What to do in Puerto Vallarta?

When PV really started booming in the 80's there was an obvious lack of a marina area and adding a residential area to the project really made it take off. Now, 30 or so years in the future, Marina Vallarta is where many of the best resort hotels are located and the Marina area is a great place to enjoy and visit during the day and night.

Marina Vallarta offers these attractions:

• Marina Lighthouse
• Marina Boardwalk (Restaurants, bars and nightclubs)
• The Vallarta Whale statue
• Marina Vallarta Golf Course
• Plaza Marina

Sandwiched between the Marina Area, the cruise terminal and harbor, the Puerto Vallarta hotel zone is, as would be expected by the name, the place with the highest concentration of hotels in the city. Many of the well-known names in international accommodation options intermingle with local names and smaller hotels.

The area has also grown with many shopping options and malls, the main attractions in this area are:

• Cruise terminal area, currently the starting place for most day cruises and the docking place for large cruise ships that visit the city
• Playa de Oro (Gold Beach) the beach of the northern hotel zone
• Plaza Galerías (Galerías Mall)
• Plaza Península (north of the Pitillal River)
• La Isla (large mall just south of the Pitillal River)
• Playa Los Tules
• Playa Las Glorias
• Playa Tranquila

As you might expect from the oldest and historically significant part of town, downtown Puerto Vallarta has many things to offer, both culturally as well as for your entertainment.

Some of the main attractions in this part are:

• The Malecon
• The Seahorse Statue & other statues
• The Local Parish
• Main Square (Plaza de Armas)
• Gringo Gulch
• Art Galleries
• Municipal Cuale River Market (Mercado Isla Río Cuale)
• Camarones Beach
• La Cruz Hill Lookout
• Cobblestone streets
• Cuale River Island

Despite the name, this part of town is younger than the downtown area. Even so, it embodies much of what visitors would consider as real "Mexico". Small cafes, bars, restaurants mingle with humble taco and tostada street carts. The streets are always full of life, and walk a few blocks up away from the beach and you'll get to where the locals live and relax, you get a feel of what it is to be a Mexican and what makes it all so appealing.

Some of the main attractions of the Romantic Zone include:

• Los Muertos Beach
• Los Muertos Pier
• Old Farmer's Market (only in high season)
• Olas Altas street
• Las Pilitas
• El Púlpito
• Las Amapas

Starting south from the Romantic zone, you'll start off in Amapas and Conchas Chinas, this highway was just a small dirt trail in the early 60s, now a nice small two-lane highway taking you to, or closer to, the many and distinct attractions that this large area has for you.

The list is long and we'll have to jump some, the main attractions we can mention are:

• Conchas Chinas Beach
• Palmares Beach
• Las Gemelas Beach
• Los Arcos
• Mismaloya
• El Eden & Edenva
• Vallarta Zoo
• Boca de Tomatlán
• Colomitos
• Vallarta Botanical Gardens
• Las Ánimas Beach
• Quimixto
• Majahuitas
• Yelapa
• El Tuito