Puerto Vallarta is a little town in Jalisco, Mexico and it is gorgeous! The town is genuinely lovely and exciting to wander around, the beaches are alive with turtles, the tequila is on tap and there are banyan trees the size of your house! Here are some of the best sights to explore in Puerto Vallarta in Mexico with kids.
The Malecon Arches – explore Puerto Vallarta with kids
Located in central Puerto Vallarta over looking the waters of Banderas Bay.
The arches are originally from a hacienda in Guadalajara, however, these ones are actually replicas as the originals were destroyed in a storm.
You can often see performances in front of the arches most evenings and there are some stalls located next to it selling local art.
It’s a great starting place to explore the city and discover your first taste of Puerto Vallarta!
Walk the Boardwalk – explore Puerto Vallarta with kids
Take a stroll along El Malecon, Puerto Vallarta’s beautiful seaside promenade. Here you will find local art, restaurants, fantastic views out across the water and a true sense of this newer part of town.
Puerto Vallarta Cathedral
Walk through Puerto Vallarta’s main square adjacent to the cathedral and peruse some of the stalls selling small souvenirs and some local art work.
Once you start to climb up to the cathedral itself, experience the joys of the shopping that is on offer and haggle yourself a bargain!
If you look up you will see the top of the cathedral is a crown.
Legend has it that the crown is a copy of the crown worn by Carlota of Mexico, a Belgium princess who became Empress of Mexico!
Suspension Bridges – explore Puerto Vallarta with kids
These bridges over Cuale River are lots of fun, if not a little bit daunting when the bridge is full with people!
Cuale Island Flea Market – explore Puerto Vallarta with kids
This is a must when spending time in Puerto Vallarta!
Head into the old part of town and walk the flea market just to enjoy all the colours and some of the crazy things on sale!
Keep an eye out for this huge Banyan Tree too!
It makes for a great photo opportunity and is located right in the middle of Cuale Island Flea Market!
Walk up the island and you can explore the park where you can find some quirky places to eat, the most cats you will ever see in your life and the cultural centre.
Walk down the island and you will join back onto El Malecon, but not before you pass Oscar’s!
Oscar’s Tequila Distillery
The Distillery is completely free to have a look round and the grounds are just lovely.
The distillery is owned by a man who has been making Tequila for more than 50 years.
The site in Puerto Vallarta is for demonstration purposes only as it is not licensed to make Tequila.
How is Tequila Made?
Tequila is made from the bottom of the agave plant that sits on the soil below the leaves.
It is grown in the Jalisco area and Tequila production is an important part of the local economy.
The Tour
Meet Omar! He was our guide during our visit and started the tour with some free shots!
Grown ups only, naturally, and I can highly recommend the passion fruit flavour!
Omar was very clear that you should never drink tequila if the demonstrator doesn’t drink it with you.
He said,
“you need to make sure that you buy your tequila from regulated ranches as some can be made with dirty water”
So, a hangover isn’t the only thing a night on some bad tequila might give you.
He then showed us around the equipment and explained how tequila is made.
Myself and the kids then got a bit side tracked as we spotted a huge Iguana on the bank of the river!
After seeing how excited we were by this, Omar then took us around the back of the distillery and showed us a turtle who had made its home on an island in the middle of the river.
He also said that he had seen a small alligator swimming around! Unfortunately, he wasn’t around on the day we were there though.
And if all that tequila tasting makes you a little hungry you can pop next door for a spot of lunch in Oscar’s restaurant.
Omar’s Top Tequila Drinking Tips!
To drink tequila and not experience the burn Omar says,
“the tequila must go over the tongue and not under it and you must breath in before you drink and breath out after you have swallowed”
I can vouch that this does in fact work and i’m not the biggest fan of Tequila!
He also says,
“don’t drink sugary drinks after a night drinking tequila as it will give you a massive headache! Stick to water and you’ll be fine.”
Wise words from the tequila master.
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Another unmissable experience in Puerto Vallarta is spending time with the baby turtles at the Hyatt Ziva all inclusive resort!
Great tips – love those arches and all of the wildlife!
I love visiting brewery and distilleries when traveling. I’ve not been to a tequila one yet!
So cool! I’d love to help protect the turtles! Adding this to the list.
How fun! Everything looks relaxing and beautiful! That suspension bridge would be a must for us! 🙂
What beautiful pictures! I feel like I’ve been there now! Did you buy anything at the flea market? It looked huge. Hope to go there sometime!
I literally want to do this exact trip!! Love it!
That flea market must have been amazing. And the tequila tour ?
Tequila tour mmm…
I fell in love with Mexico when we moved there for a while, and we’d love to get back to see all these nice beach places, your post is a great help for us. Thanks for tips!