Should I spend 1, 2, or 3 days in Cabo San Lucas?

Should you spend 1, 2, or 3 days in Cabo San Lucas?

Most visitors spend three to seven days in Cabo San Lucas when visiting. The scenic city offers so many things to see and explore, so you'll want to take full advantage of the limited time you have. Highlights include the nightlife, the beautiful scenery, scuba diving and snorkeling, and the beaches.

Cabo San Lucas is a popular resort destination on the Baja California peninsula. Visitors come for the beaches, stunning beauty, and wild party scene. There is a lot of outdoor beauty and many great restaurants.

Do you have one or two days to visit Cabo San Lucas? Here's our comprehensive breakdown of how much time you might need for your trip along with some suggestions for things to do.


Is one day enough time in Cabo San Lucas?

One day is generally not enough time to experience the beach and other activities of Cabo San Lucas. A shorter schedule may leave you with a sense of urgency to enjoy the most popular activities such as the nightlife, the beautiful scenery, scuba diving and snorkeling, and the beaches. To genuinely appreciate the scenic city, a longer visit is recommended so that you can have more time to relax at the beach. Many tourists opt for at least 3 or as many as 7 days here, after all. After all, Cabo San Lucas enjoys immense popularity among tourists because of its many sights and attractions. However, if you're working with limited time, we have some great ideas for making the most of your stay below.

How to spend a day in Cabo San Lucas

Scuba diving and snorkeling around Cabo San Lucas is very popular. Spend the day exploring the beauty of the surrounding underwater world. There are many snorkeling and scuba diving excursions that go out on half day and full day trips. Some of the best snorkeling is found at Cabo Pulmo, which has the only living coral reef in the Sea of Cortez.


A few tour suggestions include:

  • Cabo San Lucas Paddleboard and Snorkel at the Arch ($100)
  • Cabo San Lucas Glass Bottom Kayak Tour and Snorkel at Two Bays ($100)
  • Small-Group Snorkel Adventure in San Jose del Cabo ($85)

The nightlife scene is very popular here. After dark, head out to one of the many venues around town. It has a long reputation of being one of Mexico's best party destinations. There are wild, all-night dance parties, crazy and crowded clubs, and music that lasts well into the morning. The best nightlife can be found in the blocks around Plaza Bonita, near the marina boardwalk.


A few tour suggestions include:

  • Cabo Bar Crawl - The BEST Bar and Clubs in Cabo ($55)

Cabo San Lucas is a walkable city and easy to explore on foot. With only a day in the city, you'll have no trouble seeing the local sights. The town is relatively easy to walk around with many things close together.

Is a weekend (two to three days) enough time in Cabo San Lucas?

Cabo San Lucas holds a significant allure for tourists because of its many sights and attractions. Given only a weekend, you will likely be rushed to dance the night away, admire the wonderful scenery, explore the underwater world, and lounge on the beach. To truly savor all that the city offers along with the beach, a more generous amount of time is usually needed. Many travelers opt for three to seven days to relax and explore here. However, if your schedule is tight, we have a handful of recommendations for making the most of your visit.

Cabo San Lucas, Mexico Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

How to spend 2 days in Cabo San Lucas

If you have more than a weekend (two to three days) in Cabo San Lucas, you'll appreciate the added time for everything the city has to offer.

The beautiful beaches await you in Cabo San Lucas, so spend the day (or several, if you can) relaxing on the sand or swimming in the water. Because of the water conditions, it's not safe to swim at many of the beaches in the area. This is particularly true on the Pacific side of the city. Many people consider Medano Beach to be one of the best in the area, but also nice are Lover's Beach, the ironically named Divorce Beach, and Chileno Beach.


A few tour suggestions include:

  • Los Cabos Surf Lesson at Costa Azul ($48)
  • 6-Hour Guided City and Cruise Tour of Los Cabos with Lunch ($119)
  • Fun Surf Lesson & Tacos ($135)

Cabo San Lucas is known to be such a beautiful destination, so just exploring and taking it all in should be one of the top things to do on your list. Beautiful beaches, stunning natural beauty, and striking landscapes make this a world class tropical destination.


A few tour suggestions include:

  • Private Sunset Boat Tour in San Jose del Cabo ($195)
  • Cabo San Lucas Sunset Sailing Shared Cruise ($105)
  • Boat ride to the Arch and Snorkel ($84)

The public transit in Cabo San Lucas is fast and efficient. Over the course of a few days, you should be able to explore the city quite easily and affordably. Buses make up the main form of public transit. They are called Subercabos and run between Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo.

More Info

If you're looking for more information about Cabo San Lucas, we have even more advice to help you plan your journey.

Budget Your Trip is all about finding out how much everything costs so that you can travel cheaper and longer. Created by avid travelers Laurie and Bryan, our goal is to help you plan your next trip on the right budget. With average daily travel costs that are calculated from the budgets of real travelers, plus an analysis of hotel and tour prices, you can find out how much money you need to plan your next adventure. We also have plenty of travel advice, accommodation reviews, and activity suggestions.

Some of the links on this website are sponsored or affiliate links which help to financially support this site. By clicking the link and making a purchase, we may receive a small commission, but this does not affect the price of your purchase.