Puerto Vallarta is an absolute must-see if you’re an adventurous traveler who enjoys stunning scenery and a dining and nightlife scene with attitude. Nestled in a tranquil bay looking out onto the Pacific Ocean, Puerto Vallarta is ideal if you’re a beachgoer.
Nothing's better than a brisk mid-morning walk along the boardwalk before hopping onto Playa Camarones and enjoying a refreshing margarita at a beachside bar. Playa Camarones is the easiest beach to find in Puerto Vallarta, but the likes of Las Gemelas are on hand if you’d prefer a slower pace. For the ultimate remote beach destination in Puerto Vallarta, Las Caletas is a great choice – it can only be reached by boat!
Another reason to consider Puerto Vallarta for your next vacation is the year-round climate. It’s warm most of the year which is great, especially when it’s coldest back in many parts of the US between December and March. Puerto Vallarta has also cultivated a reputation for being the LGBTQ capital of Mexico, with Zona Romántica a safe, vibrant place for all to have fun day and night.
This part of Mexico minimizes potential jet lag for many Americans: the time in Puerto Vallarta is just 1 hour ahead of those flying in from LAX and 1 hour behind those flying in from Dallas, although from New York it can be a 2-hour difference and if you're flying in from somewhere like Hawaii, well it's 4! You don’t have to dedicate a full vacation day to traveling either. The typical flight time to Puerto Vallarta is around 3-4 hours although this naturally depends on your departure airport.
It’s easy to get under the skin of Puerto Vallarta during a long weekend. We’ve put together a stellar 3-day itinerary to give you a taste of things to do in Puerto Vallarta - the so-called “San Francisco of Mexico”.
Once you’ve arrived at Puerto Vallarta airport (PVR), we’d recommend taking a taxi from the kiosk or walking to the pedestrian bridge beyond the airport perimeter to get a cheaper fare into the center of the city. Local bus services like bus line C27 – Marina will run through the city every 15 minutes.
Drop your bags off at your hotel and head straight for the Malecon (Boardwalk). This 800-yard coastal walkway is where it’s at, with magnificent Pacific views, excellent seafood restaurants, artisan shops and galleries, and bars.
Spend your first evening in Zona Romántica, which has cobbled streets lined with bars, live music, and restaurants.
A long weekend in Puerto Vallarta wouldn’t be complete without exploring the Pacific and all that swims beneath it. Book a once-in-a-lifetime experience of swimming with Pacific bottlenose dolphins or even sea lions. It’s a great opportunity to see these beautiful creatures in their natural habitat.
Don your snorkel and delve down for a scuba diving excursion, seeing the Pacific ecosystems with your very own eyes. The Marietas Islands Marine Reserve and the Las Caletas Beach Hideaway are 2 of the best scuba diving destinations in Puerto Vallarta.
Finish your day by refueling with some vibrant Mexican cuisine. There are several dishes native to Puerto Vallarta. Shrimp pozole stew and pescado zarandeado is a juicy fish dish, served with fresh tortillas and rice. Pescado embarazado is another vibrant fish dish, while there are blue shrimp and fresh lobster tails on the menu of most local restaurants. It’s a seafood lover’s paradise, that’s for sure!
Spend your final day in Puerto Vallarta soaking up as much of its history as possible. Make it your mission to understand the story of this colorful city. Head into the magnificent baroque-style Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Centro Histórico is the “Old Town” of Puerto Vallarta. It’s a great place to meet the locals and poke around. Every cobbled street tells its own story, with family restaurants, and independent art galleries to see.
Watch the sunset on your stay in Puerto Vallarta from Muelle de Playa Los Muertos, a new 21st-century pier that stretches out into the Pacific. The structure itself is beautifully lit at night, creating a magical atmosphere.
Puerto Vallarta’s Mexico-based airport is known as the Licenciado Gustavo Diaz Ordaz International Airport (PVR). You’ll be one of 6 million-plus passengers who pass through these terminals every year. The airport is handily placed overlooking Marina Vallarta, with direct access to Centro via Highway 200.
There are multiple airlines in the US which fly non-stop to Puerto Vallarta in Mexico. American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and Frontier Airlines all fly here throughout the week, so there’s plenty of choice among front-line and low-cost carriers.
If you have a minor that needs to travel to Puerto Vallarta alone, for any reason, contact your airline as soon as you’ve booked your flights with us. Most airlines – even low-cost ones – will provide travel assistance for minors aged between 5 and 12. Just make sure you arrange it ASAP to give you all peace of mind.
If you’re going to need mobility assistance from your departure airport to Puerto Vallarta, contact your airline as soon as you can. There’s limited availability for assistance dogs from most departure airports, so it pays to be organized to avoid disappointment.
Scroll to the top of this page and use our search bar to compare flight deals to Puerto Vallarta from your ideal departure airport. With most deals, you can add our eDreams Flexible Fare to your booking, allowing you to change travel dates after your booking free of handling charges.
At eDreams, we’re committed to offering great travel packages to Puerto Vallarta. That’s why you can take advantage of our flight + hotel deals. Our AI-powered search function aims to find the best flight and hotel combinations based on your needs. By booking your flights and accommodation with us directly, you can save up to 40% on the total cost of your trip to Puerto Vallarta. Or you can become an eDreams Prime member and get even more competitive hotel rates exclusively in your inbox.
In most cases, airlines serving Puerto Vallarta will allow you to take at least a small handbag or rucksack on board, so long as it fits neatly under your seat. Depending on the air fare, you may need to pay more to take a small cabin suitcase on board – the kind that fits in the overhead lockers. Any bigger suitcases weighing over 10kg will usually need checking in and reclaiming at Puerto Vallarta’s Licenciado Gustavo Diaz Ordaz International Airport.
If you choose to buy flights to Puerto Vallarta with us, you’ll still be able to check in online through your airline. Just head to your airline’s official website, enter the booking reference we supply and follow the on-screen instructions. Most airlines will open online check-in from 24-48 hours before your flight time.
If you need to cancel your flight to Puerto Vallarta for any reason, we’ll let you cancel free of charge within 24 hours of booking your ticket(s). Any later than this and cancellations will be at the discretion of your chosen airline. Each carrier deals with cancellations differently. Some may give you a refund and some may be non-refundable. You can always avoid this confusion by locking in our Cancel for Any Reason Guarantee, which means you can cancel and get all your air fare back, minus our 20% excess fee.
You’ll need to check the terms and conditions of your flight to Puerto Vallarta to find out if it’s eligible for compensation. Airline cancellation policies differ from airline to airline, so it’s always best to be clear on what you’re owed and how to claim if your flight is severely delayed or even canceled.
Do you want the good news or the brilliant news? The good news is plenty of cities in all 4 corners of the States fly directly to Puerto Vallarta. From Seattle and San Francisco to Dallas and Minneapolis, Puerto Vallarta is easily accessible when you want it.
Note:The active airlines at each departure airport are correct at the time of writing and are subject to change.
The cheapest flights can typically be found out of Los Angeles and San Francisco, which are served by the likes of American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, and Delta Air Lines. The brilliant news is that even low-cost carriers like JetBlue have regular flights to PVR from LAX and other hubs. This ensures a great variation of Puerto Vallarta flight deals catering for budget-conscious and indulgent travelers.
The Licenciado Gustavo Diaz Ordaz International Airport (PVR) is by no means the busiest airport in Mexico, but it’s well-equipped to welcome tourists all year round. The terminals are light and spacious. The airport’s owner has pumped in 4 billion pesos to construct a huge new eco-friendly terminal which will increase potential tourist traffic by up to 60%.
There’s 1 main terminal building that serves departures and arrivals at Puerto Vallarta. When you land in Puerto Vallarta, you’ll have plenty of passenger services on tap. You can arrange a car hire, exchange currency, or grab a quick bite to eat before heading to your hotel. There are plenty of local and international retail brands both airside and in arrivals too.
Centro PV is about 5 miles from the airport, which is one of the biggest appeals of this destination. Marina Vallarta is even closer at less than a mile-and-a-half. It’s cheap to travel to Centro PV by local bus services, like the C27 bus line through the Marina, but for the ultimate door-to-door convenience, a pre-paid taxi is the stress-free airport transfer option in Puerto Vallarta, ensuring your vacation gets off to the best start.
You’ll pay for your journey at a kiosk before you enter the vehicle. Taxis arranged on airport grounds are more expensive than local taxis as they are positioned within a “federal zone”. The pedestrian bridge stands just 150 yards away from the airport terminal where you can flag down a local taxi and save yourself $10.
An airport very high in demand among international tourists, Lic. Gustavo Díaz Ordaz International Airport is served by a number of renowned airlines including Air Canada, American Airlines, and Virgin America.
Lic. Gustavo Díaz Ordaz International Airport is situated approximately 5 miles outside downtown Puerto Vallarta, just north the Marina Vallarta area.
Connections to and from Lic. Gustavo Díaz Ordaz International Airport are possible via taxi and bus services. Tourists should be aware that taxi and minivans services should be paid for before entering the vehicle at the terminal building exit. Bus connections are much cheaper than taxis and regularly connect travellers to downtown Puerto Vallarta.
From a pure geographical perspective, Puerto Vallarta is situated on an identical latitude to Hawaii, so it makes sense that tourists are reminded of Hawaii's climate and surroundings.
The weather in Vallarta is typically warm throughout the year, but it does have distinct dry and wet seasons. It’s enveloped by jungle to the east, which is why the city attracts plenty of rainfall during its summer months. In fact, Puerto Vallarta’s rainy season spans from June through to early October. Rainfall is more common in the afternoons than in the mornings, so consider planning your must-see trips at the start of each day.
Don’t panic about not topping up your tan though. Even in the rainy season, you can still expect 8 hours of daily sunshine.
The so-called “high season” for Puerto Vallarta is December, January, and February, which is music to the ears of anyone in northern states desperate to escape the winter freeze. Average high temperatures during this period are 29.4ºC and the typical lows are a comfortable 20.5ºC.
If you’d prefer to explore Puerto Vallarta and avoid its weather extremes, consider booking flights during the spring or autumn months. Temperatures are more moderate for getting around on foot and the likelihood of storms and heavy rainfall is much lower.