Travel Tips

Welcome to Puerto Vallarta, one of the most spectacular beach destinations in the world.  Whether you are here for a quick port-of-call or  for a more extended stay or just moved to Puerto Vallarta, here are a very helpful Puerto Vallarta Travel Tips for making the most of your time in this Paradise!

 

  

 

 

 

 * Only tequila made in Tequila, Jalisco can bear the name "tequila."

 * The state of Jalisco is the home of Mariachi, the traditional Mexican music.

 * The Humpback Whale winters in the Bay of Banderas each year. Dolphins, giant mantas, sea turtles and over 100 species of birds also live here. Back to Top

 

 

* Emergency, Police/Fire: 060

* Fire Dept: 223-9476, 223-9478

* Police Dept: 290-0507, 290-0512

* Red Cross & Ambulance: 222-1533

* Motor Vehicle Dept: 224-8484

* Consumer Protection (Profeco): 225-0000

* Immigration Ofice: 221-1380

* American Consulate: 222-0069, 223-0074 - After hours: 01-333-268-2145

* Canadian Consulate: 293-0098, 223-0074 - After hours: 01-800-706-2900

     Hospitals

 * Ameri-Med: 226-2080

* CMG: 223-1919

* Cornerstone: 224-9400

* I.M.S.S.: 224-3838

* Medasist: 223-0444

* Regional: 224-4000

* San Javier: 226-1010

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The non ‘tunel’ bus will go straight into town on Morelos, get of at any of the stops on this street and walk the one block down to the Malecón (seafront promenade). Stroll down this in the same direction the bus was going (south) and you will reach the Main Plaza, Town Hall and Church.

 If you continue south (or stay on the bus) you will cross the Rio Cuale and enter the 'south side' of town, lots of good restaurants, bars and coffee shops. Generally everything is cheaper on the south side of Puerto Vallarta. Go inland to see a typical local neighborhood or go down to the beach and have a drink down by the new pier at Langostinos, while you watch another incredible sunset. Back to Top

 

 

Mexico is made up of three time zones: Central Standard Time (CST), Mountain Standard Time (MST), and Pacific Standard Time (PST).

Most of Mexico, including Jalisco, the state that Puerto Vallarta is in, follows Central Standard Time. This is the same as Houston, Chicago, and Winnipeg.

Two things can lead to confusion. Mexico follows Daylight Savings Time, but on a slightly different schedule than the U.S. and Canada. Clocks in the U.S. and Canada move ahead on the second Sunday in March, but in Mexico, it’s not until the first Sunday in April. In the fall, clocks are turned back on the last Sunday in October in Mexico, but not until the first Sunday in November in the U.S. and Canada. In other words, Daylight Savings Time starts a few weeks earlier and ends one week later in the U.S. and Canada.

The other issue is that Nayarit, the state directly to the north that contains Nuevo Vallarta, runs on Mountain Standard Time. However, since Puerto Vallarta and Nuevo Vallarta are so closely linked economically, many businesses in Nuevo Vallarta choose to use the same time as Puerto Vallarta. If you’re going to a hotel or restaurant in Nuevo Vallarta, you can ask whether they’re on Jalisco time (hora de Jalisco) or Nayarit time (hora de Nayarit) just to be safe. Back to Top

 

 

Most shopping malls and stores are open 9:00 A.M. To 10:00 P.M. daily. Back to Top

 

 

The weather in Puerto Vallarta is FABULOUS – even during the low season!

What can you expect?

    * November to April: Average high 85F/low 63F

    * May to October: Average high 92F/low 70F

    * Rainy Season: Mid-June - September, mainly afternoon and evening showers.

Click here for Today´s Forecast    Back to Top

 

 

 Puerto Vallarta has some of the cleanest tap water in Mexico, comparable to the tap water in the U.S. and Canada. That being said, most locals use bottled water for drinking – there are many cheap Mexican  brands available in sizes all the way up to twenty liters.

Tap water is fine for brushing your teeth and washing dishes.

Fruits and vegetables can be washed in tap water as well, but it’s recommended that you first soak them in water with a few drops of a disinfectant like Microdyn, which is available in the produce section of most supermarkets. Look for a small blue bottle. 

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There are many excellent doctors in town, both traditional and homeopathic. We have a brand new hospital as well. Emergency medical and surgical problems can be attended here in town and there is also an AirVac program.

    1. AMERIMED
    2. CMQ PREMIERE
    3. MEDASIST
    4. SAN JAVIER

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Electricity is the same as the USA and Canada - 110 volt 60-current, no adapters needed. Back to Top

 

 

The Mexican Peso is the currency. Money exchange houses are located in the airport and on nearly every street corner there are ATMs at banks throughout the city.

Credit cards are widely accepted but always ask the restaurant or store before you spend any money.

Click here for Currency Converter  Back to Top

 

 

U.S. dollars are accepted in many stores and restaurants that are geared to tourists, but you’ll almost always save money by exchanging money yourself and paying for everything in pesos. There are a number of options for exchanging.

You’ll usually get the best exchange rate at an ATM (cajero automático), especially if you take out larger amounts to make up for the transaction fee. Banks are also a good option, but not as convenient since most banks are closed on the weekends.

When exchanging money, make sure to count your pesos in front of the teller before getting out of line. Ask for any ripped or taped bills to be replaced, as they can be difficult to spend.

Click here for today´s Exchange Rate  Back to Top

 

 

For the most part, tips (propinas) in Puerto Vallarta are similar to that in the U.S. and Canada. Many people in the tourism and service industries depend on tips to make a living. Here are some rough guidelines.

Waiter: 10% to 20%, as long as no service charge has already been added.
Bartender: 10% to 15%.
Grocery bagger: 2 to 5 pesos, depending on the number of bags.
Tour guide: 10%.
Bellhop: 10 to 20 pesos per bag.
Hotel maid: 10 to 30 pesos per day.
Taxi driver: Tips aren’t expected, but they’re appreciated if you were helped with bags.

Remember, these are guidelines, not rules.  Back to Top

 

 

Avoid the Long Distance Collect or Credit Card offers from the many telephone boxes covered with Credit Card logos on the street. These are an extreme rip-off. Use them and you may have a heart attack will you get the bill, back home.

Use the TelMex phones. Local & International Long Distance 'LADATEL' - telephone cards 30 -100 Pesos, local call = 1 peso per minute, you can call to the US or Canada using these cards from a public 'LADATEL'phone for only 5 pesos (.50cUS) a minute.
Available at all Pharmacies and many other stores, such as liquor stores. These are Smart-Cards and the screen on the phone will show how many pesos are left.


It's an awful lot cheaper to buy a 100 pesos card and talk till it runs out, than call from a hotel at a higher rate and the added service charge.  Back to Top

 

 

The CDMA and TDMA protocols used in the U.S. for cell phones are also used in Mexico. Some cell phone companies have a roaming agreements within Mexico. Ask your U.S. provider who they use for roaming in Mexico, that will tell you who to sign up with when you get there. GSM phones (VoiceStream) will also work here on a frequency of 1900 MHz.

If you have a pre-paid card cell phone, it can easily have a local number added, just for the cost of buying a local SIM card. 


Pre-paid cards cost from 100 Pesos up and are available at any pharmacy or liquor store. Charges: Local Calls - 5.50 Pesos per min. National - 6-8 Pesos per min. International - 14-18 Pesos per min.  Incoming calls. : Now all are free.  Back to Top

 

 

There are several ways to keep up on your E-mail while you're here. Apart from some hotels there are many places in town that have DSL high speed access, you can use a computer for from 10 to 20 pesos for one hour, on some side streets I've seen as low as 8 pesos an hour.

At some of these places you can get coffee, snacks and even beer! At last count there were at least 200 places like this, and that's just in town. Also several bars in town now offer computer use for free, with your drink.


Many bars and coffee shops have WiFi, if you wish to bring your laptop with you. Most hotels have WiFi, for a price, but now we have a city Hot Spot in the Main Plaza, which is free and require no password, it runs 24/7, though I haven't checked it lately.  

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ALERT!


As you wander down the Malecón you will be accosted by people who will admire your shoes/T-shirt/necklace to start a conservation. Yes it's the dreaded Timeshare OPC! 


But, you know who they are at least, up front, and you can easily walk away. 

But, beware, they are now getting as sneaky as the airport. There's a quasi eco business on the Malecón (we're talking real high rent) which appears to exist on the sales of ecological T-shirts and blown glass? And part of the sales of T-shirts go the environmental concerns!, but their real business is TIMESHARE!


They can also be found in restaurants masquerading as part of the management and even in some of our large supermarkets, look out for "Can I help you?" 


There are others, masking themselves as a "Huichol Art Gallery and Museum" or one that appears to be about"Mayan Archaeology'" but all are really trying to get you to sit through a four hour Timeshare presentation?
Your Choice. 


* Real names not used.  Back to Top

 

 

The best Discounted Tours Website with the best tours & activities in Puerto Vallarta is http://www.tourspv.com 

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The Puerto Vallarta airport (PVR) is located four miles from downtown, has over 450 weekly flights and ground transportation is available.

Want VIP Transportation directly to your private Puerto Vallarta vacation rental?.. Click here! 

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Local Transport

Bus trips cost around 6.50 pesos, which is about 50 US cents (0.35 Euro) that you pay to the bus driver when you get in and every ride is good for as long as you have to stay on... the whole city if you'd like. It is easy to find a bus stop. You will see large amounts of people loitering on the sidewalk. If you wait a few minutes, a bus will stop as they run quite frequently. Look for your travel location on the bus windshield. Buses stop almost every five to ten blocks and at peak hours tend to get very full & can get very hot, so be ready for that. If you are a man, be ready to give up your seat to women if the bus becomes crowded. Bus drivers will make change for any amount up to 50.00 pesos, but won't break larger bills.

 

The buses are very reliable quite handy to get to places like Pitillal (the rapidly growing suburb to the NE) and Ixtapa (including the nearby U of Guadalajara campus with its gallery and crocodile farm). They are also useful for travelling from the hotel zone and marina area to the downtown or old-town areas. Any bus marked Centro will pass through both. Buses marked Tunel will skip downtown and head directly to the old-town / zona romantica via the tunnel bypass.

 

Taxis

 

It is very easy to get around Puerto Vallarta. With more than 1,000 taxis in town there is no problem hailing one. Taxi fares are set in Pesos; the average fare is around $35 pesos or $3.50 USD. A trip across town from the Marina to Los Muertos Beach will cost about $60 pesos or $6.00 USD. Always settle on the fare before you get in – you will save money.

 

Before entering the taxi, ask the driver what the fare will be to your destination, if it isn't close to the guide lines on this page, go to another taxi. Tips are not required, unless you feel it is warranted. The local custom is not to tip, unfortunately many visitors do not know this and tip as they do at home, the result is that the locals have a hard time getting a taxi when they may urgently need one, the taxi will bypass them looking for a tourist who will tip them and pay more for the trip than necessary. 

Tips from drivers on where to eat etc. are not reliable (they will be getting a kickback). There have been some recent complaints of taxi drivers taking people to different places than requested because of this. If the driver tells you the place is closed or he doesn't know where it is - take another taxi. If he takes you somewhere else anyway, find police officer - they all speak English, this will help us get rid of the bad drivers. Also taxi drivers may not know the street names. Even local residents don't know the names of the streets, I've had neighbors who didn't know the name of the street two blocks away. They do know places, I've been given directions like "Turn right on the street just past where the car wash used to be" So I suggest you print out my maps, each one has a printer friendly version.

 

Out of Town Trips

 

You can visit Bucerias for 12 pesos, $.85. You can also go to Punta Mita for 20 pesos, $1.50. Mismaloya buses charge around 6 pesos. There are also larger buses that can take you to Guadalajara, which is about a 5-hour trip.

You can catch buses for Mismaloya along Basilio Badillo on the corner just West of where you see them lined up.

 

The easiest way to catch a bus to Bucerias, Punta Mita or points in between is to catch a city bus to Wal-Mart/Sams. Walk along the main road to the northernmost bus shelters in front of Wal-Mart. The buses to Bucerias leave from here.

If you want to catch a bus south to Barra de Navidad or any of the towns south to Costa Allagre, you can catch the bus at the corner of [Dieguez & Aguacate] at the south end of town. Busses leave at 6am & 9am. Look for the blue bust stop sign. You will have to pay the driver in Peso's (fares vary on distance). Just tell the driver where or when you want to get off the bus. Most busses make frequent stops but have A/C. Regional busses are very reliable & run 7 days per week.

 

Bay Busses.

 

 Are slightly longer route busses that can take you to some very nice beaches on the north side of the bay, beyond the bay and to El Tuito, a small town to the south that is older than Vallarta.

ATM (Autostransportes Medina de Puerto Vallarta) leaves it's terminal at Brazil #1410 (at the south side of the Sports Stadium), every 7 min. to Punta de Mita and every 10 min. to Nuevo Vallarta. The busses stop across from Copal (in front of HSCB Bank ), in front of Walmart and across from the airport. 
The Nuevo Vallarta bus goes to all the hotels in Nuevo. To reach downtown PV you'll have to change from the ATM bus to a local one. The easiest place to do this is at the Marine Terminal (across the road from Walmart,Sam's), just get off there and wait for the next city bus going to 'Centro' 


Fares are Bucerías - 12 pesos, Nuevo Vallarta & Valle de Banderas - 13 pesos, Destiladeras Beach - 16 pesos and Punta Mita (El Anclote Beach) - 23 pesos.
The Compostela-Pacifico line (White & Green) has service to Sayulita - 25 pesos, and takes you to the Sports Stadium. It leaves from the same stops as the ATM Line, on the return the last stop is at Plaza Genovesa. The same bus line also has service to San Francisco (San Pancho) and Rincón de Guayabitos, but not into the towns themselves.

El Tuito. The bus to El Tuito leaves from the corner of V. Carranza and Aguacate. The fare is 20 pesos and takes about 50 min.
A nice excursion you can take for yourself to an old colonial town and a source for Raicilla. 

South. The bus to Mismaloya and Boca de Tomatlan (water taxi to Yelapa) leaves from the corner of B. Badillo & Constitución and B. Badillo & Insurgentes, on it's way south.


Water Taxi


Rosita Hotel Beach to Yelapa Beach 125 pesos + 10 pesos. for the boat from the beach to the launch. Expect getting your feet wet.
Los Muertos Beach to Yelapa 125 pesos 1st class pier to pier - no chance of wet feet, but a longer ride than above.
Or take a Taxi $10.00 (100 Pesos ) or Bus .50c (7 Pesos) to Boca de Tomatlan then water taxi from the beach.
Boca de Tomatlan to Las Animas, Quimixto, Yelapa 60 pesos or Pizota for a bit more. Prices vary sometimes.

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Many people are moving here permanently or on a seasonal basis. Local knowledge and the ability to communicate in Spanish can help immensely and save you a lot of money. Getting furnishings and appliances at a reasonable price used to involve a trip to Guadalajara, we now have far more outlets for what you need to finish off your house or condo, but the prices can vary by many, many pesos. Hire a Professional Shopper, who can speak the language, knows all the best stores and will drive you around in a nice airconditioned extended cab pickup.

 

Siesta

Siesta in Puerto Vallarta is from 2:00PM to 4:00PM and you will find some businesses (not bars & restaurants) closed during those hours, but they will stay open after siesta till 8:00 or 9:00PM. Siesta is becoming far less common in town

 

Sunday Evening in Puerto Vallarta

After sundown on Sunday families, groups of boys and separate groups of girls, dressed in their best, will promenade up and down the Malecón (sea front walk). The groups of young people will be making eyes at each other as they pass. 
This is also a time for families to get dressed up and go meet their friends, sit , chat and watch others walk by. There will be vendors selling anything from roasted corn on the cob to brightly coloured windmills and balloons. There is also, on weekend nights, usually an event going on at the small amphitheater at the end of the Malecón by the three arches, Teatro de Los Arcos.

 

Garbage Collections

When you see bags of garbage on the street corner, don't think that this is a sign of a trashy place. The garbage is collected three days a week. The following should go into my Fables and Rumors page:-..." it is put out on the street corner when the sound of a 'cow bell' is heard."You may see this guy who runs, and I do mean runs, down the street ringing a 'cow bell'. He's back! 
Collection times vary according to the area, it's now a private company.

 

Beer

At the market and depositos you will pay, for most brands (National) about 8 pesos +2.5 pesos for the bottle - we recycle - bring back an empty bottle and pay just pesos. Some places will charge you from7.5 to 8 pesos (+ empty bottle) if it's cold from the fridge. At a wholesale 'deposito' a case (20) of Pacifico is 160 pesos + a case of empties, keep your receipt for the case and return the empty bottles when you are leaving. At bars you will pay from $1.00 to $5 Depending where you are. 


At the current exchange rates of about 12.5 pesos to the dollar, you can get beer at some of the bars I recommend for about $US 1.00.

 

Sports

Plenty of soccer games, nearly every day, at the Municipal Stadium which is about 1 mile north of Park Hidalgo. See the local papers for the schedule, if you don't read Spanish get a local to help you. Any local with some English (there are many) will enjoy helping you especially if it involves 'futbol'. The sports stadium has been completely re-done, we even have a high tech running track, really excellent. Now there is a nice office, fronting the main road, where you can get all the information you wish. It is possible to get into a pick-up game when the regular games are not playing, mornings are best, no Spanish required! There is also a softball league and basketball there as well.

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Proof of citizenship is necessary to cross the border into Mexico. A current passport will suffice. Upon arrival visitors are given a tourist card which must be turned in upon departure at the airport; at that time a departure tax is payable in US dollars or Mexican pesos. Many airlines now include this tax when ticketing, but check ahead to make sure.  Back to Top

 

 

Used to be that vehicles had the right of way. Pedestrians now have the right of way - they changed the law, but they forgot to tell anyone, so take care and look before you cross. Luckily with our cobbled streets, the traffic don't go too fast anyway. .... Note - with the possible exception of some of our bus drivers who may appear to be practicing for the Mexican Gran Prix.


BEWARE. A stop sign does NOT mean that vehicles will stop, or even slow down. Please remember this as we have lost a few. Always try to make eye contact with the driver, this is the best way to get them to stop.


Disabled Access. More and more ramps for the disabled are appearing and the telephone company, who neglected to make provision for their cables when the others where buried under downtown, are installing more as penance. These ramps are something pedestrians should be on the lookout for, although they ease our high curbs, there are no railings around them and you could easily fall into them.  Back to Top

 

 

There are many small laundry places which provide a wash and fold service for a very small sum - 33 Pesos for 3 Kilos. They are also quite fast, giving usually 'same day' service.  Back to Top

 

 

Oxxo, (All over the city, every few blocks). most open 24 hours. Best place to buy beer or snacks, save Wal-Mart (hassle, bus ride). They are all over the city & will save you tons of money. Most have cash machines. A great place to make small change for the bus.  

Wal-Mart. Cheapest place to buy most groceries. H

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