Puerto Vallarta
Canopy Tours de los Veranos
Tel: 52 322 223 0504
Vallarta Adventures
Tel: 53 322 297 1212
Concierge.com's insider take:
Puerto Vallarta's waterfront downtown neighborhood, Viejo Vallarta, is made for wandering. Sculptures line the malecón along the shore of Banderas Bay; La Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, a cathedral topped by a filigreed crown, rises across the street. World-class galleries, folk art shops, restaurants, and clubs fill cobblestone streets on both sides of the Río Cuale, which rushes to the sea and divides the city between the historic district and what's known as the Zona Romántica. Calle Basilio Badillo and Calle Morelos are especially good treasure-hunting grounds for painted tiles, chic sportswear, handcrafted jewelry, and paintings, and the Mercado de Artesanías on Calle Francisca Rodríguez displays classic serapes, sombreros, tacky T-shirts, and other souvenirs. Vallarta's forested hillsides are great for horseback riding, hiking, and mountain biking.