Beaches in and around Puerto Vallarta Travel Guide

Puerto Vallarta's beaches vary in nature as you move round the bay: those to the north, out near Nuevo Vallarta and the airport, are long, flat stretches of sand often pounded by surprisingly heavy surf; south, a series of steep-sided coves shelter tiny, calm strands. The town beach, Playa de los Muertos (Beach of the Dead), or "Playa del Sol" as the local tourist office would prefer it known, falls somewhere between the two extremes: not very large and reasonably calm, yet facing apparently open water. This is the most crowded of all, with locals, Mexican holiday-makers and foreign tourists, and in many ways it's the most enjoyable - plenty of people and activities on offer, food and drink close at hand. But don't leave anything of value lying about. The gay section of this beach is situated near the Looney Tunes bar - look out for the blue chairs.

To the north , the best beaches tend to front the big hotels, but beyond Nuevo Vallarta, where the landscape becomes drier and scrubbier, there are some lovely, deserted stretches of sand, pounded by heavy surf. If you decide to swim here, don't underestimate the strength of the undertow.

The smaller stretches of sand to the south are far more popular. Buses leave regularly from the junction of Constitución and Vallarta and head south on Hwy-200. There are small beaches every few hundred metres, difficult to get to unless you're staying at one of the hotels or condos that back them, while 9km out of town is a bungee jumping operation. For US$55 you can hurl yourself off a small platform and plunge 40m down to the swirling waters of the Pacific; head dunking is optional.