Sayulita is small enough to learn in an afternoon. Almost everything you need on day one sits within a few blocks of the plaza, and the main beach is a two-minute walk from there.
Here is what to sort out first, roughly in the order you'll need it: cash, water, your bearings, a meal, then a seat facing west before the sun goes down.
Get your bearings: the plaza and the river
The plaza is the middle of town and the easiest landmark to give anyone. It is ringed by cafés, bars and taco stands, and in the evening it fills with food carts, vendors and families. The artisan stalls run along the streets just off it, and the parish church is a short walk away.
The Sayulita river cuts through town and reaches the sea on the main beach. North of it are the quieter streets and the north end of the bay; south of it is the busy center, then the road up toward the cemetery and Playa los Muertos. If you ever lose your way, walk downhill: you'll hit the beach or the river, and both lead back to the plaza.
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Sayulita Plaza
Start here. Everything else on day one is a few blocks from the square.
4 min walk to the next
Hippie Market
The row of artisan stalls near the plaza; good for a first browse, better for buying later in the week.
4 min walk to the next
Parroquia de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe
The parish church, a short walk from the plaza and a handy second landmark.
1 min walk to the next
Café El Espresso
Long-running café by the plaza with breakfast all day, for a first coffee while you get oriented.
With dates on your trip, this goes on a day.
Cash, ATMs and drinking water
Bring some pesos with you, because a lot of Sayulita still runs on cash: taco stands, beach vendors, small shops and many of the smaller restaurants. Bigger restaurants take cards, though some add a surcharge for them.
The one bank in town is on Avenida Revolución as you come into town, opposite the police and fire station. It was Intercam until 2025 and is now Kapital Bank, so you may see either name; there's an ATM inside, and it keeps weekday office hours. Locals also point visitors to the machines inside Don Pedro's on the beach. Use a machine inside a bank or business rather than a free-standing one, and always choose to be charged in pesos when the screen offers a conversion.
Machines can run dry on busy weekends and holidays, so take out what you'll need for a few days rather than a little at a time.
Don't drink the tap water. Rentals usually supply 20-liter jugs of purified water, called garrafones, for drinking and cooking; ask your host how to get a full one delivered or swapped when it runs low. Restaurants and cafés in town use purified water and ice.
For the beach, buy bottles at any corner shop, or better, fill a reusable bottle from the garrafón before you leave. Many people still brush their teeth with tap water without trouble, but use purified water if your stomach is sensitive.
Don Pedro's Restaurant & Bar
Its ATMs sit inside the restaurant, a safer place to withdraw than a machine on the street.
4 min walk to the next
Oxxo
The chain convenience store in the center for bottled water, cold drinks and breaking a big note.
6 min walk to the next
Mini Super Chewbacca
North-side corner shop for water, ice and cold beer on the way home.
The beach, and which end to choose
The main beach is a long, sandy bay with soft, rolling waves, and it is where most people learn to surf. The south end, in front of the center, is the busiest: loungers, surf schools, restaurants and vendors. The north end is a ten-minute walk away and much calmer.
For a gentle first swim, walk south past the cemetery to Playa los Muertos, a small cove with calmer water. Check the surf before you go in anywhere; on bigger days the shore break is strong.
Water quality is tested by COFEPRIS, the federal health authority, before the main holiday periods. Sayulita was briefly flagged in April 2025 after a drainage fault and cleared within days; it was not on the list of beaches to avoid for Easter or summer 2026.
Playa Sayulita
The main town beach, with gentle waves for beginners and everything you need along the sand.
16 min walk to the next
Playa Sayulita Norte (North Beach)
The quieter north end of the bay, ten minutes' walk from town, calmer for a swim on small days.
23 min walk to the next
Playa los Muertos
Small, sheltered cove just south of town; the easiest place for a calm first swim.
1 min walk to the next
Los Muertos Cemetery, Sayulita
The painted hillside cemetery you walk through on the path to Los Muertos.
14 min walk to the next
Surf'n Sayulita
A long-running school on the main beach if you want to book a lesson for tomorrow morning.
With dates on your trip, this goes on a day.
Golf carts: useful, but not on day one
The center is compact and best on foot. The cobbled streets are narrow, traffic backs up around the plaza, and parking near the beach is scarce, so you don't need wheels to spend a first day in town.
A golf cart starts to make sense if you're staying up the hill, at the north end, or out toward the quieter beaches. Several local companies rent gas and electric carts by the day or week and will deliver to your rental. In high season, from December through Easter, book a few weeks ahead.
A first meal
Keep the first meal simple and local. Fish and shrimp tacos are what Sayulita does best, and the best are often at counters and stands rather than sit-down restaurants. Bring cash for these.
In the evening the taco stands around the plaza open up, and al pastor carved off the spit is the late-night standard.
Mary's Traditional Mexican Cuisine
A Sayulita institution for fish and shrimp tacos and chiles rellenos. Expect a line, and pay in cash.
1 min walk to the next
Tacos Gaby
Daytime stand on José Mariscal with full Baja-style fish and shrimp tacos at low prices.
3 min walk to the next
Naty’s Cocina
Counter-service guisados and tacos on Marlín, steps from the beach, for an easy lunch.
1 min walk to the next
Choco Banana
Long-standing plaza café open from early morning if you arrive hungry for breakfast.
2 min walk to the next
Tacos Al Pastor Tal Ivan
Cheap, busy al pastor with the trompo turning out front; the late-night answer.
1 min walk to the next
Pedritos
Evening stand for grilled, not fried, shrimp tacos.
With dates on your trip, this goes on a day.
Sunset, then what's on
The main beach looks out over the open Pacific, so any stretch of it works for sunset. The sun sets at about 6:20 pm in mid-December, about 7:10 pm in mid-March and close to 7:50 pm in late June. Get to the sand half an hour before.
After dark, the plaza is the place to be on a first night: walk it, eat from the carts, and see what's playing in the bars around it. Check our What's on page and calendar for live music, markets and events that night and later in the week. In season, the Friday farmers' and artisan market, Mercado del Pueblo, is a good second-day plan.
Don Pedro's Restaurant & Bar
The classic beachfront sunset table, with shrimp tacos and chairs on the sand.
6 min walk to the next
Bar La Isla
Tables in the sand under a palapa, with a late-afternoon happy hour.
7 min walk to the next
Bar Miramar
Small bar on the north beach that opens around sunset; quieter than the center.
15 min walk to the next
The Dock Sayulita
Beachfront terrace on the calmer side of the bay with good-value food.
9 min walk to the next
Mercado del Pueblo
The Friday farmers' and artisan market, running since 2009, for produce, food and crafts.
With dates on your trip, this goes on a day.
A simple plan for day one
Morning: coffee and breakfast near the plaza, then take out cash at a machine inside a business and pick up water. Late morning: walk the main beach from the center to the north end and back.
Lunch: tacos at a counter, paid in cash. Afternoon: rest out of the sun, or walk over to Playa los Muertos for a calm swim. Evening: a seat on the sand for sunset, then dinner and a slow loop of the plaza. Book a surf lesson or a cart for tomorrow, not today.
Questions people ask
Can you drink the tap water in Sayulita?
No. Drink purified water from the large jugs (garrafones) most rentals provide, or from bottles. Restaurants use purified water and ice.
Is there an ATM in Sayulita?
Yes. The safest choices are machines inside a bank or business, such as the one inside Intercam on Avenida Revolución or those inside Don Pedro's on the beach. They can run out of cash on busy weekends.
Do I need cash in Sayulita?
Yes, some. Taco stands, beach vendors, small shops and some restaurants are cash only. Take out pesos at an ATM inside a bank or business.
Do I need a golf cart in Sayulita?
Not if you're staying near the center, which is easy to walk. A cart helps if you're up the hill or at the north end; book ahead from December to Easter.
Is it safe to swim at Sayulita beach?
The main beach and Playa los Muertos are both used for swimming; Los Muertos is calmer. Sayulita was not on COFEPRIS's list of beaches to avoid for Easter or summer 2026. Check the waves before going in.
What time is sunset in Sayulita?
From about 6:20 pm in December to about 7:50 pm in late June, local time. Sayulita does not change its clocks.
Written by sayulita.co from our own research, checked against 10 sources. Nothing here is paid for. Photos: Luisalvaz (CC0) (CC0); David Stanley, CC BY 2.0 (CC BY 2.0); Luisalvaz, CC BY-SA 4.0 (CC BY-SA 4.0); Ameliebarajas (CC0) (CC0). See something out of date? Tell us.
