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Puerto Vallarta Basics |
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 © istockphoto.com/JVT |
The beautiful, relaxed tourist town of Puerto Vallarta is nestled on the southern shores of Banderas Bay, one of the largest natural bays in the world. Behind the town, the Sierra Madre Mountains provide a dramatic backdrop to the south and east of the city. Puerto Vallarta is located in Mexico's Jalisco State, and has around 300,000 inhabitants.
Puerto Vallarta's economy is largely based on tourism and construction. The city's economy also has an agricultural component, with tropical fruit, such as mangos, papayas, watermelon, pineapple, guanabana, cantaloupe and bananas being grown here.
Puerto Vallarta has a tropical climate--warm and humid year round. The Dry Season (winter) lasts from November through mid-June, and the weather can be quite pleasant. The Rainy Season (summer) extends from late June to October, with sporadic rainstorms breaking out in the afternoon, and the occasional violent tropical storm will unleash its fury.
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As you approach Puerto Vallarta by sea, you'll see the old city on the south end of the bay, with the roofs of its buildings crowned with tile, then a spread of high-rise hotels up to the Marina Vallarta area. As you look further north, more high-rise hotels crowd the beaches. The Sierra Madre mountains provide a stunning backdrop for the city.
Your ship will dock in the Marina Vallarta Maritime Terminal, about three miles north of downtown. Some ships, however, will anchor in the harbor, and passengers must use the ship's tender. Check with your cruise line to determine your circumstances.
If you're taking a ship's excursion, you will board your bus or other transportation at the Maritime Terminal. Across the street from the Terminal are a number of small shops, snack bars, liquor stores, a Banorte ATM machine and several cyber cafes.
If you're looking for transportation into the city, you can pick up a taxi or a bus just outside the Terminal area. The bus fare is $5 or $5.5 pesos per ticket, depending on the distance, and since there are no transfers, you have to buy a new ticket each time you board a bus. You need to pay the exact fare on the bus. Taxi fare to the downtown area is negotiable, but should run about US$5-7.
You can spend a lot of time walking around the city. Downtown is where you'll find the sculptures on the Malecon, or sea-side boardwalk, with the church and the city hall sharing space around the city square. A short (5 minute) walk further south will have you passing over the Rio Cuale, with its outdoor vendors and pretty park-like setting. The arty district of Olas Atlas (also called the Old Town or the Romantic Zone) is just south of the Isla Cuale. Restaurants abound in this area, as well as along the seashore. |
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 © 2008 CPI Ventures |
Puerto Vallarta is on Central Time, six hours later than Greenwich Mean Time during standard time, or five hours during daylight savings time. In Mexico, daylight savings time begins on the first Sunday of April, and ends on the last Sunday of October.
Just to confuse things a bit, the neighboring State of Nayarit (home of Nuevo Vallarta) is on Mountain Time. Nevertheless, most hotels and restaurants there function on Central Time to accommodate tourists to the Banderas Bay area. |
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Spanish is universally spoken in Puerto Vallarta; all of the shopkeepers catering to tourists also speak English.
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Currency
The Peso is Mexico's official currency, and uses the "$" sign to denote the peso amount. The exchange rate is currently around
12.75 Pesos per US dollar. Just be aware: larger notes (e.g., $500 Peso notes) are often difficult to change.
Banks and ATMs
Banks with ATM machines are found throughout the downtown and Old Town areas of Puerto Vallarta and other tourist venues. There is a Banorte ATM machine just outside the Marine Terminal. Other ATM machines in the city can be found at the following locations:
- HSBC Mexico: At the corner of Libertad and Miramar, just north of the bridge in Old Town Vallarta.
- BBVA Bancomer: At the Plaza Caracol shopping mall, just south of the Marina.
- Citibank: Citibank has 19 ATM machines in Puerto Vallarta, including the Plaza Marina at the Marina.
- Santander Serfin: At the Plaza Genovesa, south of the Marina; and on Ave. Mexico, at the south river bridge, in Old Town Vallarta. People with Bank of America accounts aren't charged a fee when using a Santander ATM.
Using US Dollars in Puerto Vallarta
As US dollars are widely accepted in Puerto Vallarta, you don't have to change your dollars into pesos. If you're using dollars alone, make sure to bring smaller denominations to pay for incidentals and taxi rides.
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 © istockphoto.com/Tyrannosaur |
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Puerto Vallarta has a climate very similar to that of Hawaii, as they share the same hemispheric latitude of 20 north. The sun shines an average of 325 days a year here.
The best weather to be had in Puerto Vallarta is in the Winter months, from November to May, when the average temperature is in the low to mid-70s F (20° to 25° C), and the rainy season has passed. The heat and humidity increases considerably during the summer months (July through October), with the average temperature reaching the mid- to high-80s F. During the summer, sporadic rainstorms break out in the afternoon, with occasionally violent tropical storms unleashing their fury. Puerto Vallarta gets around 50 inches of rain each year.
It's humid in paradise. Throughout the year, morning relative humidities hang around the 90% mark, dropping during the day to around 70%.
The average water temperature in winter ranges from the mid-60's to the mid-70s F. In the summer, the water temperatures rise to between the mid-70s to the mid-80s F.
Hurricane season runs from August through October. |
Puerto Vallarta Average Temperatures |
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Jan |
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Feb |
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Mar |
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Apr |
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May |
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Jun |
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Jul |
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Aug |
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Sep |
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Oct |
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Nov |
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Dec |
| Avg High - F |
84 |
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84 |
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85 |
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86 |
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88 |
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90 |
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92 |
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93 |
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93 |
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93 |
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90 |
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86 |
| Avg High - C |
20 |
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29 |
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29 |
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30 |
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31 |
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32 |
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33 |
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34 |
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34 |
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34 |
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32 |
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30 |
| Avg Low - F |
62 |
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61 |
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62 |
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63 |
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68 |
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73 |
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73 |
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73 |
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73 |
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72 |
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68 |
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64 |
| Avg Low - C |
17 |
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16 |
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17 |
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17 |
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20 |
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23 |
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23 |
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23 |
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23 |
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22 |
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20 |
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18 |
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 © istockphoto.com/myjavamania |
Internet Cafes
You can find cyber cafes everywhere in Puerto Vallarta. Rates are reasonable, running from $10 to $50 pesos per hour. There are several internet cafes at the Marine Terminal area, just across the street from where your ship docks. Here are just a few of the many choices:
- Vallarta 179 Website Cafe, Ignacio L. Vallarta 179, Puerto Vallarta; 1-1/2 blocks from Rio Cuale in the Romantic Zone of Puerto Vallarta. They have a cigar bar upstairs, too.
- Plaza Neptuno, at the entrance of Marina Vallarta. Open daily, from 9:00 am to 10:00 pm.
- Internet B@r, Plaza Neptuno E-1 in Marina Vallarta. This cybercafe offers a restaurant, cafeteria and bar to go along with their internet service.
- PuertoNet CyberCafe, at Juarez 388 in the Downtown area. They offer sandwiches along with coffee and sodas.
Finding US Newspapers
US newspapers (USA Today and the New York Times) are available year round, and can be found at larger hotels and shops in the Marina and downtown. You can also buy The News, a daily paper published in English in Mexico City; the Vallarta Today, a locally-published English language daily; and the Vallarta Tribune, a weekly.
The NVBookstore, on the second floor of the Paradise Plaza Shopping Center in Nuevo Vallarta, stocks best sellers and other newly released books in English.
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 © istockphoto.com/adamdodd |
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Local Holidays & Festivals |
The following local festivals and events are scheduled to take place in Puerto Vallarta in 2010:
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- Ano Nuevo (New Year's Day), January 1. National holiday celebrated with dances and fiestas.
- Dia de los Santos Reyes (Day of the Three Kings), January 6. A national holiday when children receive their Christmas gifts as well as shoes full of candy.
- Dia de la Constitucion (Constitution Day), February 1. Public holiday commemorating the signing of the Mexican Constitution of 1917. The day is marked by a government-sponsored parade.
- XVIII Regata Internacional, March 16 to 20. Sailing regatta from San Diego to Puerto Vallarta; features music, events and fun for all.
- Semana Santa (Easter Week), March 31 to April 4. The week before Easter is the busiest week of the year. The city provides free concerts, theater performances and fiestas.
- Birthday of Benito Juarez, March 15. A public holiday celebrating the birthday of Benito Juarez, who rose from humble origins to occupy the Presidency of the Republic in the second half of the 19th century.
- Primero de Mayo (Labor Day), May 1. A national holiday.
- Cinco de Mayo, May 5. A national Mexican holiday commemorating the Battle of Puebla in 1862, when the Mexican army defeated a French force twice its size just south of Mexico City.
- Fiestas de Mayo, May 1 to 31. In May, the city of Puerto Vallarta showcases music of all kinds with concerts, impromptu performances and street stages throughout the city.
- Anniversary of the Founding of Puerto Vallarta, May 31. A locally-focused event featuring concerts and activities in the amphitheater located in the Malecon.
- Independence Day, September 16. Look for the delivery of the "El Grito de Dolores," the offical grunt that marks the day.
- Dia de la Raza (Columbus Day), October 12.
In Puerto Vallarta, they celebrate the mixed cultural and racial heritage that resulted from Columbus' discovery.
- Dia De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead), November 1 to 2. Celebrants build private altars to honor the deceased, using sugar skulls, flowers and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed.
- Revolution Day, November 22. A national holiday celebrating the Mexican Revolution of 1910.
- Tributo a la Virgen de Guadalupe, December 1 to 12. Tributes to the Virgen of Guadalupe take place during the first 12 days of December. Daily evening processions to the church from various "colonias," or residential sections, of the town.
- Fiesta de la Inmaculada (Feast of the Immaculate Conception), December 8. Marks the beginning of the Christmas celebration season.
- Dia de Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe (Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe), December 12. Commemorates the Virgin of Guadalupe, Mexico's patron saint. In Acapulco, they have street parties, carnival rides, contemporary and folk music concerts, dancing and parties. It's a festive occasion.
- Navidad (Christmas Day), December 25. A public and religious holiday celebrating the birth of Christ.
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 © istockphoto.com/jegal |
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