Puerto Vallarta is the ultimate Mexican paradise. The name alone brings about images of white sandy beaches, roaring waves, and the bright shining sun. In the same way that the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, and Southeast Asia have captured the rest of the world's attention with their stunning coasts, Puerto Vallarta has a few incredible beaches to boast about too. You haven't seen true tropical beauty if you haven't been to Los Muertos Beach in person. Or relax on the soft sandy shoreline of Playa Garza Blanca. When you get to Playa Las Caletas, on the other hand, its largely untouched natural beauty will have you gobsmacked!
Conchas Chinas
Let's start this list with Conchas Chinas, undoubtedly one of the most popular beaches in Puerto Vallarta. With its scenic landscape, white sand, and roaring waves, it's your typical coastal paradise. Perhaps nothing to write home about? Not necessarily! Conchas Chinas is famous because it's regarded as the most romantic beach in the city. Though it has a lot of hustle and bustle, the shoreline is big enough that any couple can score a fairly hidden spot in the area. Moreover, the beach often serves as a venue for a dreamy destination wedding. What's not to love?
Source: Wikimedia Commons/ Another Believer
Los Muertos Beach
While Conchas Chinas is known as the “romantic beach” or even the “wedding beach”, Los Muertos Beach is known as the “gay beach”. Located in Zona Romántica, one of the central
neighborhoods in Puerto Vallarta, Los Muertos Beach is the ultimate queer paradise in Central America. Some would even argue in the entire world too! After all, Puerto Vallarta is a famous gay destination. It'd make sense that the “gay beach” of this gay destination is the ultimate paradise of them all. And there's a bit of truth to that too! Not only is Los Muertos Beach a fabulous coastline but it's also lined with tons of great hotspots for the LGBTQ+ community.
Source: Wikimedia Commons/ David Stanley
Playa Camarones
It's pretty easy to overlook Playa Camarones when the city has more popular beaches. However, it'd be a shame if you miss this amazing coastline. Not only is it naturally beautiful and captivatingly scenic, but it also strikes the right balance between a commercial district and a peaceful shoreline. Sure, the area has enough
Happy hour hotspots to draw in the lively tourists, but some areas are so quiet, you'd hardly think you're still on the same beach. And of course, you simply can't miss out on that Mexican sunshine. It's what you went to Puerto Vallarta for, right?
Source: Wikimedia Commons/ Khayman
Playa Colomitos
Truth be told, going to Playa Colomitos is an adventure in and of itself! There are two
public transport options to choose from: either take a water taxi or rent a car and drive all the way to the small fishing village of Boca de Tomatlan, the nearest town to the beach. Or if you fancy yourself as a thrill-seeker, you can walk and hike your way there too. Either way, traveling to Playa Colomitos is no walk in the park. But is it worth all the trouble? You bet it is! This largely untouched and painstakingly peaceful coastline is practically a world away from Puerto Vallarta's more bustling beaches.
Source: Wikimedia Commons/ Jose Francisco Gomez Ch
Playa Garza Blanca
Playa Garza Blanca is your typical city beach in Puerto Vallarta. It's a white sandy shoreline, sure, and has beautiful turquoise waters to boot. But what's behind it are resorts, hotels, and more that hardly make it peaceful. You can expect a lot of people to hang out here during the day, whether they're guests of the nearby accommodations or they're tourists who came from other parts of the city. And you couldn't blame them too! The shoreline is just that beautiful. If you just take away all the urban madness behind it, you'll have the ultimate paradisical beach!
Source: Wikimedia Commons
Playa Las Caletas
Truth be told, Playa Las Caletas is the tropical escape you've always dreamed of. It's not the biggest beach in Puerto Vallarta, but it's definitely among the most wanderlust-worthy. With only a small stretch of sand and sea on offer, Playa Las Caletas truly is a world's away from the city's busiest beaches. Many people know of it because of the “Rhythm of The Night” dinner show—a definite must-see in its own right!—but beyond that, Playa Las Caletas barely gets any notice. Thus, it's a wonderful paradise to escape to when you just want to get away from it all!
Source: Wikimedia Commons
Playa Las Gemelas
Playa Las Gemelas isn't actually just one beach, but two! “Gemelas” is the Spanish word for twin, making it the perfect name for this pair of relatively small shorelines. Both are beautiful and get their fair share of beachgoers respectively. But what truly makes these among the best beaches in Puerto Vallarta is the sand. It's safe to say that this shoreline has got to be the softest of them all. Even when it sun is shining so brightly that the sand is so hot, you'd still walk on it barefoot despite the pain!
Source: Wikimedia Commons
Playa Palmares
Perhaps what makes Playa Palmares one of the best beaches in Puerto Vallarta is that it's technically not in the city. Located three miles south of the Zona Romántica, you'd need to drive on Highway 200 to get to this shoreline. Rest assured, however, that all your efforts to get here won't be in vain! Playa Palmares is a peaceful beach that's perfect for a summer getaway. Though it's not as remote as a few of the shorelines on this list, it's also not as busy as the most famous ones either. With barely any commercial districts in sight, you can just sit back, relax, and have the time of your life here!
Source: Wikimedia Commons/ Tiago Pompeu
The best beaches in Puerto Vallarta are also some of the most beautiful coastlines in the world. They're the best reasons to want to go to this famous destination and enjoy some much-deserved leisure time here!
