How safe is it to travel through Guerrero?

[Willy702]

Its the same for many states throughtout Mexico, stick to the toll roads and its fine. Get onto the smaller roads and you never know. Lots of people from CDMX still driving to Acapulco and Taxco without incident.

[KerrTown]

Originally Posted by Dorian22

Sadly enough, Guerrero is a very violent state. But it really depends on where you want to go? Places like Taxco and Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo were always safe when I lived there a few years back (In Mexico City) and we would go on weekend trips. Acapulco...it really depends.

Was invited to visit Acapulco a few years back. I had booked a "private tour" of Taxco through the hotel clerk. He said it was only 2 hours away. Turns it Taxco is 200 miles away--not 200 km like I expected--and spent the whole day on the road. Also was very close to CDMX: if I had known, I would have visited the Zócalo instead.

Just saw silver factories and the parroquia (the only zócalo I was able to visit). Only encountered checkpoints on the highway between the caverns and the toll road back to Acapulco. Didn't feel endangered since I was with a local guide. Surprisingly in Acapulco, there was a checkpoint on the highway below the Capilla de la Paz, near the overlook with Puerto Marques Bay.

Glad I was able to see Taxco because it's really off the beaten path for international tourists who usually go to big 3 resort cities of Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, and Cabo or CDMX--despite the short drive from there!

If you have enough $$$ to go to the better hotels and private beaches, then you should be fine but that money would be better spent elsewhere like Cancun or Cabo.

Prefer PV/Nuevo after that visit to Acapulco. Good scenery/weather and affordable, not too dry (like Cabo) or overgrown (like Cancún) and not boring or rowdy; just right.

Acapulco is dated and showing its age! Cancún is just too expensive--it's like a "Hawaiian vacation" for Mexicans and inflated for North Americans. And Cabo is too party and San Jose is too chill--all extremes and nothing in-between!

[malcorub16]

^^ Yes, we drove once from CDMX to Acapulco to stay a few nights back in 2013. Very few North Americans in Acapulco compared to Cabo, PV and Cancun. Seemed like it was mostly domestic tourism from Mexico City.

Naturally, Acapulco and Acapulco bay are still beautiful places but its days of glitz and glamour are behind it.

[lieqiang]

I think Acapulco is okay to visit and stay in the hotel zone, but living there wouldn't be appealing to me.

I've got a friend who's from there and still has family, he says that since gringo tourism dropped to almost nothing years ago there was just way less money in the economy. Lots of local bus routes closed, lots of crime on remaining buses, malls and shopping centers closed or mostly shuttered empty stalls, infrastructure issues that they don't have the tax revenue to address, etc.