Getting there
Fly (the smart way) — Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo International (ZIH), officially Aeropuerto Internacional de Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo, sits about 15 to 20 minutes southeast of the bay. It takes direct flights from Mexico City year-round and seasonal winter routes from several US and Canadian cities. Flying in is the whole strategy here: it keeps you out of Guerrero’s interior roads and drops you straight into the coastal bubble. From the airport, use the official taxi booth (colectivo vans are cheaper, private cabs faster); a private ride to your beach runs roughly 300 to 500 MXN (approximate), a shared colectivo much less. Agree or prepay the fare before you get in.
Bus — First-class coaches connect Zihuatanejo to Mexico City in roughly 8 to 10 hours, and down the coast to Acapulco. Look at Estrella de Oro and Estrella Blanca / Futura for the long hauls; they run comfortable, air-conditioned buses on the toll roads from the main terminal on the edge of town. If you take a bus, travel by day. Coming from the Michoacán side (Lázaro Cárdenas), it is a shorter coastal run of a couple of hours.
Drive — Doable via the toll highway, but this is the part of the trip where Guerrero’s reputation is earned. The Autopista Siglo XXI links Zihua toward Morelia and the interior; stick to daytime driving and the cuota (toll) roads, and do not improvise mountain shortcuts. Most travelers are better off flying and skipping a car entirely.
Getting around
The bay is small and mostly walkable, and the centro-to-La-Madera stretch is best done on foot along the seawall. For everything else:
- Taxis — Cheap and everywhere. Short hops around town and out to La Ropa cost a few dollars; they are unmetered, so confirm the price before you set off. A late-night ride back from La Ropa to the centro is worth the small fare over walking the dark access road.
- Combis and colectivos (local vans) — Run between the centro, the beaches, and Ixtapa for pocket change, roughly 12 to 20 MXN a ride (approximate). Slower and packed, but authentic and dirt cheap; the Zihua-to-Ixtapa combi is the easy way to bounce between the two.
- Water taxis (pangas) — Run from the town pier (muelle) to Playa Las Gatas across the bay all day, roughly a 5-to-10-minute crossing. Pay the round-trip fare and tell the captain when to come back for you.
- On foot — The centro, the malecon, and La Madera are a genuine walking network. La Ropa is walkable from town in 15 to 20 minutes if you do not mind a warm stroll, but most people taxi one way.
Comfort notes
You do not need a rental car for a bay-based trip, and renting one mostly buys you a break-in risk and a parking headache. The coastal day trips to Troncones and Barra de Potosí are short and flat, so motion sickness is a non-issue; the interior mountain roads are the winding ones, and you are not driving those. The single rule that keeps this trip easy: fly in, use taxis and combis locally, and leave the highways to the daytime buses. If getting in and out cleanly is the whole worry, the is it safe page backs this up.