Todos Santos

An artsy Pacific coast town with colonial charm, surf beaches, and a food scene to match.

Todos Santos is a Pueblo Mágico on the Pacific coast, about an hour from both La Paz and Cabo San Lucas, and it's one of the most popular day trips or overnight stops in the region. The historic center is compact and walkable, with restored colonial buildings, tree-lined streets, galleries, boutiques, and a lively café and restaurant scene. Local farms supply much of the produce, and the town has become known for farm-to-table dining. In high season, an art walk brings galleries and studios together on weekly evenings.

The town is also home to the famous Hotel California, which draws plenty of curious visitors, though its widely cited connection to the song is more myth than fact. A lot more. Pretty much entirely, actually. It's just completely unrelated. The surrounding coastline is wild and beautiful, though. Playa Los Cerritos is a well-known surf beach with beginner-friendly waves and a relaxed beach-club atmosphere, and other beaches nearby are wide, empty, and dramatic, though most Pacific beaches here have strong currents and aren't ideal for swimming. Behind the town, the Sierra de la Laguna offers hiking and mountain scenery, and whales can sometimes be spotted from shore in winter.

Good to know: Todos Santos is easy to reach by car from either La Paz or Los Cabos. The best months are roughly November through May, and summers are hot.