Puerto Vallarta is smaller, quieter and younger than Acapulco, however it is actually every bit as commercial, perhaps more so, since here tourism is virtually the only source of income, it lies in the middle of the 22-kilometrer wide Bahia de Banderas, the seventh largest bay in the world, fringed by endless sandy beaches and the jungly slopes of the Sierra Madre and is located in the Pacific Ocean in the shore of Bandera Bay. The 2010 census reported Puerto Vallarta's population as 255,725. Thanks to its mesmerizing sunsets, wide, sandy beaches and a laid-back, colonial centre, Puerto Vallarta is a small city that depends almost entirely on tourism; it attracts Americans, Mexican families (particularly residents of Guadalajara), Spring Breakers, North American retirees, Asians and Europeans. If you’re looking for traditional Mexico you might find this wholly unappealing, but while it’s true that PV (as it’s known) can be certainly touristy than the average Mexican town, it can also be lots of fun. It is smaller and more relaxed than Cancún and Acapulco, and its location, surrounded by lofty mountains, is spectacular. Behind the beaches there’s a vibrant Mexican city, largely undisturbed by the flow of visitors, which means that the choice of tasty, cheap street food especially tacos is some of the best on the coast, and, contrary to what you might expect, PV is liberally peppered with mid-range hotels, especially during the low season (Aug–Nov).

Puerto Vallarta Mexico combines world class resorts with the Mexican town atmosphere. In Puerto Vallarta you will find the town with a beautiful malecon (jetty) where you can enjoy a walk. There are also on the other side of the jetty: restaurants, bars and shops for all likes. Puerto Vallarta is often shortened to "Vallarta", while English speakers call the city P.V. for short. In internet shorthand the city is often referred to as PVR. The locals seem genuinely happy to welcome an average of 3.7 million visitors to their town. Youll be encouraged to practice your Spanish but pretty much everyone can converse with you in English. Puerto Vallarta lies in the middle of the 22-kilometre-wide Bahía de Banderas, fringed by endless stretches of sand and backed by the jungle-covered slopes of the Sierra Madre. The town was officially founded in the 1850s (when it was known as Las Peñas, it was renamed in 1918), but there had been a small fishing and smuggling village located where the Río Cuale spills out into the bay for years. Initially developed by the Union en Cuale mining company, it remained a sleepy place until the 1950s, when Mexican airlines started promoting the town as a resort. Their efforts received an opportunity in 1963, when John Huston chose Mismaloya, 10km south, as the setting for his film of Tennessee Williams’s play The Night of the Iguana, starring Richard Burton. The scandal-mongering that surrounded Burton’s romance with Elizabeth Taylor who was not part of the cast but came along is often deemed responsible for putting Puerto Vallarta firmly in the international spotlight: “a mixed blessing” according to Huston, who stayed on here until his death in 1987, and whose bronze image stands on the Isla Río Cuale in town. Over the last decade, especially, frantic development has mostly overwhelmed the tropical-village atmosphere, though the historic town centre at least retains its charming cobbled streets and white-walled, terracottaroofed houses. The Río Cuale, spanned by two small road bridges and a pedestrianized footbridge, is at the heart of old Puerto Vallarta or just El Centro, but the resort zone now covers a vast area for many kilometers north and south of here. The Plaza Principal, official buildings, market and the bulk of the shops and upscale restaurants lie on the north side of the river, Vallarta’s busy Downtown area, and this eventually morphs into an area of beaches and fancy hotels imaginatively dubbed Zona Hotelera by the local authorities. This ends at the upscale Marina Vallarta development and the airport. Further north, beyond the Río Ameca, lies Nuevo Vallarta and the most expensive resort hotels and condos. The area of El Centro immediately south of the Río Cuale is known as the old town and is where you’ll find the town beach and the cheaper hotels in what’s optimistically labelled the Zona Romántica further south is Mismaloya, with a more glamorous appeal.

Much of Vallartas popularity stems from its location smack in the middle of beauteous Banderas Bay. This symmetrical, bass clef-shaped bay is one of the largest on the continent. Mountain ridges fade into a blue haze as you gaze south, each extending a bit farther into the Pacific. PV itself heads for the hills just a few blocks beyond the beachfront boardwalk, where locals and visitors congregate day and night to socialize, people watch, and appreciate a dozen gorgeous, plein-air sculptures. The green hills make a lovely backdrop to the town of whitewashed houses. Condos and restaurants less than half mile inland enjoy fabulous views of the bay. Apart from the beaches, souvenir shops and chi-chi boutiques and galleries that pack the centre of town, there’s not a great deal in the way of attractions in Puerto Vallarta. This said, you can still fill a very pleasant hour or two wandering along the malecón, the seafront promenade that runs adjacent to Morelos in the downtown area, and on the island in the Río Cuale. The lively Plaza Principal, or Main Square, is north of the river in the heart of town and overlooks the oceanfront boulevard. Here, families gather in the evenings among the balloon sellers and hot-dog stands, while tourists explore the city’s restaurants, bars and clubs. The plaza is backed by the Templo de Guadalupe, whose tower, topped with a huge crown modelled on one that Emperor Maximilian’s wife, Carlota, wore in the 1860s, is a city landmark. Just down from here on the malecón is the Plaza Aquiles Serdán, with a strange little amphitheatre and Los Arcos, four arches looking out over the sea like a lost fragment of the Roman empire; the original four arches were supposedly taken from a ruined hacienda, while local sculptor Martin Distancia Barragan created these replacements in fine cantera stone. With hawkers, mimes, musicians and food stands, it is one of the best places for people-watching in the city. Here also you’ll find the rather stuffy Museo Histórico Naval (Tues–Fri 9am–7.30pm, Sat & Sun 10am–2pm & 3–7.30pm), which provides a fairly detailed history of the town and region from a nautical perspective, starting with the Spanish Conquest and ending with Mexico’s modern navy. Some interesting episodes are covered, a few dioramas, paintings and photos. A short stroll northwards along the malecón brings you past several statues, among them another Puerto Vallarta icon, the Caballo del Mar created by Rafael Zamarripas, a three-metre-high bronze statue of a seahorse with a naked boy riding on its back. This is a replica of the 1976 original. In between the plaza and the statue are many other fantastical sculptures by renowned Mexican and international artists. South of the plaza, on the Isla Río Cuale in the middle of the river, a small park surrounds a clutch of shops and restaurants. On the north side there is the Centro Cultural Cuale, which holds all sort of classes and shows local art exhibits, while at the seaward end the Museo del Cuale (Tues–Sat 10am–2pm & 3–6pm), with half a dozen displays of local pre-Columbian discoveries up to and including the Spanish Conquest, has plenty of English captions. In between the two, restaurants and galleries line the middle of the island. Beyond the island further up river, past John Huston’s statue, there’s a park and a patch of river where women come to do the family washing, overlooked from the hillsides by the opulent villas.

Greater Puerto Vallarta extends far beyond its pretty (if crowded) downtown overlooking the sea. Some of the best beaches are elsewhere. But the soul and heart of PV is here en el centro. Visitors tend to stick to the streets closest to the water, so for a glimpse of the citys less touristy character, head to the hills. It only takes half a dozen streets uphill to rediscover Old Vallarta. Puerto Vallarta was a thriving Mexican village long before it became an international tourist destination. Puerto Vallarta’s beaches vary in nature as you move round the bay: those to the north, out near Nuevo Vallarta and the airport, are long, flat stretches of creamy white sand specially for swimming, but the surf gets heavier to the west, with the best breaks around Punta de Mita. To the south of Puerto Vallarta are a series of steep-sided coves, sheltering tiny, calm enclaves. The town beach, Playa de los Muertos (Beach of the Dead), or “Playa del Sol” as the local tourist office would prefer it known, is south of the river and falls somewhere between the two extremes: not very large, it features coarse, brown sand and reasonably calm surf, despite facing apparently open water. It’s also the most crowded of the city’s beaches, Mexican holiday-makers and foreign tourists are packed in cheek-by-jowl during the high season. With the omnipresent hawkers selling everything from fresh fruit and tacos to handicrafts and jade masks, it’s always entertaining. The gay section of this beach is at its southern end, opposite the Blue Chairs Resort look out for the blue chairs. Some of the best beaches lie to the south along Hwy-200; buses leave regularly from the junction of Carranza and Aguacate south of the Río Cuale, to Mismaloya and Boca de Tomátlan where water taxis continue on to the isolated beaches of Playa las Ánimas, Quimixto and Yelapa. Alternatively, from Playa de los Muertos, lanchas depart several times daily (usually hourly 9am–6pm) for the same stretches of sand (25–45min). You can also take taxis to Mismaloya and Boca de Tomátlan.

Once a quiet fishing village, Puerto Vallarta was "discovered" by director John Huston, who filmed "Night of the Iguana" with Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. Since then, "Vallarta" has developed into a lively resort with wide appeal. Part of Puerto Vallarta's allure is its blend of the old and new. White stucco houses with red-tiled roofs and flower-filled balconies line cobblestone streets, and Mariachi music streams from downtown bars. Some 10km south of Puerto Vallarta, the best-known and most accessible beach is Mismaloya. Here John Huston filmed The Night of the Iguana, building his set at the mouth of what was once a pristine, jungle-choked gorge on the southern side of the gorgeous bay; it’s been endowed with a romantic mystique ever since. Plans to turn the set and crew’s accommodation into tourist cabins never came to fruition. Crowded with day-trippers and enthusiastic vendors selling everything from coconuts to sarongs. When you tire of the beach, you can still wander out to the point and the ruins of the film set, where a handful of restaurants selling beer and seafood cocktails. Boats are on hand to take you snorkeling at Los Arcos, a federal underwater park around a group of offshore islands, some formed into the eponymous arches. A superb array of brightly coloured fish parrot, angel, pencil, croaker and scores of others negotiate the deep rock walls and the boulder-strewn ocean floor. In addition to ninety-minute trips from the beach, boats are rented to groups for unlimited periods. Diving trips, including night dives, can also be organized from tour operators in Puerto Vallarta run trips to Los Arcos and Las Islas Marietas, and also rent snorkelling and scuba gear.

Close to Puerto Vallarta there is also the relatively new developed area of Nuevo Vallarta although this area is in the state of Nayarit while Puerto Vallarta is in the state of Jalisco. From Nuevo Vallarta towards the North, there are tranquil beautiful beaches that form part of what is called Riviera Nayarit. Predator (1987) features jungle scenes which were filmed in the hills behind Mismaloya. If you’re after peace and quiet, your best option is to continue along the highway for another 4km past Mismaloya until you reach the once-sleepy village of Boca de Tomatlán, which has become a departure point for the lanchas that shuttle passengers to and from the southern beaches. Still, it remains picturesque, with a small but beautiful beach in a protected cove dotted with fishing boats and surrounded by densely forested hills. The local specialty, cooked to perfection by the beachside enramadas (huts), is pescado de bara: a fish impaled on a stick and slow-cooked over a barbecue. The Río Horcones, with its thickly forested banks, empties into the sea beside the beach, so there’s a choice of fresh or salt water for swimming. Immediately upstream, in the small village of Las Juntas y Los Veranos, Puerto Vallarta Canopy Tours offer exhilarating zipline tours along cables up to 60m high. The cables link ten treetops and carry you past coffee trees, vanilla vines and agave plants. The malecón (Paseo Díaz Ordaz) is the centre of Puerto Vallarta’s night-time activity, lined with ornate, hangar-size places that specialize in creating a highenergy party atmosphere pop, techno and 1980s rock compete for the airwaves with salsa, jazz and the gentler strumming of marauding mariachis. The greatest concentration of bars and clubs is downtown along the stretch of the malecón that runs about 400m north of the Plaza Principal. Most of these establishments are at ground level, making it easy to wander along, take your pick of the happy hours and compare cover charges, which are sometimes nonexistent and sometimes they charge a small cover, depending on the night and season. The Zona Romántica also has its share of clubs, which are generally less pretentious and more varied in character. This is where you’ll find most of the gay nightlife. In general, Sunday is quiet some places close except on the plaza where, from around 6pm, huge crowds gather around the dozens of taco and cake stands and listen to the brass band.

For the more peaceful and scenic beaches further south Playa Las Animas, Quimixto and Yelapa are the most common destinations a boat trip is the only means of access. Travel agents all over town tout a variety of excursions, most of which leave from the marina if you want tranquillity, time your visits to avoid these boats (go in the mornings or late afternoons and avoid Las Animas at lunchtime). A much cheaper way to travel is via water taxi. That said, a number are quite lovely: Quimixto’s crystal waters are home to a colourful profusion of exotic marine life. Las Animas is a larger bay and a base for a variety of watersports, including jet skiing, banana boats and parasailing this is always the busiest beach. At the old hippie hangout of Yelapa there’s a small “typical” indigenous village not far from the white-sand beach, and a waterfall a short distance into the jungle. Marketed as an “untouched paradise”, it’s really more of a luxurious, if rustic, retreat with a contrived alternative vibe; they now have electricity, and long-distance phones, and sushi and massages are all on offer. A short hike through the jungle leads to the Cascada Cola de Caballo, a small waterfall where you can swim. If you’ve got the time and money, stay for the night, as the beach empties as the sun sets, becoming the perfect spot for total rest and relaxation. Accommodation here is primarily provided by rental apartments; just arriving on the beach and enquiring will usually get you a place. At A Majahuitas, between Quiximito and Yelapa, accessed by private boat from Boca de Tomatlán, the eponymous resort is a guaranteed love-it or leave-it experience: eight comfy but simple “casitas ecológicas” have no electricity, phones or internet, and communal meals are served by candlelight. It’s not for those who like a fluffy robe and food available at a whim. If you want to go snorkelling or scuba diving at the southern beaches, tours are available. But that's just half the story here. You'll also find resorts for every taste and budget along 25 miles of beaches; plus water sports, golf, horseback riding through the jungle and much more. Whether you want to stay in the heart of the action or in blissful seclusion, one of Vallarta's five zones has just what you're looking for. Marina Vallarta boasts championship golf, a world-class marina and deluxe resort. The River Cuale divides the town into north and south.