Ixtapa and Zihuatanejo: By Car

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By Car

Driving south from Manzanillo on Carretera 200 is a gorgeous seven-hour trip on a two-lane highway that rises, falls, and twists along mostly undeveloped coast; you can take rest breaks at palapa restaurants on the beach, some of which are adjacent to small hotels. The journey takes eight or nine hours by bus. Between Mexico's capital and the coast at Zihua, the preferred route is the Carretera de Cuota (toll road). Both the Mexico City-Morelia leg and the Morelia-Zihua leg take about 3 1/2 hours, and the divided highways have snack shops and restrooms at tollbooths. The free, older route is the Autopista del Sol; it connects Zihua to Mexico City via Acapulco and takes about seven hours. The four-hour Zihua-Acapulco leg on Carretera 200 passes through small towns and coconut groves and has spectacular ocean views.

Driving in Ixtapa is a snap: the single winding road is like following Disney's Tomorrowland car route. (Even so, don't let the kids drive.) On-street parking is plentiful, and the hotels and malls have lots. Zihua is more hectic than Ixtapa, and parking is a bit harder to find. But it's still relatively hassle-free compared with Puerto Vallarta or, say, Guadalajara.