Getting there
By air. You fly into Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo International (airport code ZIH, officially Aeropuerto Internacional de Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo), which sits inland between the two towns near the village of Agua de Correa. It handles seasonal winter direct flights from a handful of US and Canadian cities plus year-round domestic connections through Mexico City. From the terminal to the Ixtapa hotel zone is roughly a 20 to 30 minute drive (approximate, traffic depending) – a little longer than the hop to Zihuatanejo. The standard way in is the authorized airport taxi (buy the ticket at the fixed-price desk in the terminal before you walk out) or a pre-arranged hotel shuttle. Ignore the freelancers working the arrivals curb.
By bus. There is no long-distance terminal in Ixtapa itself; the buses run to Zihuatanejo’s terminal and you connect over. Estrella de Oro and Estrella Blanca / Futura run the main routes. From Mexico City (Terminal Poniente/Observatorio) it is a long haul of roughly 8 to 9 hours (approximate) over the mountains. From Acapulco it is around 4 to 5 hours up the coast (approximate). From the Zihua terminal it is a short local taxi or a combi over to the Ixtapa strip.
By car. The usual driving route from Mexico City runs the toll highways via Morelia and down to the coast – budget a full day, and do not drive the last mountain stretches after dark. The coastal Highway 200 links Ixtapa with Acapulco to the south and Lazaro Cardenas to the north. Once you are at the coast, parking in Ixtapa is easy and plentiful, which is the one thing the planned layout genuinely nails.
Getting around
Ixtapa is built for getting around, which is the upside of a designed-from-scratch resort. The whole strip is one flat, walkable boulevard, so on foot you can cover the hotel zone and the El Palmar beachfront easily. Wear something for the midday heat – there is not much shade on Paseo Ixtapa.
- Combis (local minibuses) shuttle constantly between Ixtapa and Zihuatanejo for a few pesos – cheap, frequent, running from early morning to mid-evening, and the way locals bounce between the two. About 15 to 20 minutes each way. They run along Paseo Ixtapa and into the Zihua center; flag one heading the right direction and pay the driver.
- Taxis are everywhere and short hops within the strip are inexpensive. They are not metered, so settle the price before you get in. The run to Zihuatanejo costs more than a combi but is worth it late at night.
- Ride-hailing apps are thin to nonexistent here compared with big cities; do not count on Uber. The combi-and-taxi combination covers everything.
- Rental car. You do not need one for the strip itself – feet and the combi are plenty. Rent only if you plan day trips to Troncones or up the coast. Night driving on Highway 200 is best avoided; stick to daylight for anything beyond the two towns.
The comfort notes are mild here: the road between Ixtapa and Zihua is short, flat and unremarkable, so no motion-sickness worries. Save the caution for the long mountain approach from Mexico City, which is winding and better done by day or by plane.