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Voykit pocket guide · Mexico
Taxco
Taxco de Alarcón
Go for one night, not a day trip: 2.5–3.5 h each way from Mexico City, and the town is best at dusk when the day buses leave.
Taxco is a silver-mining town stacked on a hillside in Guerrero, between Mexico City and Acapulco on the old toll road. Its draw is one baroque church, Santa Prisca, a compact plaza of silver shops, and steep lanes that are the sightseeing. Two nights is enough; one night works if you arrive by mid-afternoon. Most travellers come from Mexico City or Cuernavaca by bus.
- Country
- Mexico
- Local name
- Taxco de Alarcón
- Best months
- Nov–Apr (dry, cooler nights)
- Avoid
- May–Jun and Sep (heat, rain); Holy Week and Easter week (crowds, higher room rates)
- Stay
- 1–2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- MXN
- Money
- Currency is the Mexican peso (MXN, $). Cards work in hotels, chains and many restaurants; markets, street food, small shops and colectivos are cash.
- Daily spend
- Budget MXN 600–1,000 excl. bed · Mid MXN 1,000–1,800 excl. bed · High MXN 1,800+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Telcel has the widest coverage; AT&T and Movistar are cheaper in cities. SIMs sell at OXXO shops and phone stores; registration with an ID may be requested — check.
- Emergency
- All emergencies 911 · Tourist assistance 078
- Plugs
- Types A, B · 127 V · 60 Hz · US plugs fit; many older sockets have no earth pin.
- Tipping
- Restaurants: 10–15%; check the bill for an included 'servicio'.; Bars: MXN 10–20 per drink or 10%.; Petrol station attendants: MXN 10–20; more for windscreen and tyres.; Guides and drivers: 10% or MXN 200–400 a day.; Supermarket baggers (often older volunteers): MXN 5–10.
- Water
- Not drinkable from the tap; garrafón (20-litre jugs) and filtered water in hotels.
- Toilets
- Put paper in the bin, not the toilet, in most places; public toilets charge MXN 5–10.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | MXN 30–60 |
| Pozole (red or green on Thursdays) | MXN 80–150 |
| Beer: bottle in a bar / can at a shop | MXN 40–70 / MXN 20–35 |
| 3 km (1.9 mi) taxi1.9 mi (3 km) taxi | MXN 50–90 |
| Museum entry (Spratling, Casa Borda) | MXN 45–80 |
| Pre-Hispanic mine tour | about MXN 150 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | MXN 200–400 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- MEX · Mexico City Benito Juárez
- Bus from Taxqueña terminal, 2.5–3.5 h; no airport in Taxco
- ACA · Acapulco
- About 3.5–4 h by road; useful if combining the coast
Typical fares
- Bus Mexico City (Taxqueña) → Taxco
- about MXN 300, 2.5–3.5 h
- Taxi across the centre
- MXN 50–90
- Teleférico to Monte Taxco
- about MXN 100
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
Walk. The centre is a 10–20 min uphill walk from the bus stops, and lanes are too narrow for much traffic. Beetle taxis and combis cover short hops; agree the fare before you get in. The teleférico runs from the lower town up to Monte Taxco — check operating days before you count on it.
See and do
Known for
- Santa Prisca cathedral
- Silver shops and workshops
- Steep cobbled lanes
- Holy Week processions
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Grutas de Cacahuamilpa | Taxi or tour from Taxco, about 30 km (19 mi)Taxi or tour from Taxco, about 19 mi (30 km) | About 1 h each way |
| Iguala | Bus or taxi south on Hwy 95, about 35 km (22 mi)Bus or taxi south on Hwy 95, about 22 mi (35 km) | About 1 h |
| Cuernavaca | Bus north on Hwy 95, about 1.5 h | About 2 h |
| Acapulco | Bus south, about 3.5–4 h | About 4 h |
Sleep
- Centro / around Plaza Borda
- Walk to Santa Prisca, silver shops and restaurants; noise from bars and church bells at night.
- Zócalo / Plazuela side
- Slightly quieter, still walkable uphill to the plaza in 5–10 min.
- Lower town along De los Plateros
- Where the buses stop; cheaper rooms, but every walk into the centre is uphill.
- Monte Taxco (hilltop)
- Cable-car hotel with views; you depend on the teleférico or a taxi for everything.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Excuse me / Sorry | Disculpe / Perdóndees-KOOL-peh |
| Thank you | GraciasGRAH-syahs |
| How much is it? | ¿Cuánto cuesta?KWAHN-toh KWES-tah |
| Can I pay by card? | ¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta?PWEH-doh pah-GAR kon tar-HEH-tah |
| Is this real silver? | ¿Es plata de ley?es PLAH-tah deh lay |
| Where is the toilet? | ¿Dónde está el baño?DON-deh es-TAH el BAH-nyoh |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake; a kiss on the right cheek among friends; avoid: Skipping 'buenos días' when entering a shop
- Punctuality: Be on time for tours and buses; avoid: Expecting social events to start on time
- Talking: Warm small talk, family, food, football; avoid: Jokes about cartels, the wall or migration
- Churches: Covered shoulders, quiet; avoid: Photos during mass
- Dining: Say 'provecho' to other diners when leaving; avoid: Rushing the waiter
Scams and watch-outs
- Streets are steep, cobbled and uneven: wear shoes with grip, not sandals.
- Altitude is about 1,750 m — pace the first afternoon if you came from sea level.
- Vendors in the plaza are persistent; a polite "no, gracias" and no eye contact works.
- Buy silver from shops with a posted 925 stamp and a receipt; street "silver" may not be silver.
- Holy Week fills every room in town — book weeks ahead or avoid those dates.
- The last buses out leave in the evening; check the day's last departure when you arrive.
Taxco is a small tourist town and the centre is busy and well lit; the usual cautions apply — use registered taxis at night, keep to the centre after dark, and check current Guerrero state travel advice before you go.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Taxco yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Santa Prisca cathedral
- Silver shops and workshops
- Steep cobbled lanes
- Holy Week processions
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Visit México — Guerrero: www.visitmexico.com/en/guerrero
- ADO bus lines: www.ado.com.mx
- Wikivoyage: Taxco, revision 5337143 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5337143
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
TaxcoTaxco de Alarcón
A esta dirección, por favor
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassy in Taxco; the US embassy and most others are in Mexico City. Consular agencies: check before you travel.
Cash is king in the market and for taxis; carry small notes.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/taxco). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.