4 Best Sights in Veracruz, Mexico

About 4 km (2½ mi) south of Playa Mocambo is Boca del Río, a small fishing village at the mouth of the Río Jamapa that is quickly getting sucked into Veracruz's orbit. A taxi from the city center costs about $4.

Mandinga is 8 km (5 mi) south of Boca del Río, and is less frequented by tourists.

Veracruz City's beaches are not particularly inviting, being on the brownish side of gold, with polluted water. Decent beaches with paler, finer sand begin to the south in Mocambo, about 7 km (4½ mi) from downtown, and get better even farther down. The beach in front of the Fiesta Americana hotel is particularly well maintained. (Although it may appear to be claimed by the hotel, it's public.)

The first and most accessible beach from Tuxpan is Playa Tuxpan. The surf here isn't huge, but there's enough action to warrant breaking out your surf- or Boogie board. There are inexpensive hotels and restaurants along the beach, and many have bathrooms and showers that you can use for a dollar or two. Of the open-air restaurants along Playa Tuxpan, the most established is El Arca, which has a branch at the main beach entrance called El Velero. Both have an extensive menu of freshly caught seafood, and fresh coconuts.