SURROUNDING AREAS, TOURING AND NOTABLE PLACES

Touring in Puerto Vallarta ? Start the day off in the northern part of the city at the Vallarta Marina with a delicious breakfast in one of the many restaurants. Nearby you will find the lighthouse El Faro, a building that offers a panoramic view of the bay and one of the best places to watch a sunset. After that, you can visit the art galleries which exhibit various paintings as well as wood and bronze sculptures. Then walk toward the northern hotel zone, which is full of boutiques and shops where you will be able to do some shopping, or you can walk along the beach until you reach the beaches of Playa Glorias and La Playa Camarones. In the southern hotel zone, which is where the downtown area begins, you will see stone, steel and bronze sculptures along the Malecon. Nearby, you can visit Los Arcos Amphitheater, city hall, the church of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and the Kimberly house, a former home of Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. From October through April, you can go on a tour of celebrity homes.

Next, cross the bridge that goes to Cuale Island and visit the city market, where you will find all kinds of handicrafts, food and traditional sweets. The tour ends in the Zona Romantica, also known as old Vallarta, where you can wander quietly through its cobblestone streets and admire the rustic architecture, namely the white houses and tiled rooftops. After that, you can enjoy a delicious cup of coffee as you take in one of Vallarta?s famous sunsets.

Touring outside of Puerto Vallarta - A few kilometers north of Puerto Vallarta, along Highway 200, you will find Vallarta Nayarit, a new tourist development area with hotels, exclusive resorts and beautiful golf courses. There you will be able to swim with dolphins or visit the largest turtle colony in the world, where the Olive Ridley Sea Turtle is protected. These turtles arrive every year to lay their eggs on the region's beaches. Toward the south of Puerto Vallarta, we recommend that you visit the beach of Chalacatepec in Boca de Tomatlan, an ideal site to get some peace and quiet. From the shore, you can see the remains of a shipwrecked pirate vessel. Further away, 157 kilometers (97 miles) south of Vallarta, where the Costalegre coast begins, you can visit Chamela Bay.

With eleven islands inhabited by different species, it has everything to make your stay a memorable experience. About 80 kilometers (50 miles) from Tomatlan, Highway 200 will take you to Careyes, an important tourist destination with ideal waters for fishing, swimming and diving. If you brought your surfboard, a great spot for surfing and windsurfing is Barra de Navidad on the Costalegre coast.

Talpa/Mascota - Located east of Puerto Vallarta, Talpa Allende and Mascota are two towns which have played a pivotal role in the region?s history. You can get there on ground (a two-hour trip over dirt roads) or by air (on daily charters). In Talpa you can admire the image of the Virgin del Rosario, a famous pilgrimage site that attracts thousands of people during the festivities in her honor. Mascota will surprise you with its old buildings and cobblestone streets, a great place for walking and taking and picture taking.