Puerto Vallarta’s Romantic Zone, otherwise known as Viejo Vallarta (Old Vallarta) is home to an incredible variety of boutiques, restaurants and cafés lining its charming cobblestone streets.
Romantic Zone is also home to some of the city’s most beautiful, delicious, and inspiring experiences. We’ve listed our favorites here.
Mosaics at Lázaro Cárdenas Park
These vibrantly patterned, vividly colorful tiles adorn the park’s benches, columns, and planters.
Set in the heart of downtown, Lázaro Cárdenas Park—once a concrete plaza—was transformed approximately eight years ago into a glittering mosaic that reflects the tropical sunlight. A stunning display of public artwork worth every minute.
Olas Altas Farmers Market
A lively, colorful street market filled with fresh produce, gourmet goods, artisanal crafts and more. Now in its fifteenth year, the Market brings together a wide variety of local producers from the Banderas Bay area, offering fresh, organic prepared foods alongside hand-selected ingredients and homemade dishes. The market also features design and artwork by some of the city’s most talented local creators.
Life-Changing Tacos
Puerto Vallarta is beloved for its tacos, and Zona Romántica is home to some of the very best. While everyone has their own favorite taco, don’t skip the al pastor at any of the city’s popular taquerias.
ART in Romantic Zone
An annual event that brings together the neighborhood’s local boutiques, jewelry stores, and shops along Basilio Badillo, opening their doors every other Friday evening to offer live music, exceptional artistry, craft cocktails, and performances at some of the city’s most prestigious spaces and galleries.
Los Muertos Pier
Not exactly hidden, but a gem nonetheless. Extending from Vallarta’s always popular Los Muertos beach, Los Muertos Pier is used to board pangas and water taxis for visiting the more remote beaches just south of Puerto Vallarta. The pier itself illuminates at night in a kaleidoscope of color, its sail suspended over the sea. Los Muertos beachfront is also home to a spectacular collection of restaurants, bars, and spas. Head to the southern end of the beach to see Mexican artist Rafael Zamarripa’s original Boy on the Seahorse sculpture, a worldwide icon of Vallarta for over a half century.
No matter where you wander in the Romantic Zone, you'll find a charming and unpretentious neighborhood that feels like a sophisticated beach village, full of unexpected local finds and plenty of spaces to discover.
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