500px Photo ID: 110117303 - Breaching Whale — Maui

Justin DeLara / 500px

Central Pacific Coast

Gigantic aquamarine waves provide the backdrop and pulsating rhythm to any visit to Mexico's central Pacific coast, a land of stunning beaches and giant sunsets. You can indulge in all the tropical clichés here: eating sublime seafood under simple palm-frond roofs, drinking chilled coconut water while lounging in a hammock, and enjoying poolside cocktails at an upmarket resort. The nightlife is great and there's a beach for everyone, whether you prefer yours backed by high-rise hotels or tumbledown cabins.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • Puerto Vallarta Botanical Garden.

    Jardín Botánico de Vallarta

    Puerto Vallarta

    For a change of scenery from the beach, head for the tropical highlands of the Sierra Madre mountains and wander the well-curated Jardín Botánico de…

  • Beach in Yelapa, Mexico.

    Yelapa

    Puerto Vallarta

    Home to a small fishing community, the picturesque beach of Yelapa hugs an emerald coastline backed by jungle-shrouded mountains. The remote coastal…

  • Playa Palmares

    Playa Palmares

    Puerto Vallarta

    Graced with golden sands and serene aqua-green shallows, Playa Palmares is one sweet strip of coastline. Hugging an undeveloped shore about 6km (4 miles)…

  • The Finger of God at Maruata Beach in Michoacán.

    Playa Maruata

    Central Pacific Coast

    With clear turquoise waters and golden sandy beaches, Playa Maruata is arguably the most beautiful beach in Michoacán. The Nahua fishing village has a bit…

  • Museo Histórico de Acapulco at Fort San Diego.

    Museo Histórico de Acapulco

    Acapulco

    The Fuerte de San Diego is home to this excellent 15-room museum, an enjoyable romp through history of the region, from its settlement by various pre…

  • Mexico: Acapulco: A La Quebrada cliff diver leaps into the Pacific Ocean, along the Mexican Riviera

    Clavadistas de la Quebrada

    Acapulco

    Acapulco’s most famous tourist attraction, the cliff divers of La Quebrada have been dazzling audiences since 1934. Every night, a team of seven lithe…

  • Museo Regional de Nayarit

    Museo Regional de Nayarit

    Central Pacific Coast

    Inside an impressive magenta palacio (palace), the regional museum features Huichol and other pre-Hispanic ceramics mostly sourced from burials from…

  • Rows of shoe shine booths at the Plaza Republica square outside the Church of Immaculate Conception in the historic old town of Mazatlan, Mexico.

    Old Mazatlán

    Mazatlán

    Mazatlán's restored old town is a picturesque compendium of noble 19th-century buildings and pretty plazas. It's set back from Playa Olas Altas, a small…

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Beaches

Postcard from Costa Careyes: My trip to Mexico in pics

Mar 13, 2023 • 6 min read

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