Beach Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco Municipality of Puerto Vallarta Banderas Bay
Hotel-zone beach of soft amber sand and gentle waves next to Playa de Oro, busy with parasailing, jet skis and banana boats.
From Tepic: 2 h 20 min by car (173 km by road) How to get there ↓
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Plan your visit to Playa Los Tules
Where to stay near Playa Los Tules
Compare hotels, posadas and guest houses in Playa Los Tules.
Tours to Playa Los Tules
Day trips and guided outings from Sayulita often include Playa Los Tules; 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
How to get to Playa Los Tules
- From Tepic: about 2 h 20 min by road (~173 km)
- Nearest airport: Puerto Vallarta (PVR), 41 min by car to Sayulita
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Tours from Puerto Vallarta, near Playa Los Tules
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About Playa Los Tules
Playa Los Tules is a beach in the heart of Puerto Vallarta's northern hotel zone, between Boulevard Francisco Medina Ascencio and the sea, roughly halfway between the airport and downtown. It lies next to Playa de Oro to the north, while to the south it runs into Playa Las Glorias, and the Los Tules condominium resort, which shares its name, fronts part of it.
The sand is soft and amber-coloured, and the waves are usually gentle to moderate, so it is a good swimming beach and a favourite for a family day out. It is also one of the busiest beaches in the city for water sports: operators on the sand offer parasailing, jet skis, banana-boat rides, kayaks, water-skiing and, when the wind allows, windsurfing, and there are horseback rides along the shore. In the afternoons, shortly before sunset, people fish from the breakwaters, and from December to March humpback whales and their calves can be seen breaching offshore.
Because it sits in the middle of the hotel zone, everything is close: shopping centres, restaurants, cafés, bars, pharmacies and grocery stores are all within walking distance. Like every beach in Mexico, the sand is public even where hotels and condominiums line it, and there are two public ways in, one beside La Isla Shopping Village, which has plenty of parking, and a narrow footpath next to the La Madalena restaurant. Beach chairs and umbrellas fill much of the sand in front of the resorts, and on busy days the beach is packed.
How to get to Playa Los Tules
Drive from Tepic: 2 h 20 min, 173 km
The beach is off Boulevard Francisco Medina Ascencio, the main road between downtown Puerto Vallarta and the airport, in the hotel zone. There are two public accesses: one next to La Isla Shopping Village, with a large car park, and a narrow pedestrian path beside La Madalena restaurant.
Directions to Playa Los Tules on Google Maps
Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.
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From the nearest cities to Playa Los Tules
- Tepic · 173 km by road, 2 h 20 min
- Autlán · about 175 km by road, ~2 h 35 min
- Manzanillo · 285 km by road, 3 h 45 min
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic or stops. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
Before you go to Playa Los Tules: hours, prices and tips
- Best time of day
- Late afternoon, before sunset, when people fish from the breakwaters. Visit Puerto Vallarta · checked Oct 2026
- Best season
- From December to March humpback whales and their calves can be seen breaching off the beach. Visit Puerto Vallarta · checked Oct 2026
Hours and prices change, especially around holidays. Each fact links to where we checked it.
Visiting Playa Los Tules: what to see and do
Swim in the usually gentle water or spend a family day on the sand.
Try parasailing, a banana-boat ride, a jet ski or a kayak.
Ride a horse along the shore.
Watch locals fish from the breakwaters in the late afternoon.
Look for humpback whales offshore between December and March.
Plan your trip
Places to stay in Playa Los Tules
Compare hotels, posadas, and rentals in and around Playa Los Tules.
Tours & activities
Day trips and guided outings from Sayulita often include Playa Los Tules; with a local guide you can get there without a car.
Rental cars
Pick up a car at PVR (Puerto Vallarta): about 41 min by road to Sayulita, then 33 km more to Playa Los Tules, on your own schedule.
Flights
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Puerto Vallarta (PVR), about 41 min by road from Sayulita, the base for Playa Los Tules.
Travel insurance
If you plan on swimming or surfing at Playa Los Tules, check that your policy covers it: some plans leave adventure activities out.
Mobile data
Signal can drop away from Sayulita: download a map of the way to Playa Los Tules before you set out, or carry an eSIM with data.
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Photos
When to go to Playa Los Tules warm
Playa Los Tules shares the climate of Sayulita, 33 km away. The best months to visit are March, April, May, and November.
Playa Los Tules 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
Weather in Playa Los Tules now and the next 7 days
Live forecast from Open-Meteo. Chance of rain is the day's highest.
The closest Pueblo Mágico: Sayulita
Sayulita is the Pueblo Mágico closest to Playa Los Tules, with places to stay, food, and more to see.
Also close to
- Mascota · Jalisco · 49 km away
- Talpa de Allende · Jalisco · 52 km away
- San Sebastián del Oeste · Jalisco · 68 km away
- Compostela · Nayarit · 75 km away
Closest to Playa Los Tules
-
Playa Las Glorias · Beach · 1 km away
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Playa de Oro · Beach · 1 km away
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Terminal Marítima de Puerto Vallarta · Landmark · 1 km away
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El Pitillal · Landmark · 2 km away
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Puerto Vallarta · City · 2 km away
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ChocoMuseo · Landmark · 3 km away
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Estero El Salado · Nature reserve · 3 km away
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Malecón de Puerto Vallarta · Landmark · 3 km away
Near Playa Los Tules
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
Lists with Playa Los Tules
Beaches in Jalisco · 20 Beaches near Puerto Vallarta · 40 Beaches near Sayulita · 42 Beaches near Mascota · 16 Beaches near Talpa de Allende · 17Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.