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Puerto Vallarta is a city and popular vacation resort on the Pacific Coast of Mexico.

Around the Bay, beautiful beaches, lush jungles and sparkling waterfalls offer many opportunities for the adventurous, while five star resorts, world-class shopping and gourmet restaurants satisfy even the most sophisticated traveler. Stretching from the south end of Old Town to central downtown, a newly extended and refurbished boardwalk along the ocean, called the Malecon, passes by any number of shops, restaurants, and hotels, and often plays host to mimes, breakdancers, clowns and artists.

The residents of Puerto Vallarta are very friendly and generally willing to help with directions and other requests. Old TownVallarta (or the Zona Romantica district) south of the River Cuale is more like a Mexican town and less like a tourist trap.

English is widely spoken, and as a tourist destination prices are higher than many other places in Mexico. Puerto Vallarta is very crowded at holiday times, if planning a visit to Mexico that coincides with a major holiday consider opting to visit Mexico City or Guadalajara instead. The cities empty out as Mexicans and tourists alike flood to the beaches.

Puerto Vallarta - Getting There

By plane

Gustavo Diaz Ordaz International Airport (IATA: PVR) is located just to the North of Puerto Vallarta proper, and just south of Nuevo Vallarta. Most major US airlines serve the airport along with Aeromexico. It has been recently remodeled, though waits can still occur when more than two flights have landed. Note that the arrival area is plagued by timeshare hucksters. They will offer to arrange a cab for you and try to rope you into a timeshare sales presentation. After you clear customs, walk quickly through the next room - the one housing the hucksters - continue walking past the rope-line. Now look for the official taxi kiosk out in the main airport atrium. You purchase your taxi trip here. All other offers of cab rides you will receive between customs and the kiosk will be from timeshare hucksters. Ignore every one of them. The bad experience of those taken in can ruin one's first hours in PVR, and that would be a shame. Or hire private transportation.

If you've packed lightly you can take the city buses into town. Continue straight ahead as you exit the arrivals area and exit the doors in front of you. The bus stop is to your left, under the pedestrian overpass (1/4 block from the airport door). Wait for a bus (5 minutes or so) marked Centro (but NOT marked Pitillal or Bobadilla), wave it down, pay your M$6.50 pesos, and enjoy the ride. The bus stops all throughout the town. It takes about 20 to 30 minutes for the bus to get to its farthest southerly stop. You've just saved $20! You don't need exact change for the bus. Drivers will make change for bills $50.00 pesos & smaller.

By private transportation

If you are visiting Puerto Vallarta, you should consider private pre-arranged transportation directly from your airport to your hotel. This transportation can be arranged by contacting a company by phone, or booking online.

By car

There are modern, well maintained toll roads all the way from the border, other roads are not as well maintained, but are still suitable for the drive. See also driving in Mexico for further tips regarding driving in Mexico

By boat

There are many party boats that leave the coast from the Marina for day trips. Some stop at various beaches. You are even able to go horsebackriding up to a waterfall at one beach south of Puerto Vallarta. Major cruise ships loaded with thousands of tourists from the states as well as Europe dock in the city's main port typically spending there an entire day.

By bus

The main bus station is north of town, past the airport.

Luxury line Primera Plus [2] runs many buses from Guadalajara (also stopping at the western Zapopin terminal). If you are traveling in a peak holiday period booking ahead is not essential the bus companies will schedule extra buses.

Second class buses run from coastal towns throughout the riviera Nayarit such as San Blas.

To catch a local bus into town, exit the bus station and keep walking across the parking area. Then walk to your right toward the corner. The city buses will stop here. Any bus you pick up here will take you all the way down to the "Romantic Zone", about a half an hour drive, for just M$5.50! Although not really known to tourists, the buses are one of the best ways to mingle with the locals, as well as getting a nice view of town.

It is possible to walk between the airport and the bus station, however catching a city bus is a cheap and reliable option.

Puerto Vallarta - Getting Around

By taxi

Hotels may provide a price list for cabs (expect to pay about 50 pesos for short trips, and 200 for longer trips). Hotels will also offer (expensive) transport from airport to hotel., but it is much better to take a taxi. If you've booked with a travel agency, they will most likely provide you with transportation to and from the airport. Be prepared for fast speeds, as the cab drivers have schedules to adhere to. Many of the cabs do not have working seatbelts or speedometers as well. Taxi drivers tend to gather at the intersection close to the liquor outlet in the Centro District. They are friendly and you can negotiate trips outside of Puerto Vallarta at a very reasonable cost on slow days. They will wait for you while you dine or shop as well as photograph you and your mates. Include a small tip with the very reasonable fare.

Tip: From the airport, there are two types of taxis available to get you to where you are going. The white federal taxis are available immediately upon exiting the airport but are more expensive. Cross the pedestrian bridge over the highway for the cheaper yellow taxis that are more common in other parts of the city.

By bus

• Local trips

Bus trips cost around 6.00 pesos, which is about 50 US cents (0.35 Euro) that you pay to the bus driver when you get in and every ride is good for as long as you have to stay on... the whole city if you'd like. It is easy to find a bus stop. You will see large amounts of people loitering on the sidewalk. If you wait a few minutes, a bus will stop as they run quite frequently. Look for your travel location on the bus windshield. Buses stop almost every five to ten blocks and at peak hours tend to get very full & can get very hot, so be ready for that. If you are a man, be ready to give up your seat to women if the bus becomes crowded. Bus drivers will make change for any amount up to 50.00 pesos, but won't break larger bills. (these prices updated August 2010)

The buses are very reliable quite handy to get to places like Pitillal (the rapidly growing suburb to the NE) and Ixtapa (including the nearby U of Guadalajara campus with its gallery and crocodile farm). They are also useful for travelling from the hotel zone and marina area to the downtown or old-town areas. Any bus marked Centro will pass through both. Buses marked Tunel will skip downtown and head directly to the old-town / zona romantica via the tunnel bypass.

• Out of town trips

You can visit Bucerias for 12 pesos, $.85. You can also go to Punta Mita for 20 pesos, $1.50. Mismaloya buses charge around 6 pesos. There are also larger buses that can take you to Guadalajara, which is about a 5-hour trip.

You can catch buses for Mismaloya along Basilio Badillo on the corner just West of where you see them lined up.

The easiest way to catch a bus to Bucerias, Punta Mita or points in between is to catch a city bus to Wal-Mart/Sams. Walk along the main road to the northernmost bus shelters in front of Wal-Mart. The buses to Bucerias leave from here.

If you want to catch a bus south to Barra de Navidad or any of the towns south to Costa Allagre, you can catch the bus at the corner of [Dieguez & Aguacate][3] at the south end of town. Busses leave at 6am & 9am. Look for the blue bust stop sign. You will have to pay the driver in Peso's (fares vary on distance). Just tell the driver where or when you want to get off the bus. Most busses make frequent stops but have A/C. Regional busses are very reliable & run 7 days per week.

Puerto Vallarta - Activities

Tours and Activities

• Puerto Vallarta Tours and Activities [5] - Established in 2003 we offer Tours and activities in Puerto Vallarta, Punta Mita and more. Located in Conchas Chinas 104a Sainta Barbara Calle tours include Whale Watching, Zipline, Pirate Cruise, Sunset cruise, Booze Cruise and more. This is the official website for Amigo tours Vallarta. 1.877.404.5958

Golfing

• La Marina Vallarta Golf Course-Have to have good accuracy for this one due to narrow fairways that are guarded by water
• Los Flamingos Golf Course-Known as one of the easiest to play
• The Mayan Palace Nuevo Vallarta Golf Club, 18-hole par 71 course designed by Jim Lipe. Address: Paseo de las Moras S/N, Fraccionamiento Náutico Turístico, Nuevo Vallarta, Nayarit, Mexico 63735, [6]. Fun course with many obstacles is on the spectacular beaches of Vallarta between the Sierra Madre mountains and the Bahia de Banderas bay. The Vallarta course offers interesting competitive advantages and challenges to golf lovers for the vast fairways appear to be the easy part but the lakes complicate the game for the most expert golfers.
• El Tigre Golf Club-Long course with many traps and water
• Vista Vallarta-Hosted the 2002 EMC World Cup Championship

• Vallarta Discovery, [7]. Offers an excellent selection of Puerto Vallarta tours including dolphin encounters, whale watching from mid-December to the end of March, sea lion encounters, scuba diving, snorkeling and speedboats. They can also arrange 4x4 MB Unimog and mule bring you 2200ft above sea level deep into the sub-tropical forest of the Sierra Madre mountains. You make your way back by ziplining from canyon to canyon, rappelling down waterfalls, crossing jungle bridges and splashing through streams and natural river pools, or arrange a canopy tour including ziplining from tree-top to tree-top, crossing hanging bridges, a tarzan swing and rappeling from 90ft (30m) above forest floor.

Scuba Diving

• Puerto Vallarta is one of Mexico's top dive destinations. There are many rental shops along the beaches.

Snorkeling

• The most popular snorkeling areas are Los Arcos underwater caves and Marietas Islands caverns. Vallarta Adventures snorkeling trips combine an extraordinary day of sun, fun, and adventure with just the right mixture of entertainment, learning and challenge, while snorkeling, sea kayaking, and exploring the tropical ecosystems on the secluded islands and beach hideaways that surround beautiful Banderas Bay.

Explore the Sierra Madre

• The Mexican Outback in the states of Jalisco and Nayarit offers an opportunity of discovery and adventure: A culturally and ecologically trained guide can take you into authentic Mexican villages and through the sub-tropical forest with its extraordinary ecology and wildlife. Vallarta Adventures´ Sierra Madre Expedition takes you in specially designed Mercedes Benz all-terrain vehicles on an off-road voyage of discovery, past forgotten villages into the heart of the Sierra Madre.

Canopy Tour / Zip lines

• Puerto Vallarta is well known for its canopy and zip line tours. Experience the exhilarating rush as you fly over the tree tops, securely fastened, from platform to platform.

Puerto Vallarta Atv Tours and Activities

• Puerto Vallarta Atv Tours and Activities [8] - Established in 2007 we offer ATV Tours and activities in Puerto Vallarta, Punta Mita and more. Located in puerto vallarta in the Romantic section . This is the official website for Unique Atv Tours. 1.866.391.6901

Sailing

• Banderas Bay is the second largest bay in North America, behind Hudson Bay. The deep, calm waters offer a very rich biodiversity, stunning beauty, romantic sunsets and relaxed sailing. Vallarta Adventures offers Day Sailing, Sunset Sailing, Sailing with Whales and Private Charters.

Kitesurfing

• Kitesurfing is becoming more and more popular in Banderas Bay. Especially in Bucerias, a fishing village north of Nuevo Vallarta, you can see up to 30 people kitesurfing on a Sunday when the wind is good. The calm waters of Banderas Bay, the extended shoreline and the fact that it´s not too crowded with kitesurfers (yet) make it an excellent place to take lessons, for example from Jamison Smith [9], an IKO Level 2 Senior Certified International Kiteboarding Instructor. The season is from February until May.

Parasailing

• You are able to parasail at pretty much every beach. The sky high trip usually last around 15 min.

Jet Skiing

• Jet skis can be rented at most beaches by the hour.

Fishing

• Banderas Bay is home to annual Puerto Vallarta International Fishing Tournament held since 1956. Fish types include sailfish, dorado, marlin, bonita and yellowfin tuna, roostertail, jack cravel, pargo, red snapper and more denizens of the deep, black, blue and striped marlin.
  • ProFishingVallarta Sport Fishing in Puerto Vallarta [10] - Offers fishing charter services throughout the whole year in Puerto Vallarta Mexico

Horseback Riding

• There are many ranches in town that offer horseback Riding into small villages and through the forests. They can last from a few hours to a few days.

Turtle-Watching & Repatriation

• Some tour companies offer educational programs combined with hands-on activities to help save Mexico’s turtles. After the female turtles lay their eggs in nests they create in the sand, volunteers dig up the eggs and re-bury them somewhere safe from predators. After about 45 to 60 days, the eggs hatch. Without help, only about 1 in every 1,000 baby turtles will survive to adulthood because most are caught by predators before they make it back to the safety of the ocean. However, turtle repatriation volunteers keep the babies safe until it is time to set them free to head for the ocean (at night when predators are less active). You can be part of these programs.

• Puerto Vallarta Atv Tours [11] - Puerto Vallarta Atv Tours provides funfilled Atv Tours in Rio Cuale, Quimixto, Puerto Vallarta and the surrounding areas..Located in the Romantic zone Calle San pedro C5a.

Hiking

• You will be hard-pressed to find information about simple hiking excursions, because no one makes much money from hikers while they are hiking.

So you must research this ahead of time if you wish to hike. However, one short and interesting hike may be accessed as follows. Take a water taxi to Yelapa. On the main beach in Yelapa, walk to the right and cross the creek. Hike upwards a few meters to the cobblestone trail. Turn right, and then follow the trail over a ridge and up the adjacent valley. After hiking about 1.5 km through a tropical deciduous forest, your persistence will be rewarded. The waterfall is about 10 m high, with a pool for bathers at the base. The falls are more impressive during the rainy season (northern summer).

Surfing

• The beaches in Puerto Vallarta proper don't give such good waves but a daytrip out of town up along the coast of Banderas Bay will lead you to such decent spots as Veneros and Punta del Burro (these two are the most consistent) as well as in Punta de Mita. Passing the Ameca river along the way to these spots, you find yourself in the next door northern state of Nayarit. Such trips can be coordinated with a local surfing instructor or done solo. The drive from downtown Vallarta to points inside the Bay takes perhaps 30-45 minutes, and a bit over an hour to get to renowned Sayulita on the Pacific coast, a small village which consistently produces some of the best surfers in Mexico. The beaches there have very consistent waves and the place is crowded during the winter months particularly. There are waves small enough for beginners and large enough for the locals and experts. Most of the adventure companies (such as Vallarta Adventures) don't offer surfing lessons and you might need to find an independent, licensed instructor. One suggested instructor based in Puerto Vallarta: Alejandro Fuentes, faalex70@hotmail.com or 044-322-117-6257.

Yoga

• Davannayoga [12] - great sunset yoga classes on a 360 rooftop in old town in front of the ocean. Well known for it's traditional style yoga. Only certified teachers offering Vinyasa Flow, Morning Yoga, Sunset Yoga, Children's Yoga. Calle Matamoros #542 on the corner of Corona.

• Yoga Vallarta [13] - located in Zona Romantica (Basilio Badillo #325 3rd floor). This studio has high-mounted windows that bathe the studio in wonderful, natural light.

Parks

• Sea Life Park by Dolphin Discovery [14]- Discover Sea Life Park.

Dolphin Encounters

How to Get there Located in the first exit of Nuevo Vallarta, very easy to find, look for the Water Slides that can be seeing from the road.

Open daily except Mondays and Fridays from 10AM. to 6PM.