Mexico · Pacific Coast
Puerto Vallarta
A real Mexican town on one of the country's biggest bays, with cobbled streets climbing jungle hills straight behind the beach.
Puerto Vallarta sits on Banderas Bay where the Sierra Madre drops straight into the Pacific, a working Mexican town of cobbled lanes and red-tiled roofs that became a resort without flattening its old centre. The Malecon seawalk runs the waterfront to the river, the Zona Romantica packs the best eating and one of Mexico's most open gay scenes into a few blocks, and boats run south to jungle coves with no road in. In the cooler months humpback whales come into the bay to calve.
Suggested stay
4–7 days
Language
Spanish
Currency
MXN
Timezone
UTC-6
Why you'll love Puerto Vallarta
The bay Banderas Bay is ringed by jungle mountains, and humpback whales arrive each winter to calve and breach within sight of the beaches
Old town white walls, red tiles and steep cobbled lanes climbing above the Rio Cuale, still a town people live in rather than a hotel strip
Food aguachile, smoky pescado zarandeado, fish tacos on the street after dark, and raicilla, the coast's own rough-edged agave spirit
Gay scene the Zona Romantica is one of the most relaxed and visible LGBTQ+ destinations in Latin America, beach clubs to cabaret
Best time to visit
Nov-May
27-34° days
20.641° N, 105.220° W
UTC-6 · America/Mexico City
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Weather & when to go to Puerto Vallarta
Month by month: typical highs and lows, rainfall and rain days.
✓ Best Nov-May
Watch for Jun-Nov cyclones & hurricanes risk · Jul-Sep monsoon flooding risk
Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions
When to avoid Puerto Vallarta
Jul-Sep is the hard stretch: heavy heat and humidity, big evening storms and the core of hurricane season, and some smaller restaurants close for a break. June and October are transition months, warm and sticky with storms more hit-and-miss. In the dry season the catch is crowds, and Christmas, New Year and Easter fill the town and push rooms to book early.
Top things to do in Puerto Vallarta
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The Malecon - sunset walk past the bronze sculptures
culture arts 👍 PopularThe seawall promenade runs from the Centro towards the Rio Cuale, lined with bronze sculptures from the seahorse rider to a row of surreal chairs. Come at sunset, when the whole town turns out and the sun drops into the bay.
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Parroquia de Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe - the crowned church
history culture arts 👍 PopularThe town's landmark, its brick tower topped by an open crown said to copy the one worn by Empress Carlota. It sits a block up from the Malecon and is the focus of the town's devotion to the Virgin of Guadalupe.
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Playa Los Muertos and the pier - the town beach
food nightlife music 👍 PopularThe busiest beach in town, in front of the Zona Romantica: loungers, vendors, volleyball and a pier with a tall sail-shaped spire where water taxis leave for the southern coves. Lively all day and lit up at night.
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Los Arcos - snorkel and dive the granite arches
diving nature wildlife ⭐ Highly recommendedGranite islets punched through with arches rise off Mismaloya inside a protected marine park, with reef fish, rays and walls that drop away fast. The easiest good snorkel in the bay and the classic local dive.
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Banderas Bay humpbacks - whale watching in the calving season
nature wildlife ⭐ Highly recommendedHumpbacks come down from the north Pacific to mate and calve in the bay, roughly December to March. Boats leave from the marina and the town piers, and from the shore you can often see them breaching.
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Isla Cuale - the river island in the middle of town
shopping culture artsA shaded island in the Rio Cuale between the Centro and the Zona Romantica, reached by footbridges, with craft stalls, riverside cafes and a statue of John Huston, the director who put the town on the map.
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Mismaloya - the Night of the Iguana beach
historyA small cove south of town where John Huston filmed The Night of the Iguana, with the ruins of the set still on the point. Swim, eat seafood on the sand, and arrange a boat out to Los Arcos.
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Vallarta Botanical Garden - orchids and jungle river swims
nature wildlifeGardens cut into the forest in the hills south of town, strong on orchids, agaves and native palms, with trails down to a river you can swim in and a terrace restaurant over the canopy.
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Vallarta seafood - aguachile, zarandeado and raicilla
foodShrimp aguachile cured in lime and chilli, whole fish butterflied and grilled zarandeado-style, smoked marlin tacos and birria in the Jalisco way. Versalles and the Zona Romantica are where locals eat; raicilla is the local agave spirit.
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El Morro and the offshore pinnacles - the bay's deeper dives
divingBeyond Los Arcos, boats from the marina and the north shore reach the Marietas and the rock pinnacles off the bay's northern tip, open-water sites known for mantas, dolphins and big schools of fish.
Best areas to stay in Puerto Vallarta
$ Budget $$ Mid-range $$$ Premium
Zona Romantica
First-time visitors $$Cobbled lanes, restaurants and Los Muertos beach
Explore hotels in Zona Romantica →
El Centro
Malecon and old town $$Malecon, crowned church and hillside lanes
Explore hotels in El Centro →
Zona Hotelera
Resort stays $$Big beach hotels between town and marina
Explore hotels in Zona Hotelera →
Marina Vallarta
Marina and golf $$$Yachts, golf and condos near the airport
Explore hotels in Marina Vallarta →
Conchas Chinas
Views and quiet $$$Hillside villas above rocky coves
Explore hotels in Conchas Chinas →
Live nightly prices from Booking.com, Agoda and others, centred on Puerto Vallarta
Getting to & around Puerto Vallarta
Getting there
Fly into PVR on the north edge of town, about 20-30 min from the Centro
Flight
Licenciado Gustavo Diaz Ordaz International (PVR)
The airport sits beside Marina Vallarta, about 9 km north of the Malecon and 20-30 min by road. Taxis and shuttles are sold inside the terminal; many travellers cross the footbridge to the highway, where city taxis, app rides and local buses into town are cheaper.
Coach
Central bus station, north of the airport
First-class coaches from Guadalajara, roughly 5 hr, plus Tepic, Mazatlan and Mexico City overnight
Cruise
Cruise terminal by Marina Vallarta
A regular stop on Mexican Riviera cruises, with ships docking a short ride north of the centre
Drive
Most drivers come from Guadalajara via Nayarit and down the coast through Bucerias
Getting around
Walking
The Centro, Malecon and Zona Romantica are walkable end to end, though the cobbles and hill lanes are steep
Free
City buses
Frequent buses run the coast road from the marina through town and south to Mismaloya and Boca de Tomatlan; pay the driver in cash
TBC
Taxi
Plentiful and unmetered, priced by zone, so agree the fare before you get in
TBC
App rides
Operate across town and are handy for the hotel zone and marina
TBC
Water taxi
From the Los Muertos pier and Boca de Tomatlan to Las Animas, Quimixto and Yelapa, the only way to the southern coves
TBC
Day trips from Puerto Vallarta
Yelapa
Full dayRoadless jungle cove
A village on a deep cove with no road in, reached only by boat. Walk up through the lanes to the waterfall, eat grilled fish on the beach and try the pie the local women sell along the sand.
Getting there
ferry | bus
About 45 min by water taxi from Los Muertos pier, or bus to Boca de Tomatlan then a shorter boat
Islas Marietas
Full dayIsland marine park
Uninhabited volcanic islands at the mouth of the bay, a protected park with seabird colonies and clear water for snorkelling. The famous Hidden Beach inside a collapsed crater is reached by swimming a tunnel, and access to it is tightly limited.
Getting there
tour
1-1.5 hr by tour boat from Marina Vallarta
Sayulita
Full daySurf village
A bright, busy surf town on the Nayarit coast with a beginner-friendly break, boards for hire on the sand, taco stands and a hippie-chic square. Good for a first surf lesson and a lazy afternoon.
Getting there
bus | car
About 1 hr north by bus or car
San Sebastian del Oeste
Full dayMountain mining town
An old silver-mining town high in the pine forest, with whitewashed adobe, a quiet plaza, coffee grown on the hillsides and old haciendas. Cooler air and a complete change from the coast.
Getting there
car | tour
1.5-2 hr by car or tour into the Sierra Madre
Las Animas and Quimixto
Half dayBeaches by boat
A string of sandy coves south of Boca de Tomatlan with beach restaurants and no road. Las Animas is the busier beach; Quimixto has a short walk inland to a waterfall. Hikers can follow the coastal trail between them.
Getting there
bus | ferry | walk
Bus to Boca de Tomatlan, then water taxi; or hike the coast path
A little history of Puerto Vallarta
The Spanish reached the bay in the 1520s, and the name Banderas is usually traced to the banners carried by the indigenous warriors who met them. For three centuries it stayed a quiet anchorage. The town began in 1851 as Las Penas, a landing where salt came ashore for the silver mines in the Sierra Madre behind, and in 1918 it was renamed for Ignacio Vallarta, a Jalisco governor and jurist.
It stayed a remote fishing town until 1963, when John Huston filmed The Night of the Iguana at Mismaloya and the affair between Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, who followed him there, put it in newspapers worldwide. An international airport and the coast road followed, the hotel zone and marina grew north of the old town, and the cobbled centre was kept largely intact.
A Spanish expedition reaches Banderas Bay
Las Penas founded as a landing to supply the Sierra silver mines
The town is renamed Puerto Vallarta
John Huston films The Night of the Iguana at Mismaloya
Puerto Vallarta is granted city status
Presidents Nixon and Diaz Ordaz hold a summit in the town
Know before you go
Payment
Cards & cash mixed
English
Widely spoken
Wifi
Reliable
Power
Type A / B
127 V, 60 Hz
Dialing
+52
Cyclones & hurricanes risk in this window; check current conditions before you go.
Monsoon flooding risk in this window; check current conditions before you go.
The months our climate read flags to avoid: the wettest, lowest-rated weather of the year.
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FAQs about Puerto Vallarta
▸ When is the best time to visit Puerto Vallarta?
Nov-May is the dry season, with warm days, cooler nights and calm seas, and roughly Dec-Mar it overlaps with the humpback whales in the bay. Jul-Sep is hot, humid and stormy, the heart of hurricane season. Christmas and Easter are the busiest weeks.
▸ Where should I stay in Puerto Vallarta?
The Zona Romantica for walking to the beach, restaurants and nightlife; the Centro for the Malecon; the Zona Hotelera or Marina Vallarta for resort pools, families and quiet. Conchas Chinas suits couples who want views and do not mind taxis.
▸ Is Puerto Vallarta good for LGBTQ+ travellers?
Yes. It is one of the most welcoming destinations in Mexico, with a long-established gay scene centred on the Zona Romantica and Los Muertos beach, and a relaxed attitude across the town.
▸ Can you see whales from Puerto Vallarta?
Yes. Humpbacks spend the winter in Banderas Bay, roughly December to March, and boat trips leave daily in season. You can often spot them breaching from the shore or from a water taxi.
▸ Is Puerto Vallarta expensive?
It is mid-priced by Mexican beach-resort standards: dearer than inland towns, but street food and local buses keep a day cheap, while the marina and hillside villas sit at the top end.
▸ How do you get to Yelapa?
Only by boat. Water taxis run from the Los Muertos pier, or take the bus to Boca de Tomatlan and a shorter boat from there.
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