Zihuatanejo Old Town & the Pier

The fishing village that didn’t get over-developed

Zihuatanejo is the original Pacific fishing village that the planned resort zone of Ixtapa was built next to in the 1970s. While Ixtapa was master-planned as a tourism corridor (eight high-rise hotels along Playa el Palmar), Zihuatanejo was deliberately left alone — and 50 years later, it’s still a working fishing town with cobblestone streets, colorful houses, a small central plaza, and a fleet of pangas that goes out at dawn and comes back with the day’s catch around 9 AM.

For Krystal Ixtapa guests, downtown Zihuatanejo is a 10-minute taxi ride east ($5-7) or a 20-minute scenic drive along the coast road. It’s the cultural anchor of the entire region — every visitor staying at any Ixtapa resort should plan at least one half-day in Zihua, and many travelers find themselves coming back two or three times during a week-long stay.

What’s actually in old town

The Pier (Muelle Municipal). The 200-meter concrete pier in the center of town is where the morning fishing fleet returns and where the pangas (water taxis) for Playa Las Gatas depart. Walking the pier in the early morning (7-9 AM) shows you the actual working fishing economy — boats unloading, fish being weighed, market buyers haggling. It’s the most authentic 30 minutes you’ll spend in the region.

Playa La Madera and Playa Principal. The two downtown beaches that frame the pier. Playa Principal is the smaller, calmer one right at the foot of the pier (good for kids, full of working pangas in the morning). Playa La Madera is the longer beach immediately east — better for swimming, with a few palapa restaurants on the sand.

El Mercado (the daily market). Two blocks inland from the pier, on calle 5 de Mayo. Working market with produce, fish, household goods, and the local food stalls upstairs that serve breakfast and lunch to the locals. Best breakfast in town is the chilaquiles or huevos rancheros at any of the upstairs comedores — $4-6 per plate, clean operation, mostly Mexican clientele.

The Plaza del Pescador (Fisherman’s Plaza). The small central square one block inland from the pier. Bronze sculpture of a fisherman, benches under shade trees, a small Catholic church, and a slow pace that’s the antidote to anything resort. Sunday afternoons sometimes have local musicians playing on the plaza.

The Museum of Archaeology of the Costa Grande. Small but worthwhile. Pre-Columbian artifacts from the Costa Grande coast — pottery, jade, stone tools from the Cuitlateca and Tarascan civilizations that lived here before Spanish arrival. Two blocks east of the plaza. About $3 entry.

Cobblestone streets. Most of old town is walking-only — the streets are narrow and often pedestrianized. Plan to walk; taxis stop at the edges of old town and you go in on foot.

The food in old town

Zihuatanejo’s old town has a better food scene than Ixtapa proper — this is where the locals eat, and the prices reflect it. Notable spots:

Casa Aurora (calle Adelita) — sit-down lunch, regional Costa Grande cuisine, the tiritas de pescado (raw fish strips in lime, chili, and onion — Costa Grande’s regional ceviche variant) is the signature dish.

La Sirena Gorda (calle Paseo del Pescador) — beachfront sit-down dinner, fresh seafood, sunset views over the bay.

El Patio (Plaza del Pescador) — casual lunch, traditional Mexican, bug-priced for the location.

Daniel’s (calle Adelita) — French-Mexican fusion, established 1990s, the upscale dinner pick. Reservations recommended.

The Friday Tianguis (street market) — Friday evening (4-9 PM) the streets near the plaza fill with food vendors, artisans, and live music. The single best evening of the week to be in old town.

When to go

Morning (7-10 AM) — The fishing fleet returns. The market is busiest. The best breakfast and the most authentic version of the town. Hot but not punishing yet.

Mid-day (10 AM-3 PM) — Hot, quieter at the working fish parts, busier in the tourist sections. Cruise day-trippers don’t typically reach Zihua in volume (cruise ships don’t usually dock here — they go to Ixtapa or Acapulco), so the cruise effect is less than other Mexican Pacific towns.

Evening (5-9 PM) — The dinner window. Restaurants fill, the plaza comes alive, sunset over the bay from any waterfront spot. Sunday and Friday evenings are best for ambient atmosphere; weekends get a small uptick from regional Mexican tourism.

Friday Tianguis (4-9 PM) — The single best evening to be in old town. Plan around it if your trip overlaps a Friday.

How to get to old town from your resort

• From Krystal Ixtapa: 10-minute taxi ride east ($5-7), or 20-minute scenic drive along the coast road. Bus along Federal 200 also works (~12-15 pesos) but slower.
• By bus: Local Sitio buses run between Ixtapa hotel zone and Zihua centro every 10-15 minutes from 6 AM to 10 PM. The cheapest option, and the same one the locals use.
• Walking: Not realistic — about 8 km between the resorts and old town.

The old town itself is fully walkable once you arrive. Most points of interest are within 4-5 blocks of the pier.