Guerrero is a Pacific coast state in southern Mexico best known for the resort city of Acapulco, the colonial silver town of Taxco de Alarcón, and the twin beach towns of Zihuatanejo and Ixtapa. The state pairs dramatic coastline and mountain scenery with a serious, well-documented security situation that shapes how and where visitors should travel.
Top day trips
Handpicked excursions within easy reach.
Taxco de Alarcón
Taxco is a colonial silver-mining town built up a steep hillside, reached from Acapulco by a roughly 3.5-hour drive or bus ride along the Autopista del Sol toll highway. The white-walled town centers on Plaza Borda and the pink-stone Santa Prisca church, with narrow cobblestone streets lined with silver workshops and jewelry shops reflecting the town's centuries-old mining trade. A day trip typically covers the plaza, the Santa Prisca church interior, and a walk through the surrounding silver market streets, with many visitors combining the stop with the nearby Grutas de Cacahuamilpa caves.
Highlights: Baroque Santa Prisca church with gilded altarpieces on Plaza Borda · Silver workshops and jewelry shops lining the market streets · Guillermo Spratling silver museum near the main plaza · Teleférico cable car ride for hillside views over the white rooftops · Cristo Rey hilltop statue overlooking the town
Grutas de Cacahuamilpa National Park
The Grutas de Cacahuamilpa form one of Mexico's largest show caves, located in Guerrero's Pilcaya municipality near the Morelos state line, about a 40-minute drive northeast of Taxco. Guided walks lead through a chain of enormous limestone chambers with dramatic stalactite and stalagmite formations, following fixed paths and lighting rather than technical caving gear. The site is almost always visited as a combined trip with Taxco given the short drive between them, and entry is by timed guided tour rather than independent exploration.
Highlights: Guided walk through one of Mexico's largest show caves · Chambers with ceilings over 80 meters and dramatic stalactite formations · Roughly 2-km lit path following an ancient underground river channel · Zip-line canopy tour in the surrounding park · Easy pairing with Taxco via the 40-minute connecting road
Chilpancingo de los Bravo
Chilpancingo de los Bravo, Guerrero's state capital, sits about 130 km north of Acapulco along the Autopista del Sol, roughly a 1.5-hour drive or bus ride. The city center holds government buildings tied to Mexican independence history, including sites connected to the 1813 Congress of Anahuac, along with a central plaza and market streets away from Acapulco's coastal tourist infrastructure. Most visitors treat Chilpancingo as a highway stop or a brief stand-alone trip rather than a full day, since it sits directly on the route toward Taxco and Mexico City.
Highlights: Zocalo plaza and Catedral de Nuestra Senora de la Asuncion · Monuments tied to the 1813 Congress of Anahuac and independence history · Municipal market streets away from Acapulco's tourist infrastructure · Regional pozole verde, a Guerrero specialty, at market fondas
Pie de la Cuesta and Coyuca Lagoon
Pie de la Cuesta sits about 13 km northwest of downtown Acapulco along the coast, a 30-40 minute drive or local bus ride. The village borders the freshwater Coyuca Lagoon on one side and open ocean surf on the other, and boat tours cruise the lagoon's mangrove channels to spot herons, storks, and other waterbirds, typically finishing with a lakeside seafood lunch. The ocean-facing beach has a strong undertow unsuited to swimming, so most visitors treat it as a sunset viewpoint rather than a swim stop, and the area is well known locally for some of the best sunset views around Acapulco.
Highlights: Boat tour through Coyuca Lagoon's mangrove channels · Pajaros Island bird sanctuary with herons, storks, and cormorants · Lakeside palapa restaurants serving fresh fish and shrimp · Wide open Pacific-facing beach known for sunset views
Playa Ventura
Playa Ventura is a small fishing village on Guerrero's less-developed southern coast, in the municipality of Copala, about 2-2.5 hours southeast of Acapulco by car via the coastal highway. The beach itself is a long, largely undeveloped stretch of sand backed by a lagoon, with simple palapa restaurants serving fresh fish and modest guesthouses rather than large resorts. Because bus service is limited and the drive covers a stretch of coast with fewer services, travel is best done during daylight hours by car or with a private driver, sticking to the main coastal highway rather than smaller side roads.
Highlights: Long, largely undeveloped beach on Guerrero's southern coast · Calmer adjoining lagoon for wading or a short birdwatching boat trip · Palapa restaurants serving fresh fish, shrimp, and oysters · Quiet, low-key village atmosphere away from Acapulco's resorts
Barra de Potosí
Barra de Potosí is a small fishing village about 25 km south of Zihuatanejo, a 30-35 minute drive along the coast. The village sits on a sandbar between the open Pacific and the Laguna de Potosí, an 800-hectare lagoon fringed with mangroves that supports herons, egrets, and other birdlife, best explored by a short boat tour. A typical visit pairs a walk or swim along the calm beach with a lagoon boat trip and a seafood lunch at one of the simple palapa restaurants lining the shore, making it an easy half-day or full-day trip from either Zihuatanejo or Ixtapa.
Highlights: Boat tour through the mangrove-fringed Laguna de Potosí · Calm sandbar beach with gentler surf than the open coast · Palapa restaurants serving freshly caught fish and shrimp · Working fishing village atmosphere with boats along the shore
Isla Ixtapa
Isla Ixtapa sits a few kilometers offshore from Playa Linda, reached by a short passenger boat crossing after a roughly 25-30 minute drive or taxi ride from Zihuatanejo. The island has three main beaches - Playa Coral, Playa Varadero, and Playa Cuachalalate - each with a different mix of calm swimming water, snorkeling reefs, and beachfront palapa restaurants serving fresh seafood. A day trip typically means catching one of the frequent shared boats from Playa Linda in the morning, spending the day moving between the island's beaches, and returning on a later crossing before the last boat of the evening.
Highlights: Three distinct beaches - Playa Coral, Playa Varadero, and Playa Cuachalalate · Snorkeling over shallow reefs just offshore · Frequent shared passenger boats from Playa Linda, no advance booking needed · Palapa restaurants serving fresh grilled seafood on each beach
Troncones
Troncones is a small, low-key surf village about 32 km northwest of Zihuatanejo, reached by a 45-minute to 1-hour drive or taxi ride along the coastal highway. The long open beach has a consistent, beginner-friendly surf break alongside quieter stretches of sand, and several small surf schools rent boards and offer lessons for visitors making a day of it. The village has no large resorts, so a day trip typically centers on the beach itself, a surf lesson, and a simple seafood lunch at one of the handful of beachfront restaurants.
Highlights: Consistent, beginner-friendly surf break along a long open beach · Small surf schools offering board rentals and lessons · Quiet, low-key village with no large resorts · Rocky points at either end of the beach for exploring beyond the main surf area
Zihuatanejo Historic Center
Zihuatanejo's compact historic center sits about 15-20 minutes by car, taxi, or local bus from the Ixtapa hotel zone, making it a common half-day trip for visitors staying along the Ixtapa strip. The town centers on the Paseo del Pescador waterfront walkway around a small bay lined with fishing boats, seafood restaurants, and a modest archaeology museum covering the region's pre-Hispanic and colonial history. A visit typically combines a walk along the waterfront and market streets with a seafood lunch, and pairs easily with a stop at nearby Playa La Ropa or Playa Las Gatas.
Highlights: Paseo del Pescador waterfront walkway around the fishing bay · Museo Arqueologico de la Costa Grande covering regional pre-Hispanic history · Market streets with local handicrafts and beachwear · Popular evening atmosphere along the malecon as fishing boats return
Trips by distance
How far you can go in a day.
Getting there
Transport options for day trips.
- Tours
- Organized day tours from Acapulco to Taxco and the Grutas de Cacahuamilpa run from about MXN 900-1,800 (USD 53-106) per person including round-trip transport; boat tours to Isla Ixtapa or the Coyuca Lagoon run from about MXN 150-500 (USD 9-29) per person for shared trips
- Private
- Private driver hire for a full day runs from about MXN 2,000-3,000 (USD 118-176); useful for combining Taxco with the Grutas de Cacahuamilpa in a single day, or for reaching Playa Ventura without relying on bus connections
- Public
- First-class Estrella de Oro and Estrella Blanca buses connect Acapulco with Chilpancingo and Taxco; local combis and colectivos reach Pie de la Cuesta and Barra de Potosí frequently from Acapulco and Zihuatanejo respectively
- Rental
- Car rental from about MXN 700/day (USD 41/day); the most flexible way to combine Taxco with the Grutas de Cacahuamilpa, or to reach Troncones and Barra de Potosí independently of tour schedules
Day trip tips
Make the most of your excursions.
Stick to the Autopista del Sol (cuota/toll highway) for trips between Acapulco, Chilpancingo, and Taxco rather than the older free (libre) mountain road, and plan travel during daylight hours
A rental car offers the most flexibility for combining Taxco with the Grutas de Cacahuamilpa, or for reaching Troncones and Barra de Potosí on independent schedules
First-class buses (Estrella de Oro, Estrella Blanca) reliably connect Acapulco with Chilpancingo and Taxco; local combis handle shorter hops like Pie de la Cuesta and Barra de Potosí
Bring cash for smaller towns and villages - card acceptance drops off quickly outside Acapulco's and Zihuatanejo's hotel zones
Acapulco and the Zihuatanejo-Ixtapa coast are not a practical same-day combination given the roughly 5-6 hour drive between them; plan day trips around whichever coast is the base
Time a visit to Isla Ixtapa or Barra de Potosí for the morning to allow a full day on the water before the last boats or buses return in the evening