Puerto Vallarta Travel Guide
The practical questions, answered straight — everything to sort before you go.
Before the fun stuff, the logistics. These guides cover the questions every visitor asks — when to come, whether it's safe, how to get around, and what it all costs — so you arrive knowing how the place works.
Start with these four decisions
Most of planning Puerto Vallarta comes down to four choices, and the rest follows:
- When to come. The year splits into a dry season (November–April) and a humid green season (June–October). That single choice drives weather, crowds and price — see best time to visit and the weather guide.
- Where to base yourself. Old Town, the Hotel Zone and the Marina are three different holidays. This matters more than which hotel you pick: where to stay.
- How long to stay. Three days covers the essentials, five is comfortable, seven lets you slow down — see how many days and our itineraries.
- What to book in advance. Accommodation and one seasonal boat trip; almost everything else can wait until you arrive.
Getting there and getting in
Puerto Vallarta's airport (PVR) sits north of the city, near the Marina. Transfers to Old Town take roughly 20–30 minutes. Authorised taxis are bought at a booth inside the terminal; ride-hailing works but has known pickup restrictions at the airport. Ignore anyone offering a "free tour" or "welcome drink" in arrivals — those are timeshare pitches, not transport. Details in the airport guide and getting around. Arriving by cruise ship instead? See the cruise port guide.
Staying for a winter or longer? Living in Puerto Vallarta covers residency, healthcare, renting and bills.
Money, safety and the practical basics
Mexico uses the peso. Pay in pesos rather than dollars, decline the card machine's offer to charge in your home currency, and carry some cash for stands, tips and water taxis — see money and tipping. On safety, the headline to understand is that the US State Department rates the state of Jalisco at Level 3 while applying no travel restrictions to Puerto Vallarta itself; the full explanation is in is Puerto Vallarta safe?. Don't drink the tap water, watch the beach flags, and bring shoes you can walk cobbles in — see what to pack.
Once you're on the ground
The questions that only come up after you land — and the ones this guide gets asked most.
Buses
No route numbers, no timetables — here's how the system works.
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Puerto Vallarta FAQ
Thirty questions answered in a sentence or two each.
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Uber & Taxis
Uber works here. Taxis have no meters. The airport is the catch.
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Renting a Car
Probably not — and the insurance trap if you do.
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SIM & Mobile Data
Check your own plan first; a lot of people buy a SIM they didn't need.
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Supermarkets & Groceries
Where to buy food, water and everything you forgot.
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Can You Drink the Water?
No to the tap — but the ice is almost certainly fine.
Read →What a trip costs
Puerto Vallarta scales from genuinely cheap to expensive, and the lever is almost entirely where you sleep and how you eat. A budget traveller staying in a guesthouse and eating at stands spends a fraction of what a resort guest does. Realistic daily ranges at three levels are in our trip cost guide.
A note on seasonality
More than most destinations, Puerto Vallarta changes with the calendar. The clearest example: the Marietas Islands snorkelling trip is far better in the dry season, and whales are in the bay only from roughly December to March. Christmas, New Year and Easter see prices roughly double and the best places sell out months ahead. August and September are the hottest, wettest and cheapest. Almost every practical question on this site has a seasonal answer, which is why we date our pages.
Flights to Puerto Vallarta
Direct routes, flight times and when to book.
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Weather
Temperatures, humidity, rain and hurricanes.
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Puerto Vallarta in November
Weather, events, crowds and sunset times, month by month.
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Time zone
UTC−6 all year: the time difference with home.
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Currency & Tipping
Pesos, cards, ATMs and how much to tip.
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What to Pack
Clothes, shoes for cobbles, and what people forget.
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Best Time to Visit
The dry season, the rains, and whale season.
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Puerto Vallarta vs Cancún
An honest side-by-side, sargassum and flights included.
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Is It Safe?
What the advisories really say.
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Crocodiles
Where they live, the 2026 attack and the rules.
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Getting Around
Buses, taxis and whether Uber works.
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Puerto Vallarta map
Every neighbourhood, beach and town on one map.
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Airport to Old Town
Transfers, times and the touts to avoid.
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Trip Cost
A realistic daily budget at three levels.
Read →How Many Days?
Three, five, or a week.
Read →Latest articles
Puerto Vallarta Transport Cost Estimator
What it costs to get around Puerto Vallarta and Banderas Bay — by bus, Uber, taxi or water taxi — with the…
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Puerto Vallarta Trip Budget Calculator
Work out what your trip will cost — in total, per person and per day — from a guesthouse budget to a resort…
Read →Puerto Vallarta Map
The city, the beaches, the boat-only coves and the towns around Banderas Bay on one map — each linked to its…
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