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    The sandy cove of Playa Conchas Chinas with rocks and hillside villas, Jalisco

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

    Rock shelves and clear water at Conchas Chinas, Playa Conchas Chinas, Jalisco

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

    A small cove of shell sand at Conchas Chinas, Playa Conchas Chinas, Jalisco

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

    Playa Conchas Chinas

    Beach Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco Municipality of Puerto Vallarta Banderas Bay

    A string of small rocky coves just south of the Zona Romántica, with shell sand, clear water, tide pools and snorkelling around the rocks.

    From Puerto Vallarta: 10 min by car (7 km by road) How to get there ↓

    Near here

    See everything nearby ↓

    Plan your visit to Playa Conchas Chinas

    Where to stay near Playa Conchas Chinas

    Compare hotels, posadas and guest houses in Playa Conchas Chinas.

    Hotels in Playa Conchas Chinas Houses on Vrbo

    Tours to Playa Conchas Chinas

    Day trips and guided outings from Sayulita often include Playa Conchas Chinas; with a local guide you can get there without a car.

    Tours from Puerto Vallarta Winner 2026 Downtown Vallarta Food Tour with Vallarta Food Tours ★ 5.0 (3,971) · From US$59
    Find tours on Viator GetYourGuide

    How to get to Playa Conchas Chinas

    • From Puerto Vallarta: about 10 min by road (~7 km)
    • Nearest airport: Puerto Vallarta (PVR), 41 min by car to Sayulita
    Rent a car at PVR Flights to PVR

    Route, map and directions ↓

    Links open a partner site. We may earn a commission if you book, at no cost to you.

    Tours from Puerto Vallarta, near Playa Conchas Chinas

    Winner 2026 Downtown Vallarta Food Tour with Vallarta Food Tours ★ 5.0 (3,971) 3 h 30 min From US$59
    Puerto Vallarta Extreme Adventure: Wildest Bridge, ATV & Ziplines ★ 4.9 (3,357) 6 h From US$69
    Puerto Vallarta Zipline, Rappel, Water Slide & Speedboat tour ★ 4.9 (2,144) 6 h 30 min From US$69
    Food & Mixology Tour:Tequila,Tacos, Mezcal and Agave Cocktails ★ 5.0 (1,949) 4 h From US$98
    Puerto Vallarta Rhythms of the Night, Dinner Cruise and Alma Show ★ 4.5 (2,093) 5 h From US$119

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

    About Playa Conchas Chinas

    Playa Conchas Chinas is the first stretch of the south shore of Puerto Vallarta, just past the end of the Zona Romántica, below the hillside neighbourhood of the same name with its villas and condominium towers. Rather than one long beach it is a chain of small coves separated by low, rounded rock shelves that run out into the sea. The sand is made of countless tiny white shells broken and polished by the waves.

    The rock reefs offshore break the swell and leave shallow, sheltered pools along the shore, which makes the main cove popular with families with small children, and the clear water around the rocks is one of the easiest places in town to snorkel from the beach when the sea is calm; bring your own mask. The cove just north of the Hotel Conchas Chinas, where the beach ends, has the fewest rocks in the water and is the best for a swim. Some guides list lifeguards at the main cove, but there are no other facilities on the sand, so bring water and shade. Most people here are guests of the nearby hotels and rentals, so it stays far calmer than Los Muertos, and it faces west for the sunset.

    You can walk here from Los Muertos: past the Boy on the Seahorse at the south end, a path climbs over El Púlpito to little Playa Amapas, and from there a seafront path of sand, rocks and built steps continues past villas to Conchas Chinas. From the other side it is reached from Calle Santa Bárbara, the cobbled coast road that continues south from Los Muertos, or from the coastal highway (Carretera 200) as it leaves town toward Mismaloya.

    How to get to Playa Conchas Chinas

    Drive from Puerto Vallarta: 10 min, 7 km

    On foot from the south end of Playa Los Muertos: climb the steps over El Púlpito to Playa Amapas and follow the seafront path south, or take Calle Santa Bárbara. By bus, the white-and-orange buses to Mismaloya and Boca de Tomatlán leave from the corner of Basilio Badillo and Constitución in the Zona Romántica and run along Carretera 200 past the Conchas Chinas stop; ask the driver to let you off and walk down to the shore. A taxi from downtown is a short ride.

    Directions to Playa Conchas Chinas on Google Maps

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

    Where to stay Hotels in Playa Conchas Chinas Compare hotels, posadas and guest houses in Playa Conchas Chinas. See prices →

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    From the nearest cities to Playa Conchas Chinas

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

    Before you go to Playa Conchas Chinas: hours, prices and tips

    Entry
    Free public beach; there are no facilities on the sand, so bring your own snorkelling gear. Fodor's · checked Oct 2026
    Best time of day
    Come when the surf is mild: that is when snorkelling around the rocks is good; the best swimming is at the cove just north of the Hotel Conchas Chinas. Fodor's · checked Oct 2026
    Rules
    On the walk over from Los Muertos the path down from El Púlpito to Playa Amapas is rocky and uneven, and Amapas has no lifeguards. Visit Puerto Vallarta (tourism board) · checked Oct 2026

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

    Visiting Playa Conchas Chinas: what to see and do

    Snorkel around the rock shelves on a calm morning.
    Let children paddle in the shallow pools behind the reef.
    Swim at the cove just north of the Hotel Conchas Chinas, the one with fewest rocks.
    Walk the seafront path from Los Muertos via Playa Amapas.
    Stay for sunset over the bay.

    Plan your trip

    Places to stay in Playa Conchas Chinas

    Compare hotels, posadas, and rentals in and around Playa Conchas Chinas.

    See them all on Expedia Booking.com
    Vacation rentals on Vrbo Airbnb

    Tours & activities

    Day trips and guided outings from Sayulita often include Playa Conchas Chinas; with a local guide you can get there without a car.

    Viator GetYourGuide

    Rental cars

    Pick up a car at PVR (Puerto Vallarta): about 41 min by road to Sayulita, then 37 km more to Playa Conchas Chinas, on your own schedule.

    EconomyBookings Discover Cars

    Flights

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

    Kiwi.com

    Travel insurance

    If you plan on swimming or surfing at Playa Conchas Chinas, check that your policy covers it: some plans leave adventure activities out.

    SafetyWing

    Mobile data

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

    Airalo

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    Photos

    When to go to Playa Conchas Chinas warm

    Playa Conchas Chinas shares the climate of Sayulita, 37 km away. The best months to visit are March, April, May, and November.

    Playa Conchas Chinas is best for swimming and time on the water in the warmest months (June, July, and August); in the rainiest ones (July, August, and September) expect storms in the afternoon.

    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 Playa Conchas Chinas, with places to stay, food, and more to see.

    Also close to

    Closest to Playa Conchas Chinas

    Near Playa Conchas Chinas

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

    Lists with Playa Conchas Chinas

    Beaches in Jalisco · 20 Beaches near Puerto Vallarta · 40 Beaches near Sayulita · 42 Beaches near Mascota · 16 Beaches near Talpa de Allende · 17

    Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.