Getting Around Mazatlán
Mazatlán is a coastal city in the Mexican state of Sinaloa, and for visitors it divides into a few distinct areas: the Centro Histórico (historic center), the Zona Dorada and beachfront hotel strip, and the long seaside promenade, the Malecón, that links them. In-town transportation is mainly motorized, with one important exception: the Centro Histórico is a very nice walking district. The practical question for most visitors is how to move between the historic center, the beach zone, and the airport.
Rail, Metro and Tram
Mazatlán has no metro, tram, or urban rail network for visitors to use. Getting around the city is done by road, on foot, or by sea. The only rail-like service worth noting is the car ferry across the Gulf of California, which is a long-distance crossing rather than local transport.
Buses and Public Transport
Mazatlán has two different types of public transport buses, and knowing the difference makes the system much easier to use.
- Green coach-style buses: These larger green buses run along the main tourist strip right along the water. They either turn off at Rafael Buelna Avenue or continue along the Malecón to downtown. They are the equivalent of coach buses — very well air-conditioned and in great shape — and cost around M$9 per trip.
- Regular local buses: These are cheaper, at roughly M$5–6 per trip, and serve the entire city well. They can be confusing without a thorough knowledge of the system, so check the windshield of the bus, where the route is typically written.
If you want to travel along the Malecón between downtown and the tourist district, look for the "Sabalo-Centro" buses. For longer journeys into Mexico, Mazatlán's main bus terminal is the Central de Autobuses de Mazatlán, at Río Pánuco & José Angel Espinoza Ferrusquilla.
Taxis and Ride-Hailing
Taxis are plentiful, and the tourist areas — the Zona Dorada and Centro Histórico — always have many small white open-topped taxis called pulmonías, which look like bumper cars and are often old Volkswagens. They are unique to Mazatlán. You will never have to wait long for one, since they are always whizzing back and forth, but ask the price before you get in and then bargain. The correct price will usually be about 30% less than the original quote, though it is best not to overdo the haggling. A trip between downtown and the tourist district costs less than US$4, and you may want to give the driver a little tip as appreciation for a safe and enjoyable journey.
Uber also operates in Mazatlán and is about half the price of a pulmonía.
Walking
Walking is a realistic option in the Centro Histórico, which is described as a very nice walking district. Elsewhere, in-town transportation is mainly motorized, so plan on using buses, taxis, or ride-hailing to cover the distance between the historic center and the beach and hotel zones.
Getting from the Airport into the City
Mazatlán is served by the General Rafael Buelna International Airport (MZT), also known as Mazatlán International Airport. It receives international travelers from a range of cities in the United States and Canada, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, Houston, Dallas, South Shore Harbor, Salt Lake City, Phoenix, Denver, Minneapolis, Calgary, Edmonton, Regina, Saskatoon, Toronto-Pearson, Vancouver, and Winnipeg. You can also reach Mazatlán from many other international origins via Mexico City. The airport is served by all major Mexican domestic airlines and by the regional airline Señor Air.
Once you land, the same local options apply: taxis and ride-hailing such as Uber, or buses, depending on where you are headed. If your destination is the beach or hotel zone, note that the port area gives a sense of the geography — from the Maritime Terminal it is a five-minute taxi ride to the southernmost hotels, or fifteen minutes to the more modern and more expensive places to the north.
Arriving by Sea
Mazatlán has a busy port that accommodates cruise ships sailing up and down the western coast of the Americas, and it is a regular port-of-call for ships from Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, and Princess cruise lines. Cruise ships and the ferries to La Paz dock at the Terminal Marítima Mazatlán (Embarcadero) at Hilario Rodríguez Malpica SN-S, Playas del Sur. Baja Ferries runs a ferry between Mazatlán and the Pichilinque docks in La Paz, Baja California Sur; the trip takes twelve hours or more and leaves Mazatlán almost daily, so check for weekend departures. For an off-beat weekend adventure, the Mexican Navy operates an every-other-Friday ferry between Mazatlán and Islas Marias, a former offshore penal colony turned tourist destination with a Pueblo Magico, a UNESCO Biosphere Reservation, nature and sky watching, and an eerie prison tour; reservations and details are on the official Islas Marias website.