where residents and tourists can be entertained while learning important lessons that promote conservation and encourage connection with the sea and its wildlife.
One of the most popular Mazatlan tourist attractions, the Mazatlan aquarium draws international visitors and tourists from all over Mexico.In addition to being popular with tourists, the aquarium has proven to be a great aquatic educational and teaching venue -- the facility hosted over 20,000 elementary school students last year alone!
LEARN MORE
Location Avenida de los Deportes 111 Two blocks inland from the Malecon.
Hours Open Daily 10am - 5:30pm
Admission About 85 pesos
Telephone 669 981 7815
LEARN MOREVisit the highest lighthouse in the Americas
#12 / Mazatlan Sightseeing Guide and information about tourist activities
A classic among Mazatlan tourist attractions, the Mazatlan City Guide recommends a visit to El the El Faro Lighthouse -- the highest lighthouse in the Americas and the second highest operating lighthouse in the world.
Located at the peak of Cerro del Creston -- once an island and now the southermost hill within the city -- it sits over 520 feet above high tide, and a hike to the top offers truly bird's eye Mazatlan sightseeing!
LEARN MOREAdmission Free
LEARN MOREThe excitement of Malecon cliff diving in Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico
#13 / Mazatlan Sightseeing Guide and visitor activities information
Everyone knows about the cliff divers of La Quebrada, but Acapulco isn't the only place famous for the sport of cliff diving.
One of the more exciting of our tourist attractions, Mazatlan cliff divers jump twice a day into the waters off the Malecon just north of Olas Altas beach.
While the Pearl of The Pacific cliff divers do not adhere to a set schedule, Mazatlan cliff diving performances are usually around noon and late in the afternoon, with the late afternoon dives being a great way to prepare for an evening in the Centro Historico or a fine way to cap a day of sightseeing.
LEARN MOREAdmission Free, tips well-deserved!
LEARN MOREOne on the oldest saltwater swimming pools in the Americas
#14 / Mazatlan Sightseeing Guide and visitor activities information
La Carpa Olivera is the public saltwater swimming pool at the north end of Olas Altas Beach on the western edge of the Centro Historico.
If you want to swim in the sea without venturing into the open ocean, you're in luck -- this is a public swimming facility that started serving customers over 100 years ago!
The pool was part of a much larger development dream of Antonio Olivera, a Chilean chef who arrived in Mazatlan aboard a cruise ship in the early 1910s and, seduced by the beauty of our port, decided to stay.
Carpa Olivera, has been a traditional beachfront destination for families in Mazatlan since the earliest days of World War One, and has a fascinating history that is evolving even today.
Carpa Olivera is one of the least expensive -- daily bathroom and changing room access costs under 3 USD! -- and most fun tourist attractions anywhere along the Malecon.
LEARN MORELocation Paseo Claussen, just north of Olas Altas Beach
Hours Basically all day every day
Admission Bathroom and changing room access costs under 3 USD!
LEARN MOREPark and children's playground in Mazatlán
#15 / Mazatlan Visitor Guide and sightseeing activities information
Our city has a lovely city park, which is often overlooked by visitors planning Mazatlan sightseeing.The Mazatlan City Guide believes that they're missing a very enjoyable experience!
Located on Avenida Deportes on the east side of the lagoon -- just across the street from the Estadio Teodoro Mariscal (our baseball stadium) -- the Parque Bosque de la Ciudad is not usually considered one of the Mazatlan tourist attractions, but this lovely urban park is a delightful tree-shaded oasis right in the heart of the city.
The City of Mazatlan has very ambitious plans for Parque Bosque de la Ciudad including an expansion of the footprint of the park and construction of a very large array of new amenities including a 200,000 square foot Museo de Mazatlan with an IMAX theater, restaurants and much, much, more.
Click Learn More to Learn more!
LEARN MORELocation Avenida de los Deportes
Hours Daily 9am - 6pm
Admission Free
Eco-tourism on a lunch-break in Nuevo Mazatlán!
LEARN MORE#16 / Mazatlan Visitor Guide, sightseeing attractions and nature-walk activities
Located in northern Nuevo Mazatlan right beside Mazagua water park, the Estero del Yugo Nature Reserve preserves the natural environment of coastal Sinaloa.Estero del Yugo is an excellent example of flat dry tropical deciduous forest.
Because it is located on the western Mexican coast, Estero del Yugo is home to over 200 species of birds, both terrestrial and aquatic -- making it a birdwatchers' paradise!
LEARN MORELocation Avenida Sabalo Cerritos
Admission Day passes $5 USD; Weekly passes $15 USD; Monthly passes $30 USD -- all prices quoted payable in Pesos at the current exchange rate.
Telephone 669 989 8700
Telephone / Guided Tours 669 989 8700 ext. 260 (English Spoken)
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