PV City Guide

Puerto Vallarta City Guide (Downtown area)

So you are thinking Puerto Vallarta could be a great place to visit during your vacations, but you aren’t completely sure it will have what you need. Finding the information on a site can be complicated, this guide intends to make it all easier to find and make an informed decision.

City Guide Menu

Money and Banks (practical info)

Parroquia de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, Puerto Vallarta Money Matters The currency here is the Mexican peso. US Dollars are accepted at times in many of the city's businesses, but normally for purchases under 100 dollars, ask beforehand to make sure it's an option. For current exchange rates, ideas and tips, credit cards and so on read the specific currency section. More on Banks, ATMs, Important phones Internet & Wi-Fi Emergency phones & Health Churches & services Non-profit & Charities

What to do in town

There's a dedicated section on our site with the many options in town, most are free to enjoy. Right off the top of our heads, we can recommend: The Malecon The Los Muertos Pier & Beach The local Parish Strolling the romantic zone The Vallarta Botanical Gardens Go to the southern beaches Take a day off at one of the many spas Enjoy a canopy tour Participate in sea turtle release programs Whale watching Visit the Marietas Islands A sunset cruise in bay and visit Los Arcos

Local Food and Drinks

Feed yourself Though the newbies in town arrive looking for sun and beaches, those that have been coming back to the place know it for the great food and variety of restaurants available to tempt and pamper their tongues. You can find European style restaurants as elegant as they come with gourmet offerings, but you can just as well get fresh fish grilled on a stick on the beach or the good ol' tacos on the street stand. So, you can be sure you'll find it all here mostly very relaxed and well priced. Local food & drinks Agua de coco: fresh coconut juice, they'll cut open a fresh green coconut, and put the refreshing juice in a plastic bag (common Mexican method for juices). They then normally ask if you want the meat too, if so they cut it open, scrape the soft meat and cut into pieces, the norm in Mexico is to add lime juice and some chile powder, if not, tell them to just give it to you unseasoned. Agua de Jamaica: a very refreshing and healthy juice made from red hibiscus flowers, great to cool down and with that color (as long as it's natural) ...

How to move around town

Airport Transfers/Taxis Check with your hotel if they offer airport transfers, if not, once you get out of immigration and the baggage claim (through the timeshare shark tank, read more in the airport section) and into the airport hall you can reserve a taxi with one of the two companies there. The fees are fixed by area and you don’t need to haggle or worry. Read more about the rates. Taxis at the Puerto Vallarta bus station Taxis/Uber & Similar Taxis are a great option to move around town, you’ll find them everywhere in town, they aren’t very expensive and charge based on zones, just make sure you are happy with the price before you drive off in one. The minimum rate is around $3.50 (US dollar) and a set fee of around $1.50 (US dollar) per zone. Tips are included in the fare, but if you wish you can tip around 10%. They are easily identified by their yellow-white color and signs. Read more. A new option is using the Uber App to get a transport service. There have been startup issues, with taxis adopting a belligerent stance. Seems things have calmed down, especially as ...

Safety, violence, hurricanes and sharks

Safety | Hurricanes | Sharks Safety & crime Los Muertos Beach, Romantic Zone, Puerto Vallarta It'd be foolish and false to say that there is no crime In Puerto Vallarta, there is, as there is in any other city of its size, but violent crime is rare and involving tourists it's even rarer. The scary news you hear from Mexico is related to drug gangs and is centered mostly in border states with USA and cities like Ciudad Juárez, Nogales, Nuevo Laredo, more than a thousand miles away from Puerto Vallarta. Read our specific article on the subject. If we are to give you any recommendations while you are in the city, it'd be the normal, common sense ones you use in your own country: don't wave money around don't wear all your gold and diamonds don't act the ugly American keep your eyes open, be aware of your surroundings, and try not to behave like a fool, for example getting drunk passing out on the street (easy victim). Others would be: don't do drugs don't get involved with drugs and follow the law, this includes while driving and on the street ... that's the best way to be sure nothing ...

What zone is best for…

In general, if you want to experience Mexico, a new culture, its history, food, and colorful ambiance, then you have to stay in Puerto Vallarta, preferably in the downtown or romantic zone areas. Recommendations for: Families with small children Couples Seniors Single Gay or LGBT+ If you like the beach, an all-inclusive, just relaxing and maybe take a tour and eat outside the resorts once or twice, then you can go to Nuevo Vallarta, the North Zone hotels around Punta Mita or the South Zone, including the beaches south of Mismaloya, or any resort within your budget in the area, just make sure that they have a nice beach if that is your thing. Most hotels in the PV hotel zone do not have great beaches, either small, steep, rocky or maybe even without sand... that's just the truth. There are some acceptable ones, Los Muertos Beach in the Romantic zone or Playa de Oro in the Hotel Zone. Families with children Here it depends a little on your kid's ages, but in general, we can say, children, enjoy the pools and the beach and parents want to take them out on smaller fun trips. Nuevo Vallarta: Pros: Offers a great ...

Areas / Zones in Puerto Vallarta

[toc] The main areas of the city from the airport going south, the Marina Vallarta, the Hotel Zone, Downtown, Romantic zone (Old Vallarta) and the South zone. Going north from the airport you leave the state of Jalisco and enter the neighboring state of Nayarit, here you find Nuevo Vallarta, another popular destination and the North zone. For more towns north and south check this map. What's interesting in each zone? A good way of deciding where to stay in town would be to know beforehand what interests you and if the zone you are going to stay in has them too, it's hard to give a detailed recount of everything a specific zone has, but we'll try to include the highlights. North Zone El Anclote Beach, Punta de Mita, Nayarit The north zone is quite large, starting in the south at Bucerías and ending on the NW side of the bay at Punta Mita, you'll find small towns that have a more Mexican feel to them, meaning a less developed, a bit more rustic, more traditional, say, the-neighbor-has-chicken-and-roosters-in-his-backyard traditional, and when you pass La Cruz you start finding more resorts, some ...

Travel documents

This information is just as a general reference and can change at any given point in time, we recommend you contact your local travel authorities for updates and confirmation. Documents US and Canadian citizens need to travel to Mexico USA citizens need to have an original, signed passport that is valid for at least six months beyond their stay. Canadian citizens also need to have a valid passport. Citizens without a valid passport will not be allowed entry into Mexico and will be returned to their country of origin. Entry requirements UK citizens If you’re visiting Mexico as a tourist you don’t need a visa, but you do need a tourist card, which you can get on arrival by completing an immigration form available at border crossings or on-board flights to Mexico. If you lose your tourist card you can get it replaced at the immigration office at any international airport in Mexico. You need a tourist card to leave the country. They currently cost 500 pesos (25 dollars approx.) Tourists are not allowed to undertake voluntary (including human rights) work, or activity, or any form of paid employment. If you wish to carry out this type of work you must ...

What to pack for your trip

What you need for your trip First off, you have your passport, if not, then get one and then start planning, because you just can't travel any longer without one. Do you need a visa? Countries that need a visa to enter Mexico, those that don't. Yes, you have your passport, you've then maybe chosen an area in the bay area or the town that is best for your interests, you now need to choose your accommodation. You should choose your hotel based on budget and interests, beachfront for those that enjoy beaches, swimming and sea activities, close to shopping options or not, close to the attractions, romantic or boisterous and so on. This will require a bit of research. Use our hotel maps by zone to find the hotels that are best for you. Buy your plane ticket or package and plan your perfect trip, make a list of what you'd like to see, visit, experience and enjoy and then find out how you can get it done. Vallarta Whale on the way in to Marina Vallarta, Puerto Vallarta What to pack Depending on the season you'll pack light or very light summer clothes, a light sweater or ...

Weather and What To Wear

Puerto Vallarta enjoys a great tropical climate all year-round, average daytime temperatures of 80ºF (27°C) and cooler evening temperatures during the winter months. Summers are sunny with afternoon rains, just enough to cool things off so you can enjoy your evening activities. December to February (winter months) Daytime: temperate and you can easily wear light clothes. Nighttime: if you are from the area you put on some warmer clothes like a light sweater, a cotton jacket or a long-sleeve shirt, but if you are from a cold climate, you'll be fine with short sleeves. March to June Very light clothes, this period is hotter than the winter months with some wind, careful with short light skirts. Temperatures in Puerto Vallarta July to mid-October The rainy season begins, bring rain clothes or an umbrella which is better so you don't have an extra layer in this hot humid weather. Get a cheap umbrella in town. It's important that you know that it does not rain all day and every day. It may rain a bit in the morning, a bit during the day and then most of it at night, it's intermittent and for short runs, it doesn't get ...

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