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Guest post by Andrew Uyal
Want to make the most out of your 4 days in Puerto Vallarta? We can help!
Quick Facts About Puerto Vallarta
Puerto Vallarta is a popular tourist destination on Mexico’s Pacific Coast. It’s known for its beaches, water activities, nightlife, and art scene.
It’s a popular tourist destination because of the reliably temperate weather (usually between 70 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit), affordability, and great food.
This post is going to give you the ideal 4-day itinerary to maximize your vacation and have the most fun and try the best food possible.
But first, you’ll need a hotel! Lucky for you, we’ve got three recommendations according to the price point you’re looking for.
- Best Budget Option: Hotel Rosita, located in the downtown area, this hotel is steps for the Malecon and feels authentic to the area.
- Best Mid-Range Option: Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort and Spa, located near the marina gets great reviews for its beautiful pool and beach, with highly-rated restaurants.
- Best Luxury Option: Casa Velas, an adults-only boutique hotel, is highly rated for its gorgeous facilities, excellent staff, and delicious food!
4 Days In Puerto Vallarta Itinerary
Day 1 In Puerto Vallarta: Hill of the Cross & Zona Romantica
For your first day in Puerto Vallarta, we’ll keep you close to Zona Romantica, our favorite part of the city. Here, you’ll get a good feel for the city’s charm, the friendliness of the people, and a look at the art scene.
Hill of the Cross (Cerro de la Cruz)
Start your morning off with a trip up the Hill of the Cross (Cerro de la Cruz). You may want to take an Uber to the base, depending on where you’re staying.
It’s quite a walk to the top, but you’ll be rewarded with a sprawling view of the city and the Bay of Banderas. It’s best to do this in the morning or right before sunset.
Temperatures can get high during the day and the sun is strong. Plus, it’s a popular thing to do in Puerto Vallarta, so you’ll want to go before the crowds arrive, or at sunset when you’ll get the best view.
Zona Romantica
In Zona Romantica, you’ll experience the charm of Puerto Vallarta. There is art everywhere you look in the form of sculptures and murals.
You’ll find lots of cute cafes and shops along the streets in this area. You’ll want to stop in and have a coffee or a refreshing afternoon cocktail for a break from the sun.
For a great photo, head inland a few blocks on Francisca Rodriguez Street. It’s a bit uphill so you’ll have a cool view down the street to the famous sail on the pier with the ocean in the background.
Restaurants In Zona Romantica
For dinner head to La Capella, you won’t regret it. At La Capella, you’ll find an excellent selection of Italian food and a few items with a Mexican touch added to them.
The atmosphere at La Capella is what you’ll be talking about for the rest of the trip. The view from their rooftop dining area makes for a great atmosphere while the live violinists serenade you during dinner.
That’s right, live violinists!
It’s such a cool experience and it’s supported by delicious food. It’s the perfect end to your first day in Puerto Vallarta.
Day 2 In Puerto Vallarta: Marietas Islands & Downtown Dinner
Alright, you had a nice relaxing day cruising around Zona Romantica. For your second day, let’s get you on the water!
The Marietas Islands experience in Puerto Vallarta is one of our favorites anywhere! It has a little bit of everything, great scenery, food, drinks, and even some adventure!
Marietas Islands
This tour launches from the cruise ship port for a voyage across Banderas Bay, where the beautiful Mareitas Islands await you.
The tour includes several stops around the islands where you’ll be able to snorkel and enjoy a tiny island beach. There is an open bar on the boat, but don’t go too hard, it’s a long day in the sun!
The tour includes lunch as well. It’s buffet style and mediocre at best, but it does hit the spot after some snorkeling and soaking up the sun.
The islands are pretty far out, so there are lots of chances to see wildlife like sea turtles, manta rays, dolphins, or even whales!
The best and most unique part of this experience though is the chance to go to the Hidden Beach. It’s not available every day, and here’s why: it’s only accessible by swimming through a natural tunnel in the rock! So you’ll want to check with the tour company before booking and before leaving on the tour.
Sometimes, the tide is too high or the swells are too violent to make the swim safe for guests. Sounds scary right? Well, it is a little bit. But if you are able to go on a day when Hidden Beach is accessible, it’s so worth it!
The swim can be tough if you’re a weak swimmer, but they do provide life vests and helmets. Why the helmets, you ask? Because of the rising and falling tide, it’s possible for the tide to rise while you’re in the tunnel, so they make you wear helmets just in case.
If this sounds too intense for you, I encourage you to go for it still! We just want you to be ready for everything you might encounter.
Your swim through the tunnel is rewarded with an incredible view. The beach is only photographable from the sand you’ll be standing on or from above looking down through the open roof(?) of the island.
This experience and everything it offers is the most unique thing to do in Puerto Vallarta, so take advantage of it!
Downtown Dinner at La Terraza di Roma
Most of our Puerto Vallarta recommendations are not in the area of the marina/harbor. For that reason, we’ll recommend a great dinner spot on the marina for when you return from the tour.
After all day on the water, hearing the constant rumble of the boat engine and the crash of the waves, this restaurant will bring you some welcome relaxation with a nice view of the marina and delicious food.
The menu offers a variety of Italian food dishes that are prepared very well. The ambiance is nice and relaxing after a long day in the sun. It’s the perfect end to day two!
Day 3 In Puerto Vallarta: Jungle Zipline and Garden-View Dinner
You might be a little tired and sunburned from your day on the water yesterday, but this day is the perfect follow-up, trust me!
Zipline at El Eden
One of the nice things about El Eden is tours leave several times throughout the day, so if you want to take it easy in the morning and grab breakfast at a local cafe, you can do that before catching the ride up to El Eden.
The ride to the jungle eco park lasts 30-45 minutes. Once you get there, you’re deep enough in the jungle that there is lots of shade from that strong Mexican sun. So as you make your way from one zipline to the next, you’ll be mostly shielded by the canopy.
If you’re new to ziplining this is the perfect experience for you. They’re not super long or high, but they give you a nice view of the jungle and it feels good to zoom along and feel a breeze on you.
It can get hot and muggy in this part of Mexico depending on the time of year. This experience is quite refreshing and gives you a taste of the jungle around Puerto Vallarta.
Fun fact: this jungle is where much of the famous movie “Predator” was filmed. You’ll even see some memorabilia and reminders of this that serve as fun photo opportunities.
Garden-View Dinner At Karuma: The Art of Grill
Karuma is one of the hottest new restaurants in the area. You’ll find it on the road back towards Downtown PV, near the Tierra Luna Gardens.
The main dining area is open air surrounded by beautiful trees and plants making you feel like you’re still in the jungle.
The menu is steakhouse style, with great cuts of meat, tapas, and cocktails. Enjoying a high-quality meal like this is the ideal way to follow up a fun activity like ziplining.
The prices are a bit high for Mexico, but still quite affordable when compared to upscale meals stateside.
Day 4 In Puerto Vallarta: Malecon, Playa Los Muertos, & Nightlife!
For your last full day, we’ll give you a chill day. It’s almost time to head home, so this will be the day to walk around and get some pictures and souvenirs and maybe go for a swim.
During the day that is. When the sun sets though, you’re encouraged to get out and enjoy that Puerto Vallarta nightlife!
The Malecon
Puerto Vallarta’s Malecon is a long beach-side path that stretches most of the main part of PV. It’s lined with shops, restaurants, and cantinas. It’s also lined with great beach views and photo opportunities.
This is where you’ll get your best Instagram photos, as there are lots of sculptures and murals along the path. Puerto Vallarta isn’t quite as Instagrammable as Tulum, Mexico’s fastest-growing destination. If you compare Puerto Vallarta vs Tulum overall though, PV comes out ahead!
When you get to the Playa Los Muertos section of the Malecon, you’ll want to enjoy some chill time on Puerto Vallarta’s most famous beach.
If you’re around this beach when the sun sets, you’ll be treated to one of the brightest and most beautiful sunsets you’ll ever see.
Puerto Vallarta sits in a bay, the Bay of Banderas. So the waters on the beach are very calm compared to most beaches. When the sun sets, the brilliant oranges and reds shine brightly off the water giving you lovely sunsets every night, and Playa Los Muertos is the ideal place to catch them!
Enjoy the Nightlife!
For your last night in Puerto Vallarta, let’s get you out on the town! Put on the nicest clothes you brought and hit some of the bars and clubs along the Malecon.
La Vaquita and The Zoo are fun with loud music and strong drinks and lots of dancing. There are lots of smaller bars along the Malecon too. Going out and enjoying the nightlife on the last night is the perfect way to end a vacation.
Try some Mexican-style cocktails like the Paloma, which is tequila with grapefruit soda. Maybe you want something more traditional like a margarita. You might even be feeling more adventurous and try some tequila or mezcal straight up with no mixers!
Whatever your drink of choice is, Puerto Vallarta has a fun nightlife scene and it’s worth it to get out and experience it before you head home.
Alternative Puerto Vallarta Activities
If any of our recommended activities aren’t your cup of tea, here are a few additional activities you can find in Puerto Vallarta.
Efoiling
Also known as hydro foiling is an adventurous new watersport that involves riding a hydrofoil board. It’s like a surfboard where the platform is above the surface of the water and is connected to the electric motor beneath the surface.
This activity combines surfing, kiteboarding, and wakeboarding with the added sensation of floating above the surface of the water.
Puerto Vallarta is a great place for this activity due to its (usually) calm waters.
Alma Cruise and Candlelight Dinner Show
This experience is a bit pricey, but if you don’t mind the price tag, you’ll remember this night for the rest of your life. It’s ideal for couples, groups of friends, or families with teenage children.
It starts with a booze cruise across the bay to a unique location on the coast where you’ll eat dinner outside, then walk through the jungle to an amphitheater where you’ll be presented with an authentic Mayan fire and dance show.
After dinner, the cruise back across the bay comes with more drinks and entertainment in the form of singing and dancing crew members.
Summing Up 4 Days In Puerto Vallarta
When you’re spending four days in Puerto Vallarta, you want to experience a little bit of everything. Luckily, Puerto Vallarta is one of those destinations that has it all!
We’ve given you an itinerary with tastes of the jungle, beach, water activities, fine dining, art, and more in only four days! We even threw in a few extra activities to add to your list if you have time or want to make a substitution to our suggestions.
Now, you’ve got everything you need to enjoy your four days in Puerto Vallarta to the max!
About the Author
Andrew Uyal is an author and travel blogger who has traveled around Latin America and now shares his adventures and pro tips on his website, Flights and Footsteps.
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Raised as a third culture kid living in South America and Europe, Annick caught the travel bug early. As an empty-nester, Annick enjoys sharing her tips for traveling for those with champagne taste and beer budgets.