Manzanillo is a major tourist and sea port destination in Mexico, located in the state of Colima on the Pacific Ocean coast. Manzanillo is the largest and most important municipality within the business and tourism sectors of Colima. Manzanillo has become one of Mexico’s most important tourist resorts, and has excellent hotels and restaurants that continue to meet the standards of both national and international tourism.
Manzanillo is a great gateway to famous beaches, great restaurants, and many activities, as well as festivals. There are many things to do and see here. Manzanillo has also become world famous as a fishing destination. The city is known as a Sailfish Capital of the World.
There are two main sections of the city, El Centro or downtown, and Zona Hotelera or hotel zone. In El Centro, the most popular place to enjoy and see the sights is El Malecon, the boardwalk, which is about a mile long hugging the coast. There is also El Jardin, the garden, that makes up the town square. This is a great place to relax and see bands play in the evening after a day at the beach or shopping.
The hotel zone is about 3 miles north of Manzanillo that stretches for about 4 miles. This area is home to most major hotels as well as a variety of fine restaurants. The hotel zone has been renovated with new benches, sidewalks, big trees and plants. The street is called Blvd. Miguel de la Madrid, or Blvd. Costero.
Getting to Manzanillo
There are two ways to get to Manzanillo. Likely the cheapest way to fly is through Mexico City then taking a bus to Manzanillo.
Manzanillo also has an international airport, so you may be able to fly direct if you live in the United States or Canada but this may prove to be more expansive.
You have the option of flying to Mexico City and then look for flights to Manzanillo’s Playa de Oro International Airport (ZLO), which is located 35 miles of Manzanillo along highway 200. Or you can book direct flights from many of the major airport hubs. Aeromar and Aeromexico have daily flights.
Getting to Manzanillo by Bus:
Ask for direct bus from Mexico City to Manzanillo from following bus lines: ETN, Primera Plus, or La Linea Plus. The buses stop at each terminal so you can purchase tickets at the bus line’s desk from the terminal you arrive at.
Getting around Manzanillo
The least expensive way to get around town is either by bus or taxi. The bus system is very good with clearly marked destinations as well as frequent stops. You seldom need to wait more than 10 minutes for a bus. To get to downtown take the bus labeled “El Jardin” or “El Centro”. A bus ride will be around 10 pesos (taking into account inflation). A taxi is also relatively inexpensive but it is wise to ask the price before getting in. The average price for most destinations in the city is 50 pesos. It will be more expensive to get to the hotel zone or to and from the airport.
Make sure you always carry with you small change as most bus and taxi drivers will not have change for larger bills. Also it may be difficult to get change for even 200 peso bills in a store.
