What is the safest part of Puerto Vallarta to stay in?

The Marina and the Romantic Zone are considered some of the safest areas to stay in Puerto Vallarta. Both areas are popular among tourists and offer a variety of accommodations, restaurants, and attractions. The Marina is known for its upscale atmosphere, luxury resorts, and high-end shops and restaurants. It has a very secure, controlled environment with 24/7 security personnel. The Romantic Zone offers a more authentic Mexican experience with cobblestone streets, colorful colonial buildings, and a vibrant mix of galleries, cafes, and bars. As a central tourist area, it also has a strong police presence and is considered very safe.

Where do locals go in Puerto Vallarta?

Locals in Puerto Vallarta enjoy spending time at the city's beautiful beaches, scenic parks, and lively local markets. Popular beach spots include Playa de Oro, Playa Las Animas, and Playa Camarones for their soft sand and calm waters. Many locals visit the Vallarta Botanical Gardens to enjoy the lush vegetation and hiking trails. They also frequent authentic local food venues like Birrieria las 3 Regiones taco stand, cafes like Cafecito Vallarta, and neighborhood bars like La Cerveceria Union. The downtown Lazaro Cardenas market is a favorite for produce, spices, crafts.

Is Downtown Puerto Vallarta nice?

Yes, downtown Puerto Vallarta is an exceptionally nice and popular area, celebrated for its vibrant mix of historic Mexican charm and a lively beach town atmosphere. It features a picturesque historic center with cobblestone streets, colorful buildings, and the iconic Parish of Our Lady of Guadalupe church. The downtown seamlessly blends into the scenic Malecón, a beautiful oceanfront boardwalk lined with fascinating sculptures, shops, and restaurants, making it perfect for strolling and enjoying the stunning ocean views. The area offers an excellent variety of dining, from upscale restaurants to authentic street food, along with fantastic shopping in boutiques and art galleries. Adjacent to the main center is the popular Zona Romántica (Romantic Zone), known for its trendy vibe and energetic nightlife. The entire downtown is considered safe and is very walkable, allowing visitors to easily explore its captivating blend of culture, cuisine, and coastal beauty on foot. Tip: For an unforgettable experience, head down to the Malecón or any beachfront spot about 30 minutes before the scheduled sundown to watch the spectacular sunset over the bay.

What is considered old town in Puerto Vallarta?

Old Town, also known as the Romantic Zone or Zona Romántica, is considered the historic heart of Puerto Vallarta. It is characterized by its picturesque cobblestone streets, classic whitewashed buildings, red-tiled roofs, and a lively mix of shops, galleries, restaurants and bars. Nestled between the Sierra Madre mountains and Banderas Bay, Old Town has a traditional Mexican village charm with its colonial architecture and slower pace compared to the rest of Puerto Vallarta. Its romantic ambience comes from the area's natural beauty, outdoor cafes, and charming boutique hotels. Old Town offers visitors a taste of an authentic Mexican neighborhood.

Viejo Vallarta or Puerto Vallarta’s Romantic Zone

Puerto Vallarta is a place full of attractions for all tastes and ages, but if you want to enjoy a true Mexican experience, then you should visit Puerto Vallarta’s Romantic Zone or also known as Viejo Vallarta (Old Vallarta Town), the right place to enjoy a tasty bit of Old Mexico.

Its picturesque cobbled streets and tree flanked streets are the perfect companions and guides on a tour of the galleries, hotels, shops, cafes, bars and restaurants this romantic area of Vallarta has to offer.

In the Viejo Vallarta you can find everything, excellent hangouts like Cuates y Cuetes, a now traditional location to spend the day at the beach, relaxing and enjoying a cold cocktail, or if you prefer some beer, at this place you’ll find the famous (or is it infamous) “buckets” (cubetas), they are literally buckets of ice cold beer in a bucket of ice and water. You can also visit a nice place called Época, where you can relax under the shade of a palapa and savor a delicious margarita and enjoy the view. If you like to treat yourself to a delicious Mexican dish, you will find a wide variety of options that will surely satisfy your craving, or if you are looking for a delicious international cuisine dinner or share some quality time with your friends here in the Viejo Vallarta, there are many small local restaurants where the food is practically homemade, all the way up to gourmet restaurants where meals are prepared by local or celebrity chefs from around the country and the world.

For a casual, but delicious dining experience, can go to Fajita Republic, for example, where you can find all kinds of fajitas made from chicken, beef, seafood, lobster and even vegetarian fajitas… if you can imagine that, or another great place is the restaurant Café de Olla, both are notably popular when it comes to Mexican or Mexican inspired food.

If you are looking for a place for your breakfast, Freddy Tucan o El Ándale are ideal and famous in the area, just ask around if you don’t believe us. If you prefer you can enjoy an evening with a scrumptious Italian dinner, you can find that either at La Piazzetta (Rodolfo Gomez 143 – (322) 222-0650, at Pizza Nostra (Francisca Rodriguez 150 – (322) 223-0703) or the Trattoria Michel on Olas Altas 507 ((322) 223-2060).

You can also enjoy a walk in the pleasant Vallarta weather and enjoy the beautiful sunsets by the beach. When the sun has slipped below the horizon it is common to crave a cold delicious drink and then take off to a night club in the area, no need to even search, bars and clubs abound in the Zona Romántica, so just stay in the area and enjoy.

At night, the fun never stops, and once you’re ready to enjoy a delicious drink to start off the evening, it is important to not miss the opportunity to savor a famous Tequila, the most famous of the Mexican liquors and proudly Made in Jalisco, which you can undoubtedly find in any of the bars or clubs you visit, if they don’t feel free to move along to a real bar/club. Do not hesitate to take the traditional shot of tequila (caballito de Tequila), a short glass of pure quality tequila (Don Julio, Centenario, Herradura, are good brands), not the bad tequila you normally find around the world, which has to be forced down with salt and lemon, rather the pure delicate distillate that you drink slowly, enjoying the taste and smoothness of liquor in each sip.

Of course this Viejo Vallarta could not lack an artistic side too. For those who enjoy and truly admire (an like to purchase) beautiful crafts and arts, the romantic section of ??Puerto Vallarta has a corridor that includes more than fifteen art galleries and is held once a week from October to April, the so-called “Art Walk”. These galleries feature diverse exhibits, where you can find everything from classic pieces of Mexican art to completely contemporary art creations.

As mentioned, this beautiful area of ??Puerto Vallarta has something to please the expectations and tastes of each and every one of the visitors. Without doubt, a stroll around the romantic Old Town area will complement and even complete your visit, making it a truly unique trip where you’ll experience and grasp a little of the essence of the heart of Puerto Vallarta, not only the typical and sometimes bland all-inclusive TV dinner prepackaged trip.

FAQ

What is the safest part of Puerto Vallarta to stay in?

The Marina and the Romantic Zone are considered some of the safest areas to stay in Puerto Vallarta. Both areas are popular among tourists and offer a variety of accommodations, restaurants, and attractions. The Marina is known for its upscale atmosphere, luxury resorts, and high-end shops and restaurants. It has a very secure, controlled environment with 24/7 security personnel. The Romantic Zone offers a more authentic Mexican experience with cobblestone streets, colorful colonial buildings, and a vibrant mix of galleries, cafes, and bars. As a central tourist area, it also has a strong police presence and is considered very safe.
Where do locals go in Puerto Vallarta?

Locals in Puerto Vallarta enjoy spending time at the city’s beautiful beaches, scenic parks, and lively local markets. Popular beach spots include Playa de Oro, Playa Las Animas, and Playa Camarones for their soft sand and calm waters. Many locals visit the Vallarta Botanical Gardens to enjoy the lush vegetation and hiking trails. They also frequent authentic local food venues like Birrieria las 3 Regiones taco stand, cafes like Cafecito Vallarta, and neighborhood bars like La Cerveceria Union. The downtown Lazaro Cardenas market is a favorite for produce, spices, crafts.
Is Downtown Puerto Vallarta nice?

Yes, downtown Puerto Vallarta is an exceptionally nice and popular area, celebrated for its vibrant mix of historic Mexican charm and a lively beach town atmosphere. It features a picturesque historic center with cobblestone streets, colorful buildings, and the iconic Parish of Our Lady of Guadalupe church. The downtown seamlessly blends into the scenic Malecón, a beautiful oceanfront boardwalk lined with fascinating sculptures, shops, and restaurants, making it perfect for strolling and enjoying the stunning ocean views.

The area offers an excellent variety of dining, from upscale restaurants to authentic street food, along with fantastic shopping in boutiques and art galleries. Adjacent to the main center is the popular Zona Romántica (Romantic Zone), known for its trendy vibe and energetic nightlife. The entire downtown is considered safe and is very walkable, allowing visitors to easily explore its captivating blend of culture, cuisine, and coastal beauty on foot.

Tip: For an unforgettable experience, head down to the Malecón or any beachfront spot about 30 minutes before the scheduled sundown to watch the spectacular sunset over the bay.
What is considered old town in Puerto Vallarta?

Old Town, also known as the Romantic Zone or Zona Romántica, is considered the historic heart of Puerto Vallarta. It is characterized by its picturesque cobblestone streets, classic whitewashed buildings, red-tiled roofs, and a lively mix of shops, galleries, restaurants and bars. Nestled between the Sierra Madre mountains and Banderas Bay, Old Town has a traditional Mexican village charm with its colonial architecture and slower pace compared to the rest of Puerto Vallarta. Its romantic ambience comes from the area’s natural beauty, outdoor cafes, and charming boutique hotels. Old Town offers visitors a taste of an authentic Mexican neighborhood.