Half day Private tour of Puerto Vallarta with a Local Guide

This half-day private tour shows Puerto Vallarta through the eyes of local guides, who the operator says were born and raised in the city, are personable and are eager to share the local culture and how much they love Puerto Vallarta. The listed duration is about 5 hours and 15 minutes.

The tour begins on El Malecón, a 1 km boardwalk flanked by statues that are symbolic of Puerto Vallarta. Your guide shares the history of the city as you walk, and the boardwalk leads to the heart of town and its parish dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe. This stop is listed at about 60 minutes.

Next are two of the city's traditional areas. Gringo Gulch is described as Puerto Vallarta's oldest expatriate neighborhood and the place where Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor had their home, and it forms part of traditional Puerto Vallarta together with Colonia El Cerro. In Zona Romántica, the guide points to Playa de los Muertos, where the Love Boat used to dock and where some episodes of the Love Boat TV series were filmed. The Zona Romántica stop is about 30 minutes.

Then you drive along a scenic coastal road while the guide points out favorite beaches and coves. As you leave the city, jungle vegetation appears, and you may see orange-fronted parakeets, blue jays, parrots and other birds. At Mismaloya, where The Night of the Iguana was filmed in 1963, there is a short stop of about 15 minutes for photos. The last stop is Lucia's family tequila distillery, where three generations have made tequila and raicilla; you learn how they are made and enjoy a tequila tasting, about 30 minutes.

Included are private transportation, bottled water, in-vehicle air conditioning, a tequila and raicilla tasting and carbonated beverages. Alcoholic beverages and lunch are not included. The tour is suitable for all physical fitness levels, infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller, and public transportation options are available nearby. The operator asks you to confirm your pick-up time before the tour.