How Many Days Do You Need in Puerto Vallarta?
Four to five days is the sweet spot. Here's what to do with three, five and a week.
Enough to relax but not so long you run out of new things — for most people that's four to five days. Fewer works if you're focused; more works easily if you like a slow pace and plenty of beach. Here's how the days tend to fill.
3 days — a long weekend
- Day 1: settle into Old Town, walk the Malecón, dinner on Basilio Badillo.
- Day 2: one big boat trip — Marietas or, in winter, whales.
- Day 3: beach morning at Los Muertos, sunset cruise or rooftop.
5 days — the sweet spot
The three-day plan, plus a second day trip (Yelapa by water taxi, or a zipline day) and a genuine do-nothing beach day. Time for a food tour early on to eat better all week.
7+ days — settle in
Add Sayulita or Bucerías up the coast, more beach, and the slower pleasures — markets, galleries, long lunches. A week is easy to fill here without ever feeling rushed, especially if you treat some days as pure downtime.
Don't over-schedule. Half of Puerto Vallarta's appeal is the pace — leave room to do nothing.