What to do in Puerto Vallarta
Isn’t it interesting to see individual travel styles when travelling in a larger group? Recently we went on a family vacation to an all-inclusive resort in Puerto Vallarta. After a few days of boogie-boarding and beach volleyball, a few of us found ourselves wanting to explore the surrounding areas and wondering what to do in Puerto Vallarta?
We found some great organized excursions, and some hidden gems that I highly recommend you check out the next time you’re in town!
1. Zip-Line Adventure
Vallarta Adventures offers an organized full-day excursion that should be on everyone’s to-do list! Enjoy Mexico’s longest, fastest zip-line through the canopy of a protected tropical forest.
2. Malecon (Boardwalk)
The Malecon is Puerto Vallarta’s most popular tourist area, and it’s easy to see why! A beautiful 12-block pedestrian promenade will give you some of the best photo opportunities from your vacation. From the impressive beach-side sculptures to the beautiful views of the Bahai de Banderas, you’ll have plenty to see before you even start to make your way along the cobblestone roads to the iconic Our Lady of Guadalupe church.
3. Rhythms of the Night
The second excursion organized by Vallarta Adventures to make my list is Rhythms of the Night. Spend the afternoon on a scenic ocean cruise across Banderas Bay to the secluded cove of Las Caletas. Take a quick walk into the jungle to enjoy a great theatrical performance at the pyramid stage, followed by a romantic buffet dinner on the beach under the stars.
4. Municipal Market
The Municipal Market or “Flea Market” is 2 levels and dozens of shops containing your best source for silver, pottery, clothing, or any other gift for those who were left behind or to remember your trip by.
5. The River Cafe
The River Cafe is a perfect spot to stop for lunch or dinner. Located minutes from downtown, you’ll feel a world away in the secluded indoor-outdoor restaurant. The food and service is excellent, and who knows, you may even have an unexpected dining guest like we did!
No matter your travel style, you now know what to do in Puerto Vallarta to keep everyone engaged. Whether on the beach or exploring the region, I hope that you’re next trip there will be your best yet!
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Wonderful picture! Thank you for your sharing!
Thanks so much for dropping by Colby!
I really do need to return to Mexico and explore it more! I also NEED to do this Zipline it looks incredible. Thank you for this really useful post.
That zipline was such an amazing experience! I’d recommend it to anyone 🙂
Love this! I absolutely agree, more Americans should put aside any fear and get off the resort when in Mexico. So much to explore, and you also usually get better prices on everything from tours to snacks to souvenirs when you go outside the resort as well.
So true Whitney. The markets was so fun to explore and the people were super nice
River Cafe looks great. Very much my speed. 🙂
I hope you get to visit it one day soon Bob, it felt like a magical place and the food was great!
The Zipline in the middle of the forest sounds like a good idea.
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YES! It was my first time on a zipline, but it definitely made me want to try it again and again!
Looks like a great place to for a family vacation. Was there any cultural or historical places to see? Mexico is definitely on my bucket list and hopefully I get to go there in near future. That sun set looks amazing!
It’s definitely a family-friendly place to visit. The Our Lady of Guadalupe church is probably it’s best known historical site, but there are a few others here and there. The Rhythms of the Night excursion gave us a glimpse into the cultural history of the area as well.
There is always so much going on in Puerto Vallarta. Last time we went we went surfing, went to an island for a show and dinner and also went sailing into the sunset. So much better than sitting at the resort!
Those sound like awesome options as well! Definitely something for everyone in Puerto Vallarta
I love this list. The beach, river cafe for a lunch and the market for shopping particularly interest me. Not that much into adventures, I love taking the travel slow. So, my plan would be to shop, have lunch and then go watch the beautiful sunset on this beach, like in your picture 🙂
that does sounds like an amazing day, doesn’t it? I’d highly recommend it!
I have never been to Mexico, but I would love to visit one day. The ziplining looks awesome!!! I love adventure sports, oddly enough its the one thing I haven’t tried yet..
YES! As soon as I saw zip lining on the list of available excursions, I knew i had to try it .. .and it was amazing 🙂
These are awesome suggestions. I have not visited Puerto Vallarta yet but I have been to Cozumel. I like Mexican food especially their seafood dishes. The River Cafe looks like a nice restaurant with a beautiful surrounding. I would definitely want to explore Puerto Vallarta.
Iza Abao recently posted…The Best Foodie Road Trip to Prince Edward County Ontario
There’s something about that cuisine, sin’t there!?! We were so glad to have found that restaurant, and had such a good time we almost didn’t want to leave
I have been wanting to return to Mexico lately, but next time I visit I would love to stay off of a resort and truly experience Mexico. Trying some real Mexican cuisine and exploring new sides to Mexico would be amazing. The Municipal Market would be a fun day trip off the resort with a stop at the river cafe.
There’s no better way to truly experience a place than to get off the resort, so I totally hear you about wanting to get out there and see what’s available