oceanfront pathways, popular for strolling, jogging, biking, and people-watching. Scattered with Instagram-worthy monuments and exceptional views along the 5-mile stretch between the Golden Zone and Playa Olas Altas, there’s plenty of daytime activity. The golden sand beach at Playa Olas Altas is favored by the locals for its less-touristy atmosphere, a place where cafes are more reasonably priced than at Playa Las Gaviotas, a far more crowded beach beside the Golden Zone’s hotels.

Marina, Golden Zone, and Old Town

Tourists who do visit should stick to the principal areas in Mazatlan. The peninsula is divided into three main sections of interest: the Golden Zone, Old Mazatlan, and the Marina. At the northern end of the hotel, zone is the Marina district, where El Cid Marina Beach Hotel is a luxuryresort with private beach, golf, and tennis; some cruises offer passengers a day pass. The Golden Zone encompasses the main tourist area where most of the hotels, restaurants, bars, and clubs are found.

Four miles south is Old Mazatlan with its cobblestoned streets radiating from Plaza de la Republica. It’s filled with attractive colonial architecture, pastel-painted shopfronts, sidewalk cafes and restaurants surrounding a Victorian-era gazebo for outdoor concerts under the orange trees and palms. Just south of the square, Angela Peralta Theater is a distinctive landmark. Additional highlights of Mazatlan’s downtown scene are historic Plaza Machado and Immaculate Conception Cathedral, a 19th-century basilica of Gothic, Moorish and Baroque influences. The municipal market is a large, vibrant open-air site displaying everything from fabrics to fresh fruit and from seafood to