I’ve had the joy of visiting, living in, and working from Puerto Vallarta for more than 20 years, with the more residential and remote-work stints in the past 5 years. I’ve had quite a few questions about the town lately, so here are some ideas for new visitors.

Get oriented

Puerto Vallarta has many neighborhoods. Some of the most notable, from the airport, include:

  • Marina Vallarta: an upscale area of hotels, boats, and a golf course, 10 minutes south of the airport
  • Hotel Zone / Zona Hotelera: luxury hotels and golf courses, and also upscale shopping centers and malls
  • Downtown / Centro: the historic heart of PV, where the big church can be found
  • Romantic Zone / Zona Romántica: just south of centro, separated by the river, full of cobblestone streets, restaurants, clubs and bars, and historic charm — and increasingly, big new condo complexes. The most walkable of the neighborhoods.
  • Conchas Chinas: a luxury neighborhood south of the Romantic Zone, accessible via the main highway or a beach walk. Nice beaches, incredible views, and quiet neighborhoods — but not much to eat.

Transit from the airport

Probably the only moment of pure and full chaos in PV happens at the airport: getting from your gate to wherever you are staying is a bit wild. Expect a ton of loud solicitations, free tequila, and inevitable timeshares: it’s honestly a scrum. Transit from the airport is highly regulated. Your options include:

  1. Arrange transit from the airport to your resort, if your resort offers it. This is nice for first timers, as it gets you through the scrum with a minimum of hassle.
  2. From the main lobby, after fending off the hordes, you can purchase a voucher to your destination from the booths to the right of the doors. Expect to pay around $500p / $25 USD (going back to the airport is typically half the price).
  3. You can try to hop into a taxi, but you must negotiate on the price beforehand. You should expect to pay double the fare if you do not negotiate ahead of time.
  4. Uber is extremely safe, inexpensive, and reliable: but from the airport, you have to do a dance to get them. Upon exiting, walk left towards the highway. You’ll see an pedestrian overpass: go up and over. Call your Uber along the way to your destination; they will pick you up on the opposite side. This is a good option for folks comfortable with the 5 minute walk and stairs and Uber.
  5. It’s also possible to take a bus, costing just 10 pesos. However, the neighborhood destination must be listed on the window of the bus, and the routes, times, etc. are not mapped in Google Maps as in US cities. This is maybe the most adventuresome option.

Getting around

Once settled into your neighborhood, most people just walk: PV is an incredibly pedestrian friendly city… although take note that the cobblestone streets can be hell on heels, and the sidewalks are extremely uneven and not OSHA compliant. This is a real challenge if you have mobility issues.

Getting from neighborhood to neighborhood is easy via Uber — safe, predictable in terms of cost, and rarely more than $5 USD. Cabs are also an option, but always negotiate on the price ahead of time.

There’s not much cycling b/c of the cobblestone roads.

Dealing with money

Increasingly businesses are asking for cash instead of a credit card. Never use US dollars as you’ll get a miserable conversion rate. The best way to get cash is through a Bank ATM, withdrawing cash directly from your checking account. Note well: in Mexico, many ATMs dispense cash before returning your card. That means it’s very easy to grab the cash and walk away and forget your card; I’ve done it many times. In the US, all ATMs require you remove the card before you take your cash, a forcing function so you don’t forget your card. Also, when you are withdrawing cash, Bank ATMs will offer a conversion rate for you. ALWAYS DECLINE THIS RATE, and allow your own bank’s exchange rate to apply.

Having said all that, higher-end spots also support touchless payments through mobile phones. Ensure your credit card doesn’t charge extra for international charges.

These gays, they are trying to murder me

PV is the most gay-friendly holiday destination in Mexico, and one of the major gay holiday destinations in the west, ranking on par with, if not better than, Palm Springs, Provincetown, or San Francisco. This can be both fun and annoying. On the fun side, there’s major entertainment in town: from drag shows to comedy, cabaret, and more. Check out Nacho Daddy, The Palm Cabaret and Bar, Coco Cabaret, Act2PV. There’s also a ton of great bars and clubs in the heart of the Zona Romantica, many with happy hour deals: check out Blondies (there are 3 now!), Apaches, the upstairs at La Noche in the evenings (past the club cats that hang on the roof!).

On the downside, there’s a deeply annoying culture of (harmless) drug dealers, who hang out on major walking streets, offering “molly, cocaine, weed, what you want…” It’s particularly odd in the early morning when I’m out for a run along the malecon. I know, this isn’t just a gay thing, but it’s very present. Ignore them. PV also offers the full wild side of gay culture: naked strip clubs, massage parlors, and sex workers. Take care: I have heard more than a few stories of someone taking someone home, getting “roofied,” and waking up robbed and embarrassed.

A key issue is noise — not only a gay thing, as the straight clubs are massive and loud as well. If you select a condo in Zona Romantica, you must very carefully note where it sits relative to clubs, bars, or restaurants. Mexico is already a loud and vivacious culture: but a poorly selected AirBnB might mean you’ll be enjoying ftz-ftz-ftz-ftz beats until 5 am. Use Google Maps to identify your potential place relative to the businesses around it.

Sunset bars are a big deal

As PVR faces west on the vast Banderas Bay, sunsets are spectacular. I always take time to enjoy them. There are a number of sunset cocktail bars, often with specials. Consider The Pinnacle, which has three different buildings, some with rooftop pool bars and some of the best drinks in town; the new gay bar Tryst, with incredible modern Mexican fabrics and materials (but below average drinks); the extremely delightful and old-school Chez Elena Restaurant, in Centro, with a rooftop deck that isn’t all that high but somehow captures the entire sky; along the beach in Zona Romantica, La Cebolla Roja / The Red Onion, with simple seating in the sandy beach, sometimes with musicians and more who will play for you and always many pelicans sunset fishing; El Solar, on the north side of Central, an immensely cool sunsetter bar at the beach.

Shopping

Casa Oaxaca Art & Home Decor is my new favorite shop: through partnerships with Oaxacan families, they offer hand-woven materials, made into pillows, bedding, tablecloths, rugs, and more. Mundo de Azulejos offers incredible tiles, in case you’re thinking of re-doing your kitchen or a bath.

Food Shopping

Mexican candy shops are wild and fun! Check out Dulceria Leal. Chocolate came from Mexico: XOCODIVA seems to have the corner on it, with many locations including at the airport. There is a “farmers’ market” — more like a giant craft market, but with some street food too — Saturdays from 9-2 at Lazaro Cardenas Park.

Get some culture in

In addition to the entertainment mentioned above, there is a PV ArtWalk every Wednesday, 6-10pm, in Centro. There are now many galleries in Zona Romantica, too, which has organized its own art walk every other Friday evening. The Marina offers an Art & Market event every Thursday, from 6 to 10pm. If you can catch the Arte Vallarta Museo art museum on an opening night, there’s always tons of folks, sometimes live entertainment, and drinks.

On Fridays, you can sometimes catch a dance, music, or other culture show at Plaza Lazaro Cardenas — it’s hard to know the schedule ahead of time, though.

The Botanical Gardens are about an hour south and remarkable. There’s a great restaurant for lunch, trails and hikes, and plenty of good birdwatching. You can cab or Uber there and back.

Fun experiences

  • Walk the Malecon, end to end: right at the ocean front, filled with fascinating public sculpture, night stands of crafts and things to sample, entertainment at Los Arcos and along the way — it’s a fine way to enjoy an evening.
  • Street tacos: find a food tour and experience the quintessential street life of PV: it’s tacos!
  • The Isla del Cuale: this island separates Centro from Zona Romantica; you see it as you walk the Malecon. In the first section, there are numerous craft stores: some with manufactured-in-China garbage, and others with potentially unique finds. After the second bridge, it opens up into a garden space, with spots for picnics, relaxing, a few small restaurants, and a cultural center at the end where depending on the time of year you might find a Racilla/Tequilla festival, food tasting festival, painters, or more.
  • For men, haircuts at Barba y Barba, an old school barbershop.

Dangers

In my many years of going to PV, the key dangers I’ve noticed are: not taking big waves seriously at the beach and getting scraped up a bit; getting ripped off by cab drivers; ATM conversion fees; falling, under the influence or not, on rough sidewalks; overindulging and suffering hangovers; and dealing with the many stairwell in the beach areas of Zona Romantica, hurting one’s knees or back. PV is an important tourist zone, and tourists are kept safe.

Dining Out

In many ways it feels a bit like sport: finding great spots at a good price. Here are some we like, in Zona Romantica:

  • Tuna Azul
  • Il Pesce — and their new spot up north Ciento Once (take a cab)
  • El Dorado - hands down, the best breakfasts and brunches right at the beach; and an upscale beach club, too
  • Siam Cocina Thai
  • Casita and Garden — with live musicians every night, great wine selections
  • La Mucca — new taco spot from the chefs at…
  • Tintoque
  • D’Cortez
  • Balam Balam

This post will be an ongoing project. Last updated 3/20/2025. Let me know your experiences!