What is the safest part of Puerto Vallarta to stay in?

The Marina and the Romantic Zone are considered some of the safest areas to stay in Puerto Vallarta. Both areas are popular among tourists and offer a variety of accommodations, restaurants, and attractions. The Marina is known for its upscale atmosphere, luxury resorts, and high-end shops and restaurants. It has a very secure, controlled environment with 24/7 security personnel. The Romantic Zone offers a more authentic Mexican experience with cobblestone streets, colorful colonial buildings, and a vibrant mix of galleries, cafes, and bars. As a central tourist area, it also has a strong police presence and is considered very safe.

Where do locals go in Puerto Vallarta?

Locals in Puerto Vallarta enjoy spending time at the city's beautiful beaches, scenic parks, and lively local markets. Popular beach spots include Playa de Oro, Playa Las Animas, and Playa Camarones for their soft sand and calm waters. Many locals visit the Vallarta Botanical Gardens to enjoy the lush vegetation and hiking trails. They also frequent authentic local food venues like Birrieria las 3 Regiones taco stand, cafes like Cafecito Vallarta, and neighborhood bars like La Cerveceria Union. The downtown Lazaro Cardenas market is a favorite for produce, spices, crafts.

Is Downtown Puerto Vallarta nice?

Yes, downtown Puerto Vallarta is an exceptionally nice and popular area, celebrated for its vibrant mix of historic Mexican charm and a lively beach town atmosphere. It features a picturesque historic center with cobblestone streets, colorful buildings, and the iconic Parish of Our Lady of Guadalupe church. The downtown seamlessly blends into the scenic Malecón, a beautiful oceanfront boardwalk lined with fascinating sculptures, shops, and restaurants, making it perfect for strolling and enjoying the stunning ocean views. The area offers an excellent variety of dining, from upscale restaurants to authentic street food, along with fantastic shopping in boutiques and art galleries. Adjacent to the main center is the popular Zona Romántica (Romantic Zone), known for its trendy vibe and energetic nightlife. The entire downtown is considered safe and is very walkable, allowing visitors to easily explore its captivating blend of culture, cuisine, and coastal beauty on foot. Tip: For an unforgettable experience, head down to the Malecón or any beachfront spot about 30 minutes before the scheduled sundown to watch the spectacular sunset over the bay.

What is considered old town in Puerto Vallarta?

Old Town, also known as the Romantic Zone or Zona Romántica, is considered the historic heart of Puerto Vallarta. It is characterized by its picturesque cobblestone streets, classic whitewashed buildings, red-tiled roofs, and a lively mix of shops, galleries, restaurants and bars. Nestled between the Sierra Madre mountains and Banderas Bay, Old Town has a traditional Mexican village charm with its colonial architecture and slower pace compared to the rest of Puerto Vallarta. Its romantic ambience comes from the area's natural beauty, outdoor cafes, and charming boutique hotels. Old Town offers visitors a taste of an authentic Mexican neighborhood.

What Zone Is Best For… - Puerto Vallarta Net

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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:

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 beach, wide, low slope, waves aren’t too strong (though that can vary at times)
Many nice hotels/resorts that offer great pools, all-inclusive service, choose those with children for free or reduced fees.
Many of the resorts have great kid clubs, so they are well taken care of, have fun (treasure hunts, painting and so on) and you can relax as a couple too.
Aquaventuras Water Park close by.
Vallarta Adventure, the main tour provider is here too, offering various dolphin activities.
There is a small mall in Paradise Village and a larger one out by the highway Lago Real, with a Walmart and cinemas.

Cons:

You are far from Puerto Vallarta
It’s not what we would consider “real” Mexico (this is a planned tourist development).
There are many great things to do in downtown PV and you are far from it all: the Malecon, one of the fun activities with kids, things you’d enjoy to see like Los Muertos beach and pier, The Marina, or the iconic Parish, but that’s to be expected as you’ve chosen another destination: Nuevo Vallarta.

In Puerto Vallarta

The Marina area has a good beach on the Pacific side, wide and some great hotels and resorts, the Marina itself offers some restaurants and shopping options and is a nice little trip for the family, but you are still a bit far from town to just jump in and enjoy the action, you can always take a cab/Uber/local bus. The hotel zone has many great all-inclusive hotels too, but distances can be larger to get to malls and other shopping options (check our maps).

If you are going to enjoy being in Puerto Vallarta with your kids, I think it’s best to stay in the downtown area, you can walk everywhere, the Malecon is at hand with the many kid-friendly options. Beaches aren’t that great, that’s the downside, but if you stay in the Romantic Zone, you have Olas Altas and Los Muertos Beach that are great fun for kids.

Couples

If you are going to relax and have a romantic time, the options are innumerable. There are many great and impressive hotels in the North Zone, like the Four Seasons or St. Regis or in Nuevo Vallarta too. If you want to go out a lot, then the options at the Marina Vallarta and the Hotel zone are better and the closer you are to town best. If you are into restaurants, bars, nightlife and being in the heart of it all, then downtown and the romantic zone are for you, plus you’ll get to experience the real Mexico, which of course, is what most people want when on vacation, feel like they’ve gone to some other country and culture.

Seniors

Here the option is clear, either downtown or the romantic zone. You can enjoy the city, the distances aren’t large, you can stroll along the Malecon, enjoy the sea, the views and you have everything close by. If you choose to make your food for some meals, choose a hotel with a kitchen, makes things so much easier. If not, you have all kinds of food options around. The art galleries, the architecture, the history of the town, is right there, outside your door.

Single

You are going to enjoy Vallarta because there are so many options, you’ll be looking for fun with other single people, you can meet them on the various tours, in town, at the restaurants at the nightclubs and bars. It’s easier to get to the main attractions and places to be if you stay in the Downtown area and the Romantic Zone. The romantic zone offers more concentrated activity and the south part of the area also caters to the LGBT community. Downtown Vallarta is more traditional and offers many bars, restaurants, and nightclubs on the Malecon or side streets leading to the Malecon. For tours and other activities, it doesn’t matter as many of them pick you up at your hotel or in nearby locations.

LGBTQ+ Community

You want to be in the middle of it all, then it’s the romantic zone and more specifically the southern area of Los Muertos beach, there are also many bars and nightclubs in the general area. At Los Muertos beach, look for the blue beach chairs. Even though some decades ago PV was hesitant regarding LGBTQ+ visitors, things have opened up and you’ll find the town is now actually a welcoming destination with a booming scene.

Discover the gay scene in Puerto Vallarta with GAYPV Gay Travel Guide.

FAQ

What is the safest part of Puerto Vallarta to stay in?

The Marina and the Romantic Zone are considered some of the safest areas to stay in Puerto Vallarta. Both areas are popular among tourists and offer a variety of accommodations, restaurants, and attractions. The Marina is known for its upscale atmosphere, luxury resorts, and high-end shops and restaurants. It has a very secure, controlled environment with 24/7 security personnel. The Romantic Zone offers a more authentic Mexican experience with cobblestone streets, colorful colonial buildings, and a vibrant mix of galleries, cafes, and bars. As a central tourist area, it also has a strong police presence and is considered very safe.
Where do locals go in Puerto Vallarta?

Locals in Puerto Vallarta enjoy spending time at the city’s beautiful beaches, scenic parks, and lively local markets. Popular beach spots include Playa de Oro, Playa Las Animas, and Playa Camarones for their soft sand and calm waters. Many locals visit the Vallarta Botanical Gardens to enjoy the lush vegetation and hiking trails. They also frequent authentic local food venues like Birrieria las 3 Regiones taco stand, cafes like Cafecito Vallarta, and neighborhood bars like La Cerveceria Union. The downtown Lazaro Cardenas market is a favorite for produce, spices, crafts.
Is Downtown Puerto Vallarta nice?

Yes, downtown Puerto Vallarta is an exceptionally nice and popular area, celebrated for its vibrant mix of historic Mexican charm and a lively beach town atmosphere. It features a picturesque historic center with cobblestone streets, colorful buildings, and the iconic Parish of Our Lady of Guadalupe church. The downtown seamlessly blends into the scenic Malecón, a beautiful oceanfront boardwalk lined with fascinating sculptures, shops, and restaurants, making it perfect for strolling and enjoying the stunning ocean views.

The area offers an excellent variety of dining, from upscale restaurants to authentic street food, along with fantastic shopping in boutiques and art galleries. Adjacent to the main center is the popular Zona Romántica (Romantic Zone), known for its trendy vibe and energetic nightlife. The entire downtown is considered safe and is very walkable, allowing visitors to easily explore its captivating blend of culture, cuisine, and coastal beauty on foot.

Tip: For an unforgettable experience, head down to the Malecón or any beachfront spot about 30 minutes before the scheduled sundown to watch the spectacular sunset over the bay.
What is considered old town in Puerto Vallarta?

Old Town, also known as the Romantic Zone or Zona Romántica, is considered the historic heart of Puerto Vallarta. It is characterized by its picturesque cobblestone streets, classic whitewashed buildings, red-tiled roofs, and a lively mix of shops, galleries, restaurants and bars. Nestled between the Sierra Madre mountains and Banderas Bay, Old Town has a traditional Mexican village charm with its colonial architecture and slower pace compared to the rest of Puerto Vallarta. Its romantic ambience comes from the area’s natural beauty, outdoor cafes, and charming boutique hotels. Old Town offers visitors a taste of an authentic Mexican neighborhood.