Questions this article answers

• What is La Paz like in December?

• What is the weather like in La Paz in December?

• Should I pack Jeans or a light jacket for La Paz in December?

• Can you swim and snorkel in La Paz in December?

• Which La Paz beaches are good in December?

• What is nightlife like in La Paz during December?

• Is December a good time to visit La Paz before deciding to move?

Diciembre en La Paz se siente distinto. The days soften, the city brightens, and there’s this quiet excitement as festivities, parties and the glow of the holidays get closer. For me, the holidays in the tropics feel nostalgic, reminding me of Christmases from my childhood in the Virgin Islands. It’s familiar and warm in a way that never quite matched the cold up north.

December brings more people, more music, and more nights out, but the season still feels rooted in the everyday life of the city. Festive without the frenzy, joyful without the overload. December here feels like Baja in its best light, and cada día reminds me why I love living here. Me encanta este lugar. Me hace sentir bien.

December is also a good reminder of something I tell people considering a move here: you need to experience a place in different seasons before deciding whether it is your habitat. December shows La Paz at its easiest. It is beautiful, comfortable, social, and very easy to fall for. But arriving well also means understanding what the same place asks of you in August.

Weather in La Paz in December

December weather in La Paz is about as easy as it gets. Daytime highs average around 77°F (25°C), while nights cool to around 56°F (13°C). Rain is unusual, and the Sea of Cortez averages around 74°F (23°C), still warm enough for plenty of people to swim, snorkel, or paddle without thinking too hard about it.

Most mornings I wake up early. Let Moby out, make coffee, stand by the pool for a minute and just take in the sky while he trots around. The air has that soft, early cool that makes bed cozier but also pulls you outside. I might run Moby down to the beach where he goes straight for the water, swimming out into glass while I step through the cool sand, looking for shells. There’s usually a lone heron doing its thing, slightly annoyed with us but never enough to leave. We say buenos días to the people we pass, porque aquí todavía se hace así, and it’s one of those tiny things I’ve grown to love.

By the time I’m getting dressed for a day of showing houses, it’s linen and maybe even jeans, partly because the weather allows it and partly because I´ve missed them in July and August and feel like it. The sun sets a bit earlier now, but the evenings welcome a little brisa del mar that makes you want to walk un ratito after dinner or stay talking under the pergola.

Beaches in La Paz in December.

Everyone already knows Balandra. Simon! It’s spectacular, claro, but December opens up the rest of the coastline in a way that feels even more local.

And yes, you can still swim. The Sea of Cortez generally hangs around the low-to-mid 70s in December, warmer early in the month and cooling as the holidays approach. For me, that's still plenty inviting for snorkeling, paddling, or a beach day, although by late December you may spend a little less time pretending you're a sea lion.

Pichilingue is perfect for easy snorkeling and mariscos you can eat under the palapa. El Tesoro feels more social, with families mingling y riendo, kids splashing in the shallows, and people standing way out in the water with their hats and drinks in hand, sus voces y risas drifting back across the surface. Tecolote, honestly my favorite, always pulls me back too, especially when the brown pelícanos arrive. They glide in those big dramatic lines, centimeters from the surface, then dive in unison, precision groups hitting the water like daggers. I could watch it all day. Honestly, I have. If you have a car, heading out to Saltito can offer a little more privacy.

December adds twinkle lights and hands you a michelada like, “ándale, enjoy.” Solo playas tranquilas that feel like home for vacationing Mexicans, Paceños, and anyone lucky enough to have landed here.

Snorkeling and Espíritu Santo in December

December is a beautiful time to see La Paz from the water, although winter conditions can be changeable. Some mornings give you glassy water and remarkable visibility; others remind you that the Sea of Cortez makes its own plans. A good local captain knows the difference.

Espíritu Santo is always a yes.

Sea lions post up on the rocks at Los Islotes, doing their usual mix of barking, napping, and showing off. Then there is the water itself, that bright turquoise that looks fake until you’re floating in it. Growing up in the Virgin Islands, there was this famous story about a woman who carried empty jars in her bag because she wanted to collect all the different colors of water on her tour. Every time I’m out here and the water shifts from teal to jade to that electric blue, I think of her. La verdad, I get it.

Snorkeling this time of year can be spectacular. The water is cooler, but on the right day the visibility can be beautiful. I’ve also been lucky enough to go out with friends and watch a whole squadron of mobulas gliding and flipping together, moving with the confidence of animals who know this is their bay. You can't count on wildlife showing up on command, which is part of what makes an encounter like that feel so extraordinary. I felt ridiculously lucky just to be in the presence of that much grace. Watching them move en grupo through clear water creates the kind of memory that stays with you.

And one of my favorite parts is being out there with Mexican families on vacation from Guadalajara, CDMX, Monterrey, people who know their own coastline and come here because it’s that good. When I went to surf school in Cerritos, I made friends with gente from all the big cities, all of us drawn to las mismas playas. Hearing Spanish and laughter bounce across the water makes the experience feel connected to the place rather than separate from it.

These tours aren’t fancy. A good panga, a guide who knows the sea, a cooler with drinks, maybe a sandwich. I usually bring a few beers or some wine, and enough to share if new friends are made along the way. Simple, and one of the best ways to understand La Paz from the water in.

On the right December day, clear water, sunshine and buena vibra do the rest. The kind of day that stays with you.

December Nights in La Paz

December Nights in La Paz

December nights en La Paz tienen vida. People walking to dinner, families grabbing helado, música drifting from the next block, conversations bouncing between Spanish and English without anyone thinking about it. Las luces de Navidad shine loud and joyful across colonias and patios, giving the whole city a celebratory pulse you can’t help but join. You see people coming from La Lupita Rock Café or Patio Domínguez, still laughing, still mid-story, carrying that energy into the street.

Taquerías buzz, plazas stay busy, and the sidewalks near La Miserable and El Parnazo fill with people deciding where to go next. And something I love about Mexico is that everyone goes out. Young, old, toda la banda. There isn’t the same age line I’ve felt in other places. If you’re young at heart, you can find yourself right in the mix here.

This is the part of the day when I remember why living here feels so natural to me. I can finish a day of showings, walk out my door, and step into a neighborhood that’s alive without feeling overwhelming. A quick stroll for tacos, a chat with neighbors, una michelada on the Malecón, it all fits.

December evenings can feel a lot like the life people imagine when they talk about moving to Baja. And in December, that picture isn't entirely wrong. The more important question is whether the rhythms of ordinary life here fit you the rest of the year too.

Estás invitado, ven a vernos.

What I love most about December in La Paz is how easy it is to be out in the city. Beaches become part of ordinary weekends, dinner spills into drinks, neighbors linger, and there always seems to be another reason to stay out a little longer.

But December is also La Paz showing you one of its very best sides. If you're thinking about moving here, come enjoy it. Fall for it a little. Then stay long enough, or come back often enough, to experience the ordinary days too.

Walk the Malecón in the morning. Find a mercado you like. Figure out where you'd buy tortillas, walk the dog, meet friends for a drink, or disappear to the beach for an afternoon. Spend enough time here to notice not just what you love about La Paz, but how you feel living in it.

That's how you begin to figure out whether a place is really your habitat.

And if La Paz keeps making sense, I'm always happy to take a walk, grab a coffee or a drink, and talk about what living here could actually look like for you.