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    Playa Barra de Potosí, Playa Blanca, Guerrero

    Photo by Jim Grandy, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Playa Blanca

    Beach Zihuatanejo de Azueta, Guerrero Municipality of Zihuatanejo de Azueta Costa Grande of Guerrero

    Southern half of the long Bahía de Potosí beach by Zihuatanejo airport: open surf, palm-roofed seafood shacks and the Barra de Potosí lagoon at its end.

    From Zihuatanejo: about 15 min by road (~15 km) How to get there ↓

    Near here

    See everything nearby ↓

    Plan your visit to Playa Blanca

    Where to stay near Playa Blanca

    Compare hotels, posadas and guest houses in Playa Blanca.

    Hotels in Playa Blanca Houses on Vrbo

    Tours to Playa Blanca

    Day trips and guided outings from Zihuatanejo often include Playa Blanca; with a local guide you can get there without a car.

    Turtle Release Playa Blanca ★ 4.8 (52) · From US$90
    Find tours on Viator GetYourGuide

    How to get to Playa Blanca

    • From Zihuatanejo: about 15 min by road (~15 km)
    • Nearest airport: Zihuatanejo (ZIH), 12 min by car to Zihuatanejo
    Rent a car at ZIH Flights to ZIH

    Route, map and directions ↓

    Links open a partner site. We may earn a commission if you book, at no cost to you.

    Popular tours to Playa Blanca

    Turtle Release Playa Blanca ★ 4.8 (52) 3 h 30 min From US$90

    Tours, prices and ratings from Viator, checked weekly. We may earn a commission if you book.

    About Playa Blanca

    Playa Blanca is the southern half of the very long sweep of sand around Bahía de Potosí, southeast of Zihuatanejo: 13.2 kilometres of unbroken shore whose northern half is called Playa Larga and whose southern tip ends at Barra de Potosí. The Playa Blanca stretch sits right beside Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo International Airport, about five minutes' drive from the terminal, and it also gives its name to a small locality of Zihuatanejo de Azueta municipality, the cluster of homes and villas that has grown up behind the beach.

    This is an open-ocean beach, long and rarely crowded, lined with private houses and holiday rentals and a few enramadas, the palm-roofed seafood restaurants where you eat fish and nap in a hammock. Waves can be big, and every beach facing the open Pacific around here can have dangerous waves and strong undertow; for easy swimming, Zihuatanejo's sheltered bay or the coves of Isla Ixtapa are the better bet. Here the point is to walk for miles along the waterline and stay for the sunset.

    At the southern end lies Barra de Potosí, a fishing village beside a large lagoon where boat tours are cheap. Endangered white pelicans, roseate spoonbills and great blue herons can still be seen on the lagoon, and the Cerro de Guamilule viewpoint is close by. Further north in the same bay rise the Morros de Potosí, rocky islets whitened by seabird guano.

    There are almost no shops nearby, so bring water, food and whatever else you need for the day. Most visitors stay in Zihuatanejo or Ixtapa and come out by car or taxi.

    How to get to Playa Blanca

    Playa Blanca is a 20-minute drive from Zihuatanejo, 19 km by road: take federal highway 200 towards Acapulco and, just before the airport entrance, turn right onto the paved road down to the beach. Barra de Potosí, at the southern end, can be reached along the same coast road or from the mostly paved turn-off at Los Achotes, also on highway 200.

    No public transport runs to the beach itself. Shared vans (urvans) leave central Zihuatanejo for the airport (21 pesos) and Los Achotes (28 pesos); a taxi from the centre to the airport costs about 250 pesos, and there is no official fare to Barra de Potosí, so agree the price before you get in. Local taxis cannot pick up passengers on airport grounds.

    From Mexico City, buses leave the Terminal del Sur (Taxqueña) for Zihuatanejo's bus station with Estrella de Oro, Costa Line and Senda, taking about 10 to 11 hours; by car it is about 620 km via Toluca, Morelia and Uruapan. Aeroméxico, Viva Aerobus and Volaris fly to Zihuatanejo's airport, a few minutes from the beach. The US State Department advises against all travel to Guerrero; travel by day and ask about local conditions before you go.

    Directions to Playa Blanca on Google Maps

    Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.

    Where to stay Hotels in Playa Blanca Compare hotels, posadas and guest houses in Playa Blanca. See prices →

    Links open a partner site. We may earn a commission if you book, at no cost to you.

    From the nearest cities to Playa Blanca

    • Zihuatanejo · about 15 km by road, ~15 min
    • Lázaro Cárdenas · about 115 km by road, ~1 h 45 min
    • Acapulco · about 240 km by road, ~3 h 30 min

    Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic or stops. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.

    Before you go to Playa Blanca: hours, prices and tips

    What to bring
    There are almost no shops nearby: bring water, food and what you need for the day. Beach Atlas · checked Oct 2026
    Rules
    Open ocean: there can be dangerous waves and strong undertow; Zihuatanejo's bay or Isla Ixtapa are safer for swimming. Zihuatanejo.net · checked Oct 2026

    Hours and prices change, especially around holidays. Each fact links to where we checked it.

    Visiting Playa Blanca: what to see and do

    A long walk along the Bahía de Potosí shoreline, from Playa Blanca towards Playa Larga or the lagoon mouth.
    Sunsets over the open Pacific.
    Fresh fish at an enramada with hammocks.
    Barra de Potosí and its lagoon, with boat trips among white pelicans, roseate spoonbills and herons.
    The Cerro de Guamilule viewpoint near the lagoon.
    The Morros de Potosí, guano-covered rock islets in the same bay.

    Plan your trip

    Places to stay in Playa Blanca

    Compare hotels, posadas, and rentals in and around Playa Blanca.

    See them all on Expedia Booking.com
    Vacation rentals on Vrbo Airbnb

    Tours & activities

    Day trips and guided outings from Zihuatanejo often include Playa Blanca; with a local guide you can get there without a car.

    Viator GetYourGuide

    Rental cars

    Pick up a car at ZIH (Zihuatanejo): about 12 min by road to Zihuatanejo, then 13 km more to Playa Blanca, on your own schedule.

    EconomyBookings Discover Cars

    Flights

    The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Zihuatanejo (ZIH), about 12 min by road from Zihuatanejo, the base for Playa Blanca.

    Kiwi.com

    Travel insurance

    If you plan on swimming or surfing at Playa Blanca, check that your policy covers it: some plans leave adventure activities out.

    SafetyWing

    Mobile data

    Signal can drop away from Zihuatanejo: download a map of the way to Playa Blanca before you set out, or carry an eSIM with data.

    Airalo

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    When to go to Playa Blanca warm

    Playa Blanca shares the climate of Zihuatanejo, 13 km away. The best months to visit are January, February, March, and April.

    Playa Blanca is best for swimming and time on the water in the warmest months (May, July, and August); in the rainiest ones (August, September, and October) expect storms in the afternoon.

    See the month-by-month climate of Zihuatanejo

    The closest Pueblo Mágico: Zihuatanejo

    Boats anchored in the turquoise bay of Zihuatanejo below green hills, Guerrero warm
    Guerrero Zihuatanejo

    Zihuatanejo is the Pueblo Mágico closest to Playa Blanca, with places to stay, food, and more to see.

    Closest to Playa Blanca

    Near Playa Blanca

    Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.

    Lists with Playa Blanca

    Beaches in Guerrero · 19 Beaches near Zihuatanejo · 12

    Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.