Puerto Vallarta Travel Guide (Puerto Vallarta, Mexico)

The Río Cuale , spanned by two small road bridges and a couple of wobbly foot bridges, divides Puerto Vallarta in two. Most of the town - the main square, official buildings, market and the bulk of the shops and restaurants - lies on the north side. South you'll find the town beach and the cheaper hotels. It's a very small place, hemmed in by the ocean and by the steep slopes behind - downtown, you can walk just about anywhere. Frequent local buses run around the edge of the Bahía de Banderas to the north, towards the hotel zone (buses marked "Hoteles"), and, slightly less frequently, south to the smaller beaches.

About 1.5km further north lies the sparkling clean, long-distance bus station, the Central Camionera , served by buses to and from the centre marked "Aeropuerto", "Ixtapa", "Juntas" or "Mojoneras". The station has a guardería and long-distance telephones.

The airport (information on 3/221-1298) lies 9km north of the centre on the coastal highway, and is linked to the city by local buses that stop a few steps outside the perimeter fence. Airport taxis go right to the door and cost around US$10. If you can find a colectivo it should be around a third of the price but local buses (marked "Olas Altas" or "Centro") provide an easy and far cheaper alternative.

The reasonably helpful tourist office (Mon-Fri 9am-8pm; tel 3/221-2626) is in the municipal palace on the zócalo. For up-to-date, if promotional, information on what's going on in town, pick up the daily Vallarta Today (free, in gringo hangouts). Puerto Vallarta is also well represented on various websites : www.puertovallarta.net is the Tourism Board's official site and contains comprehensive listings of what to do and where to stay, along with up-to-the-minute news and weather reports; www.vallartaonline.com provides travel news as well as practical information such as where to find gyms, shipping services, doctors and dentists. If you find yourself in any sort of trouble or just need advice, approach one of the people dressed in white uniforms and pith helmets - these are the tourist police .