Puerto Vallarta Taxi to and from Malecon

[lithlith]

From what I've read, it sounds relatively easy to catch taxi just outside of the Puerto Vallarta port - is this correct? 

 

Is there a set taxi price per person or per car to take people to Malecon from the port or do we negotiate a price on the spot before we get in the taxi? What is a good estimate of what we should expect to pay to Malecon from the port?

 

How about coming back from Malecon to the port? - what is the best way to get a taxi? Is there a place to wait for taxis or do we just flag one down? What is a good estimate of what we should expect to pay from the Malecon back the port? Is there a set rate or do we negotiate a price?

[Ine]

Indeed taxis outside the port, those near the highway or near Walmart are cheaper then inside the port. No fixed prices, always make your price before entering. To the first part of the Malecon it might cost you around 100 Pesos, if going more to the centre, passing the river Cuale expect to pay a bit more.  The same for the return.  Price is per cab not per person. A regular cab will hold 4 persons max, a bit tight at the backseat however. Larger cabs are around sometimes, but charge a little more.

Inside the port they charge per person about $ 4,- or $ 5,- as far as I know. They cannot pcik you up on the return.

Nowadays also Uber is available, but I am sure they cannot pickup very close to the cruise terminal. Of course it will work for the return. Price are lower, we have good experiences with them. 

[Rosefloater]

The taxis seem to charge more going back to the ship than going to the malecon from the ship. We have learned to ask to be dropped off either at WalMart or Soriana and walk over to the ship.

[Hlitner]

11 hours ago, Rosefloater said:

The taxis seem to charge more going back to the ship than going to the malecon from the ship. We have learned to ask to be dropped off either at WalMart or Soriana and walk over to the ship.

PV taxis have a zone fare system which seems to be ignored by many of our taxi drivers.  Prices are somewhat negotiable and one should ask the fare before they even get inside the taxi.  If the driver knows you are a cruise ship passenger there is a pretty good change that the price will increase which is why grabbing a taxi to Walmart, Sams or Liverpool (the next door mall) is not a bad idea.  That being said, those that walk around with their cruise card hanging around their necks, Princess bag in hand, etc. are not going to fool anyone :).   Also keep in mind what Ine said about taxis.  The "Federal" taxis inside the port have a special franchise (they can only pick-up inside the port) and charge a reasonable cost per person.  But the regular taxis outside the port charge a zone fare for the entire taxi...not per person.    If you pay in dollars you will likely get "ripped off" on the exchange rate.  So if you grab a taxi in town (back to the port or Walmart) and want to pay in dollars you might want to negotiate the fare in pesos and then ask how much in US Dollars.  The current exchange rate is about 19 Pesos to the US Dollar.

 

Hank

[Mike45LC]

My last visit, the minivans inside the port area were asking $5 per person for the trip to the beginning of the Malecon.  Outside the port area, they wanted $8 for the cab, but were willing to accept $6.  It is NOT worth it (to me, and this is a very personal issue!!) to save the extra $4 [$5 per person is $10 for a couple] in exchange for the walk and the negotiation -- I paid the $5 pp inside the port area.  [Later, after my wife went back to the ship, I walked over to Liverpool.  After exploring the mall, from there I took a cab.  That is how I know the prices of both the cab and the mini-van.]

 

I find that the taxi drivers do not use a decent exchange rate.  If they want 100 pesos, they might want US$7, which is about 130 pesos.  

 

Maybe you can save a couple of dollars taking the cab from downtown to Liverpool instead of going back to the port area, but I'll pay the extra $2 or so if I am ready to go back to the ship.  It is all a question of time and effort and money.  Normally, I can get a cab going back to the port from downtown for $10.

 

[Turtles06]

When returning to the ship from the Malecon, do you just flag down a taxi on the street, or are they at taxi stands?  Thanks!

[Ine]

Taxistands all over town, no flagging down.

[Turtles06]

1 hour ago, Ine said:

Taxistands all over town, no flagging down.

 

Thank you! 

[alanasgpa]

On 9/24/2019 at 1:17 AM, Turtles06 said:

 

Thank you! 

Try uberUber

[lstrong]

Also there is a city bus just outside the port. Anyone know if they accept dollars?

[Hlitner]

25 minutes ago, lstrong said:

Also there is a city bus just outside the port. Anyone know if they accept dollars?

The correct answer would be "maybe yes, maybe no."  And if it is no, then you might be out of luck which is why it is always a good idea to carry some local currency whenever you visit any foreign country.   The problem is that our buses in PV have been upgraded/moderized in the past year.  The new buses use electronic coin boxes (it will only accept Pesos) but there is also a clear box if one wants to use bills (the driver no longer gives change).  But being Mexico things happen.  If you don't have the proper change it is not uncommon for another passenger (often a Mexican) to help with the change issue.  You just never know.

 

So, for cruisers that want to use the buses I do recommend getting some Pesos. Preferably some small bills (20s, 50s and 100s) as well as some coins (10 Peso coins are very useful on buses).

 

The reason I said maybe yes and maybe know is that some drivers might still be kind and take dollars (do not count on getting change).  But there are some other bus issues that we cannot sort out until we arrive in PV (early January).  On one of my local blogs it has been reported that most of the bus routes have been changed and there is still some question whether the changes are temporary or permanent.  But the biggest change is that many/most buses that you would catch at the port will no longer drive into Centro and over to the Old Town/Romantic District.  The "experiment" is to have the buses stop short of town where passengers can transfer to different buses (apparently for no extra charge).  Since this is Mexico where it sometimes seems like nobody has a clue to what is happening, we will have to wait and see.  For me, living in PV (part of the year) and routinely using buses...this change will be very inconvenient and likely drive us to use fewer buses and more Uber (just what the government wants to discourage).

 

Hank 

 

 

 

[pinto18]

We just came back from a MR cruise...took the city bus to and from the malecon..we didn't have pesos but it was the equivalent of 50 cents per person so we  just put a dollar bill in the box...easy!

[lstrong]

Thank you all!!

[Ine]

As Hank mentions a lot has changed on buses in Puerto Vallarta. Less buses, some different routes. Indeed sometimes you have to change buses near the stadium. Also I havenot been to Vallarta recently but heard and read about it. Indeed better have some Pesos ready as it is up to the driver to accept US$ or not.

[seemoreroyals]

When we took the city bus there a couple of years ago we were nearly overcome with diesel fumes blowing back into bus through open windows.  The price was definitely cheap enough but on the way back we took a cab back instead of the bus.

[Ine]

49 minutes ago, seemoreroyals said:

When we took the city bus there a couple of years ago we were nearly overcome with diesel fumes blowing back into bus through open windows.  The price was definitely cheap enough but on the way back we took a cab back instead of the bus.

Those old buses are or  at least almost  are all gone. New buses, some not all with airco and no more diesel fumes. That is why they  now also installed those coinboxes (expect no more change) and in the future it might be more electronic payment. 

[seemoreroyals]

Thank you Ine.  We are doing another MR cruise in December and may give city bus another chance.  The price is definitely right.

[Ine]

14 hours ago, seemoreroyals said:

Thank you Ine.  We are doing another MR cruise in December and may give city bus another chance.  The price is definitely right.

Be ware not all drivers will accept US$, better bring some Pesos.

[msmayor]

We just returned from Eurodam and had a port stop in Puerto Vallarta.

 

Taxi vans from the port charged $4pp USD to go to the Malecon, and they were plentiful as we got off the ship.  We easily grabbed a taxi for the ride back at $10 total USD to return to the port.

 

 

[Seagirl123]

We paid $7 to get from Walmart to Malecon with 2 adults 2 kids. And it was $10 to get back to the port. Also it was one of the scariest car rides ever. 

[Turtles06]

18 minutes ago, Seagirl123 said:

Also it was one of the scariest car rides ever. 

 

Why?

[Seagirl123]

1 hour ago, Turtles06 said:

 

Why?

The taxi driver was trying to get us there as fast as humanly possible. Speeding like crazy and swerving into lanes barely avoiding clipping the cars he was cutting off.