Getting Here
Getting There Is Part of the Journey.
Puerto Vallarta is one of the best-connected destinations on Mexico's Pacific coast: an international airport fifteen minutes from downtown, direct flights from the US and Canada, and a straightforward drive from Guadalajara. Here are all the options.
PVR · Puerto Vallarta International Airport
Fly Direct. Land on the Bay.
Lic. Gustavo Díaz Ordaz International Airport (PVR), about 15 minutes from the old town.
| Origin | Connection | Season | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| US West Coast | Direct flights | Year-round | The highest frequency; worth confirming your airline's schedule |
| US Central and South | Direct and connecting | Year-round | Easy connections through the major hubs |
| Canada | Direct flights | Winter season | Seasonal scheduling; usually begins in late autumn |
| Mexico City and Guadalajara | Domestic flight | Year-round | Several departures daily; the most flexible link within Mexico |
On Arrival
PVR sits practically inside the city: fifteen minutes to downtown, five to Marina Vallarta, and around half an hour to Nuevo Vallarta or Punta de Mita. We arrange the private transfer so that someone is waiting as you walk out, with the keys to your home and the plan for day one.
Private aviation · FBO services
Travel on Your Own Schedule.
PVR handles private aviation with FBO services and immigration and customs on site, so a private jet lands and clears without detours.
Executive charters.
We coordinate private flights from cities across Mexico and the US Southwest, with ground handling ready on arrival.
Around the bay.
To move between Puerto Vallarta, Punta de Mita and the southern coves, the best transfer is often neither road nor air but water. We build it around where you are staying.
By road
By Road, From Guadalajara.
The drive from Guadalajara is one of the most pleasant in western Mexico: out of the city, across farmland and forest, then down through the sierra until the bay opens up. If you choose to drive, here is what is worth knowing.
From Guadalajara:
~340 km. Roughly 4.5 to 5 hours on toll roads, with the final stretch descending the sierra towards the coast.
From the south, along the coast:
Federal highway 200 follows the shoreline up from Manzanillo and Barra de Navidad. Slower, and far more beautiful.
From the north (Nayarit):
Sayulita, San Pancho and Punta de Mita are between forty minutes and an hour from downtown Puerto Vallarta.
Four Rules for Driving Well Around Here
Avoid the sierra after dark.
The descent from Guadalajara has tight curves and fog in the rainy season. By day it is scenery; by night it is something else.
Mexican insurance is mandatory.
US and Canadian policies have no legal standing in Mexico. Buy Mexican liability cover before you drive.
Respect the rainy season.
From June to October the rain arrives hard and fast, usually in the afternoon. Mountain streams rise quickly and drop just as quickly.
In town, walk.
The old centre and the Zona Romántica are cobbled, narrow and one-way. Parking costs more time than walking does.
If you would rather not drive: we arrange private transfers from the airport and throughout the bay.
Water taxis and charters
Crossing the Bay.
Much of the best of this coast has no road to it. You arrive by water, and that is precisely what has kept it as it is.
From Boca de Tomatlán:
Shared water taxis run through the day to Las Ánimas, Quimixto and Yelapa. It is the real transport of the people who live there, not a sightseeing ride.
Private charter:
With your own boat the day answers to nobody's timetable: breakfast in one cove, lunch in another, back with the last of the light.
Worth knowing:
Some beaches have no dock and you step straight onto the sand. Shoes that can get wet, and a dry bag for what cannot.