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    Yachts moored in Marina Vallarta with the lighthouse tower behind, Jalisco

    Photo by Another Believer, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    The harbour of Marina Vallarta seen across the water, Jalisco

    Photo by KABAYEK, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Boats and waterfront buildings around the Marina Vallarta docks, Jalisco

    Photo by Another Believer, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Marina Vallarta

    Landmark Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco Municipality of Puerto Vallarta Banderas Bay

    The yacht harbour and planned district between the airport and the cruise port: a waterside boardwalk, a lighthouse, and the docks where many bay tours start.

    From Puerto Vallarta: 10 min by car (6 km by road) How to get there ↓

    Near here

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    Plan your visit to Marina Vallarta

    Where to stay near Marina Vallarta

    Compare hotels, posadas and guest houses in Marina Vallarta.

    Hotels in Marina Vallarta Houses on Vrbo

    Tours to Marina Vallarta

    Look for tours of the area around Sayulita that stop at Marina Vallarta.

    Jet Ski Safari in Puerto Vallarta ★ 4.8 (254) · From US$136
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    How to get to Marina Vallarta

    • From Puerto Vallarta: about 10 min by road (~6 km)
    • Nearest airport: Puerto Vallarta (PVR), 41 min by car to Sayulita
    Rent a car at PVR Flights to PVR

    Route, map and directions ↓

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    Popular tours to Marina Vallarta

    Jet Ski Safari in Puerto Vallarta ★ 4.8 (254) 2 h From US$136

    Tours, prices and ratings from Viator, checked weekly. We may earn a commission if you book.

    About Marina Vallarta

    Marina Vallarta is the yacht harbour of Puerto Vallarta and the planned district built around it, on the north side of the city between the cruise-ship terminal and the international airport. Work on the harbour began in 1986, it was operating by 1990 and finished in 1993, making it the oldest marina on Banderas Bay; it has room for roughly 400 to 450 boats, from small fishing launches to large motor yachts. Around the basin the developers laid out hotels, condominium towers, houses along an 18-hole golf course, a shopping centre (Plaza Marina) and a school.

    For visitors the centre of it all is the boardwalk that wraps around the docks, lined with restaurants, cafés, bars, galleries and shops with the masts right beside the tables. A lighthouse tower stands on the promenade at the end of Calle Timón and is the landmark of the marina. At the main entrance, at the corner of Paseo de la Marina and Avenida Francisco Medina Ascencio, is the Vallarta Whale, a 12-tonne bronze of a humpback and her calf by Octavio González, 8 metres tall and 13 long, unveiled in 2001. On Calle Albatros a 500-square-metre mosaic mural by Natasha Moraga brightens the street by the church of María Reina de la Paz.

    Marina Vallarta is also where a large share of the bay's boat trips start: sport-fishing boats, sailing and catamaran cruises, snorkelling trips to the Marietas Islands and, from December to March, whale-watching tours, with check-in offices on Calle Proa. On Thursday evenings in the winter season the boardwalk turns into Art & Market, a night market of more than 200 local producers, artists and food stalls. The beach in front of the hotels is quieter than the downtown sands; the stretch beside the airport is the public end. Downtown is about 15-20 minutes away by car or bus.

    How to get to Marina Vallarta

    Drive from Puerto Vallarta: 10 min, 6 km

    Marina Vallarta lies off Avenida Francisco Medina Ascencio (Highway 200), between the airport and the cruise terminal, about 15-20 minutes from downtown. City buses marked "Centro" pass the marina area on their way between the airport and downtown (22 pesos, January 2026). From the highway you reach the boardwalk on foot down Calle Popa from the whale sculpture, or down Calle Proa.

    Directions to Marina Vallarta on Google Maps

    Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.

    Where to stay Hotels in Marina Vallarta Compare hotels, posadas and guest houses in Marina Vallarta. See prices →

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    From the nearest cities to Marina Vallarta

    Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic or stops. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.

    Before you go to Marina Vallarta: hours, prices and tips

    Entry
    Walking the marina is free, but boat tours leaving from it collect a harbour fee in cash at check-in, about 100 pesos per person with some operators. Funex (tour listing, Calle Proa 22A) · checked Oct 2026
    Best time of day
    Art & Market Marina Vallarta runs every Thursday from 6 to 10 p.m. along the boardwalk; the 2025-26 season went from October 30 to the second Thursday of May. Visit Puerto Vallarta (tourism board) · checked Oct 2026
    Best season
    Whale-watching season in Banderas Bay runs from December to March, when humpbacks and their calves are in the bay. Wikivoyage · checked Oct 2026
    Guide or tour
    No guide is needed to walk the marina; boat trips are booked with operators whose offices are on Calle Proa and around the docks. Visit Puerto Vallarta (tourism board) · checked Oct 2026

    Hours and prices change, especially around holidays. Each fact links to where we checked it.

    Visiting Marina Vallarta: what to see and do

    Walk the boardwalk around the docks and pick a waterside restaurant or café.
    See the Vallarta Whale bronze at the entrance and the lighthouse tower on the promenade.
    Browse the Thursday-night Art & Market from late October to mid-May.
    Board a sailing, snorkelling, sport-fishing or whale-watching trip from the Calle Proa docks.
    Play a round on the 18-hole Marina Vallarta golf course.

    Plan your trip

    Places to stay in Marina Vallarta

    Compare hotels, posadas, and rentals in and around Marina Vallarta.

    See them all on Expedia Booking.com
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    Tours & activities

    Look for tours of the area around Sayulita that stop at Marina Vallarta.

    Viator GetYourGuide

    Rental cars

    Pick up a car at PVR (Puerto Vallarta): about 41 min by road to Sayulita, then 30 km more to Marina Vallarta, on your own schedule.

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    Flights

    The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Puerto Vallarta (PVR), about 41 min by road from Sayulita, the base for Marina Vallarta.

    Kiwi.com

    Travel insurance

    Medical and trip cover for Mexico, by the week or month.

    SafetyWing

    Mobile data

    Signal can drop away from Sayulita: download a map of the way to Marina Vallarta before you set out, or carry an eSIM with data.

    Airalo

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    Photos

    When to go to Marina Vallarta warm

    Marina Vallarta shares the climate of Sayulita, 30 km away. The best months to visit are March, April, May, and November.

    See the month-by-month climate of Sayulita

    The closest Pueblo Mágico: Sayulita

    Palm-shaded street of shops and stalls in the center of Sayulita, Nayarit warm
    Nayarit Sayulita

    Sayulita is the Pueblo Mágico closest to Marina Vallarta, with places to stay, food, and more to see.

    Also close to

    Closest to Marina Vallarta

    Near Marina Vallarta

    Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.

    Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.