First time in PV

[dst]

We are traveling on the navigator and stopping in Puerto Vallarta; how safe is the Malicon is it within walking distance of the port or a taxi?
Any advice or tips would be appreciated 

[jcc1025]

The Malicon in PV is very safe. Lots of art works along the beach and resturants and bars, if you keep waking you get into the Romanic Zone which is also nice and more shopping if that is what you are interested in doing. Its kind of a walk for us from the port, we take a taxi both ways. 

[Ine]

Start reading some of the older postings, a lot of in formation how to get there etc.  Yes it is safe

[SelectSys]

On 6/5/2023 at 5:51 PM, dst said:

walking distance of the port or a taxi?

You can also take the local bus which is used by many tourists.  

[sdteacher]

We were in Puerto Vallarta last week and took a taxi to meet our tour. Our driver dropped us off in completely the wrong place. When we questioned him on if this was the right place, he said it was a one way street and all we had to do was walked half a block and we would see it. He lied. We ended up having to get a new taxi to take us to the correct place which was another 3 miles away. We talked with others in our tour and they had used Uber. So we used Uber to get back to the ship. It was so easy to do and it was half the price of our first taxi. I would never take another taxi here again. 

[Rulers Mom]

SDTeacher, sorry you went through that but thank you for letting us know. 

 

Edited July 14, 2023 by Rulers Mom

[Ashland]

On 6/28/2023 at 4:24 PM, sdteacher said:

We were in Puerto Vallarta last week and took a taxi to meet our tour. Our driver dropped us off in completely the wrong place. When we questioned him on if this was the right place, he said it was a one way street and all we had to do was walked half a block and we would see it. He lied. We ended up having to get a new taxi to take us to the correct place which was another 3 miles away. We talked with others in our tour and they had used Uber. So we used Uber to get back to the ship. It was so easy to do and it was half the price of our first taxi. I would never take another taxi here again. 

So sorry this happened to you. We've port stopped often here over many years and have never had any problem with a taxi.

[pppiglet]

On 6/28/2023 at 4:24 PM, sdteacher said:

We were in Puerto Vallarta last week and took a taxi to meet our tour. Our driver dropped us off in completely the wrong place. When we questioned him on if this was the right place, he said it was a one way street and all we had to do was walked half a block and we would see it. He lied. We ended up having to get a new taxi to take us to the correct place which was another 3 miles away. We talked with others in our tour and they had used Uber. So we used Uber to get back to the ship. It was so easy to do and it was half the price of our first taxi. I would never take another taxi here again. 

 

This is not the norm and I could see why they may take you to the wrong tour drop off as there are many tour places in PV.  All taxi drivers know where the Malecon is.  🙂

[sdteacher]

1 hour ago, pppiglet said:

 

This is not the norm and I could see why they may take you to the wrong tour drop off as there are many tour places in PV.  All taxi drivers know where the Malecon is.  🙂

This may not be the norm but he definitely pulled something shady and purposely left us in the wrong place. We had given him the name of a very specific restaurant where we were meeting. My guess was that he was in a hurry to get back and pick up another fare. Lesson learned here. Hope my story helps others from having a similar experience. From now on I will use Uber because there is a record of the driver who picked you up. Also the price with Uber was way more reasonable. 

[New2cruise2022]

On 6/28/2023 at 5:24 PM, sdteacher said:

We were in Puerto Vallarta last week and took a taxi to meet our tour. Our driver dropped us off in completely the wrong place. When we questioned him on if this was the right place, he said it was a one way street and all we had to do was walked half a block and we would see it. He lied. We ended up having to get a new taxi to take us to the correct place which was another 3 miles away. We talked with others in our tour and they had used Uber. So we used Uber to get back to the ship. It was so easy to do and it was half the price of our first taxi. I would never take another taxi here again. 

We have used Uber in Mexico many times. Definitely recommend over taxis 

[Mike45LC]

I always take a taxi in PV.  To save a few $$, I am not willing to deal with buses (crowded, time wasting).  And I’m not comfortable with Uber and the security of my credit card.

[MSN-Travelers]

On 6/5/2023 at 7:51 PM, dst said:

We are traveling on the navigator and stopping in Puerto Vallarta; how safe is the Malicon is it within walking distance of the port or a taxi?
Any advice or tips would be appreciated 

Hola . . .      The Hotel Rosita is located on the north end of the Malecon.  It is roughly 3 miles (4.8 km) from the port.  It is walkable, I've done it but I walk 4-6 miles a day.  I would recommend a taxi, uber or, if adventurous, the city bus.  

 

A 10-15 thousand Americans and Canadians believe it is safe enough that they live in Vallarta.  Many more visit and stay weeks or months every year, myself included.

 

Any advice on things to see or do should be based on what you like to do, the number of people in your group and what hours you will be in port.

 

Enjoy!

 

 

[Hlitner]

On 8/6/2023 at 2:32 AM, Mike45LC said:

I always take a taxi in PV.  To save a few $$, I am not willing to deal with buses (crowded, time wasting).  And I’m not comfortable with Uber and the security of my credit card.

In Mexico you can select a cash option for Uber and directly pay the driver (generally in Pesos but they may accept dollars)

 

Hank

[Mike45LC]

Hank, good to know!  Thanks.

[dst]

On 8/5/2023 at 11:13 PM, MSN-Travelers said:

Hola . . .      The Hotel Rosita is located on the north end of the Malecon.  It is roughly 3 miles (4.8 km) from the port.  It is walkable, I've done it but I walk 4-6 miles a day.  I would recommend a taxi, uber or, if adventurous, the city bus.  

 

A 10-15 thousand Americans and Canadians believe it is safe enough that they live in Vallarta.  Many more visit and stay weeks or months every year, myself included.

 

Any advice on things to see or do should be based on what you like to do, the number of people in your group and what hours you will be in port.

 

Enjoy!

 

 

Thank you - we are going to use this day to explore and walk around, appreciate the info 

[dst]

On 6/19/2023 at 6:33 PM, jcc1025 said:

The Malicon in PV is very safe. Lots of art works along the beach and resturants and bars, if you keep waking you get into the Romanic Zone which is also nice and more shopping if that is what you are interested in doing. Its kind of a walk for us from the port, we take a taxi both ways. 

Thank you - appreciate the info, looks like taxi for us 🙂

 

[MSN-Travelers]

2 hours ago, dst said:

Thank you - we are going to use this day to explore and walk around, appreciate the info 

I suggest your check vallartainfo dot com for information. I send you there for the maps. The downtown and Southside maps will help the most. 

In my opinion, most shopping opportunities for tourist stuff are on the downtown side of the river with better food and better quality stuff on the Southside.  

City taxis are regulated by zone and are supposed to have set fees within a zone and between common destination. The river between downtown and the Southside is a zone boundary. There is a board in the lobby of hotels/resorts that list what these set taxi fees should be. All pricing is in pesos but they will take dollar at a pretty bad exchange rate.

Most restaurants will take plastic but some don't. Confirm before you order.

I believe nobody in Mexico accepts Discover.

 

Enjoy!

[Panhandle Couple]

From the cruise terminal, is it easier to take a cab to Los Muertos pier and walk the length back north?

We have done land vaca's in PV and noticed the taxi rate to get to the north end (from hotel zone) was more than getting a ride back from the river area, although both were cheap compared to US.

 

We will probably have a morning excursion outside the city, then return to the Malicon. We will be in port on a Friday, for 13 hours.

[MSN-Travelers]

On 8/15/2023 at 9:41 PM, Panhandle Couple said:

From the cruise terminal, is it easier to take a cab to Los Muertos pier and walk the length back north?

We have done land vaca's in PV and noticed the taxi rate to get to the north end (from hotel zone) was more than getting a ride back from the river area, although both were cheap compared to US.

 

We will probably have a morning excursion outside the city, then return to the Malicon. We will be in port on a Friday, for 13 hours.

 

The city taxis are supposed to be regulated by zones.  From the Los Metros pier, the first zone boundary is the Cuale River.  Next boundary going north is at the south end of the sports stadium across from the Sheraton.  Nearly every hotel will have a rate chart posted in the lobby listing the "fixed rate" from that hotel to the most common destinations.

I am a walker.  I have walked from the port to the Sheraton and the Sheraton to all points south in the downtown/Los Muertos areas.  
It is roughly 4 1/4 miles from the Municipal Pier to the port. (1.5 - 2 hours)
It is roughly 3 miles from the north end of the Malecon (McDonalds/Rosita Hotel) to the port. (1 1/4 - 1 1/2 hours)

 

Enjoy! . . . 

 

 

[dmwnc1959]

On 8/8/2023 at 10:04 PM, MSN-Travelers said:

I suggest your check vallartainfo dot com for information. I send you there for the maps. The downtown and Southside maps will help the most. 
 

In my opinion, most shopping opportunities for tourist stuff are on the downtown side of the river with better food and better quality stuff on the Southside.  

City taxis are regulated by zone and are supposed to have set fees within a zone and between common destination. The river between downtown and the Southside is a zone boundary. There is a board in the lobby of hotels/resorts that list what these set taxi fees should be. All pricing is in pesos but they will take dollar at a pretty bad exchange rate.

Most restaurants will take plastic but some don't. Confirm before you order.

I believe nobody in Mexico accepts Discover.

 

Enjoy!

Those maps are really nice! THANKS for the link! 😁
 

https://vallartainfo.com/downtown-map/

[Hlitner]

Speaking of PV Taxis (we are living there at the moment) the zone fares have become more of a myth than reality :(.   As an example, a few days ago we needed a taxi from Costco back to our southside (Romantic Zone) condo.  The proper zone fare is not about 100 Pesos.  The first taxi we asked at Costco quoted us 250 Pesos and I just laughed and said "I live here."  He immediately dropped his price to 200 Pesos and we said "no."  We walked over to another taxi who immediately quoted us 100 Pesos and we loaded our stuff into that cab.  When we reached our Condo we gave him 150 pesos (for his honesty).   At the time, the fare for Uber was 168 Pesos (we did not use Uber because the wait would have been at least 15 min).

 

We always suggest that cruisers do their homework and understand that cruise ship passengers are seen as "easy marks" by some "entrepreneurs."  

 

A further heads-up about our local buses (which still cost 10 Pesos).  On our few bus rides, so far this month, the drivers have all been using the new electronic cash boxes (you drop your coins or bills into the system) and have not been taking dollars.  The ideal thing to use on a bus would be a 10 Peso coin (or 2-5 peso coins).  A couple could use a 20 Peso Note (2 fares).  We are told that some drivers will take dollars but that is not guaranteed, and they would expect $1 per fare (the fare in Pesos is about 60 cents).  As always, when you pay a bus fare the driver should give you a small paper receipt which you should keep during the ride in case you get checked by a bus inspector.

 

Hank

[bladerunner6]

On 1/15/2024 at 11:47 AM, Hlitner said:

Speaking of PV Taxis (we are living there at the moment) the zone fares have become more of a myth than reality :(.   As an example, a few days ago we needed a taxi from Costco back to our southside (Romantic Zone) condo.  The proper zone fare is not about 100 Pesos.  The first taxi we asked at Costco quoted us 250 Pesos and I just laughed and said "I live here."  He immediately dropped his price to 200 Pesos and we said "no."  We walked over to another taxi who immediately quoted us 100 Pesos and we loaded our stuff into that cab.  When we reached our Condo we gave him 150 pesos (for his honesty).   At the time, the fare for Uber was 168 Pesos (we did not use Uber because the wait would have been at least 15 min).

 

We always suggest that cruisers do their homework and understand that cruise ship passengers are seen as "easy marks" by some "entrepreneurs."  

 

A further heads-up about our local buses (which still cost 10 Pesos).  On our few bus rides, so far this month, the drivers have all been using the new electronic cash boxes (you drop your coins or bills into the system) and have not been taking dollars.  The ideal thing to use on a bus would be a 10 Peso coin (or 2-5 peso coins).  A couple could use a 20 Peso Note (2 fares).  We are told that some drivers will take dollars but that is not guaranteed, and they would expect $1 per fare (the fare in Pesos is about 60 cents).  As always, when you pay a bus fare the driver should give you a small paper receipt which you should keep during the ride in case you get checked by a bus inspector.

 

Hank

Will my US Costco membership get me in there, please? Thanks.

 

I am not likely to do it but if we have some extra time, maybe it might be fun.

[Hlitner]

44 minutes ago, bladerunner6 said:

Will my US Costco membership get me in there, please? Thanks.

 

I am not likely to do it but if we have some extra time, maybe it might be fun.

Yes, no problem.  But you might consider that buying a membership here (which works everywhere in the world including the USA) only costs 500 Mexican Pesos.  That used to be about $25 but now it is about $29 :). Most Canadians and Americans who spend any amount of time here buy their Costco and Sams memberships in Mexico.

 

Hank