A Guide to Todos Santos, Baja California Sur

The surf town at the end of a two-lane road on the Pacific side of the Baja cape — where to eat, which beaches to go to, and what to know before you go.

Todos Santos sits at the Tropic of Cancer, an hour north of Cabo San Lucas on Highway 19, on the Pacific side of the Baja peninsula. It is the kind of town that people find by accident and return to deliberately. Colonial brick buildings, cardón cacti standing forty feet above the desert floor, galleries on every other block, and some of the best restaurants in Baja — all of it within walking distance of beaches that most visitors never find.

Beach in Todos Santos Mexico It is not a resort town. There are no swim-up bars, no all-inclusives, no hawkers. What there is: a Friday farmers market, a historic mission on the central plaza, a surf break for every skill level, and a dining scene that has been drawing serious food travelers to the end of Highway 19 for the better part of a decade. If you are coming from San Diego, it is roughly a twenty-two hour drive down the peninsula — a trip worth making over several days with stops along the way — or a short drive from Los Cabos International Airport, which has direct flights from Los Angeles, San Diego, and most major US cities.

Getting There

From Los Cabos International Airport (SJD) in San Jose del Cabo, Todos Santos is an hour and fifteen minutes north on Highway 19 — a well-paved toll road that runs along the Pacific side of the cape through desert and palm oases. Rent a car at the airport. You need one to reach the beaches and to explore beyond the town center.

From San Diego, the drive down the Baja peninsula is around twenty-two hours of driving time — typically done over two or three days, with overnight stops in Ensenada, Guerrero Negro, or Mulegé. If you have the time, it is one of the great road trips in North America. The scenery through the central peninsula — the Valle de Guadalupe wine country, the Vizcaíno Desert, the date palm oases of the Sierra de San Francisco — is unlike anything on the California side of the border. A one-way drive ending in Los Cabos with a flight home is the cleanest version of this trip.

If you are coming specifically to Todos Santos rather than the broader Baja peninsula, fly into SJD and drive north. The road is easy and well-marked.

The Town

Todos Santos was founded in 1723 as a Jesuit mission — Misión Santa Rosa de las Palmas. It flourished during the sugar plantation era of the late 19th century, declined when the underground spring that fed the orchards dried up in the mid-20th century, and revived when the spring came back to life in 1981 and the government paved Highway 19. The brick buildings and wide plazas from the plantation era are what give the town its architectural character — and what distinguish it from every other beach town in Baja.

Misión de Nuestra Señora del Pilar

The central plaza, the Misión de Nuestra Señora del Pilar, and the old sugar mill buildings are the anchors of the historic center. Walk the main streets in the morning before the day trips from Cabo arrive. The galleries — Galería de Todos Santos, La Sonrisa de la Muerte, Besame Mucho Bazar — are worth an hour of any visit. This is genuinely an artists’ town, not a town that markets itself as one.

The Beaches

Most of the beaches around Todos Santos are not safe for swimming — the Pacific here has strong rip currents and significant backwash. The exceptions are noted below. What the beaches are good for: surfing, walking, watching the fishing pangas come in, and the kind of sunset that makes the drive worthwhile.

Playa Los Cerritos — the most accessible and the best for beginners. A wide, crescent-shaped beach at Km 64 on Highway 19, south of town toward Pescadero. Consistent beach break suitable for all levels, surf rentals and instruction available on the beach. One of the few Todos Santos beaches where swimming is relatively safe. Barracuda Cantina is right there for post-surf tacos and cold beer.

Playa Los Cerritos in Todos Santos Mexicio

Playa Punta Lobos — the local beach, named for the sea lions sometimes spotted on the rocks. Turn off Highway 19 at Km 54 and follow the dirt road past Hotel San Cristobal. Protected by rock formations that make it calmer than most Pacific beaches here — one of the better swimming options. Come in the afternoon to watch the fishermen bring in their panga boats through the surf, hauling the engines up at the last moment and towing the boats up the beach with trucks. It is the daily ritual of a working fishing community and genuinely worth seeing. The beach is long and flat, good for walking in either direction.

Playa La Pastora — five miles north of town on a dirt road off Highway 19. An advanced right-hand point break over a boulder bottom — not for beginners, not safe for swimming, but one of the better waves in the area when the swell is running. Prime surf season runs October through April when North Pacific swells generate consistent, powerful waves here. In winter, gray whales are sometimes spotted offshore from the point. The Green Room restaurant sits right on this beach — lunch here after a morning surf session is the right way to do it.

Playa Las Palmas — a crescent-shaped beach enclosed by towering palm trees and dramatic cliffs, accessed through a palm grove near Paradero hotel. No services, no vendors, genuinely quiet. The ocean is rough — go for the walk and the landscape, not the swimming.

Playa las Palmas

El Faro Beach Club — adjacent to Punta Lobos, for those who want the beach with amenities: an infinity pool, oceanfront loungers, craft cocktails, and a seafood grill. Not the Todos Santos experience exactly, but a good option if you want a structured beach day.

El Faro Beach Club

Where to Eat

The food scene in Todos Santos is one of the genuine surprises of Baja. Several restaurants here are producing work that competes with anything in Los Angeles or San Francisco, in settings that cost a fraction of what the equivalent would cost north of the border.

Jazamango is the restaurant. Chef Javier Plascencia — the Tijuana-born chef who has done more than anyone to put Baja cuisine on the international map — built a farm-to-table restaurant on a working organic farm on the edge of town, where much of what arrives at the table was growing in the field that morning. Roasted suckling pig, grilled octopus, wood-fired whole fish, fish tostadas, and daily specials built around whatever came in from the Punta Lobos fishing boats. The garden setting under shade trees is one of the better places to eat lunch in Mexico. Open daily except Tuesday. Reservations strongly recommended.

Jazamango Farm to Table Restaurant and Orchard

Oystera occupies Todos Santos’ oldest sugar mill — a grand building with dramatic brick archways and original tilework. Oysters, tuna tostadas, fresh ceviches, and a Bloody Mary that might be the best argument for arriving at brunch rather than dinner. The space is genuinely beautiful. Go for the oysters and the architecture.

Oystera Raw Bar

The Green Room sits directly on Playa La Pastora — one of the only restaurants in the area actually on the water. Tuna tostadas, salty margaritas, fresh seafood, fire pits, lanterns, and the Pacific in front of you. Come for drinks at sunset before dinner in town, or for lunch after a morning at the beach. The drive north of town on the dirt road is part of the experience.

The Green Room Restaurant on Playa la Pastora

Benno at Hotel San Cristobal — the hotel restaurant at the most design-forward property in Todos Santos, on the beach at Punta Lobos. Local seafood with Mediterranean influences, organic wines, small-batch mezcal, ocean views from the terrace. The grilled shrimp with mole verde is the dish. Open for breakfast and dinner daily.

La Morena — the place for a lively evening. A vibrant courtyard restaurant in the center of town, bold Mexican flavors, mezcal cocktails, shareable plates, and frequent live music. The place to go if the quiet farm-to-table experience isn’t what you’re after that night.

La Paceña — a small street taco stand downtown, often overlooked, competing for the best fish tacos in Todos Santos. Fried fish and shrimp tacos, sold until they sell out. Go early.

Il Giardino — Italian on a hilltop overlooking the gardens and down to the beach. The pasta is the real deal — linguine limone, Bolognese, sweet potato ravioli, gnocchi with gorgonzola and chile guajillo oil. The tiramisu. Open for dinner, the sunset views from the terrace are exceptional.

A practical note on Todos Santos restaurant hours: most restaurants run on Baja hours — closed one or two days mid-week, often Monday or Tuesday, and operating hours on Google Maps are frequently inaccurate. Call ahead or check Instagram before making a special trip anywhere. Make reservations for Jazamango, Benno, and Il Giardino — they fill up, especially on weekends in high season.

Where to Stay

Hotel San Cristobal — the most distinctive property in Todos Santos. A design-forward beachfront hotel on Playa Punta Lobos, adults fifteen and older, with a focus on local materials and Baja architecture. The pool faces the ocean. Benno restaurant is on-site. From around $400/night. If you are going to splurge anywhere in Todos Santos, this is where.

Hotel San Cristobal Pool and beach

Paradero Todos Santos — a design hotel set in the desert just outside town, with a strong sustainability program, an excellent restaurant, and Playa Las Palmas a short walk through the palm grove. From around $350/night.

Todos Santos Boutique Hotel — a red-brick historic hotel in the center of town with a Diego Rivera student’s bullet-pocked mural in the lobby and the best location for walking the galleries and restaurants. Pool, cocktail bar, fine dining restaurant. From around $250/night.

Todos Santos Boutique Hotel Pool

What to Know Before You Go

Best time to visit: October through April. Cooler temperatures, consistent surf swell, and whale watching from the coast (December through April). Summer brings heat, smaller surf, and the occasional hurricane swell — still pleasant but the shoulder season is better.

Cash: Most restaurants accept credit cards but carry some pesos. Street tacos and market vendors are cash only.

Driving: Rent a car. The beaches, Jazamango, and anything north or south of town require it. Highway 19 is well paved. The beach access roads are dirt and sandy — a standard rental handles them fine, no four-wheel drive required for the main beaches.

Swimming: Most Todos Santos beaches are not safe for swimming due to rip currents. Stick to Los Cerritos and the protected section at Punta Lobos near Hotel San Cristobal for swimming. Check with your hotel before swimming anywhere unfamiliar.

The farmers market: Runs Friday mornings in the center of town. Organic produce from the surrounding farms, local honey, fresh bread, and the particular energy of a small town where everyone knows each other. Worth arranging your schedule around if you’re there on a Friday.

From the Shop

The Todos Santos tee and Todos Santos Long Sleeve Tee feature the town’s name in bold type on a heathered sage Bella+Canvas tee, part of the Leucadia Mercantile place name collection. The shirt you reach for when you’re back home and the trip is still with you.