Ixtapan de la Sal hails from the early ages of post-war car-trip family vacations. It\'s one of the original mid-20th century Mexico City getaways and has gone through a few different periods of abandonment and eventual re-discovery and renewal. Today, it\'s reborn, and posh, but not that exceptionally exclusive kind of posh.
The best hotels in the north of town are today affordable and competing directly with a whole mix of smaller guest houses, vacation rentals, and independent stays. All of these people are coming for the celebrated salt springs, and for the over all vibe. But to the south is a decidedly older and more traditional town.
Strollers take to the municipal market and the central garden area where the fountains prove cooling in the later afternoon and into the evening. The town center is not too big to be walked and given over more than ever to pedestrians, rather than to their cars. And for that, it is still a good place to leave the car behind entirely.
Travelers from Mexico City will depart from the Observatorio/Poniente bus station. The Flecha Roja line runs a bus about every two hours and the trip takes just under two hours. Visitors are just as likely to arrive from Taxco, Toluca, or Cuernavaca which are each about an hour away.
Travelers will also often combine a trip to Tonatico, another Pueblo Magico and spa town, just a few minutes to the south.
