Zihuatanejo is a fishing town on a sheltered bay on Mexico's Pacific coast, with the resort of Ixtapa just up the road.1 From La Madera you can walk to most of what's below. Walk and drive times are from Google Maps; the facts come from the sources at the bottom.
Around the bay
Playa La Madera
Gentle waves, bay-view restaurants on the sand and a walkway along the beach.1
Playa La Ropa
About 1.2 km of sand with little wave action, often called the best beach in the bay for swimming. From August to December, hotels there protect sea turtle nests and invite guests to sunset releases of the hatchlings.1
Playa Las Gatas
Across the bay, reached by water taxi. A coral reef and an old stone breakwater shelter it from the open ocean, and it's the most popular snorkelling beach in Zihuatanejo.1
Playa Principal
The town beach, next to the fishing port. Boats come and go all day, so it's better for watching the harbour than for swimming.1
The waterfront and the food
Paseo del Pescador
The tree-lined waterfront walk between the archaeology museum and the pier. Seafood restaurants, crafts, a small shell market, and lots of people out in the evening.1
Eat huachinango
Whole red snapper, cooked a la veracruzana (with tomato sauce) or al mojo de ajo (with garlic).1
Museo Arqueológico de la Costa Grande
Six rooms on the history, archaeology and culture of this stretch of the Guerrero coast.1
Mercado de Artesanías
Shell work, silver from Taxco, lacquerware from Olinalá and ceramics from Oaxaca.1
From the pier
Sport fishing
Fishing charters leave from the municipal pier. The area is known for sailfish, and the International Sailfish Tournament runs on the first weekend of May.1
Water taxi to Las Gatas
Pangas ferry people across the bay to Las Gatas from the docks.1
A little further
Ixtapa
The planned resort next door: a hotel strip about 3 km long, golf courses, shops and nightlife.1
Isla Ixtapa
Three beaches: Playa Varadero, Playa Cuachalalate and Playa Coral.3
Barra de Potosí
Palapa restaurants with fresh fish on the lagoon and the beach, lagoon tours and kayaks, and whale-watching trips in winter. More than 200 bird species have been recorded there.4
By air or by road
- Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo International Airport (ZIH)15 min driveFlights from Mexico City and from the US and Canada, some of them seasonal.1
- By road from Mexico CityAbout 6 hoursUsing the Autopista Siglo XXI through Morelia.1
Drive times from Google Maps directions (November 2026), measured from Aqua on La Madera Beach.
- Wikipedia: Zihuatanejo
- Google Maps directions from La Madera Beach, checked November 2026
- Wikipedia: Isla Ixtapa
- Wikipedia: Barra de Potosí