Mazatlan

The cruise ships dock is located at the commercial port amidst all the cargo ships and containers. There is a free tram that takes passengers to the cruise terminal where you'll find taxi cabs and a few craft vendors and shops.

It's a one-mile (15- to 20-minute) walk to Old Mazatlan.

To get to old Mazatlan and the Golden Zone, taking a taxi or an open-air golf-cart type vehicle called a Pulmonia is the best option. From the pier, it's one-mile to Old Mazatlan and four miles to the Golden Zone. A good idea is to negotiate an all day rate with a taxi driver to take you to both stops and arrange for pick-up times. This can often be cheaper than taking a separate cab each way. Outside the gate taxis are often cheaper.

Printable map to take along.

Located on Mexico's Gold Coast, Mazatlan is the closest Mexican resort to the United States, and it's been a favorite destination for those looking to soak up the relaxed pace of life along the Pacific Coast for decades. Nicknamed the "Pearl of the Pacific," Mazatlan offers everything from full-service all-inclusive resort life to intimate villas, hotels and private residences available for short- or long-term rental. It is in every respect a top-notch vacation getaway, but without the relentless push to go, see and do present in so many places. Mazatlan embraces tourists, but is a full, rich city in its own right above and beyond its…

For beer lovers, one of the largest breweries in Mexico, Pacifico, will give you plenty of reasons to smile with brewery tours and chances to sample brews that never make it north of the border. All the traditional amusements and diversions are here including some of the finest sport fishing on the Pacific coast, whether your desire is deep-water big game or the challenge of shallow-water predators. Mazatlan is also a great family vacation destination! Visit Stone Island, with its horseback riding, boogie boarding and snorkeling. Go whale or dolphin watching. And don't forget the Aquarium, with hundreds of species of marine life and stunning…

Watch the daring high-flying divers off of Divers Point, a 10-minute walk (or quick taxi ride) from Old Mazatlan. Typically they perform when a crowd gathers.

Copala is one of those places that really makes you feel that you have just stepped back in time. For years Copala was a virtual ghost town. This village has been slowly restored and is once again thriving, now it is tourism that is bringing people to this charming foothill setting. The impressive church was built in 1740. This small ex-mining town, just 40 miles from Mazatlán, is well worth a visit if you want a little taste of what life was like in the past. Spend a little time exploring the town and enjoy a gourmet lunch in one of the Mexican restaurants. Copala is an easy 40 minute from Mazatlán on the main highway to Durango. There are…

The colonial town of Concordia, a short distance off of the Durango highway (Mexico 40), is a side trip on the Copala tour route. Concordia is a town of furniture makers which sell their wares in small stands on the way into town. Concordia also offers an abundance of locally made pottery in the pre-Columbian motif. There is an old style town square, built in front of the church, which is a great place for photos of the family. The church, is over 350 years old making it the oldest in the state of Sinaloa. This area produces a lot of Mangos which are for sale everywhere along the road, and they are delicious. If you are on a tour you will…

El Rosario, a small town about 50 miles south of Mazatlán, is famous for the altar in the town church which is said to be worth over a million dollars. The alter alone makes a visit to El Rosario worth the drive. El Rosario was once the richest town in Northwest Mexico because of the local mining operations. This small town was the home of the famous Mexican singer, Lola Beltrán. They have built a small museum in her honor although the museum is open only sporadically. You might want to do a little shopping for pottery, furniture or leather products, all of which are produced locally.

The Jose Mapino Suarez Mercado in Mazatlan Old Town is a great place to shop. Occupying the whole of a city block it's a giant building split into small stalls which stock every item imaginable.

The Golden Zone has shopping, glitzy hotels, people-watching and beach-bumming on the sunny, palm-lined beaches. The main drag is Rodolfo T. Loaiza; ask your taxi driver to drop you at the Hotel Playa Mazatlan, which is pretty much in the thick of things. There is a small souvenir market at the cruise terminal

The currency of Mexico is the peso (MXN). The symbol for pesos is the same as for US dollars, which can be slightly confusing. Prices in dollars (in tourist areas) are labeled "US$" or sport an S with a double stroke. There are about 17 peso to 1US$.

US dollars are widely accepted in the far north and in tourist locales elsewhere.

Credit cards are not as widely accepted as in Europe or the USA. Some companies make an extra charge of around 5% on such transactions.

Right at the pier is the International Communications Center, Internet access is available for $4/hour.

Mon-Sun 1000/1100-2000/2200 (big towns and cities); Mon-Fri 0900-1400/1600 (rest of the country).