Ultimate Guide to Puerto Vallarta Boardwalk
The Puerto Vallarta boardwalk is awesome!! I love it and I want to share it with you! So, here is my ultimate guide to the Puerto Vallarta Boardwalk! Tips to enjoy and explore it fully!
The word in Spanish for the boardwalk is the ‘malecon’ pronounced: mal-e-cone.
You will sometimes hear or see me refer it as the malecon too.
Good to Know First!
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Rent Bikes etc.
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Getting to the boardwalk
So, first of all you need to get there!
The boardwalk is in the the Romantic Zone or Zona Romantica in PV. Sometimes it’s also called the Old Vallarta. ‘Viejo Vallarta’ in Spanish.
There are a few ways to get there. If you’re taking a taxi from your hotel, you can ask them to take you to the malecon.
I have marked some spots on this map for you to check out
If you’re taking a bus you can look for a sign on the front of the bus that says ‘malecon’ or ‘centro’. Centro means the centre of the town or downtown.
I have marked the boardwalk on this map for you. You can also check out some hotels so that you can book yours in advance.
Things to know
The boardwalk is well used! People exercise, mingle, party, entertain, cycle, vend, make music, people watch, and much more all on the boardwalk!
There are always joggers and cyclists on the boardwalk.
There is a bike path along 1 side of the boardwalk that is used a lot! Sometimes the bikes go fast, & they ding their bell, basically asking you to move out of the bike lane if you’re walking in it.
I actually look both ways before I cross the bike path. Just in case someone is coming super fast.
So, I recommend not being one of those tourists who is walking in the bike lane.
Also, if you walk very close to the store fronts the staff will all invite you to check their menu, come into their shop or try different things.
There are ‘kind of’ 2 pathways that run right beside each other.
1 has the patios for restaurants, stores and the main walkway, with the bike path.
The other is beside it, but closer to the water. There are more large sculptures in this area and a great view of the ocean.
Cool Things to Watch for
There are actually so many!!
I love the fun surprises on the boardwalk!
I could walk the boardwalk 10 times in a day and see different things each time!
If you are headed to Puerto Vallarta in the winter, keep your eyes peeled for whales! I just saw 2 today actually! It is common to see whales around Puerto Vallarta in the winter.
Sometimes, you may even see dolphins too!
There are always so many fun surprises on the boardwalk, like performances, dancers, horse shows, mariachis and so much more!!
Voladores de Papantla
This is an amazing ritual ceremony that is performed daily several times on the boardwalk.
You will notice a very tall pole in the sand by the water. It’s close to the Senor Frogs, but on the other side.
They wear traditional clothing and one-by-one climb this tall pole until they’re at the top.
As they are sitting on the top of the pole, one of them begins to play a traditional flute.
They tie rope around their bodies to prepare for the ceremony at the top. This takes a little bit of time, but it is absolutely essential for their safety.
Once they are ready, they flip upside down and hang from the rope while spinning in a circle.
They slowly unravel until they get to the ground, I know that sounds so intense! I made a video for you to get the picture.
Oh, also, one of the people in traditional clothing will come around and ask for tips for their performance. It is ok to take photos and videos, in fact it’s very common.
Check out the video!
Day time
There are not many spots along the boardwalk that offer a lot of shade.
If you go earlier in the day when the sun is not up above us in the sky, then the buildings offer some shade along parts of the path.
I recommend going earlier in the day, or of course, in the evening if you don’t want too much direct sun on your body.
There are so many restaurants and bars to get traditional Mexican food and drinks, as well as from other cultures too.
Night time during the week
So, I have a video of walking the malecon on an early weekday evening for you to see if for yourself!
Check it out.
Then, check out the difference from the video below with the compilation of night time clips on the weekend.
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Weekend- Party time!
On the weekends the malecon is the party place to be!
Shows, bars, music, entertainers, so much going on!!
There are sometimes surprise parades or processions, dance performances, folkloric dancing, mariachis and so much more!!
This Complete Guide to Enjoy Mariachis in Puerto Vallarta will help you with the insider scoop on where you can find mariachi groups normally. If you want to know more mariachi songs and how to request them in Spanish check out Mariachi Songs To Request.
Check out this video of compilations of clips from a weekend at night on the boardwalk.
Los Arcos Theatre
There are shows here every Thursday to Sunday. Sometimes on the other days, there will be clown shows, but it’s not for sure.
During Thursdays to Sundays, sometimes there are clown shows and other times they have musicians, folkloric dancing, and other types of performances.
The shows often start around 7:00- 8:00pm depending upon the day and performance.
There is a stadium style seating that is made of cement. There are also some benches at the of the sunken-in theatre.
If you’re looking for some recommendations for free things to do in Puerto Vallarta, like enjoy the Los Arcos Theatre, check out my blog: 8 FREE things to do in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
What to bring
Whether it’s day or night time, there are some things that will be helpful for you to bring to the malecon.
- Hat, possibly a shade umbrella
- Sunglasses
- Camera
- Water
- Shoes for walking
- Light breathable clothing
- Pesos- coins and smaller bills
There are many vendors and performers that will ask for tips so having pesos in coin and smaller bills will allow you to give them a tip.
Also, I have had experiences where I tried to buy a water or something small with a larger bill, and I was told -sorry, we don’t have change. So, I couldn’t buy the water.
For these reasons, I recommend smaller bills and and coins.
Places to stay
There are a lot of beachfront hotels and condos along the back of the boardwalk. You have options within different parts of the boardwalk, as well as different styles of hotels.
If you’re looking for a beach front hotel recommendation on the boardwalk that is cost efficient and in a great location, check out my travel blog on Beachfront Hotel in Puerto Vallarta.
If you’re looking for a different hotel, you can look for it here, and even book it too!
Get inspired!
Check out the Mexico-themed word search book that I created!
Get inspired for your next Mexican vacation today!
Looking for tours & excursions in Puerto Vallarta?
You can see your options here, and book it too!
So, what is your favourite part of the boardwalk? What do you want to check out?
Let me know in the comments below, thanks!
As well as being a travel blogger, I am also an English teacher. Check out my shop for my books and downloadable products!
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