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.
Guerrero state carries a US State Department Level 4: Do Not Travel advisory as of 2026, the advisory's highest risk category, citing widespread crime, armed robbery, and kidnapping linked to organized criminal groups. This advisory applies to the entire state with no tourist-zone exception: US government personnel are barred from travel anywhere in Guerrero, and the advisory explicitly names Acapulco, the Acapulco-Chilpancingo highway, and rural Guerrero as areas of concern, while noting that US citizens have been kidnapped in the state. The UK FCDO takes a somewhat narrower view, advising against all but essential travel to the state overall but exempting Zihuatanejo and Ixtapa when accessed by air. In practice, Acapulco, Taxco, and Zihuatanejo-Ixtapa continue to receive substantial tourist traffic, and the developed hotel zones function day to day, but this is genuinely one of the highest-risk destinations covered by any Mexico travel guide, and it should be treated that way: fly rather than drive between cities, stay within the established tourist cores, avoid travel after dark, keep a low profile with valuables, and check official government advisories immediately before finalizing any trip, since conditions in Guerrero can change quickly. A January 2026 magnitude 6.5 earthquake near Acapulco caused fatalities and building damage, and Hurricane Otis's October 2023 direct hit on Acapulco is still part of the state's recent risk picture, with hotel-zone recovery substantially complete by 2025-2026 but some rebuilding ongoing.
Current safety advisory
Extreme_caution
Last updated: 2026 update of the US State Department Mexico Travel Advisory (Level 4: Do Not Travel for Guerrero state, with no tourist-zone exception); UK FCDO advises against all but essential travel to Guerrero state, with an exception for Zihuatanejo and Ixtapa when reached by air
Essential safety tips
Practical advice that applies everywhere.
The US State Department rates the entire state of Guerrero at Level 4: Do Not Travel (Mexico Travel Advisory, most recently updated in 2026), the advisory's highest risk category, citing crime, kidnapping, and armed robbery linked to organized criminal groups. Guerrero is grouped with only five other Mexican states at this top tier (Colima, Michoacan, Sinaloa, Tamaulipas, and Zacatecas)
Unlike some neighboring Level 4 states, the advisory for Guerrero carries no tourist-zone carve-out: US government employees may not travel anywhere in the state, including Acapulco, Taxco, Ixtapa, and Zihuatanejo, and the advisory text specifically names Acapulco, the Acapulco-Chilpancingo highway, and rural Guerrero as areas of serious concern
The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) draws a narrower distinction than the US, advising against all but essential travel to the whole state of Guerrero with an exception for Zihuatanejo and Ixtapa specifically when reached by air rather than overland; this reflects a genuine difference in how the two governments assess the coastal resort towns versus the rest of the state
US citizens and lawful permanent residents have been kidnapped in Guerrero according to State Department reporting, and incidents have occurred in areas visited by tourists as well as rural areas; this is named explicitly as a real, ongoing risk rather than a historical footnote
Fly directly into Acapulco International Airport (ACA) or Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo International Airport (ZIH) rather than arriving overland from other states; avoid road travel on the Acapulco-Chilpancingo highway and other interior routes, which the advisory names specifically
Stay within the most developed, actively used tourist areas: Acapulco's Costera hotel zone and Diamante zone, Taxco's central plaza and silver-shopping streets, and Zihuatanejo's town center and Ixtapa's hotel strip; avoid outlying neighborhoods, the Costa Chica, the Costa Grande, and the interior/mountain regions
Avoid travel after dark anywhere in the state, including within Acapulco itself; use hotel-arranged or pre-booked transport rather than hailing taxis on the street, and avoid walking beach areas at night
Register with a home country's traveler enrollment program (such as the US State Department's STEP) before visiting so the embassy or consulate can reach travelers in an emergency, and keep embassy contact details accessible offline
A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck near San Marcos, Guerrero (northeast of Acapulco) on January 2, 2026, killing two people, injuring two dozen, damaging hundreds of buildings, and triggering landslides on highways around Acapulco; travelers should confirm current road and building conditions before any 2026 trip, particularly for routes and structures outside the main hotel zones
Hurricane Otis made landfall directly at Acapulco as a Category 5 storm in October 2023, causing catastrophic damage; recovery has progressed substantially by 2025-2026 with most hotel-zone properties reopened, but some infrastructure and outlying-area rebuilding was still ongoing as of this advisory, so confirm a specific property's operating status before booking
Common scams to avoid
Recognise and sidestep tourist-targeted scams.
Overpriced or unofficial taxis at Acapulco and Zihuatanejo airports
Unregistered drivers approach arriving travelers with inflated flat fares or unmarked vehicles outside the terminal
How to avoid: Use the airport's official taxi counter (sitio autorizado) or pre-book a transfer through a hotel before arrival
Fake or unlicensed boat and fishing charter operators
Unlicensed operators along Acapulco's and Zihuatanejo's waterfronts offer sport-fishing or Isla Ixtapa boat trips at attractive prices but deliver unsafe boats, no life jackets, or no service at all
How to avoid: Book charters through an established marina operator, hotel front desk, or a company with a verifiable office and visible safety equipment
Overpriced or non-authentic silver in Taxco
Some street vendors and informal stalls sell silver-plated or low-purity metal represented as genuine sterling silver, especially near tourist entry points to town
How to avoid: Buy from established Taxco silver workshops and shops, look for the '.925' sterling stamp, and compare prices across a few reputable shops before buying
Timeshare and resort presentation pressure
Aggressive timeshare touts near Acapulco's Costera hotel zone and Ixtapa's resorts offer free excursions, meals, or discounted tours in exchange for attending a high-pressure sales presentation
How to avoid: Decline unsolicited offers of free tours or meals from street vendors near resort areas, regardless of how the offer is framed
Currency exchange shortchanging
Informal money changers near bus stations and tourist areas sometimes shortchange travelers or use rigged calculations
How to avoid: Exchange money at a licensed casa de cambio or bank in Acapulco's hotel zone, Zihuatanejo, or Ixtapa, and count change before walking away
Health considerations
Staying healthy on your trip.
- Vaccinations
- No special vaccinations are required; routine vaccines should be current, and hepatitis A/typhoid are sometimes recommended for travelers eating widely from markets and street stalls; dengue and other mosquito-borne illness risk rises in the rainy season (June-October), making mosquito precautions more important than in drier parts of Mexico
- Water
- Tap water is not safe to drink anywhere in Guerrero; use bottled or purified water, including for brushing teeth, and avoid ice from unknown sources outside established hotels and restaurants
- Food
- Street food in Acapulco, Zihuatanejo, and Taxco is generally safe from busy, high-turnover stalls; choose vendors with visible crowds and hot, freshly cooked food, and be more cautious with raw produce and unpasteurized dairy in rural areas
- Facilities
- Acapulco and Zihuatanejo have private hospitals with reasonable emergency capabilities; a hospital in Chilpancingo (Guerrero's capital) suffered major structural damage in the January 2026 earthquake and evacuated patients, illustrating that medical capacity outside the main coastal cities can be limited and can change suddenly; serious injuries in Taxco or smaller towns may require transfer to Acapulco
Safety for specific travellers
Tailored advice for different groups.
Emergency contacts
Numbers to know before you go.
- Police
- 911 (national emergency number)
- Medical
- 911
- Fire
- 911
- Tourist Assistance
- 078 (national tourist assistance hotline, operated via Mexico's tourism ministry, some English support; also used by the Angeles Verdes/Green Angels roadside assistance program)
- General Emergency
- 911 (works nationwide from any phone, including Guerrero, free of charge)
- Roadside Assistance
- 078 (Angeles Verdes/Green Angels roadside assistance for highway breakdowns, English-speaking operators)
- Main Hospital
- Hospital General de Acapulco or a private hospital in Acapulco's hotel zone; Hospital General in Zihuatanejo for the Zihuatanejo-Ixtapa area
- Embassy Us
- US Consular Agency Acapulco: +52 744 469-0556; US Citizen Services emergency line: 1-844-528-6611 from the US or +52 55 8526-2561 from Mexico
- Embassy Us Capital
- US Embassy Mexico City (main): +52 55 5080-2000
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