MazatlanVisit.com - Everything you need to know about visiting and residing in Mazatlán Mexico!
January 2021 Update: We survived New Years and the tourist season is on in Mazatlán with Covid protocols at all places! We are continually updating our 2021 Mazatlán Events Calendar. Check it out to see what is happening this year! Also, if you have an event that you want us to add please let us know.
This is a 2021 guide for visitors to and residents of Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico. Mazatlán is a colonial city located in the Mexican state of Sinaloa on the west coast of Mexico on the Pacific Ocean. Mazatlán is known as the 'Pearl of the Pacific'!
Mazatlán is a beach resort tourist town with tens of miles of fabulous beaches and fantastic weather especially during the winter months! From the beginning of November to the end of April, tens of thousands of tourists and snowbirds come from the United States and Canada. Mazatlán is also a popular year-round tourist destination for Mexican travellers.
Mazatlán was founded on May 14, 1531 by 25 Castilians sent by Don Nuño de Guzmán, after founding Culiacán. So, Mazatlán is 490 years old in 2021!
Olas Altas (old town) in Mazatlán
Golden Zone in Mazatlán
Mazatlán is a medium-sized city with a large port which accomodates Mexico's largest shrimp fleet and many visits by cruise ships. This is a benefit to tourist because it keeps prices lower than other Mexican resorts because it is not just a tourist town. Also, because there are so many residents there are more Activities and Attractions than many other Mexican resorts so you won't be bored...unless you try to be!
Mazatlán is also known for it's culture, fabulous restaurants, and vibrant nightlife! There are nightclubs for the younger set and many bars/restaurants along the beach front. There is also live music and dancing nightly. Check out our 2021 Live Music Calendar.
Joe's Oyster Bar in Mazatlán
So, Mazatlán is the best of all worlds by allowing you to have the vacation that you want...anything from a lazy lay at the pool all-day at an all-inclusive resort to shopping to eating well to a full on partying...Mazatlán has it all!
We have been travelling to Mazatlán for almost 30 years for extended vacation and will tell you everything that you need to know to visit or reside in Mazatlán.
Check out all our Mazatlán pages (Attractions, Activities, Accommodations, Food and Drink, Entertainment, Shopping, Only in Mazatlán, Areas of Town, Events , Services, How Tos, and General) below to make your trip to Mazatlán better!
Enjoying a sunset on the beach in Mazatlán
Fiestaland in Mazatlán
We just returned home from Mazatlán. Finally, the construction on the Malecon and the Teodoro Mariscal Stadium has been completed! There is still lots of construction happening. A new football(i.e. soccer) stadium is being built. A few hotels are under construction: Courtyard and Fiesta Inn. Construction on the condominiums where the Dairy Queen used to be was halted due to a worker death. The previous construction of crosswalks on Avenida Camaron Sabalo was done poorly and the stones are starting to come up causing problems. These will need to be re-done. Construction on the Central Park continues. Work on Avenida Rafael Buelna from Fiestaland inland is slated to start soon. So, it appears to be another year of construction!
The weather fluctuated up and down during our visit rather than the usual slow decline in temperature. We even had a few days of rain which is unusual for November!
There weren't any major changes to the Restaurants and bars. Gus and Gus restaurant moved their stage and Joe's Oyster Bar changed where the Men's washroom is. There is more live music than ever. Check out our 2021 Mazatlán Live Music Daily Calendar and 2021 Mazatlán Events Calendar for listings of this music!
We just returned home from Mazatlán. The main theme for AGAIN this year in Mazatlán is "Construction"! There is construction everywhere! The Malecon is just re-opening after being re-paved with concrete! The Teodoro Mariscal baseball Stadium has been rebuilt and is just being completed. It is awesome by the way! There are new condos and hotels(Marriott Courtyard) still being built. They are almost finished building the new road parallel to the malecon and the associated park next to the Mazatlán Aquarium. All this construction made traffic a mess during our visit. Just before we left traffic seemed to be improving daily so hopefully it will be ready for December.
This year we barely avoided the hurricane in late October and overall was significantly cooler than the last couple of Novembers which were unusually hot and humid.
As usual, there have been lots of changes around town. The Dairy Queen and adjoining strip mall has been torn down and a condominium is taking shape. Jungle Juice is still closed down. Por Que No has changed ownership again and is called Simba now. There are a number of new Restaurants in town. Also, there are a number of new hotels that have opened up, e.g. Local, IBIS, and AV Inn. New this year is an Art Walk in the Golden Zone. Also, there is now a glass bottom lookout at the top of the El Faro Lighthouse. There are also multi-coloured signs at the bottom of El Faro and next to Fiestaland on the Malecon for tourists to take photos of. Mazatlán is definitely on the upswing now!