Acapulco

Introduction

Acapulco (website in Spanish) is a major port city and beach holiday destination on the southern coastline of Mexico, in the state of Guerrero. Long before Cancun took over its place, Acapulco was the party city in the country with bars open 24 hours and with kilometres of white stunning beaches around Bahía de Acapulco. It has lost a little of its magical sound (not in the least because of traffic, polution, crime and poverty) but is still a major port of call for large cruiseships doing trips along the Pacific coastline of North America.

Sights and Activities

• La Quebrada Cliff Divers - since 1934 cliff divers make performances at the Quebrada.
• Zocalo - the town square.
• Isla de la Roqueta - get here by water taxi.
• Beaches in and near Acapulco - if you want to have some quieter areas go to Puerto Marquez.

Events and Festivals

Day of the Dead

Although the Day of the Dead is also celebrated in many Latin American countries except Mexico (and also in parts of Europe, Asia and Africa), the Day of the Dead (Spanish: Día de los Muertos) is most intensily celebrated in Mexciowhere where it is equal to a National Holiday. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. The celebration takes place on November 1st and 2nd, in connection with the Catholic holidays of All Saints' Day (November 1) and All Souls' Day (November 2). Traditions connected with the holiday include building private altars honoring the deceased using sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed and visiting graves with these as gifts. Although it is about the Dead, it is also a celebration where eating and partying both are common as well.

Weather

Acapulco has a hot and humid climate with temperatures during the day between 31 and 35 degrees Celsius most of the year, the summermonths of May to October being a little warmer compared to the better wintermonths from December to March when it's also very dry and sunny and nights are significantly cooler as well. This is obviously the best time for a visit, as you will avoid the possibility of hurricanes and heavy rainshowers. It's more crowded though and prices are higher. November and May are good times for a visit, when you want to avoid crowds and still want to have decent weather.

Getting There

By Plane

Acapulco International Airport has flights to/from major cities in Mexico, the USA and Canada and even an occasional charter flight to the UK. Destinations include Mexico City, Houston, Guadalajara, Tijuana, Dallas, Chicago, Montreal, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Phoenix and Toronto.

By Car

You can travel by car along the Autopista in about 3,5 hours to Mexico City. You can rent cars from quite a few international and local companies, both downtown and at the airport.

By Bus

Regular bus services go to many large cities in the country, including Mexico City.

By Boat

There are no regular passenger services, but cruiseliners and cargoships stop here regularly so check if they have a berth for you to take you anywhere else along the Pacific coastline between San Francisco and Panama.

Sleep

Budget

Keep Connected

Internet

Internet cafe's are widely available and you generally can find one in the direct vicinity. Sometimes photocopy stores or photo processing stores will double as an internet cafe with a couple of computers. Look for signs reading "Acceso a Internet" or "Cibernautica" or "Cibercafe". Charges range from approx. US$1 an hour to US$3 an hour, depending on the location.

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls

Phone cards can be purchased anywhere and are needed for the majority of public phones. To call any number outside your region you have to dial 01 then followed by the area code. If calling a cellphone from a normal phone start with with 044. If calling cellphone to cellphone just dial the 10-digit number. To make an international call dial 00 followed by the country code then the local number. To call to Mexico, also dial 00 (most of the times) followed by the national code 52.

Post

The Mexican postal service is operated by Correos de México. The post service in Mexico is pretty good although not very cheap. It is reliable regarding the sending of postcards, but it takes at least a week to send it to other countries (US/Canada), more so if you send it to Europe or Australia. For packages it is better to use international services like FedEx or UPS. If you are sending a package internationally with the Mexican postal service, take the package OPEN to the post office, they may want to inspect it. Seal it up at the post office. Post offices typically open from 8:00am to 6:00pm Monday to Friday, and 9:00am to 1:00pm Saturday. You will find post offices (Oficina de Correos) is almost any town or city in Mexico. To buy stamps it is best to go to the post office, although you can also get them at stamp machines, located outside the post offices, at bus stations, airports and some commercial establishments.