Is Malecon within walking distance to PV dock?

Would like to visit the Malecon in Puerto Vallarta. Does anyone know if I can walk there from the cruise ship dock? If not, how far is it and is taxi the best way to get there?

Thanks!

Would like to visit the Malecon in Puerto Vallarta. Does anyone know if I can walk there from the cruise ship dock? If not, how far is it and is taxi the best way to get there?

Thanks!

This site has up-to-date maps. This map shows the port - http://vallartainfo.com/hotelzone.html

El Centro (the downtown area) is where you will find the Malecon. (two maps down from the port map).

A city bus costs 5.5 pesos. Grab one outside the port property that has "CENTRO" on the windshield.

Or exit the port property and grab a yellow city taxi. I think the rate is 60 pesos (roughly $6 USD) for up to four passengers. City taxis rates are regulated by zone.

Federal taxis operate on the port property. They charge per person and may be more cost effective if traveling alone or with one other person. I think they may be charging $3 or $4 USD per person for a trip downtown from the port.

Enjoy!

Thanks for the detailed and quick response!

we paid $12 for the two of us for a cab ride to the downtown Starbucks..then the wife chose to walk back..about 5 miles?:confused:

You can walk most of the way from the ship to down town along the beach and cut a mile off the trip. My advise is to take a WalMart bus, which are blue, cost 50 cents, it was an interesting trip.

Please explain. Is this a bus you get at Walmart for the Malecon, or do you get it at the port and take it to Walmart??? What type of adventure did you have?

we paid $12 for the two of us for a cab ride to the downtown Starbucks..then the wife chose to walk back..about 5 miles?:confused:

You got screwed! Can you remember if you took a white or cream color taxi from within the port property or did you take a yellow taxi that you would have found outside the port property?

Last week busprices went up in Puerto vallarta. They now charge 6,5 Pesos per person.

From the side of the street where the cruiseterminal is, take any bus to Centro or Olas Altas. Buses marked "tunel"will take a different road and you will end in Zona Romantica. Still walking distance from Malecon.

Back again any bus to hoteles, Sams or Marina, maybe from another place since many streets are one-way. So check when boarding.

Be aware recently a new Walmart opened near Pitillal, that might be confusing since that bus will also carry the Walmart sign.

Please explain. Is this a bus you get at Walmart for the Malecon' date=' or do you get it at the port and take it to Walmart??? What type of adventure did you have?[/quote']

 

OK … There is no such thing as a “Blue Wal-Mart bus”. There are blue buses and some of them do go to Wal-Mart but there isn’t a dedicated blue bus that runs between Wal-Mart and downtown.

 

There are two bus companies competing for your ride. They run at 3 or 4 minute intervals and drive like maniacs. One company has green as the majority color on their buses and the other blue. Bus fare has been 5.5 pesos but I have heard rumors that it may be going up again by a full peso to 6.5 pesos.

 

Vallarta has established bus routes just like most US cities. To make things easier for us stupid tourists, they write the names of identifiable landmarks on the windshield. Examples are: MARINA, KRYSTAL, SHERATON, WALMART, SAMS, HOTELS, HOTEL ZONE. These markings tell us the bus route will take us to or past those places.

 

All buses running toward Vallarta, from the port, will end up on the south side in “old town”. They get there via a direct route through the downtown area or get there via a bypass that goes around the city. They will have a sign in the windshield that indicates “CENTRO” for the downtown route and “TUNEL” for the bypass.

 

Reference this map - http://vallartainfo.com/hotelzone.html There is a southbound bus stop right outside the port entrance and a northbound stop across the street.

 

Headed downtown? Grab the first southbound bus with CENTRO displayed in the windshield, pay your fare and hang on. Note, the bus does not run along the Malecon. It turns left at Hildago Park and then right and runs south on Morelos. Reference this map - http://vallartainfo.com/downtown.html It has little bus symbols to indicate the streets that the bus runs on.

 

Headed back to the port? Find a street with a northbound bus, look for MARINA, KRYSTAL, WALMART or SAMS on the windshield. Enjoy your ride back to the port. Bus drivers speak little English but most will give you a yes or no answer if you ask “SAMS???”

 

If you happen to ride on a bus that is blue and happens to go to Wal-Mart, then you might be on a “blue Wal-Mart bus”.

 

Enjoy!

The walk between the pier and the Malecon takes about one hour and is very pleasant during the cooler Januray to March months. For most of the walk, the sidewalk is well-kept but some stretches require a bit more caution.

Last week busprices went up in Puerto vallarta. They now charge 6,5 Pesos per person.

From the side of the street where the cruiseterminal is, take any bus to Centro or Olas Altas. Buses marked "tunel"will take a different road and you will end in Zona Romantica. Still walking distance from Malecon.

Back again any bus to hoteles, Sams or Marina, maybe from another place since many streets are one-way. So check when boarding.

Be aware recently a new Walmart opened near Pitillal, that might be confusing since that bus will also carry the Walmart sign.

Great advice, thanks !! :)

A little more detail may help those who want to take the bus. The buses are blue and white, and stop just short of the stoplight on the main road outside the cruise terminal. They go South on the main road until they reach the North end of the malecon, then turn left and stop about a half block up the street. If you want to walk the malecon in that direction, it is a good place to get off. The bus then goes to the next street and turns right and proceeds along that street until it merges with the main road a couple of blocks from the river. The next stop after the roads merge is on the South side of the river about a block.

Going back to the ship, go a couple of blocks away from the ocean until you see buses going North and look for a blue and white bus that shows Wal-Mart or Sams on the window. They stop just short of the stoplight where you can see the ship. Some go to the Wal-Mart parking lot, and some turn right and go toward Pitillal. Those going toward Pitillal stop about a block or two up the road and you will have to walk back to the main road.

.........Bus fare has been 5.5 pesos but I have heard rumors that it may be going up again by a full peso to 6.5 pesos......

 

Enjoy!

Yikes!

Do you mean to say the entire fair may go up by a full EIGHT CENTS!?!?!?:eek::eek::eek:

(well, almost 8 cents..... okay.... I'm done having fun now :))

~kurt

I love taking the bus. The people are considerate and I've never encountered any problems at all.

The walk from the terminal to the Malecon and shopping district is long and although there are a few shops to pass by and several hotels and other businesses,...it's not a photo op journey and is more of a trek.

IMHO it's a waste of an hour which when your time in port is limited to 6-8 hours.......spend your time in the places that will provide you the greater memories.

Yikes!

 

Do you mean to say the entire fair may go up by a full EIGHT CENTS!?!?!?:eek::eek::eek:

 

(well, almost 8 cents..... okay.... I'm done having fun now :))

 

~kurt

Yes indeed buses now cost 6,5 pesos p.p.. But for some mexicans that have to use the bus often that is a lot of money...

Yikes!

 

Do you mean to say the entire fair may go up by a full EIGHT CENTS!?!?!?:eek::eek::eek:

 

(well, almost 8 cents..... okay.... I'm done having fun now :))

 

~kurt

That is terrible !!!! I will NEVER ride the Mexico buses again if they are going to do that !!!!!!!:D:D

I love taking the bus. The people are considerate and I've never encountered any problems at all.

 

The walk from the terminal to the Malecon and shopping district is long and although there are a few shops to pass by and several hotels and other businesses,...it's not a photo op journey and is more of a trek.

 

IMHO it's a waste of an hour which when your time in port is limited to 6-8 hours.......spend your time in the places that will provide you the greater memories.

We think alike !!!

Can you give the driver a us dollar or do you have to use pesos?

Can you give the driver a us dollar or do you have to use pesos?

Yes, the bus driver will take your USD. However, most bus drivers speak little or no English, have no idea what the exchange rate is and wouldn't be able to do a currency conversion in their heads.

I have heard people report paying 1 USD per person and being happy with that. They do not take US coins.

Never EXPECT to get anything other than pesos in change for any transaction.

Yikes!

 

Do you mean to say the entire fair may go up by a full EIGHT CENTS!?!?!?:eek::eek::eek:

 

(well, almost 8 cents..... okay.... I'm done having fun now :))

 

~kurt

As of Jan 23rd, the exchange rate was just under 13 pesos to 1 USD. 6.5 pesos is roughly 50 cents US.

As of Jan 23rd, the exchange rate was just under 13 pesos to 1 USD. 6.5 pesos is roughly 50 cents US.

Yep. I had the same thing (and still similar today)

1 USD = 12.87 pesos

1 peso = 7.8 cents:)

Be aware that a busdriver might not know the exact exchange rate for the US$ and might stick to the old 1US$ is 10 Pesos....

Was just in PV - stayed at Crown Paradise a week - right next to port. Taking the taxi was by far the best thing to do to get downtown. Just get rate from driver ahead and they do take USD - depending on where they drop you off will cost between $5.00 - $7.00 USD. Beautiful sculptures at the waterfront / Boardwalk and some nice shops. To be honest if you're going to the "Flea Market" you would do as well shopping at the market right next to the port for basic silver items, metal art, clothing. Got some awesome deals from several vendors there (shops 64 and 68 - I believe you spell her name Enos, but a delightful honest woman - she and husband have 2 shops. Also shop 21 is good handbag deals - I think his name was Juan - he even drove us 3 wild women from SC to his Uncle's shop way downtown for Talavera pottery and showed us some off the beaten path fela markets where we got some great deals - we did pay him what we would've paid a cab and he was SO appreciative). We definitely contributed to the economy there, but found in several places if we asked specifically for USD change they would do it ;)!

As an aside, the Puerto Adventures Whale tour was terrific - right there at the dock too!

Some venders will take US dollars and actually give you a decent rate, but that is the exception. Keep in mind that the current exchange rate is about 12.5 - 1 and we still see some venders giving 10 - 1. ATMs are plentiful in PV as are money changing kiosks. If you are changing dollars the banks give the best rate. As to our local buses (the new fare is 6.5 Pesos (it went up from the old 5.5 on Jan )) the drivers actually lease their own buses and set their own rules about taking dollars. Most drivers will take a dollar bill for a single fare (this is about a 100% mark-up) and we have seldom seen drivers willing to give change for a dollar. When they had the old fare of 5.5 pesos we did see one friendly driver take one dollar for a couple (a good deal) but with the 6.5 peso fare they would lose money. My advice for cruise passengers is that you get some Pesos at your first Mexican port of call to use for buses and small purchases. For larger purchases you can usually negotiate a fair deal using dollars and, in many cases, you can use MC or Visa credit cards.

Hank

Just curious if anyone knows what the rate is for taxi and bus rides to the pier from the Malecon? Also, I saw someone mention walking on the beach to get there on foot. Is there an actual beach or just shoreline?

Just curious if anyone knows what the rate is for taxi and bus rides to the pier from the Malecon? Also, I saw someone mention walking on the beach to get there on foot. Is there an actual beach or just shoreline?

The bus is under a dollar. I think the rate is up to 7.5 pesos. That is just over a half dollar US. Don't know about the taxi because I always take the blue and white bus. You need to go away from the ocean about two blocks to the street where all the buses use to go back to the pier. Get off at the stoplight just before Wal Mart.