Fodor's Expert Review Malecón

Officially the Malecón Álvaro Obregón, this seaside promenade is La Paz's seawall, tourist zone, and social center all rolled into one. It runs for 5 km (3 miles) along Paseo Álvaro Obregón and has a broad palm-lined walkway, statues of whale sharks, dolphins, sharks, and other local denizens of the deep, as well as several park areas in the directly adjacent sand. Paceños are fond of strolling the malecón at sunset when the heat of the day finally begins to subside. (You will see people swimming here, and the water is cleaner than it used to be, but the beaches outside town are a far surer bet in that regard.)