A short list of the top ten free things to do when you visit Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

1. Top 10 Things to do in
Puerto Vallarta
more at: www.puertovallarta.net

2. Puerto Vallarta Malecon
Without doubt the most popular, fun and typical
place to visit in the city, the Malecon in Downtown
Puerto Vallarta, is a seaside promenade by the
edge of the ocean, a pedestrian walkway that has
recently been completely remodeled and is a sight
you must not miss.
Stroll along, enjoy the view of the ocean, the
beautiful statues along the way, admire the bay, in
the afternoon the sunsets that color everything in
tones of orange and red, enjoy watching Mexican
family life, the street artists, the vendors and if you
are feeling tired or hungry, walk into one of the
innumerable stores, restaurants and bars along
the other side.
At night the malecon is also a great place to start
off the night, many of the "in" discos and
nightclubs are located here too. The Malecon has
two areas, the original version on Díaz Ordaz and
what is called Malecón II that extends south to the
Cuale River (see image).

3. Our Lady of Guadalupe Church
Puerto Vallarta's Nuestra Señora de
Guadalupe Church is the symbol of the
city, it dominates the downtown skyline and
is one of the favorite icons that you'll find
not only in photos and shirts, but on
postcards and souvenirs.
There is no way you can miss the church,
it's a block from the main square and its
very height will make it very easy to spot.
The church is always active, you'll hear the
bells every day from early morning calling
the faithful to mass, things really become
active in the first 12 days of December
when the Our Lady of Guadalupe Festival
celebrations are held.
There are English and Spanish masses
and you can visit the church itself most of
the day (don't forget to be respectful).

4. The Romantic Zone
South of the Cuale River you enter the
Romantic zone, also known as Viejo Vallarta
(Old Vallarta), this is the busiest part of town.
The streets are smaller, there are more
shops, cafes, bars and restaurants per
square foot than anywhere else in town.
Here you'll enjoy the famous cobblestone
village streets that are so common in all the
typical Mexican towns. This is the real
traditional Mexican part of Vallarta.
Smaller hotels, older shops, more traditional
taco stands and markets are part of the
attractions in this part of town, this place is
active all day, at night the fun never stops.
So, if you fall into the claws of an all-
inclusive, don't forget to escape a few nights
and really get to feel what Mexico and
Vallarta are all about.

5. Los Muertos Beach
Puerto Vallarta's most famous and popular beach, over a mile long and walking distance from the
Malecon, in the Romantic Zone, walk along Malecon II and cross the bridge over the Cuale river.
The scary name (Deadmen's Beach) seems to have come from local and archeological findings which
dug up bones of indigenous tribes that used the area as a cemetery.
Playa Los Muertos offers many stores, restaurants and bars, where you can enjoy local dishes, a cold
beer while you take off your shoes and dig your feet into the sand. This is the area where water taxis
take off to the paradise-like beaches of the south zone, if you enjoy people watching, you'll have fun
here, this is it, the heart of all Puerto Vallarta's beaches.

6. Isla Río Cuale
In the middle of Puerto Vallarta, between
downtown Puerto Vallarta and the
Romantic Zone you'll find the Cuale River
and an island between two arms of the
river: Isla Rio Cuale (Cuale River Island),
an extraordinary place of cobbled
passages and dense trees with large
iguanas hidden among the branches.
Cuale River Island has a central walkway
lined with small shops with Mexican
souvenirs, talavera, silver jewelry, clothes,
authentic handicrafts and more. On the
island you'll find quite a few good
restaurants and cafés, like the River Café
and Le Bistro Jazz Café.
On the island you'll also find a small
archeological museum and statue of John
Huston.

7. Mismaloya
Mismaloya beach is the place that started it all
for Puerto Vallarta as a tourist destination.
In the early 60's Mismaloya was a small
village that enjoyed a pristine bay and beach
where a small river met the sea. Access was
only by sea, which made the place completely
natural and wild.
The beach is some 900 feet long in a soft
curve, surrounded by jungle and the Sierra
Madre Mountains.
In 1963 John Huston filmed "The Night of the
Iguana" on a set installed at Mismaloya,
Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor and the
director later bought houses in the city and
the area, which made Puerto Vallarta
suddenly an attractive place to visit.
Today Mismaloya offers excellent
accommodations, restaurants, palapas and all
kinds of entertaining activities. There are also
small shops offering jewelry and local crafts.

8. Naval Historical Museum
At the southern end of the Malecón, the
seaside walkway, right beside the open air
amphitheater you'll find the Naval Historical
Museum (Museo Histórico Naval). The
Naval Museum in Puerto Vallarta was
opened in November 2006, it offers a
permanent exposition with 5 areas that
include documents, charts, maps, scale
boat and ship replicas, navigation
instruments, uniforms, cannons, whale
skeletons. There are also temporary
exhibitions.
If you go upstairs you'll find a coffee shop
that has a great panoramic view of the bay.
The Museum is open from Tuesday to
Sunday from 9AM to 7:30PM
Saturdays and Sundays open from 10AM
to 7:30PM. Access is free.
Address: Zaragoza 4, Downtown Puerto
Vallarta, Phone: (322) 223-5357.

9. Marina Vallarta
Another great family trip should include
Marina Vallarta, a luxurious area that is
located just 15 minutes from downtown
Puerto Vallarta.
The area includes many 5 star and Grand
Tourism hotels/resorts, that offer the best
restaurants and spas. The area's heart is,
as you would expect, a Marina, walk the
surrounding boardwalk and you'll enjoy
restaurants, cafés, shops and different
stores, even a spa.
The main landmark here is the lighthouse,
which is an outdoor restaurant that offers
delicious dishes and a beautiful panoramic
view from above.

10. Los Arcos National Marine Park
In 1984, Los Arcos, the 5 small natural
granite islets south of Downtown Vallarta,
located in the bay, between Las Gemelas
Beach and Mismaloya Beach in the south
zone, were classified as a National Marine
Park.
The ocean around them is very deep, up to
1600 fee, which makes the waters among
the deepest in Banderas Bay.
The small islands are breeding areas for a
number of important sea bird species and
some land species too, such as parrots. The
sea around the islands is also teaming with
life and is a popular destination for
snorkeling and scuba diving trips, plus bay
cruises arrive here all day long.

11. Manuel Lepe, local artist
Finally, you can't leave Puerto Vallarta
without enjoying the artwork of one of the
greater artists from this city, we are of
course talking about Manuel Lepe. His
mosaic mural "Fish Vendors" is displayed
of the ground floor of the Naval Museum.
This work was painted by Manuel Lepe in
acrylic and silkscreen.
His paintings of small angels, children and
Puerto Vallarta landscapes can be found in
the homes of presidents and art collectors.
The Queen of England, Elizabeth II, has
one of his paintings at the Royal Mews
Museum at Windsor Castle.
Other celebrities like Elizabeth Taylor,
Ronald Reagan, John Travolta and others
seem to have understood what John
Houston thought of the artist: "Manuel
Lepe paints to bring joy to the hearts of the
child in all of us".

12. Puerto Vallarta Travel
Guide
Visit us at: www.puertovallarta.net