Puerto Vallarta Travel Guide

Jalisco

A sculpture on the Malecon boardwalk, Puerto Vallarta. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.

Puerto Vallarta is the Pacific resort that kept its soul: the Malecon boardwalk, the Zona Romantica's cobbled streets, and the church of Guadalupe above it all. The bay is ringed by the Sierra Madre, which gives the town its dramatic backdrop.

The town splits into the hotel zone north, the Malecon and center, and the Zona Romantica (Old Town) south of the Cuale river, which is the nightlife and restaurant heart.

What to do in Puerto Vallarta

Town

1Malecon 4.4The seafront sculpture walk from the center to the Zona Romantica.
2Zona Romantica 4.3Old Town: cobbled streets, the Los Muertos beach and pier, restaurants and bars.
3Isla del Rio Cuale 3.9The river island of craft markets and the archaeological museum.

Bay and day trips

1Marietas Islands 4.3The hidden beach in the collapsed crater, by boat from the Marina.
2Vallarta Botanical Gardens 4.2The orchid garden and jungle trails south of town.
3Sayulita 4.3The surf town across the bay in Nayarit.