Acapulco travel guide
La Quebrada divers, Thursday pozole and a bay rebuilding after Otis
Acapulco is Mexico's oldest big beach resort, a curved bay on the Guerrero coast famous for the La Quebrada cliff divers and its 1950s Hollywood past, now rebuilding after Hurricane Otis and struggling with serious crime. The dry season from November to April is the time to go; a long weekend covers the main sights, but check advisories first. Costs are moderate, and many nationalities enter visa-free.
Acapulco curls around a deep, sheltered bay on the Pacific coast of Guerrero, about 380 km south of Mexico City. It was a working port long before it was a resort: from the 16th century the Manila galleons unloaded silks and porcelain from Asia here, and the star-shaped Fort San Diego was built to protect that trade from pirates.
The resort era began in the 1940s, when Hollywood stars and the jet set made the hotels on the cliffs and along the bay famous. That glamour faded long ago. Since the mid-2010s gang violence has driven homicide rates among the highest in the world, foreign tourists have largely stayed away, and the US government advises its citizens not to travel to Guerrero at all.
Nature then dealt a second blow. In October 2023 Hurricane Otis hit the city as a Category 5 storm, wrecking hotels, homes and the marina. Hurricane John brought floods the following year. Rebuilding has been uneven; some famous towers and beach clubs remain closed or half repaired.
Mexican families still come in large numbers, mostly by bus or car from the capital for long weekends and holidays, and the old pleasures survive: the La Quebrada cliff divers, sunset at Pie de la Cuesta, a bowl of green pozole on a Thursday. Anyone visiting should check the latest advisories and recovery news, stay in established areas and move around by arranged transport.
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Top things to do in Acapulco
Acapulco's sights are the bay itself: cliff divers, beaches, a colonial fort, a shady zócalo and nightclubs on the cliffs.
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Best time to visit Acapulco
Month by month, so you can pick the weather and the crowds you want.
Highs of 30-31C, lows near 23C and as little as 2 mm of rain in April; calm seas and the most reliable sunshine.
Heavy rain, with September the wettest at about 347 mm; afternoons often end in downpours and humidity is intense.
The Pacific storm season; Otis in October 2023 showed how late and how hard a storm can strike, so follow forecasts closely.
Christmas, New Year and Holy Week bring huge crowds from Mexico City, with jammed traffic on the Autopista del Sol and full hotels; travel midweek in January or February instead.
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Getting there
Autopista del Sol coaches and the Juan N. Álvarez airport
Most visitors reach Acapulco from Mexico City by road, about three and a half hours on the Autopista del Sol, a four-lane toll highway with frequent cash tollbooths, or by coach. Juan N. Álvarez International Airport, east of the bay, takes domestic and some international flights. The Autopista del Sol, a four-lane toll highway, takes about three and a half hours by car without stops, with frequent tollbooths that accept cash, so carry enough. Coaches are the popular alternative. Estrella de Oro runs non-stop services from the capital in about five to five and a half hours, including a VIP class with wider seats, attendants and a lounge in the Acapulco terminal; passengers are searched before boarding. Acapulco International Airport (ACA), Juan N. Álvarez, lies east of the bay near Acapulco Diamante and has frequent domestic flights, with a flight of under an hour from Mexico City and some international routes. The ride from the airport to La Costera, the main hotel strip, takes roughly another 35 minutes by shared shuttle or taxi.
- Acapulco International (ACA)
- East of the bay; shuttle or taxi to La Costera in about 35 minutes
- Autopista del Sol
- About three and a half hours by car from Mexico City; tolls in cash
- Estrella de Oro coaches
- Non-stop from Mexico City in about five hours, VIP class available
- Cruise pier
- Ships call at the old port beside the Zócalo
- Drive only in daylight, keep to the toll highway and expect at least one stretch of rougher road where the autopista is broken.
- If stopped by local traffic police for an invented offence, stay calm and ask for a written ticket; do not pay on the spot.
Staying safe
Guerrero warnings and traffic-police shakedowns
Acapulco has some of the highest homicide rates in Mexico, linked to fighting between criminal groups, and both Mexican and foreign governments warn against travel to Guerrero state. Read your government's current advice before booking, and keep movements to tourist areas by day. Violence rarely targets visitors directly, but extortion of local businesses and taxi drivers is common, and petty corruption is a real nuisance.
- Safer zones
- Established hotel areas of La Costera and Diamante, by day and with arranged transport
- Higher risk
- Outlying colonias, the hills above the bay and any area at night
- Drivers in clean or foreign cars are often stopped by local police for invented infractions; keep documents ready and stay polite.
- Leave jewellery and spare cash in the hotel safe.
Where to stay
Old Acapulco, La Costera or Punta Diamante
Acapulco's bay divides into distinct zones: Old Acapulco around Caleta and the Zócalo, La Costera's hotel strip along the main bay, and Punta Diamante's resorts to the east. Check reviews from the last few months before booking anywhere, since some hotels are still repairing hurricane damage. Check reviews from the last few months before booking anywhere, as some hotels are still repairing hurricane damage.
- Acapulco Tradicional
- The old town around the Zócalo, La Quebrada and Caleta beach; cheaper, more Mexican and walkable, but scruffy and rough at night
- Acapulco Dorado (La Costera)
- Big hotels along Avenida Costera Miguel Alemán and Playa Condesa; close to restaurants and clubs, busy and noisy
- Acapulco Diamante
- Gated resorts and condos around Punta Diamante and Revolcadero beach, near the airport; the most secure option but far from the old town
- Pie de la Cuesta
- A strip of small hotels between the open ocean and the Coyuca lagoon, west of the city; quiet, but the surf is dangerous for swimming
Getting around
Acabús, colectivo cabs and haggled Beetle taxis
Taxis are the usual way around Acapulco, but they have no meters, so agree the fare first and expect to negotiate, since drivers quote higher to tourists. The old Volkswagen Beetle cabs are cheaper than the newer air-conditioned cars, and colectivos and the Acabús buses cover set routes. White and yellow shared taxis (colectivos) run fixed routes between the main districts, showing their destination in big letters on the windscreen, and charge a flat fare per person. City buses run along La Costera, and the Acabús rapid bus system, opened in 2016, uses a prepaid card. Hotels will book taxis for you at a fixed but inflated rate, often around half as much again as a street cab. Driving yourself is hard work: traffic is heavy and parking scarce.
- Street taxis
- Unmetered; agree the fare first, especially to La Quebrada, Revolcadero or the airport
- Colectivo taxis
- White and yellow, flat fare per person on set routes
- Acabús
- Rapid bus with a prepaid card along the main corridors
- Hotel taxis
- Fixed fare, pricier but convenient at night
- After dark, use a taxi arranged by your hotel or restaurant, never one flagged on the street.
Know before you go
What makes Acapulco worth the trip, and what catches visitors out.
Why travelers love it
- The La Quebrada cliff divers, who have been launching themselves into a narrow surging inlet since 1934; watch an evening show by torchlight.
- Sunset at Pie de la Cuesta, with hammocks on the sand, Pacific rollers and the Coyuca lagoon behind you.
- The Zócalo at night, shaded by huge old trees and full of local families, street clowns and food stands from about 8pm.
- Fort San Diego, the star-shaped fortress that guarded the Manila galleon trade, now a history museum.
- A boat to Isla la Roqueta from Caleta beach, for calmer water and a break from the city.
Good to know
- Taxis have no meters; always agree a fare first and negotiate.
- Fort San Diego closes on Mondays; it opens Tuesday to Sunday from 9am to 5pm.
- Revolcadero and Pie de la Cuesta have strong currents; swim only in sheltered bays such as Caleta and Caletilla.
- Pickpockets work crowded beaches and buses; keep phones and wallets out of sight.
Trip fit
BookingMentor editorial ratings out of 5, based on a first-time visitor's experience.
Weather in Acapulco, month by month
Acapulco is hot all year; November to April is almost dry, while June to October brings heavy rain and hurricane risk. Tap a month for averages.
Climate figures are approximate long-term averages for Acapulco (Servicio Meteorológico Nacional, via Wikipedia).
Caleta mornings, Fort San Diego and the La Quebrada night dive
A first day in Acapulco covers the old bay. Swim early at Caleta and Caletilla, the sheltered twin beaches at the western end, take a glass-bottom boat to Isla la Roqueta for snorkelling, then visit Fort San Diego, open Tuesday to Sunday, whose museum tells the story of the Manila galleons and the pirates who chased them.
After lunch, walk the Zócalo, the shady main square with its cathedral and fountains, and come back in the evening when families fill it between 8pm and 11pm. Then take a taxi up to La Quebrada for one of the evening dives, when the divers pray at a small shrine before leaping into the narrow channel with the incoming swell. Watch from the public platform or over dinner at La Perla.
Day two: the east side. Spend the morning at a pool or on Playa Condesa on La Costera, then visit the Capilla de la Paz in Las Brisas, a hilltop chapel with a giant cross and the best panorama of the whole bay. Have dinner on the cliffs along the Carretera Escénica, home of the big glass-fronted nightclubs; Otis badly damaged several of them, so check which have reopened before you plan a night out.
Day three: west. Drive or take a taxi to Pie de la Cuesta for a lazy afternoon in a beach restaurant and the sunset over the Pacific.
Thursday pozole verde and pescado a la talla at Barra Vieja
Acapulco's best food is Guerrero cooking at plain family restaurants; the hotel kitchens rarely match it. Thursday is the day to eat it: under the state's Jueves Pozolero custom, restaurants and stalls serve green pozole of hominy and pork, thickened with pumpkin seeds, and pescado a la talla, butterflied grilled fish, is the beach classic at Barra Vieja.
Thursdays are for pozole. Across the state, Jueves Pozolero means restaurants and street stalls serve bowls of hominy and pork in green broth, thickened with pumpkin seeds and herbs, topped with chopped onion, oregano, avocado and chicharrón, and often accompanied by mezcal. The Zócalo area and the streets of the old town are full of pozolerías on Thursday afternoons.
Seafood is the other pillar. Pescado a la talla is the coast's signature: a whole fish split open, brushed with chilli paste and grilled over wood. The beach restaurants of Barra Vieja, a long beach southeast past the airport, are the classic place to eat it, at long tables under palapa roofs. Acapulco-style ceviche is another staple, marinated fish with tomato and lime, often eaten with saltines and a cold beer.
Breakfast at La Perla at La Quebrada comes with a view of the divers, and buffet plates of chilaquiles and tropical fruit. For a quick healthy meal, the 100% Natural chain, with several branches including on the beach, serves salads, juices and Mexican dishes.
Otis, the rainy season and when Acapulco fills up
Visit Acapulco between November and April, when the coast is almost dry, with 2 to 24 mm of rain a month, a calm sea and clear sunsets. Temperatures barely change, with highs of 30C to 33C and nights rarely below 23C, so rain decides the season.
May is the transition. Storms usually come in the afternoon or at night, the humidity is heavy, and the risk of hurricanes is real. Otis in October 2023 intensified from a tropical storm to Category 5 in less than a day before striking the city, and the destruction is still visible in damaged towers along the bay.
Crowds follow the Mexican calendar. At Christmas and New Year, Holy Week and long holiday weekends, hundreds of thousands of visitors come down the Autopista del Sol, hotels fill and traffic grinds along La Costera. The cliff divers draw their biggest audiences at these times too.
For the best mix of weather and calm, aim for January to March, avoid national holidays and book only hotels with recent good reviews.
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How we research our Acapulco travel guide
Acapulco's hurricane recovery, safety advice and transport notes are checked against the official Acapulco website and the city's Wikipedia record, with entry rules from the Instituto Nacional de Migración.
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Checked against trusted sources:
Official website of AcapulcoInstituto Nacional de MigraciónUNESCO World Heritage Centre
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Quick answers to the questions travelers ask most before visiting Acapulco.
Health & safety
Many hotels and services have reopened, but recovery is uneven and the area also has serious crime problems. Check recent reviews, current advisories and stay in established hotel zones.
Timing & weather
There is usually a midday show and one or more evening dives, but the number of shows has varied since Otis and depends on visitor numbers, so confirm the day's times at La Quebrada or with your hotel.
The best time to visit Acapulco is Nov to Apr. Dry, sunny weeks with highs of 30-31C and almost no rain, outside the hurricane season.
- Dry season: November - April (Highs of 30-31C, lows near 23C and as little as 2 mm of rain in April; calm seas and the most reliable sunshine)
- Wet season: June - October (Heavy rain, with September the wettest at about 347 mm; afternoons often end in downpours and humidity is intense)
- Hurricane risk: June - November (The Pacific storm season; Otis in October 2023 showed how late and how hard a storm can strike, so follow forecasts closely)
July is the warmest month in Acapulco, with average highs of 33°C, and January the coolest, with lows of 23°C. September is the wettest month, at about 347 mm of rain; April is the driest. Acapulco is hot all year; November to April is almost dry, while June to October brings heavy rain and hurricane risk.
Prices & payment
Take an authorised shuttle or taxi from the terminal; the ride to the main hotel strip takes about 35 minutes.
Getting there
About five to five and a half hours on a non-stop Estrella de Oro coach. By car on the Autopista del Sol it takes around three and a half hours.
General
Caleta and Caletilla on the western peninsula are sheltered and calm. Revolcadero and Pie de la Cuesta face the open ocean and have dangerous surf.
A Guerrero tradition of eating green pozole every Thursday, usually with mezcal, served by pozolerías across the old town.
At the palapa restaurants on Barra Vieja beach, southeast of the city past the airport, where whole fish are grilled over wood with chilli paste.
Taxis are unmetered, so agree a fare before getting in; Beetle cabs and shared colectivos are cheaper, while hotel-booked cars cost more.
The Pacific hurricane season runs from June to November, and Otis struck in late October. Rain peaks in September; November to April is the dry, low-risk window.
Pie de la Cuesta, west of the city, has the classic open-ocean sunset; the Capilla de la Paz in Las Brisas gives a panorama over the whole bay.
Taxis are the usual way around Acapulco, but they have no meters, so agree the fare first and expect to negotiate, since drivers quote higher to tourists. The old Volkswagen Beetle cabs are cheaper than the newer air-conditioned cars, and colectivos and the Acabús buses cover set routes. White and yellow shared taxis (colectivos) run fixed routes between the main districts, showing their destination in big letters on the windscreen, and charge a flat fare per person.
Acapulco is best known for:
- The La Quebrada cliff divers, who have been launching themselves into a narrow surging inlet since 1934; watch an evening show by torchlight
- Sunset at Pie de la Cuesta, with hammocks on the sand, Pacific rollers and the Coyuca lagoon behind you
- The Zócalo at night, shaded by huge old trees and full of local families, street clowns and food stands from about 8pm
- Fort San Diego, the star-shaped fortress that guarded the Manila galleon trade, now a history museum
- A boat to Isla la Roqueta from Caleta beach, for calmer water and a break from the city
Visa & documents
Tourist stays in Mexico are visa-free for citizens of the US, Canada, the UK, the EU and many other countries. Immigration officers decide how many days you can stay (up to 180) and stamp your passport or issue a digital record. Holders of valid US, UK, Canadian or Schengen visas may also be exempt.
