Puerto Vallarta Fast Facts, Travel Tips & Information

Puerto Vallarta Malecon/Boardwalk, early morning shot

Blessed with 25 miles of golden beaches within the spectacular Banderas Bay, Puerto Vallarta offers limitless possibilities for enjoying the town, jungle, and ocean. Here we try to cover most options, and hopefully, all your doubts regarding this city are answered, if not, feel free to contact us.


General Puerto Vallarta Information


Business, Taxes & Money


Travel, Visas & Location


Health, Safety & Well-being


Communication & Data


Famous People & Mexico


Some quick facts

Currency, Banks & Money Exchange
The Mexican Peso is the national currency, although USA dollars are widely accepted in businesses throughout town. Major credit cards are also accepted in most establishments (Visa, Mastercard, American Express are standard, some also receive Diners). Hotels also offer currency exchange services, but normally at a lower rate. More at ATM, Banks & Currency.

Business Hours
Most shopping malls are open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., continuously. Many downtown businesses and shops tend to close between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. for lunch, but malls and supermarkets are open even longer hours, without the midday rest. Read more.

Climate
Puerto Vallarta enjoys a warm, tropical climate all year-round, average daytime temperatures of 80ºF (27ºC), and cooler evenings in the winter. Summer is sunny, warm, and humid, with some afternoon rains, enough to cool things a bit. Read more in our Weather section.

Electricity
Mexico operates on the same 110-volt current as the United States, so electrical current adapters are not needed, not all plugs have 3 prongs, so you may need a plug adapter reducing from 3 to 2 prongs. Read more.

Flights/Gateways
Hundreds of flights per week service Puerto Vallarta’s International Airport (PVR), from gateways throughout the USA, Canada, and Mexico. International carriers include Aeromexico, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta, United, and others. More in the Airport information.

Geography / Location
Located in the heart of Mexico’s Pacific coast, Vallarta is within easy reach of the USA and Canada by air. The city is encircled by the lush jungle-clad Sierra Madre mountains to the east and the Bay of Banderas to the west, one of Mexico’s largest natural bays. To the North is the State of Nayarit and Riviera Nayarit, which includes Nuevo Vallarta. Check out our map.

Accommodation
Over 22,000, in a wide variety of price ranges and styles. All-inclusive (AI) hotels and resorts offer both food, drinks, activities, and tips for one price. EP or European Plan rates only include the room. See more at hotels & resorts

Medical
Modern First-World medical facilities of the highest level. There are several private hospitals in Puerto Vallarta, with insured, emergency health care, and emergency air-evacuation services also available.

Population
PV is home to over inhabitants (2020 census) and attracts more than 5 million visitors annually (2019 CVB data).

Safety
This town enjoys a healthy economy and a stable political environment. A special tourist police corps is on hand to provide assistance and directions. Vallarta doesn’t have the violence the media informs about in the border towns and cities between the USA and Mexico, so the city and surroundings are just as safe (or even safer) than most comparable cities and towns in the USA and Canada. More on crime and safety.

Water Quality
Tap water is of a very high standard, even so, purified water is available in all hotels and restaurants.

 

Travel, visas and location, Puerto Vallarta

Colonias (Neighborhoods Consulates: Canada | USA Customs Direct (non-stop) flights to Vallarta Distances Embassies in Mexico Maps Nuevo Vallarta Riviera Nayarit Passport & Visa Puerto Vallarta Zones Time Zone Water taxis from Los Muertos & Boca de Tomatlan

Famous Puerto Vallarta citizens & all things Mexico

All About Mexico (many articles), a selection:Day of the DeadFamous people related to Puerto Vallarta:Archie AlpeniaBernice & Edgar StarrElizabeth TaylorElizabeth Taylor & Richard BurtonJohn HustonJohn Huston & Las CaletasManuel Lepe MacedoMovies shot in Puerto VallartaRichard BurtonThe Night of the IguanaThe Night of the Iguana 50th AnniversaryLa Charreria and the CharroMexican Christmas FoodMexican WinesMexico, folklore, and festivitiesMexico beansMexico coffeeMexico’s delicious and edible insectsMezcal (Mescal)Monarch Butterfly MigrationPancho VillaPapantla Bird-men, ThePiñatasRaicillaSun GodTacosTequilaVanilla

Health, well-being and safety Puerto Vallarta

Camping & RVs Can I drink the water? Church services Crime and Safety Drugstores Eating schedules Emergency Phones Food prices Health Section Hospitals Hostels Hurricane season? Masonic Lodges Martial Arts Gyms Martial Arts Jiu Jutsu Medical Services Non-Profit Organizations Seawater temperature Sharks in the Bay? Supermarkets What to wear

General Puerto Vallarta Information

About Puerto Vallarta Airport Information (PVR) Awards Banderas Bay FAQ section – FAQ’s (old version) General City Information History of Puerto Vallarta How to get here How to move around PV Is PV a city or a town? Non-stop Flights to Puerto Vallarta Puerto Vallarta, authentic Mexico Puerto Vallarta Food (Local Dishes) Travel Guide Water Taxis from Los Muertos & Boca de Tomatlan What’s the current time? What’s the weather like? Where is Jalisco, Mexico? Where is Puerto Vallarta? Why is Vallarta so popular?

Water Taxis (Pangas) going south from Los Muertos Beach Pier

[toc] Exploring the beaches of the South Zone When you travel to Puerto Vallarta, beaches are one of the main things you have on your mind. Relaxing at the beach, absorbing warmth, enjoying a stress-free day just basking in the waves, drinking your favorite cocktail, eating some exotic dish of shrimp or grilled fish, you fill in the dots. The beaches close to town can fill up easily, especially during the high season months. If that is the case when you come down to friendly Puerto Vallarta, then a trip down south to the beaches south of Mismaloya might just be what your doctor's recipe has recommended. Beaches south of Boca: Colomitos, Las Ánimas, Quimixto, Majahuitas and Yelapa Many great beaches in the southern part of the bay are wonderful exactly because they aren't accessible by land. You'll need to catch a water taxi (locally called "pangas") to get there and the easiest way is to start off at Los Muertos Beach pier. It'll a little longer out at sea, but it might be less time in total when compared to the water taxis leaving from Boca de Tomatlán. You won't have ...

Puerto Vallarta Zones & Zone Map

[toc] Introduction An important part of planning for a great vacation, in this case to Puerto Vallarta, is to know where you want to stay and why. Location, location, location! a cliché real estate agents repeat like a mantra, and in this case, it actually is very important. It's no fun to arrive at your resort or hotel and find out that Puerto Vallarta is an hour or more away and you had planned to check out all attractions, restaurants and nightlife options in town. This can actually affect all your planning and will make you waste valuable time and money on transport. You'll end up stuck at your resort, eating the same ol' boring food, watching the same watered-down inane shows each night trying to remember if you are in Cancun, Punta Cana or Puerto Vallarta... ;-) So anyway, let's avoid this typical tourist error by getting a grip of the general areas in the Banderas Bay, where Puerto Vallarta is located relative to them. It can be a bit confusing as most online tourist agencies (and some old-fashion brick-and-mortar travel agencies) try to fool and sell you any location within the bay as "Puerto ...

Archie Alpenia, Archie’s Wok and Puerto Vallarta

Archie Alpenia and John Huston (Quimixto) in 1984 Start of the adventure I can still see him there, a serene, solitary Asian man walking the beaches of the Sea of Cortez with his fishing rod in one hand and his wok in the other. He was living his dream. A few months prior, in the spring of 1976, Archie had decided to leave his position as chef at a well-known Santa Barbara resort, the San Isidro Ranch. He packed his most valued treasures—his wife, son Sergio (7), and daughter Kiyoki (3), favorite fishing equipment, and trusted cooking utensils, starting with his wok, into his Dodge van. Cabo San Lucas to Puerto Vallarta Ferry, 1975 "And our family headed south under sunny skies into Mexico on a journey of exploration, to "see how the rest of the world is living." They traveled with no specific destination in mind and drove down Baja California, Archie would fish and prepare the catch along the way. Arriving in Puerto Vallarta In midsummer, we crossed the Sea of Cortez on the ferry from Baja California to the Mexican mainland and cruised into the small port of a small ...

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