Puerto Vallarta sits on a horseshoe-shaped bay where the jungle tumbles straight into the Pacific. The Bay of Banderas. Mountains on one side, humpback whales on the other, and a cobbled colonial old town in between.
Most first-timers spend three days here and wish they'd booked seven. So here's the plan. Twelve experiences that actually earn their spot — the Malecón at golden hour, a panga ride to a roadless fishing village, tacos al pastor for the price of a coffee back home. Prices below are in Mexican pesos (MXN) with USD where it helps. One peso is roughly five US cents, so figure 18-20 pesos to the dollar.
Let's go.
1. Walk the Malecón at sunset
Start here. The Malecón is a mile-long oceanfront boardwalk running through downtown, lined with bronze sculptures — the Seahorse, the Rotonda del Mar, a stack of surreal figures climbing a ladder into the sky. It's free, open 24/7, and busiest at dusk when the light goes amber over the water.
Begin at the Los Arcos amphitheatre and stroll north. Sand artists carve dragons into the beach. Buskers play. Near sunset, the Voladores de Papantla climb a tall pole and spin down it upside-down, tethered by ankle ropes — a 1,500-year-old ritual, performed nightly, tip-supported (drop them 50-100 pesos).
Don't rush it — a slow evening on the Malecón is the warm-up for the whole trip.
2. Get lost in the Zona Romántica
Cross the Cuale River to the south side and the streets tilt uphill into the Zona Romántica — the bohemian old town. Cobblestones, rooftop restaurants, galleries, and the dining strip locals call the Calle del Café along Basilio Badillo.
This is where you'll want to base yourself. It's walkable, it's lively after dark, and it puts you steps from the beach. The neighborhood is also the heart of PV's famously welcoming LGBTQ scene — one of the most relaxed and inclusive in all of Mexico.
Give yourself a full evening. Climb to the Río Cuale island for craft markets, then drift down toward the water as the sky goes pink.
3. Catch the sunset at Los Muertos Pier
Playa Los Muertos is the city's main beach, and its sail-shaped pier is the photo everyone takes. Grab a lounger at a beach club (roughly 150-200 pesos with a minimum spend) and order a margarita for around 120-180 pesos.
The name means "beach of the dead" — depending on who's telling it, after a pirate skirmish or a mining-era ambush. Don't let it put you off. It's the most sociable stretch of sand in town, fruit vendors and oyster sellers working the loungers, and the sunset framed by the pier's white mast is the one that ends up on your fridge.
4. Boat to Yelapa, the roadless village
Here's the one that turns a good trip into a great one. Yelapa is a bohemian fishing village in the bay's far south with no road in. None. The only way there is by water taxi.
Catch a morning panga from the Los Muertos pier, or — cheaper — from Boca de Tomatlán down the coast (roughly US$20-25 / 350-450 pesos round trip). Once you land, hike 20-30 minutes through the village to the Cola de Caballo waterfall and swim in the pool below before the midday heat. Eat just-caught fish on the sand. Then buy a slice of pie from the pie ladies who walk the beach with trays balanced on their heads — coconut or chocolate, and it's a Yelapa institution.
Take the early-afternoon boat back. Seas get choppy late in the day.
5. Snorkel the Marietas Islands hidden beach
Off the bay's northern tip, the Marietas Islands hide one of the strangest beaches on earth: Playa Escondida, a circle of sand at the bottom of a collapsed volcanic crater, reached by swimming through a low rock tunnel.
It's a roughly one-hour boat ride out, and tours run US$90-120 (1,600-2,200 pesos). Here's the catch — and it matters. Access to the hidden beach is capped by daily federal permits to protect the reef, so you cannot just show up. Book a licensed operator in advance, and pack reef-safe sunscreen, which is required in these protected waters. You'll snorkel clear reefs — water that rivals Mexico's Caribbean lagoons like Bacalar — spot blue-footed boobies and the occasional manta ray, and (permits allowing) duck through the tunnel into that hidden cove.
6. Go whale watching (December to March)
From mid-December to late March, humpback whales travel thousands of miles to calve in the warm Bay of Banderas. They breach. They slap their tails. Certified tours (US$50-80, 3-4 hours) carry biologists and hydrophones so you can hear them sing underwater.
Book a morning trip — calmer seas — and choose a small-boat operator that respects the legal distance rules. Bring a light jacket and a motion remedy if you're prone. Seeing a 40-ton animal launch itself clear of the water never stops being staggering.
7. Crawl the taco stands
Forget the resort buffet for one night. PV's best meals cost less than your airport coffee.
Start at Pancho's Takos in the Zona Romántica for al pastor carved off the spit — 30-50 pesos a taco. Then keep wandering. Look for birria (slow-stewed, dipped in consommé), pescado zarandeado (whole grilled fish), and aguachile that'll wake you up. Skip the sit-down places fishing for tourists near the cruise terminal — head to wherever the line is longest and the menu is shortest instead.
8. Taste tequila and raicilla
You're in Jalisco. This is tequila's home state. But the local secret is raicilla — a smoky agave spirit the mountains here have distilled for generations, only recently exported.
In town you can taste both at Romántica bars and tasting rooms. If you've got a spare day and want the real thing, a guided tour out to the UNESCO agave fields around the town of Tequila runs US$90-150 and shows you the jima harvest, the roasting ovens, the aging barrels. It's a long day (3.5-4 hours each way), so book the round-trip transport and let someone else drive.
9. Find quiet sand at Conchas Chinas
Just south of the Romántica, Conchas Chinas is a string of rocky coves below the bay's most exclusive villas — tide pools, calm clear water, and far fewer people than Los Muertos. It's where you go when you want the beach to yourself.
Walk south along the shore or take a 10-peso bus. The water is calmer and clearer than the main beaches, and the rock formations make natural swimming pools at low tide. Pack your own snacks. There's less infrastructure out here, which is exactly the point.
10. Zip through the Sierra Madre canopy
Behind the beaches, the jungle climbs fast into the Sierra Madre. Canopy tours run zip-line circuits through it — platforms strung between giant trees, river crossings, and rappels, usually packaged with a tequila tasting at the end (because of course).
Most half-day outfits run US$80-110 and include transport from town. You'll get a different Vallarta entirely up here: cooler air, the smell of wet jungle, parrots overhead. If you only do one adrenaline thing, make it this.
11. Day-trip up the coast to the south-shore villages
Beyond Yelapa, the roadless southern coast hides more beach villages reachable only by boat. From Boca de Tomatlán, catch a colectivo water taxi (~200 pesos round trip) to Playa Las Ánimas for a calm cove and pescado zarandeado, then hop onward to Quimixto, where a 20-minute walk (or a 150-peso horseback ride) leads to a jungle waterfall and its swimming pool.
It's a whole day of palapa beaches and boat hops — the same boat-only, jungle-fringed coast you'd cross to reach Bocas del Toro. And it's the version of the bay the cruise crowds never see.
12. Cool off at the Vallarta Botanical Gardens
When the heat wins, head inland. The Vallarta Botanical Gardens sit 30 minutes south in the hills — orchids, agaves, native jungle, river swimming holes, and the Hacienda de Oro restaurant for lunch on a shaded terrace.
Entry runs about US$10 (180 pesos), and it's open Tuesday through Sunday. Skip the pricey tour transfer — take the cheap public "El Tuito" bus from Carranza Street (about 30 minutes, 25 pesos), the way locals do. Swim in the river, walk the trails, and remember that PV isn't only beaches.
Pro Tip
A few moves that'll save you money and hassle — for the bigger ones, we answer the questions every first-timer asks:
Pay in pesos, not dollars. Businesses quote USD to make a margin on the exchange. When a card machine asks whether to charge in your home currency, decline — you'll get a better rate. Withdraw from bank ATMs (BBVA, Santander), not the blue cash kiosks.
"Free tour"? Walk away. Friendly people near the Malecón, airport, and marina offering free breakfasts or discounted activities are running the timeshare hustle. A firm "no, gracias" and keep moving is the only defense.
Uber works in PV and so does Google Maps. Use the official taxi booths inside the PVR terminal on arrival — Uber can have friction with taxi drivers right at the airport.
Buses cost about 10 pesos and run constantly along the bay. Flag them down anywhere.
