Acapulco City Guide

Acapulco is a resort city known to be the playground of the rich and famous since the 1930’s. Acapulco is a major sea port and located within the state of Guerrero on the Pacific coast of Mexico. Acapulco is officially known as Acapulco de Juarez and is Mexico’s oldest and most well known beach destination. The city has been immortalized forever in the 1960’s Elvis movie- ‘Fun in Acapulco’.

Acapulco is located on a lovely bay on the coast, surrounded by verdant hills and known for its many white sand beaches that are populated by several high-rise hotels. However, in recent years this erstwhile ‘Queen of Mexican’ beach resorts has lost some of its glitter and glamour as it has been somewhat abandoned by its high-profile Hollywood celebrity patrons.

Today, Acapulco seems to be a favored vacation spot for ‘some fun in the sun’ for local Mexican tourists. It is also popular with college students from the US who head here for their spring vacations.

Acapulco witnessed a development that progressed from west to east over the years. This beach resort is made up of four main zones; namely the Urban zone, the Traditional zone, the Golden Zone and the Diamond Zone.

The Urban Zone occupies the northwest part of the city and is not really recommended for tourists. The Traditional zone, located at a distance from the beach, is the oldest part of the city and hosts most of its historic sites like the Fort of San Diego and city’s main square and market.

The Golden Zone was the most important locale for tourists during the 50s and the 60’s when this beach front location saw hectic hotel building activity along the La Costera (the road that runs along beach). Today, the Golden Zone is populated with many nightclubs, restaurants and fast food joints though the upscale tourists now choose to stay elsewhere.

Diamond Zone, located atop the hills on the eastern side of bay, is today the preferred accommodation choice for visitors to Acapulco. The Diamond Zone hosts numerous luxury hotels, many of the city’s best restaurants and a wide assortment high–end shopping opportunities.

Most visitors to Acapulco want nothing more than to lie on the beach and soak in a lot of the sun. The more energetic visitors enjoy taking advantage of the many sporting activities that this famed beachside resort has to offer such as parasailing, banana-boat riding, sailing, surfing, deep sea fishing, boating, swimming and scuba diving.

Acapulco is equipped with a decent amount of sight-seeing opportunities as well and these are perfect for those visitors who want to take a break from beach side activities and explore the city to learn about its history and culture.

Tehuacalco is an archeological attraction in Acapulco that was opened to the public in 2008. This attraction is accessed via an hour’s drive north of Acapulco and offers an insight into the lives of the Yope Indian’s who inhabited the region and were the contemporaries of the Aztecs, by whom they were conquered. The ruins at Tehuacalco include a ball court, a temple, pyramid–shaped buildings, sun caves and petroglyphs (rock engravings). The site also offers a small museum that displays artifacts recovered from the site.

Bravo Town is an ecological park located at a distance of about 45 minutes outside the city. Bravo Town, which is considered to be one of the top attractions in Acapulco, is located on the Papagayo River. This park is surrounded by lush, green hills and offers a variety of recreational activities like zip-lining, kayaking, white water rafting and more.

The Fort of San Diego occupies an important place in the history of Acapulco as it has repelled attacks by pirates as well as Dutch and Mexican revolutionaries down the ages. This old time fortification also hosts the Historic Museum of Acapulco, which offers 15 exhibition rooms filled with displays that chronicle the history of Acapulco from ancient times to the present.

Yet another attraction located near the Fort of San Diego is the Casa de la Mascara, the House of Masks, which offers a fascinating collection of 1000 masks from Mexico and other countries around the world.

The Cliff Divers of La Quebrada form one of the most well known attractions of Acapulco. These divers plunge from a height of 131 feet into an inlet, which is 23 feet wide and 13 feet deep. The divers provide a spectacular display of courage and daring and they often hold lit torches towards the end of the show. This fantastic diving display is best viewed from Acapulco’s El Mirador Hotel.

Acapulco is warm and sunny all year round and the resort experiences temperatures of 90F (32C) almost throughout the year.

These warm and sunny climes make Acapulco a much sought after vacation destination during the traditional winter months in North America; extending from December to the end of April. In fact, this period is traditionally considered to be the peak season in Acapulco.

Hotel and flight rates during this time are quite high but if you elect to make your flight and hotel booking with us at Fare buzz; you can be assured of getting the best hotel deals at all times.

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Most tourists access Acapulco via its Juan N Alvarez international airport; located about 15 miles southeast of the city. Acapulco’s public transport system features public buses and taxis though most visitors to Acapulco choose to travel around the city in one of its many taxis since they are convenient and affordable. For those who want to move around the city on their own, do explore our car rental offers for Acapulco and book them at the best rates.

It is useful to know that taxis in Acapulco don’t operate on meters and is advisable to fix the rate with the driver before embarking on your journey. The public transport system in Acapulco also includes shared cabs or collectives that consist of larger vehicles that stop to pick up several customers at a time and offer even a cheaper means of transport than taxis.

The resort city of Acapulco offers a wide assortment of shopping choices, for shopping is a major pastime with both visitors and locals in this beach resort. Souvenirs, Mexican handicrafts and novelty gift items like hand-painted pottery, colorful textiles, local art, Mexican apparel and gold and silver jewelry have much appeal for visiting shoppers, who tend to concentrate their shopping expeditions on the resort’s main shopping haunts, like the Avenida Costera Miguel Alemán and the Old Acapulco area.

Popular shopping locales in Acapulco include the Mercado Central or the main municipal market. Housed within this indoor market, are myriad stalls offering fresh produce, cheeses, cured meats and various local snacks. Prices at the market are not fixed and bargaining is an accepted norm. Yet another popular shopping site in Acapulco is the Mercado de Artesanias, situated on the north-east shore of the resort city. This market hosts more than 400 arts and crafts and souvenir stores and offers rich pickings for souvenir hunting, budget conscious tourists.

Besides these local markets, the shopping scene in Acapulco also features several large shopping malls. The resort city’s malls like La Isla Shopping Village, Gran Plaza, Galerías Diana, Plaza Bahía, Plaza Marbella and La Vista, recreate the American mall shopping experience by offering a whole host of American and European labels, along with various lifestyle stores and diverse entertainment and dining options.

Most shops around Acapulco tend to stay open for business from Monday through Saturday from 10 am to 7pm.  On Sundays, most shops in this beach resort city are shut.

Most resorts in Acapulco are equipped with several restaurants, but if you would rather venture outside your hotel for your meals, you will not be disappointed with Acapulco’s many dining choices.
Depending on your budget you can choose to splurge on a meal at one of Acapulco’s many high-end restaurants overlooking Acapulco Bay or then dine with the locals at one of the many Mexican and fast food restaurants that line the main tourism avenue of La Costera.
The list of well-regarded and highly ranked restaurants in Acapulco currently include eateries like Becco al Mare (Italian), Baikal (Fusion fare), Kookabura (French-Mexican), La Cabana de Caleta (Mexican) and  Las Gaoneras, La Tortuga, El Zorrito, Taco and Beer, Torta Loca and 100% Natural (all wallet-friendly Mexican restaurants).

Acapulco’s nightlife scene is legendary. The resort city hosts an astonishing range of clubs, bars and nightspots guaranteed to match every taste and preference. Several visitors to Acapulco choose to holiday in this resort city, just to experience its always thriving nightlife scene
Favored nightlife haunts in this beachside paradise include buzzing nightspots like Mandarra, Carlos’n Charlie’s, Baby’Os, El Alebrije, Palladium, N Joy, Senor Frog’s and Hard Rock Café.