Photo Courtesy: Carlos Flores
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Contrasts and culture along the coastline
Framed by the emerald folds of the Sierra Madre and the gaping curve of Banderas Bay, Puerto Vallarta tells the story of a humble fishing village that grew into the cultural and economic anchor of Mexico’s Pacific coast. The city’s beauty runs deep—in the amber morning light hitting the red-tiled rooftops of Centro (the historic heart of the city), in the artists painting along the Malecón (a mile-long esplanade) as pelicans glide by, and in the chatter that spills from taco stands at midnight. This is a city that is not in denial about its expansion, but remains fiercely protective of its spirit. The cobblestones that once carried burros from the mountains now lead to galleries, coffee shops and restaurants that rival those in Mexico City.
Winter and early spring are when Puerto Vallarta feels most alive: Humpback whales return to the bay, air smells of salt and the calendar fills with festivals that honor food, music and art. To understand Puerto Vallarta is to see how its past still shapes its present. It’s a city built on stories, and one that is still writing new ones every day along the Pacific’s edge.
Photo Courtesy: alamy.com/MGM/SEVEN ARTS/RGR Collection
A City Born of Discovery and Desire
Once called Las Peñas, the small fishing village flourished after the arrival of silver traders from the Sierra towns of Mascota and San Sebastián del Oeste—nearby cities that still exist today and are easy day trips from Puerto Vallarta. Its modern name honors Ignacio Vallarta, a 19th-century governor of Jalisco, but it was love, both romantic and cinematic, that would catapult Puerto Vallarta to fame.
In 1963, director John Huston chose Mismaloya, a beach town just south of town, to film “The Night of the Iguana.” Elizabeth Taylor joined Richard Burton on set, and the two fell scandalously in love. They bought neighboring homes in the Gringo Gulch neighborhood, linking them with a bridge so they could meet unseen by paparazzi. Their affair turned the sleepy coastal town into an international sensation. Today, Gringo Gulch’s cobblestone lanes and whitewashed villas still echo with that glamour; visitors can admire the Casa Kimberly, the couple’s former residence, now reborn as a boutique hotel with pink marble terraces and panoramic bay views.
Photo Courtesy: istock.com/Alex Borderline
Art by the Sea
Puerto Vallarta’s story began long before its Hollywood moment, and the city continues to have an outsized devotion to art. Along the Malecón, the seaside promenade that anchors downtown, bronze sculptures rise from the sea mist. These fantastical figures by artists like Sergio Bustamante and Alejandro Colunga invite playful interaction and interpretation among viewers. On Wednesday evenings from now through May, the ArtWalk leads travelers through the city’s historic galleries where paintings, ceramics and photography celebrate Mexico’s creative pulse.
The Museo Histórico Naval de Puerto Vallarta, housed in a former naval building near Los Arcos Amphitheater, traces the region’s maritime past with ship models and relics of early explorers. A few blocks inland, the ARTe VallARTa Museo, located within the city’s stately municipal building, highlights rotating exhibits from Mexican and international contemporary artists. These cultural enclaves remind visitors that Puerto Vallarta’s identity is shaped as much by brushstrokes and bronze as it is by sand and surf.
Photo Courtesy: Michelle Halpern/livelikeitstheweekend.com
Culinary Crossroads
Puerto Vallarta’s dining scene has evolved into one of the most eclectic on Mexico’s Pacific coast, and nowhere captures that transformation better than the Versalles neighborhood. Once a quiet residential quarter, the neighborhood now hums with the clatter of cocktail shakers and the scent of wood smoke. At Cha’, brunch is a rite of passage. Don’t skip the huarache de ribeye draped in poblano chile and beans or chicken enmoladas bathed in almond mole. A few blocks away, the simple and inexpensive pork belly tacos at El Puerco de Oro are finished with lime and pickled red onions.
Nearby, NUMŌH layers refinement onto the neighborhood’s scruffy charm with mushroom croquettes, risotto crowned with silky burrata and shrimp in zarandeado sauce, all just steps from a tortilleria that still sends out steaming stacks of corn tortillas each morning.
Downtown, Tintoque translates Jalisco’s markets into a weekly changeup of artful plates, while La Palapa, an institution since 1959, pairs Pacific sunsets with coconut shrimp and chilled margaritas. For something more modest but no less revered, the line at Pancho’s Takos is worth the wait for tacos al pastor carved fresh onto soft tortillas. Those who want to skip the queue can join locals at Tacos Moreno taco truck, where seating is relegated to plastic stools alongside a wall in front of the truck.
Photo Courtesy: istock.com
Beyond a Beach Day
Puerto Vallarta’s soul extends beyond its city limits. In the cool mountain air of San Sebastián del Oeste, cobblestone streets wind past 18th-century homes and coffee plantations where visitors can tour family-run farms and sip freshly roasted beans. Nearby, Mascota charms with its tranquil plaza and stone church, a vision of small-town Mexico that feels worlds away from the coast, yet is only a two-hour drive away.
Back in the bay, winter brings the return of humpback whales, and responsible tour operators such as Ecotours Vallarta and Chica Locca Tours lead small-group cruises that respect the animals’ space. Watching a whale breach from the sea under a peach-colored dawn will stop you in your tracks every time.
Photo Courtesy: istock.com/ Marek Bubenik
A Season for Festivals in Full Color
Puerto Vallarta’s calendar explodes with celebrations year-round. By January, the city is awash in winter sunshine, perfect for gallery strolls, whale-watching excursions or lazy afternoons reclining on Playa Los Muertos. Few destinations in Latin America embrace LGBTQ+ culture as proudly as Puerto Vallarta. In the Zona Romantica, rainbow flags flutter from balconies and nightlife spills from rooftop bars to beach clubs. January marks the return of Bear Week, a week-long celebration for the LGBTQ+ community hosted at Mantamar Beach Club, where DJs spin poolside and beach parties stretch long into the night. Whale-watching season peaks through January and February, when humpback whales breach and play in Banderas Bay before beginning their northern migration in March and April. February brings Carnival, an explosion of color and music that in 2025 drew more than 50,000 spectators to the streets for parades, live performances, street food and dancing.
For all its evolution, Puerto Vallarta remains a city that honors its roots. It’s a place where love stories still unfold under bougainvillea balconies, where art spills onto the streets, and where the entire city still pauses to watch the sunset light the sky on fire. Puerto Vallarta is one of Mexico’s great legacy towns, always looking toward the future but with a foot firmly rooted in its textured past.
Meagan Drillinger is a travel writer and planner with more than 15 years of experience exploring the world, specializing in Mexico and the Caribbean. Her work has appeared in outlets such as Travel Weekly, AFAR, Lonely Planet and Travel + Leisure. She is also the founder of Good Horizon, a boutique travel planning service that curates custom itineraries for travelers.
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