03Cities and regions
Jalisco
Puerto Vallarta
Puerto Vallarta lies on the Pacific's Bay of Banderas, on a narrow coastal plain at the foot of the Sierra Madre Occidental, where three rivers, the Cuale, the Pitillal and the Ameca, run down to the sea. The climate is tropical, with dry winters and rainy summers and average highs around 30 °C. The city divides into the hotel zone to the north, the centre on the shore, and Olas Altas south of the Cuale River, which tourist brochures call the Zona Romántica. Its best-loved feature is the Malecón, a seafront promenade in the centre lined with contemporary sculpture, rebuilt in 2002–2003. Walk it at sunset as the sun drops into the bay, then head for dinner in the Zona Romántica; on Sunday evenings locals come out for a stroll. The Night of the Iguana was filmed at Mismaloya in 1963. The airport handled about 6.9 million passengers in 2025, with flights to 57 destinations.
- 0 km²
- Municipal area
- 0–2003
- Malecón rebuilt
- about 6.9 million
- Airport passengers
Highlights
- Los Muertos BeachA beach with a copy of the Boy on a Seahorse statue that also stands on the Malecón.
- MismaloyaA spot on the coast where The Night of the Iguana was shot in 1963 with an international cast.
- Sierra Madre OccidentalThe mountains east of the city, from which the Cuale, Pitillal and Ameca rivers descend to the sea.