Although it has 200,000 inhabitants today, the small town has kept its peaceful and tranquil atmosphere. It is pleasantly different from the American-dominated tourist strongholds of “Los Cabos” on the southern tip of the peninsula. There are good hotels, restaurants and shops offering duty-free goods, as well as quiet beaches and excellent diving and (water) sports facilities that are attracting more and more visitors. The evening life at the Malecón, as the promenade along the coast is also called, sets La Paz apart from the soulless resorts at the Cape. Old laurel trees, date and coconut palms loosen up the scenery, in which numerous buildings from the 19th century are still preserved next to the cathedral. La Paz is also an important transport hub, with all major car rental companies represented at the airport and ferry connections to the mainland. La Paz is a convenient location if you want to discover the fascinating island and water world of the Cortés Sea or the ecological paradises of the surrounding countryside. Just keep in mind that – like everywhere on the Baja – price levels are notably higher than in mainland Mexico.

The Peaceful owes its name to the friendly welcome the locals gave to the Spanish admiral Vizcaíno in 1596. But it was not until the early 19th century that a permanent settlement was built following the Jesuites missionaries who had already built numerous beautiful (and at the same time simple) mission churches in the 18th century. The episode of the American occupation of the city was anything but peaceful, above all the attempt of the infamous “adventurer” William Walker, who tried to found a new state built on slavery here in 1853 on behalf of the us-American southern states in the dawn of the impending American Civil War.