Landing at Mazatlan Gen Rafael Buelna International Airport in Mazatlan keeps everything close, with nearby cities and attractions within easy reach. Mazatlan is a working port and a beach city at the same time, with a restored 19th-century historic center, a 13-mile seaside malecon, and a serious love of banda music and shrimp. The open-air pulmonia taxis buzzing along the waterfront set the tone: relaxed, a little loud, and happy to show you around.

Things worth doing in Mazatlan: - Have a drink on the Plazuela Machado, the prettiest square in the old town - Catch a performance at the Teatro Angela Peralta, a restored 1870s opera house - Walk or bike the malecon from Olas Altas to the Zona Dorada - Hike up El Faro, one of the highest natural lighthouses in the world, for the view over the harbor - Watch the cliff divers leap off the rocks at Glorieta Sanchez Taboada - Take a panga across to Isla de la Piedra for coconut palms and beachfront palapas - Order aguachile and smoked marlin tacos at Mercado Pino Suarez - Join the Carnaval parades in February, one of the largest in the country

Mazatlan is also a gateway to the foothills of the Sierra Madre. The village of El Quelite, about 45 minutes away, is known for its tidy painted streets and a game called ulama played with a heavy rubber ball, while the old mining towns of Concordia and Copala sit about an hour inland. Pescado zarandeado, a whole butterflied fish grilled over coals, is the dish to seek out, best eaten with your feet in the sand as the sun goes down.