Walk out the front door and all of Puerto Vallarta is at your feet. Put on your walking shoes and explore the city as its easy to get around. Here are two suggestions on where to go and what to see.
Route #1: Walk along the Malecon to the “Romantic Zone.”
A great start to seeing the city is to walk south along Vallarta’s boardwalk, called the Malecon, to Los Muertos Beach in the Romantic Zone. General Directions: Walk straight down Corona toward the water until you hit the Malecon. Turn left (south) and stroll along it for as long it for as long as you like. There are tons of shops, bars, restaurants and stores of all kinds. Puerto Vallarta is famous for its bronze statues on the Malecon. You’ll see another kind of artists — sand castle builders — which are truly amazing.
You’ll cross the Rio Cuale, which officially splits the city, entering the Emiliano Zapata colonia. Sometimes referred to as the “Romantic Zone.” it has the city’s most dense collection of bars, restaurants and shops. There are dozens of interesting restaurants and bars that deserve a try.
Once you pass the new pier, try La Palapa on Los Muertos Beach as a great place to have a cocktail, do some people watching, and catch the sunset. The beach was named for a (we think) mythical battle between local miners and pirates in the late 1800s. After the battle, they found Los Muertos — the dead- on the beach.
The block bordering the beach, Olas Altos, is another lively street. Want to dance? The Andales bar and restaurant is a good place anytime during the night. Stroll the street and stop in on one of the cafes or restaurants or silver shops.
Route #2: Stroll through the arts district and then take the Malecon north to the “Hotel Zone.”
Vallarta has a very strong creative community, perhaps because the first Americans coming to PV in the 1950s were writers and artists trying to flee the McCarthy era in the US. Vallarta has dozens of galleries scattered throughout the city and world famous sculptures sprinkled along the Malecon. It has a film festival (in early December) originally organized by John Houston’s children.General Directions. Go left out the front door, left again on Miramar and then left down Aldama. Then turn right on Calle Sanchez and you’ve arrived in the heart of the galleries. We suggest walking back and forth on the streets between Sanchez and the Malecon to take in all the galleries.
At some point, continue north along the Malecon and walk to Playa Camarones,, a wide span of public beach. You can take this beach all the way to the high rises in the Hotel Zone.
Three options getting back. Hail one of the dozens of cabs and tell him, ” Corner of Miramar and Corona in El Centro.” Cost will be about 50 Pesos. Walk back the way you came, as there’s always more to see. Or, make a big circle by walking east up Olas Altos and turn right on Basilio Badillo for about 7 blocks to Insurgentes Avenue. Take a left on Insurgentes for a couple of blocks and cross the bridge over the Rio Cuale. Follow Insurgentes as it swings left, then go right on Matamoros and walk up the five blocks up until it dead ends into Corona. You’re back.