The main plaza of old Acapulco, formally Plaza Álvarez, is shaded by mature laurel trees and ringed by cafes with plastic chairs spilling onto the pavement. The white-painted Cathedral of Our Lady of Solitude stands on one side, its distinctive yellow-tiled onion domes looking more like something from Moscow than Mexico.
After dark, mariachi bands set up around the square and the atmosphere shifts from daytime bustle to evening strolling. This is the heart of the old town -- grittier and more real than the hotel strip along Costera Miguel Alemán, and a good place to eat cheaply at one of the surrounding taco stands. The Fuerte de San Diego, Acapulco's colonial-era fort turned museum, is a short walk south.