Car Rental
Many major car rental companies have offices in the Acapulco airport and area.  Acapulco car rentals can be easily arranged for you by the Villas Caribe concierge service. A valid United States driver’s license is all the documentation needed in order to rent a car in Mexico.  Driving at night is highly discouraged in Acapulco.  Unless you plan on exploring outlying areas, you're better off taking taxis or using the easy and inexpensive public buses around Acapulco.

Taxi       
Taxis are more plentiful than tacos in Acapulco -- and practically as inexpensive, if you're traveling in the downtown area only. Just remember that you should always establish the price with the driver before starting out.  Nighttime taxi rides usually cost extra. Taxis are also more expensive if you're staying in the Diamante section or south. The minimum fare is $2 per ride for a roving VW Bug-style taxi in town; the fare from Puerto Marqués is $10 into downtown. Sitio taxis are nicer cars, but more expensive, with a minimum fare of $4.  The fashion among Acapulco taxis is flashy, with Las Vegas-style lights -- the more colorful and pulsating, the better.

Public Bus
 
Even though the city has a confusing street layout, using city buses is amazingly easy and inexpensive. Two kinds of buses run along the Costera: pastel color-coded buses and regular "school buses." The difference is the price: New air-conditioned tourist buses (Aca Tur Bus) are 50¢; old buses, 35¢. Covered bus stops are all along the Costera, with handy maps on the walls showing routes to major sights.
The best place near the zócalo to catch a bus is next to Sanborn's, 2 blocks east. CALETA DIRECTO or BASE-CALETA buses will take you to the Hornos, Caleta, and Caletilla beaches along the Costera. Some buses return along the same route; others go around the peninsula and return to the Costera. For expeditions to more distant destinations, there are buses to Puerto Marqués to the east (marked PUERTO MARQUES-BASE) and Pie de la Cuesta to the west (marked ZOCALO-PIE DE LA CUESTA). Be sure to verify the time and place of the last bus back if you hop on one of these.

Driving
Driving is on the right side in Acapulco

City Layout
           
Acapulco stretches more than 6km (4 miles) around the huge bay, so trying to take it all in by foot is impractical. The tourist areas are roughly divided into three sections: On the western end of the bay is Old Acapulco (Acapulco Viejo), the original town that attracted the jet-setters of the 1950s and 1960s -- and today it looks as if it's still locked in that era, though a renaissance is slowly getting under way. The second section, in the center of the bay, is the Hotel Zone (Zona Hotelera); it follows the main boulevard, Costera Miguel Alemán (or just "the Costera"), as it runs east along the bay from downtown. Towering hotels, restaurants, shopping centers, and strips of open-air beach bars line the street. At the far eastern end of the Costera lie the golf course and the International Center (a convention center).