Best Time to Visit Puerto Vallarta
The weather splits the year cleanly in two. Which half you want depends on your budget and your tolerance for humidity.
Puerto Vallarta has two seasons, not four: a dry season and a wet season. Get the timing right and you trade only money for weather; get it wrong and you're indoors watching an afternoon storm. Here's how the year actually breaks down.
The short answer
The best all-round time is November to April — dry, warm, low humidity. The best value is May and late October to early November, either side of the crowds. The months to think twice about are August and September: hot, very humid, and the wettest part of the rainy season.
Dry season — November to April (high season)
This is the postcard weather: warm days around the high 20s°C (low 80s°F), low humidity, blue skies, cool evenings. It's also when North Americans escape winter, so it's the busiest and priciest stretch. Peak within the peak is Christmas–New Year and Easter/Semana Santa, when the best hotels sell out months ahead and prices roughly double. December to March is also whale-watching season in Banderas Bay.
| Period | Weather | Crowds & price |
|---|---|---|
| Nov–Apr | Dry, warm, low humidity | High; peak at Christmas & Easter |
| May | Hot, still mostly dry | Good value, quieter |
| Jun–Jul | Warm, humid, short storms | Lower prices |
| Aug–Sep | Hot, very humid, wettest | Cheapest, quietest |
| Oct | Rain easing through the month | Great value late Oct |
Rainy season — June to October (green season)
Don't picture all-day rain. The typical pattern is sunny mornings and a heavy, dramatic thunderstorm in the late afternoon or overnight that clears quickly. The landscape turns lush and green, prices drop sharply, and the town feels local again. The downside is humidity, which peaks in August and September and is genuinely draining if you're not used to it. This is also the Pacific hurricane window — direct hits on Vallarta are uncommon, but storms elsewhere can bring rain and swell.
So when should you go?
- First trip, want reliable weather: December to April.
- Whales: December to March.
- Best value, decent weather: May, or the second half of October.
- Tight budget, don't mind humidity and storms: August–September.
- Avoid if you hate crowds and high prices: Christmas–New Year and Easter.
Month by month
| Month | Weather | Crowds & price | Notable |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | Dry, warm days, cool evenings | High | Peak whale season |
| February | Dry, very pleasant | High | Whales; coolest sea |
| March | Dry, warming | High; Easter spikes | Whales tail off late month |
| April | Warm, still dry | High early, easing late | Semana Santa is very busy |
| May | Hot, mostly dry | Good value | Vallarta Pride (late May) |
| June | Humid, first storms | Low | Green season begins |
| July | Hot, humid, evening rain | Low | Lush scenery |
| August | Hottest, wettest | Cheapest | Warmest sea |
| September | Very humid, wettest | Cheapest, quietest | Peak hurricane window |
| October | Rain easing through month | Great value late | Shoulder sweet spot |
| November | Dry season returns | Climbing | Día de los Muertos (1–2) |
| December | Dry, ideal | Very high from mid-month | Whales return; Fiestas de Guadalupe |
Choosing by what matters to you
- Best weather, cost no object: January to March.
- Best value with good weather: May, or the second half of October.
- Whales: December to March — see whale watching, often combined with the Marietas Islands.
- Fewest people: August and September.
- Avoid if you dislike crowds: Christmas–New Year and Easter week.
What "rainy season" actually feels like
It's worth being precise, because the phrase puts people off unnecessarily. From June to October the typical day is sunny until mid-afternoon, then a heavy, dramatic thunderstorm that clears within a couple of hours, often overnight. You can plan a full morning outdoors most days. What's harder is the humidity — August and September are genuinely draining if you're not used to it, and that, more than the rain, is why we'd steer first-time visitors elsewhere in the calendar.
Events worth planning around
A few dates change the character of a trip: Vallarta Pride in late May, Día de los Muertos on 1–2 November, and the Fiestas de Guadalupe from 1–12 December, which is the city's biggest festival. Full calendar in events.