Puerto Vallarta: Malecon and Old Town
Photo: Zeroslashed, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
Puerto Vallarta began in 1851 as Las Penas, a small settlement on the shore of Banderas Bay, and took its present name in 1918 in honor of Ignacio Vallarta, a former governor of Jalisco. For most of a century it was a quiet fishing and farming town reached mainly by sea. Then, in 1963, director John Huston came to film The Night of the Iguana at nearby Mismaloya, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton came with the press in tow, and the world discovered Vallarta. It became a city in 1968.
This walking tour starts at the north end of the Malecon, the seaside promenade, and follows it south past its sculptures to the main plaza and the crowned church. It climbs briefly into Gringo Gulch, crosses the Rio Cuale and ends at Los Muertos Pier. Allow about two and a half hours for roughly 2.5 km of walking, with some cobblestones and steps. Bring a hat and water, and time the end for sunset.
11 stops on this tour:
North End of the Malecon - Where Time Begins
Nostalgia - The Sculpture the Town Paid For
Rotunda of the Sea - Thrones You Can Sit On
The Boy on the Seahorse - Vallarta's Emblem
Los Arcos - Arches From a Hacienda
Main Plaza and City Hall - The Heart of Old Vallarta
Our Lady of Guadalupe - The Church With a Crown
Gringo Gulch - Where Hollywood Came to Stay
Isla Cuale - An Island in the River
Zona Romantica - Old Town South of the River
Los Muertos Beach and Pier - The Sail at Sunset
Plan your visit
- Route: 11 stops · about 1.7 miles · walking, one way
- Time: about 2.5 hours at an easy pace, with stops
- Start: North End of the Malecon (directions)
- Cost: free tour
- Audio: narrated - tap ▶ Listen at the top of any stop
Stops on this tour
- North End of the Malecon - Where Time Begins
- Nostalgia - The Sculpture the Town Paid For
- Rotunda of the Sea - Thrones You Can Sit On
- The Boy on the Seahorse - Vallarta's Emblem
- Los Arcos - Arches From a Hacienda
- Main Plaza and City Hall - The Heart of Old Vallarta
- Our Lady of Guadalupe - The Church With a Crown
- Gringo Gulch - Where Hollywood Came to Stay
- Isla Cuale - An Island in the River
- Zona Romantica - Old Town South of the River
- Los Muertos Beach and Pier - The Sail at Sunset
More tours nearby
- Sayulita: Surf Town Walk (22 mi) - A loop on foot through a fishing village turned surf town: the plaza, the river mouth break, the beach and the hillside cemetery.