Playa La Paz El Salvador: Visitor Guide 2023

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Playa La Paz in El Salvador is a black, stoney beach known for its waves, warm water and abundance of surrounding restaurants. It’s one of the most popular spots for local Salvadorians to vacation, so there’s always a lot going on and a lot to see!

Whilst it may not be on a typical backpacking El Salvador itinerary, we enjoyed our time in La Paz. I’ll be honest, it was accidental. We thought we had booked a stay in El Tunco, and didn’t realise just how far apart the beaches are! La Paz is in fact a 15 minute drive from El Tunco, but we managed to stay there after.

Playa La Paz was different to the other places we stayed in El Salvador. It felt a lot more ‘authentic’, as there were hardly any gringos or backpackers. We really enjoyed our time there, as we felt it gave us a good insight to the Salvadorian way of life.

Playa La Paz is a good place if you want to escape the ‘comfortable’ El Tunco whilst backpacking El Salvador!

In the following post, I explain everything you need to know about visiting Playa La Paz in El Salvador as a first-timer and a tourist. So let’s get started!

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El Tunco El Salvador — ***La Paz El Salvador***

La Paz El Salvador: A Summary

Contents

Playa La Paz in El Salvador is one of the most popular Salvadorian tourist beaches. Translated as ‘the den of little fishes’ from Nahuat, La Paz is a great place to swim, surf and soak up the views of the Pacific Coast.

When visitng La Paz, you can expect local music, food and atmosphere. It is a world away from the nearby gentrified El Tunco that suits most backpackers. Whilst visiting La Paz may be different, it’s a great place to visit when in El Salvador.

The beaches are made up of volcanic sand and rock, which doesn’t make it the most comfortable, but it’s definitely beautiful.

Overall, I recommend visiting La Paz and the main La Libertad area if you have some spare time when in El Tunco.

I highly recommend getting travel insurance if you are backpacking El Salvador or Central America. SafetyWing is the best company to cover your trip, covering both medical and travel delays, lost checked luggage, emergency response, natural disasters and personal liability. ➡️ You can sign up for SafetyWing here.

How to get to Playa La Paz

As previously mentioned, La Paz is just a 15 minute drive or 30 minute bus from El Tunco. You can either drive this journey, get a licensed taxi (which are quite hard to find) or get the public bus to La Paz.

Getting around El Salvador, you can either hire a private driver, hire a car yourself or get a public bus.

🚎 There are many public buses that run throughout the day betweeen El Tunco and La Paz. Just check the bus is going to ‘La Libertad’.

📍Exact location of La Paz beach

⚠️ For more information about safety and staying safe in El Salvador, particularly on public buses, please read the following UK Government advice.

Where to stay near Playa La Paz El Salvador

If you want to visit La Paz when backpacking El Salvador, you have a couple of options. You can either stay near La Paz (a few minutes walk), or stay in El Tunco and get the public bus over.

If you want to actually stay near La Paz, I recommend the following two accommodations:

Punta Roca Surf House: ➡️ check prices now!
Nuestro Castillo: ➡️ check prices now!

For the best El Tunco stays:

Papaya Lodge is suited for backpackers who want to socialise and party. It’s just minutes away from all of the best nightlife and attracts young, solo backpackers.

Canuck’s Guest House is perfect for digital nomads, couples and backpackers who want to surf, chill and socialise. It’s a new hostel with rave reviews – I think it may slowly overtake Papaya Lodge with being the best hostel in El Tunco!

Best time to visit Playa La Paz El Salvador

El Salvador has a tropical climate. Its wet season is from May until October, and the dry season is from November to April. If you would like to avoid torrential rain, head to El Tunco between the months of November to April. This is also a great time for cheap flights in El Salvador!

✈️ Still booking flights in Central America? I recommend this site for the biggest savings!

Related post: Best time to visit El Salvador for backpackers: weather, humidity, rainfall, wildlife and more! ☀️ | El Salvador in March

Things to do near Playa La Paz

If you are visiting La Paz El Salvador for the first time, I recommend doing some of the following activities.

Walking around the streets – this is one of the best ways to immerse yourself in the local culture! As La Paz is centred more on local tourism rather than international travellers, we really enjoyed seeing the Salvadorian way of life up close.
Eat pupusas! We found a great pupseria right next to the Tony Surf Hotel.
Enjoy the local music – there are so many local artists and performers who will perform for tips in the restaurants and bars. We loved this!
Browse the local markets – they’re hectic but worth it! Our favourite was the Mercado del Mar.
Walk along the pier – Dock Port of La Libertad – for great views of the coast and ocean
Be a big kid on the rides at Sunset Park
Admire the view from the Mirador del Sunset Park viewing platform
Swim or surf in the warm sea water at Playa La Paz
Eat ice cream from one of the local vendors
Grab a coffee at Cafe El Malecon

Where to eat near Playa La Paz El Salvador

We had some great food whilst staying near La Paz in El Salvador. However, it was incredibly hard to find any food for vegetarians, so bear that in mind if you’re visiting!

The majority of venues serve large meat dishes or seafood (which is great if you aren’t veggie!) Tom had some of his best meals in El Salvador in La Paz and La Libertad.

There’s also a long promenade next to La Paz. There are some great local restaurants here to sit and enjoy a meal whilst overlooking the ocean.

Some of the best restaurants and bars around La Paz El Salvador include:

Restaurante Nuevo Altamar
Restaurante Punta Rokamar
Tiamat Seafood and Drinks
Restaurante La Bolero
Cafe El Malecon (coffee and brunch)

And then a few minute’s walk from La Paz, further into Surf City, we enjoyed:

Restaurante Baldizon
Restaurante Cristy
Restaurante Acajutla

There are plenty of restaurants near both La Paz and the main centre of La Libertad. You just need to walk along the seafront to find your favourite!

Surfing at Playa La Paz

La Paz Beach in El Salvador is a great place for surfing. Most use it as the ‘way in’ from Punta Roca, as it is en route when coming back to shore. Whilst the bigger waves will be at Punta Roca, La Paz has some smaller waves, suited for beginners. The water is also warm at La Paz, making it great for both surfers and swimmers.

Related post: El Salvador in March | El Tunco to Leon

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Playa La Paz: FAQs

1) What is Playa La Paz El Salvador known for?

Playa La Paz in El Salvador is a black rocky and sandy beach surrounded by restaurants, bars and even a theme park. It is in the area of La Libertad, just 15 minutes from the popular backpacking spot El Tunco.

It’s also close to some of El Salvador’s best surfing spots, so hosts many surfing competitions and events throughout the year.

Related post: Staying safe in El Salvador

2) Where is Punta Rocas?

Punta Rocas is in El Salvador, around 3km away from Playa La Paz. Punta Rocas is known for its big surfing waves and breaks and is a popular spot with both locals and tourists.

Related post: One Week El Salvador Itinerary

3) Is La Paz El Salvador safe?

Yes, La Paz beach in El Salvador is safe as long as you use common sense and general safety rules. However, it is not a typical backpacker location. If you are backpacking El Salvador and staying near La Paz, you may find it is busier with local tourists rather than gringos.

Related post: Staying safe in El Salvador

4) Do I need a SIM card to travel around El Salvador?

Yes, I highly recommend downloading an eSIM on your phone to ensure you can use it for directions and safety in El Salvador. We found most of the cities to be chaotic and difficult to find local SIM cards.

ESIMs are easy to download and ready to use within a few minutes of purchasing, so there’s no longer a need to hunt down free Wifi! ➡ You can check out the prices and packages for eSIMs here!

5) How long can a tourist stay in El Salvador?

If you are from either the UK, you are granted a tourist visa that lasts for 180 days on arrival. If you’re from the USA, you will have 90 days on your visa.

Best backpacker travel insurance for Central America

If you’re visiting Central America as a backpacker, or even for a short vacation, it is so important to have travel insurance. And if you ended up on a post that’s called ‘epic party tips’, you know (just as well as I do) that you definitely need travel insurance.

Personally, I recommend SafetyWing. As a digital nomad and world traveller myself, I can confirm it is the best travel insurance out there. And one of the cheapest – they have deals that start at just $42 USD per month.

I know, I know, you’re thinking ‘but I can’t afford that!’. I was the same! It’s tough to fork out $42 a month on something ‘you might not need’. But what if something DOES happen? That extra Mezcal shot results in you falling down the stairs, or you eat something dodgy from a street food van.

If you need medical help at any point whilst in Central America, you need travel insurance.

With SafetyWing, you’re covered on travel emergencies, basic medical costs and medical expenses throughout your trip, so you can travel without worry (at a backpacker’s price!)

Don’t even think twice about getting travel insurance for Central America. Trust me, I have heard enough horror stories about backpackers who haven’t had insurance and have ended up in a lot of debt. Don’t be that person!

If you’ve been putting the job off because it takes a lot of time and effort to research the best travel insurance companies, I understand. That’s why I’ve done the hard work for you. Sign up for SafetyWing, and the job is done!

Playa La Paz El Salvador: In a Nutshell

So, there you have it! Everything you need to know about Playa La Paz in El Salvador. When you’re planning a trip to El Salvador, make sure you let me know over on Instagram or in the comments below!

And don’t forget I’ve written a comprehensive, easy-to-read guide about backpacking El Salvador, so be sure to check it out before you visit!

If you haven’t seen my blog before, I write posts aimed at first-time backpackers on a budget. I’m currently travelling around the world with my boyfriend (read more here!), creating guides and itineraries for you to follow in our footsteps!

Keep an eye out for more El Salvador content, all written from a personal and realistic point of view. You can sign up for my newsletter and juicy travel updates here!

As always, thanks for reading and supporting the blog!

Happy travelling 🙂

Jennie x

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MEET THE AUTHOR!

Jennie

TRAVEL BLOGGER

Hi! I'm Jennie! As a part-time travel blogger based in London, I'm using my 10+ years of travel expertise to encourage & inspire you to step out of your comfort zone through sustainable, mindful and purposeful travel.

If I'm not writing, I'm either reading, drinking coffee or taking a wild swim (all at the same time if I'm feeling impressive).