Acapulco is the largest and most dazzling tourist center in Mexico and it offers its visitors a wide variety of tourist options, emotion, fun and the real flavor of Mexico. But there are few things that any traveler should know before their arrival in this paradise and be able to enjoy a happy and relaxed vacation.
GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION: Acapulco can be described as an important deep sea port and coastal traffic, located on the Pacific Ocean, on the western side of the natural bay of Acapulco. The city is the municipal seat and is located at 16° 5’ latitude North and at 99° 54’ longitude West, located at 385 kilometers, approximately to the south of the City of Mexico and at 133 kilometers from the City of Chilpancingo, capital of the State of Guerrero.
GEOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION: Acapulco is a privileged tourist destination with 2 splendid bays, Santa Lucia and Puerto Marques, both of incredible natural beauty and incredible cliffs, beautiful beaches with varying waves surrounded by exotic tropical vegetation and protected by the Sierra Madre del Sur Mountains to the East and by Santa Lucia Bay to the West.
EXTENSION OF THE BAY: The Bay measures 5 kilometers from East to West and 3 kilometers from North to South with a depth between 45 to 60 meters.
SURFACE: Acapulco has a territory of 1,882.6 square meters, which represents 2.95% of the state surface.
CLIMATE: The climate is tropical and humid with sun the most part of the year. July and August are the hottest months and the rainy season begins in June and runs through October. The winter season is a privileged time, barely humid. The prevalent vegetation is tropical. The average temperature is 33°C and the minimum is 22°C.
LANGUAGE: The official language is Spanish, but the majority of people in the tourism industry, and many inhabitants of Acapulco, speaks English.
MONEY: Mexican Peso
POPULATION: 789,971 INHABITANTS. Official number from the National Institute of Statistics, Geography and Informatic from the year 2010 (INEGI).
DRESS: Dress code in Acapulco is casual and cool fabrics like cotton are recommended. Summer sport clothes are recommended for dining out, even though some clubs recommend comfortable and cool casual-formal clothing. Men should wear pants and not shorts when going out at night.
HOW TO GET HERE: Acapulco can be reached by air, road or sea from all over the world. By road you can travel by bus, from Mexico City’s Northern or Southern Terminal, or you can travel by car, enjoying the scenery along the “Autopista del Sol” toll road where it will take you between 3 and 4 hours to drive from Mexico City to the Port. The international airport is located 28 kilometers southeast of the Bay of Acapulco. Documents verifying your citizenship are required to enter the country; for example, a valid passport, a birth certificate or a drivers license. In case these documents are lost or stolen, they cannot be replaced in Mexico, except for the passport. When you purchase your ticket, you will be issued a tourist card and the pink copy will be needed when you leave the country.
MODES OF TRANSPORTATION: It is very easy to get to the airport from your hotel. Rental limousines and cars are easily available. If you wish to use local transportation, keep in mind that the bus you board should only run on the Costera Miguel Aleman to avoid getting lost. The price of the ticket varies from $5.00 to $6.00 pesos.
The blue and white taxis can be used for longer distances and the price varies from $50.00 Pesos to $100.00 Pesos depending on the distance involved.
HOTEL INFRASTRUCTURE: The hotel infrastructure offers some of the best hotels in the world. There are more than 18,000 rooms in all categories from very exclusive hotels to small hotels close to the sea.
The categories are: Special Category, Gran Turismo, and hotels from 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1 star. The majority of the large hotels are located at the beach.
BASIC SERVICES: Almost all of the hotels and shops have all thebasic services, including local and long-distance telephone service, potable water, purified and bottled, electrical installations of 110 volts, 60 Hz frequency and converters are not required. In many cases you can find installations for computers and internet and the rate may differ depending on each case.
SHOPPING: In Acapulco there is a great variety of shops and malls and they are ready to satisfy your shopping needs. The Gran Plaza, Galerias Diana or the new mall called La Isla Shopping Village, which offer boutiques, clothing stores, shoe stores, jewelry stores and department stores of great prestige, restaurants, movie theaters, bowling, art exhibitions and many other places to entertain you at very accessible prices.
SPORTS ACTIVITIES & ENTERTAINMENT: Acapulco you can enjoy and practice many different sports. There are several tennis courts located throughout the city and in some hotels. Another sport that has great following is golf and Acapulco offers 5 superb golf courses.
For those that like extreme sports, you can try the bungy jump from a platform 50 meters high. For nature lovers, we recommend to takea tour through the mangroves on Coyuca Lagoon or Tres Palos Lagoon where you will find a wide variety of tropical flora and fauna.
For water sport lovers, we recommend a cruise on a yacht or go deep sea fishing, sailing, snorkeling, windsurfing, take a ride on a jet ski or just walk along the beach. Acapulco has so much to offer anyone that comes to visit our beautiful destination.
RESTAURANTS AND NIGHTLIFE: Acapulco has more than 160 restaurants with spectacular view of the bay and that offer a great variety of dishes, from Mexican food to international gourmet dishes. Many of the restaurants have bars, where you can spend a while after dining to enjoy a delicious tropical drink. You can then enjoy the vibrant and exciting nightlife that Acapulco is so famous for.
TIPS: You should leave between 10% to 15% of the total bill.
Bellboys generally receive $1.00US per suitcase; guides and taxi drivers do not expect tips unless you have contracted them on a daily basi.
Acapulco has 3 important seasons of high occupancy: January to April, including Holy Week; summer vacation (July and August) and the winter season, beginning the second week of December.
During these periods, the rates in hotels, restaurants and night clubs tend to increase
TIME ZONE: Central Standard Time
MAIL: You can find mailboxes all along the Costera. They are blue and the word “correo” is written on the box.
BANKS: The great majority of banks are open from 9; 00AM to 4:00PM and the exchange houses are open until 8:00PM.
-1521’s The Spanish conquerors discover Acapulco.
-1532 Cortes arrives and establishes a ship building center forthe galleons that will explore the southern routes.
-1565 A commercial route is established between Acapulco and Manila, the focal point of commercial exchange between Asia and America.
-1599 King Philip II confers the title of City to the Port of Acapulco.
-1617 The construction of the Fort of San Diego, built to protect the city against pirates, is finished.
-1776 The Fort of San Diego is destroyed by an earthquake and in 1778 it is reconstructed with 5 bastions and a moat.
-1818 The final battle in the War of Independence against Spain takes place. The Mexican troops attack the Fort, forcing the Spaniards to abandon it and the commercial route to Asia is closed.
-1873 By decree, the Port is called Acapulco of Juarez.
-1927 The first highway from the City of Mexico to Acapulco was inaugurated. The trip takes more than a week.
-1933 The first hotel, El Mirador, was built near the Zocalo.
-1945 The new highway between Mexico City and Acapulco was built, reducing travel time to only 6 hours. The development of Acapulco begins and its era as an international tourist destination.
-1964 Direct international flights begin to arrive and Acapulco becomes known as the place where the Hollywood stars and Jet Set come to vacation. They were fascinated by the natural beauty of Acapulco and its buoyant and relaxed atmosphere.
-1972 The Convention Center was built at a cost of 50 million dollars. It is considered to be one of the country’s best.
Acapulco continues to be one of the most visited destinations in the world, receiving annually more than 9,000,000 tourists and it is the site of important international cultural and sporting events.
TO OBTAIN ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, CONTACT THE
ACAPULCO DESTINATION MARKETING OFFICE AT THE
FOLLOWING NUMBERS:
Telephones: 01152 (744) 484 4159, 484 7195, 484 7232 and 484 7264
E-mail: info@visitacapulco.com.mx
Or visit our web page: www.visitacapulco.travel
Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo, a travel experience
The combination of Ixtapa and Zihuatanejo as a tourism destination offers the visitor a mixture of unique travel experiences thanks to its blend of traditional mexican village with the infrastructure and facilities of a tourist development such as Ixtapa.
Zihuatanejo is a town that has evolved from a quiet fishing village to a charming tourist destination. Its beautiful bay, gentle beaches, personalized service and the warmth of its people make it an ideal place for travelers to truly relax.
Ixtapa, on the other hand, boasts first class hotels, a destination that reflects the sophistication of the region. The climate, nautical services, facilities and the connectivity also influence the positioning of this tourism destination.
We invite you to discover the experience in two destinations in one that will always surprise you.
Taxco de Alarcón
Amazing Pueblo Mágico that welcomes you and let you walk on the pretty streets
Stone made with incredible White houses and red roofs that give you the sensation that you are traveling on time in colonial buildings, with lovely weather that invite you to rest in front of fountains and plenty plazuelas.
Taxco is located in the north of the state of Guerrero. Where you will find the richest of the people, traditions, cutcrafs, artesany, jewelry made in silver and history.
Come and visit us you will love it!!