4.8
City Kickstart Tour: Puerto Vallarta
- 2 hours
- City Highlight Tours
- Puerto Vallarta
Choose one of 6 locals available
Experience hosted by Maria , Hesli & other locals
- Private Tour
- Carbon Neutral
- Destination
- Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
- Category
- City Highlight Tours
- Duration
- 2 hours
- Transport mode
- Walking tour
- Available languages
- English, Español, Français, Italiano, Português
- Included
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- Private Guide
- All Withlocals Tours are Carbon Neutral
- Excluded
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- Entrance to Attractions
6 reasons to book this tour
- Discover the real Puerto Vallarta in a nutshell
- Learn how to navigate the city
- Get the latest tips & tricks from a local
- Ask anything during this private tour
- Can be 100% personalized to your wishes
- The best way to kickstart your stay
What you can expect
First time in Puerto Vallarta? Wondering where to go and what to see in this fascinating city? We got you! Kickstart your time in Puerto Vallarta with a 2-hour introduction to the city with the help of your favorite local. This tour is the city overview you were looking for that brings together sights of main highlights and attractions, plus must-have tips and tricks that will help you get acquainted with the city, its people, and culture.
So, ready to start your time in Puerto Vallarta in the best way possible? On this private tour, you’ll meet up with the local host of your choice. Each of the hosts on this tour will show you their Puerto Vallarta in their way and based on their passions and expertise. The hosts know their city like the back of their hand and can’t wait to get you acquainted with Puerto Vallarta!
And what about that unique family-owned restaurant or that amazing local hotspot? Get personal recommendations from your local host and where to find the current hot spots in the city. Get insights on the local lifestyle and find out true stories about the city’s past as you take in vibrant, full-of-life present Puerto Vallarta. Historical facts, local stories, and great tips & tricks. What can be more awesome than that?
Any questions? Go ahead and ask your host about anything that pops into your mind and get all the answers you need for the perfect Puerto Vallarta trip. Locals always know best. And don’t forget, this private tour can be personalized 100% according to your wishes!
Choose your local
Get to know these 6 passionate locals, each bringing unique perspectives and talents. Choose your favorite, check their availability, and book to create an unforgettable adventure tailored to you.
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Maria
Foodie and nature lover
5.011 reviewsEnglish・Español -
Hesli
The Nayarita!
5.05 reviewsEnglish・Español -
Thalia
The whale whisperer, certified guide
5.0English・Español・Français -
Priscila
Zazu Adventures
5.0English -
Francisco Javier
Art & Nature Lover
3.94 reviewsEnglish・Español・Français・Italiano -
Jessica
The Travel Latin Dancer & Coffee Lover
4.53 reviewsEnglish・Español・Italiano・Português
This is the plan
Check out the plan below to see what you'll get up to with your local host. Feel free to personalize this offer with the host of your choice.
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Meeting point
Meet at In front of the Tourism information center: Turismo Puerto Vallarta - Puerto Vallarta to start your journey
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Itinerary
This is what our experience could look like, but it’s not set in stone! Once you book, you can chat directly with your host to make small tweaks to suit your preferences.
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City Highlights
See Mercado Municipal Rio Cuale, Church of Our Lady of Guadelupe, and more landmarks and must-sees of the city. Your local host will take you to the main spots of the city so you can get the perfect introduction to what makes Puerto Vallarta so special -
Local Hot Spots
Along the way, your host will point out hangout spots and hidden gems that only the locals know about and will help you get acquainted with the city in the most local way possible -
Food Recommendations
Receive tailored recommendations according to your taste and where to go and what to eat while visiting Puerto Vallarta. Avoid tourist traps thanks to your local host! -
City Orientation
Learn how to navigate the city, and get the answers to your Puerto Vallarta questions that will help you in the following days making your time in the city much easier -
Make it yours
Want to tweak the itinerary? Book directly & chat afterwards with your host to adjust highlights, skip stops, or make small changes to fit your preferences.
Book risk-free: Cancel within 24 hours for a full refund.
Need something special? Personalize your experience for more time, alternative locations or a completely tailored plan.
Flexible cancellation policy
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Feel confident booking
Cancel within 24 hours for a full refund. Even up to 7 days before your experience, you’ll receive a refund, minus the service fee.
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Change of plans?
Reschedule your experience to a date and time that works best for you.
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Loved by travelers worldwide
Simple and flexible – your plans, your way.
Reviews from guests
Michael🇺🇸 United States
(About local )
3 December 2024
My wife and I have been to PV, many a time. With Hesli, we finally got to see the real PV. Bourdain said "be a traveler not a tourist", and for a day-trip off a cruise ship, this is as close as you can get. Thank You Hesli for taking us behind the scenes and telling us the story along the way!You NEED to do this tour
Viri🇨🇦 Canada
(About local )
26 September 2024
Worst experience with withlocals since I started using their service in 2019.
-Contacted the host via the app chat right away to see if i could re-schedule my booking by 1 day. No response
-Since the host is a photographer. I Sent another mesage asking to focus the tour on street photography. No response
-sent another message early the day our meeting would take place. No response
-sent 2 messages 5 and 10 minutes after the scheduled time. No reponse
Tried to contact withlocals to get a refund for 2 days now and still no response. The next step will be to contact my bank.
Was I ghosted by the host?
Susanne🇩🇪 Germany
(About local )
7 April 2024
Francisco offered an amazing walk thru Puerto Vallarta with best choosen stops to see the different sites of this wonderful and impressing city, giving sufficient data about history and presence. We only had 2hours and have seen so much. He is a great guide! Thanks to Francisco!Puerto Vallarta at its best
Leanne
(About local )
18 March 2024
Manny was an excellent guide for our intro to PVR. He was very knowledgeable and fluent in 5 languages. The insight to the history, culture and art was the added layer we were looking for on our walk. The Mexican sweet store was a hit with adults and kids alike.
Very personable and engaging. We would recommend this for first timers in the area or those wanting to get a bit off the MaleconPVR walking tour
Sierra🇺🇸 United States
(About local )
1 March 2025
From the moment we met, Maria's warm personality and passionate knowledge of local cuisine made everyone feel welcome and excited for the adventure ahead.
Maria isn't just a tour guide; she's a storyteller. Her deep connections with local vendors and restaurant owners provided us with authentic experiences that would be impossible to discover on our own. We were treated like family at each stop, with special dishes prepared just for our group.
Maria was attentive to everyone's dietary restrictions and preferences, ensuring each person had an equally amazing experience.
If you're looking to truly understand Puerto Vallarta through its food, Maria's tour is an absolute must. Her passion for her hometown and its culinary heritage shines through in every aspect of the experience. You'll leave with a full stomach, wonderful memories, and a deeper appreciation for this beautiful destination.A Fun Culinary Journey
Victoria🇺🇸 United States
(About local )
22 February 2025
Hesli did a great job showing us all over town, sharing history and culture. We enjoyed seeing the authentic spots and learning new things!Fun way to see the town
Brandon🇺🇸 United States
(About local )
7 February 2025
Maria is simply the best! As a group weve been coming to PVR for 20+ years and thought we had explored most everything but she shared amazing places with us that we had never seen! She was charming, knowledgeable, and we feel like we now have a life long friend here in PVR! Maria is simply the best!
Mike🇺🇸 United States
(About local )
7 February 2025
My Puerto Vallarta food tour was absolutely amazing! Our guide, Maria, was fantastic – so friendly, easy-going, and knowledgeable. She took us to hidden gems, where we tasted incredible, authentic local food. Every bite was delicious! Maria also shared fascinating insights about the city and its food culture. I highly recommend this tour, especially if you get Maria as your guide. It was a highlight of my trip!Fantastic!
rrf9k9zzhv
(About local )
5 February 2025
My two girlfriends and I were lucky enough to book Maria for our first day in Puerto Vallarta. She took us to wonderful spots we would have never found had we been on our own. She was happy to adjust our tour based on our preferences, and added some wonderful site seeing in-between our restaurant stops. As promised, after our tour, she sent us all her recommendations so we could find even more amazing places on our own. Maria was a delight and we highly recommend her!Love Maria!
Scott🇺🇸 United States
(About local )
27 January 2025
We have made the habit of always doing a WithLocals food tour on the first full day of our trips. Have been blessed with great guides all over the world. Maria is a rockstar. Great communication prior to our visit. Our tour was amazing. Had a wide variety of food and ate places that really had a local feel. Maria is knowledgeable and passionate about so many topics, we feel we really got a great head start for our stay! We have a friend in PV for sure!Maria is amazing!
Kendra
(About local )
19 January 2025
The food selections were incredible.
Maria was very accommodating and adjusted the plan to meet the various desires of our eclectic group to include cat island, swinging bridges and a stop by the booze store.
Highly recommend!! The best tour we've ever had in Mexico
Greg
(About local )
19 January 2025
She gave our group a great tour and helped get one of our group to the meeting place as he got lost. Very flexible and organized our time around what interested us the mostGreat Tour!
Thomas🇺🇸 United States
(About local )
15 January 2025
We had an amazing tour with Francisco Javier. Francisco grew up in the area and had so much knowledge that he shared with us. He was so genuine and personal it was easy to connect to him immediately. We saw some amazing sites and felt at ease. He brought us to several lookouts along our tour Overlooking Puerto Vallarta. He customize the tour for us based on our interest we ended at a market where we bought some original art from a local artist. I highly recommend if you’re thinking of booking a tour do yourself a favor and book with Francisco Javier.!Hidden gems of Puerto Vallarta
Kari🇺🇸 United States
(About local )
6 January 2025
Hesli was an amazing guide for us. We had a fairly large group of all ages and she showed us her favorite spots in Puerta Vallarta. Her energy and expertise kept us all engaged and interested to learn more about her home town. My parents are still talking about the great tour Hesli gave. I highly recommend her! Thanks Hesli!Fantastic guide!
Celia🇺🇸 United States
(About local )
5 January 2025
Took my family of 5 on a Mexican Riviera cruise with a stop in Puerto Vallarta. We had an amazing experience with Hesli. She took us to places we never would have known about. My oldest wanted to purchase an item from a local vendor, and she helped us find a vendor whose family made their own beaded jewelry. She pointed out where the locals eat, gave us the history and meanings behind many of the gorgeous sculptures, and gave us tips for a future visit. She introduced us to Tuba which is an incredibly refreshing drink the locals made.. we never would have known about! We also tried a fresh tortilla while on our walk through town, so good! Plan to walk a lot. Very happy we did this walking tour and would recommend it to everyone!!!Amazing Experience
Jean
(About local )
14 December 2024
Maria is energetic, knowledgeable, kind, and flexible. She was willing to tailor an experience just for us! She let us make choices along the way to customize our schedule and food choices. Everything was delicious! And we tried things we’d never find on our own. Great Experience!
Ian🇦🇺 Australia
(About local )
22 November 2024
Jessica was great from the start to the end. She looked after any dietary issues that might occur, gave great tastings of the Mexico cruising, and added in her personal knowledge of the area.A great tour with an amazing guide
Ian🇦🇺 Australia
(About local )
20 November 2024
Francisco was an amazing guide from start to end. He was very personable and took me around many places I would not have thought to see. Expect to walk to great heights!A great experience
Dave🇦🇺 Australia
(About local )
29 September 2024
My wife and I had the most amazing time on a walking tour with Maria. It did not feel like one of those tours where you are constantly being talked at but more like a stroll around PV with an old friend. Maria just made it so easy!! Maria knows the area so well and also took us for the best fish and shrimps tacos we have ever come across. Maria even came with me to the pharmacy to help translate and was more than happy to continue the tour in pouring rain. We loved this experience and highly recommend Maria!!The best!
Curtis🇺🇸 United States
(About local )
13 August 2024
Maria was an excellent tour guide, and a great conversationalist. We learned a lot about local culture and cuisine. She specifically set up a day to show us more than just tacos, but I'm sure if you asked, she can find you the most delicious tacos... as everything we had that afternoon was delicious!More than tacos!
Jessica🇺🇸 United States
(About local )
11 May 2024
Pleasant experience!
tom🇧🇪 Belgium
(About local )
10 April 2024
Snelle reacties vooraf, stipt op de afspraak, heel vriendelijk, leuke plekken gezien !Heel leuke tour met een fijne gids !
David🇺🇸 United States
(About local )
13 March 2024
Wow! We had so much fun and learned so much about this beautiful city with Maria. She was so friendly and accommodating, answering endless questions, and showing beautiful and hidden things we would never have found ourselves.
We got to try ‘tuba’, a local drink made using palm trees, and enjoys wonderful lunch nestled amongst trees along the river. Lots of knowledge of art and local culture, a foodie, and so evidently passionate about Puerto Vallarta, Maria was *exactly* what you hope to find in the ideal local tour guide. We hated to part ways but will be excited to let her show us other new things in the future! 11 stars ⭐️ !!Most amazing and fun tour with Maria!
Alain
(About local )
25 February 2024
We thoroughly enjoyed our wonderful walking tour with Hesli, a very dynamic, knowledgeable and enthusiastic guide. Hesli conveyed her deep love for Puerto Vallarta, its history and its people throughout the visit tailored to our needs. We discovered hidden gems, visited the charming art district, the Malecon, the zona Romantica and even enjoyed a tuba, a traditional and refreshing drink. We had great fun. Thank you so much Hesli! Definitely a 10, Hesli, the perfect guide!
Wendoline Casillas
(About local )
5 February 2024
It is a super beautiful tour since you can get to know all this Mexican tradition and incredible places in Puerto Vallarta! Highly recommended, you cannot miss taking this tour and live a great experience!city tour for 6 hours
Myles Stikle
(About local )
26 December 2023
What a wonderful well planned historical and cultural opportunity in Puerta Vallarta. With the back drop of the walled cemetary, our guide Manny, locked us in after hours and brought to life the traditions and the ancestors of Mexico. Have one less Margarita and book today... you do not want to miss it.private tour of history of puerto vallarta
Joe Sherwood
(About local )
3 December 2023
My lady and I had a personal tour with Manny last night and it was nothing short of amazing. The passion he has for his heritage is very evident in his story telling. We learned so many new things about the paranormal activity that exists in Puerto Vallarta as well as a little history about the streets we have been walking everyday on vacation. We couldn’t have imagined having a better guide for our tour. I would HIGHLY recommend this tour to anyone whether it’s your first time to PV or you’ve been here 10 times. I bet you didn’t know there was bodies buried under the park!? We didn’t either until last night. Thank you for an amazing experience!!!!Night ghost and leyends tour
Peter Harris
(About local )
27 November 2023
Manuel was super friendly, informative, and local knowledge was super. Our 5.5 hour tour flew by. Our group, because of his tour, is already planning another trip. Thanks for a great time.all day city tour of puerto Vallarta
Withlocals experiencesare always
Private & personalizedNo strangers, just you. Fully customize your trip to your needs.
With a local expertFrom historical facts to the most up-to-date health regulations.
Without the crowdsExperiences designed to take you away from the crowds towards authentic local spots.
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