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Everyone ends up in LA PAZ eventually, if only to get the ferry out, and it seems that most of the population of Baja California Sur is gravitating here, too. The outskirts are an ugly sprawl, their development outpacing the spread of paved roads and facilities. But the town centre, modernized as it is, has managed to preserve something of its quiet colonial atmosphere. You can stroll along the waterfront malecón, and for once the beach in town looks inviting enough to swim from – though there are no guarantees on the cleanliness of the water.

The Bay of La Paz was explored by Cortes himself in the first years after the Conquest – drawn, as always, by tales of great wealth – but he found little to interest him and, despite successive expeditions, at first merely rapacious, later missionary, La Paz wasn’t permanently settled until the end of the eighteenth century. It grew rapidly, however, thanks to the riches of the surrounding sea, and above all as a pearl-fishing centre. American troops occupied the town during the Texan war, and six years later it was again invaded, by William Walker in one of his many attempts to carve himself out a Central American kingdom; by this time it was already capital of the territory of California. The pearl trade has pretty much dried up – a mystery disease wiped out most of the oysters – but since the 1960s La Paz has continued to boom, buoyed up by tourists at first flown in, then boosted by the growing ferry service, and now supplemented by the hordes pouring down Hwy-1.

Read more at the La Paz Visitors Guide

ARRIAGA , the first town on the Chiapas coast road, is a dusty, uninteresting place, but its location at the junction of Hwy-195 (the road over the mountains to Tuxtla) means you may have to change buses here. The Central de Autobuses , with plenty of first- and second-class connections, is just off the main road, six blocks from the zócalo. All southbound buses will also stop at Tonalá , a slightly better option if you have to spend the night.

Larger and marginally more inviting than Arriaga, TONALÁ is just a thirty-minute bus ride away down Hwy-200, which, as Av Hidalgo, forms the town’s main street. All the bus companies terminate along Hidalgo: the main first-class companies pull in about 1km west of the zócalo; second-class to the east.

Everything you need in Tonalá (including banks ) is either on the zócalo – Parque Esperanza – or within a couple of blocks of it. The central feature of the park is the Estela de Tlaloc , a large, standing stone carved by the Olmecs, depicting the rain god Tlaloc. If you’re stuck for something to do, you could always visit what’s termed the Museo Arqueológico (open until late evening: free) in the Casa de Cultura, on Hidalgo across from the Hotel Tonalá , though the Olmec and Maya exhibits here appear to have been abandoned.

Read more at the ARRIAGA AND TONALA Visitor Guide

Everyone – even if they’ve not the remotest idea where it is – has heard of ACAPULCO , but few people know what to expect. Truth is that, as long as you don’t yearn to get away from it all, you’ll find almost anything you want here, from magnificent beaches by day to clubs and discos by night.

What Acapulco undoubtedly has going for it, however, is its stunning bay : a sweeping scythe-stroke of yellow sand backed by the white towers of the high-rise hotels and, behind them, the jungly green foothills of the Sierra. And, even though there are hundreds of thousands of people here throughout the year – the town itself has a population approaching one and a half million and even out of season (busiest months are Dec-Feb) most of the big hotels remain nearly full – it rarely seems oppressively crowded. Certainly there’s always space to lie somewhere along the beach, partly because of its sheer size, partly because of the number of rival attractions from hotel pools to parasailing and “romantic” cruises. Hawkers , too, are everywhere – there’s no need to go shopping in Acapulco, simply lie on the beach and a string of goods will be paraded in front of you.

Read More at the Acapulco Visitor Guide