Sayulita Day Trip

Surf town turned bohemian favourite, an hour up the coast. Easy to reach without a tour.

By Sam Med · Last updated September 2026

Sayulita, Nayarit, Mexico. Photo: Teresa Jimenez Arreola, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Sayulita is a small surf town about an hour north of Puerto Vallarta, in the state of Nayarit. Once a sleepy fishing village, it's now a colourful, bohemian favourite — cobbled streets strung with papel picado, surf breaks, taco stands and boutiques. It makes an easy day trip, and a tempting overnight.

What to do

Learn to surf — the main beach has gentle beginner waves and cheap lessons. Our surfing guide covers the other breaks and the water-quality advice after heavy rain.
Wander the town — galleries, Huichol art, boutiques and street food.
Playa de los Muertos (Sayulita's own, not PV's) — a quieter cove a short walk south.
Eat — the food scene punches well above the town's size.

How to get there

Sayulita sits about 40 km north of Puerto Vallarta. There is no train and no boat — it's one road, and the only real question is what you travel in. See getting around.

Option	Roughly	Best for	The catch
Public bus	About 1 hour 15, plus getting to the departure point	Cheapest by a wide margin	Leaves from north of the centre, not from Old Town; no luggage space; stops frequently
Uber or taxi	About 1 hour	Door to door, no planning	The most expensive single option; getting a ride back from Sayulita is less reliable
Private transfer	About 1 hour	Groups, families, fixed price both ways	Needs booking ahead
Organised tour	Full day	Combining Sayulita with San Pancho or Bucerías	You're on their clock, and Sayulita is easy enough alone
Rental car	About 1 hour	Exploring several coastal towns over days	Parking in Sayulita is genuinely difficult — see car rental

The Compostela-line coaches that serve Sayulita cost a few dollars. They are regional buses rather than city buses, so they leave from set points north of the centre — the Walmart/bus area — rather than being flagged down anywhere in Old Town: get yourself up there first on a local bus or a short taxi ride. Pay the driver in cash, tell him Sayulita, and allow more time than the journey itself suggests. Full detail on how the system works is in Puerto Vallarta buses.

Coming back, buses run through the evening but thin out after dark. Check the last departure when you arrive, not when you want to leave.

Day trip or overnight?

A day is enough to get the feel of it. But Sayulita is livelier in the evening, so if it clicks with you, one night lets you enjoy the town and the sunset without watching the clock. Book ahead in high season — it's popular.

How to time the day

Leave early. Sayulita is small, and by late morning in high season the main street and beach are busy; the town is at its best before about 11am and again after about 4pm, when the day-trippers start heading back. A realistic day is: leave Puerto Vallarta around 8–9am, arrive mid-morning, surf or swim, eat late lunch, wander the shops in the cooler part of the afternoon, and leave by early evening.

Avoid Sundays and Mexican public holidays if you want the bohemian version rather than the crowded one — that's when domestic visitors come and the town fills.

Sayulita, San Pancho or Bucerías?

Town	Character	Go if
Sayulita	Busy, colourful, surf and shops, young crowd	You want energy and a beginner surf lesson
San Pancho	Quieter version of Sayulita, a few minutes further north	You want the same coast without the crowd
Bucerías	Long calm beach, older and more residential	You want a swim and a long lunch, not a scene

Sayulita is more backpacker-boho than PV's polished coast. If that's your taste, you'll love it; if you want calm and classic, you might prefer Bucerías.

Practical notes

Bring cash. Many of the smaller places and all the beach vendors are cash-only, and the town's cash machines run dry at weekends. See money & tipping.
The surf is real. The main beach is gentle enough for lessons but there are rip currents; swim where others are and heed the flags.
Cobbles and sand streets. Comfortable shoes, as everywhere on this coast — see what to pack.
Little shade on the beach. Loungers are rented from the beach clubs; otherwise bring cover.
It's in Nayarit, which observes the same time as Jalisco — no clock change to worry about, despite what older guides say.

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