About Puerto Vallarta

Quick Facts

• Location:
  Pacific coast of Mexico along Banderas Bay, Mexico's largest natural bay, in the northwest corner of the state of Jalisco.
• Climate:
  November to April: Average high 85F/low 63F
  May to October: Average high 92F/low 70F
  Rainy Season: Mid-June through September, mainly afternoon and evening showers.
• Airport:
  Located four miles from downtown, has over 450 weekly flights, ground transportation available.
• Currency:
  Pesos, money exchange houses located in the airport, on nearly every street corner and at banks throughout the city. Credit cards are widely accepted.
• Electricity:
  110 volt 60-current, same as the U.S.A., no adapters needed.
• Population:
  350,000 of which 6,500 are expatriates. 2 million visitors annually.
• Accommodations:
  More than 15,000 rooms available from bed & breakfast, to five-star, Gran tourismo and private homes, villas, and condominiums.
• Economy:
  Mainly tourist related. Agriculture, tobacco, cattle ranching and tequila production are also important financial resources.
• Local Time:
  Puerto Vallarta is in the Central Time Zone (the same as Texas), which is two hours ahead of California and one hour behind New York.
• Law:
  Mexico is under Napoleonic Law - you are guilty until proven innocent!
• Restaurants:
  There are more than 250 in town!
• Beaches:
  Vallarta has been named the best beach in Latin America by Travel and Leisure Magazine Readers Survey, all 25 miles of it.
• The Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe:
  It took 33 years to build from 1918 to 1955; the trade mark crown was damaged in the 1995 earthquake and has now being repaired.
• Nayarit:
  Jalisco's neighboring state, just eight miles north of town is in another time zone, one hour earlier.
• Taxis:
  With more than 1,000 taxis in town, there is no problem hailing one. Taxi fares are set in PV; the average fare is around $30 pesos or $3 USD. A trip across town-from the Marina to Los Muertos Beach-will run about $60 pesos or $6.00 USD. Fares are posted in each taxi, the daily newspaper and most major hotels. Asking about the fare before you get in may save you a few pesos.
• Tequila:
  Only tequila that is made in Tequila, Jalisco can bear the name of "tequila."
• Mariachi:
  Jalisco is the home of this traditional Mexican music.
• Wildlife:
  Humpback whales winter in the Bay every year. Dolphins, giant mantas, sea turtles, and over 100 species of birds also live here.
• Casa Kimberly:
  Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton's love nest was built in 1963 for $5,000 USD and sold years later for $450,000.
• History:
  1500s - Spanish conquistadors explored the coast.
  1851 - Area around Rio Cuale first settled by farmers, fishermen miners and mango and banana plantation owners.
  1918 - Puerto Vallarta officially named for then governor Ignacio L. Vallarta.
  1963 - Puerto Vallarta goes Hollywood with the filming of "Night of the Iguana." The scandal of Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor's romance makes national headlines and makes Puerto Vallarta a star.