Casa Kimberly
Calle Zaragoza 445
+52 322-21336
Located in the area of Puerto Vallarta once known as Gringo Gulch for the number of expatriate Americans and retirees residing there, the Casa Kimberly is the former villa of the most famous of all those gringos, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. Although the property is now a Bed and Breakfast, tours are given daily from 9am to 6pm. There is also a small museum on the premises dedicated to these great actors.

La Iglesia de Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe
Calle Hidalgo
Curiously, the city's church--where Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton were married for the first time--has often been described as the colonial jewel of the town. But in fact, Vallarta did even begin to grow into a town until well after 1900. The only real reference to colonial times is the odd golden ornament that sits atop its spire, which is supposed to be a replica of the crown worn by Carlota, empress of Mexico in the 1860s. Nonetheless, it makes for an attractive visit.

Malecon
This is the boardwalk, which stretches a little less than a mile along the shoreline downtown and is one of the centers of tourist activity. There are shops, restaurants, bars, and nightclubs. But even so the malecon is an attraction unto itself. Every evening as the sun dips below the horizon, Vallartans and tourists alike flood onto this wide walkway to enjoy the colorful sky and the cool evening air. There are white iron benches and dozens of bronze sculptures--which are a first indication of the deep artistic culture residing in this beach town--that line the promenade's entire length.

Mismaloya
In 1963, John Huston chose this tropical cove, about seven miles south of Puerto Vallarta, as the location for his film version of Tenessee Williams' play Night of the Iguana. When Elizabeth Taylor visited Richard Burton, who was starring in the film, the Hollywood paparazzi descended en masse, and the sleepy Mexican town of Puerto Vallarta was revealed to the world--as a steamy, romantic, almost mythological paradise. The town has been cashing in those chips ever since and Mismaloya is no exception. Condominiums and a 300-room hotel now dominated the once-secluded bay. Besides swimming, there are many water sports available here, including snorkeling and diving. You can even hike to the abandoned buildings used during the filming, which stand at the south end of the beach. There are also a number of nice thatched-roof restaurants along the southern shore. The cove has retained much of its charm; it is still beautiful and worth a visit.

Museo del Cuale
This small museum on the Isla Cuale in the center of town has a small collection. But for the first-time visitor to Mexico there are some interesting ceramic pieces, figurines, and Indian artifacts that serve as a good introduction to pre-Columbian art.

Galeria Arte Latino Americano
Dominguez 155
+52 322-2-44-06
This galeria features original works by local artists and others from around Mexico. It also has a wide selection of lithographs, monotypes, and posters.

Galeria Pacifico
Aldama 174
+52 322-2-19-82
Located just one block up from the malecon, at the spot where a series of fantasy sculptures by one of the gallery's represented artists sit, the Pacifico is perhaps Vallarta's most formidable gallery, representing the majority of the area's most important living artists.

Galeria Rosa's Blancas
Juarez 523
+52 322-2-11-68
Located in beautiful adobe building in downtown Vallarta, this gallery displays works by local and national artists of both promise and re nown. Next door is an art supply shop with canvases, brushes, paints, and a small library of art books.

Galeria Uno
Morelos 561
+52 322-2-09-08
One of the oldest and most established galleries in town, the Uno has been featuring the best Mexican artists of international repute for over 25 years. The staff is highly knowledgeable and happy to converse at length about the work of the artists they display.

Boca de Tomatlan
A small fishing village, situated at the mouth of the Tomatlan River, the beach here is small and often empty. There are lush green hills that rise up immediately behind you. Here, you can also catch boats to the more secluded beaches of Las Animas and Yelapa.

Playa de Los Muertos
Taking its name from a bloody 16th-century battle between pirates and Indians, this is Puerto Vallarta's one broad beach--and it is the busiest. Located in Old Town, south of the Rio Cuale, the beach is lined with palapas (beach huts) and parasols in front of numerous beachfront restaurants and bars. The feel here is distinctly European, with hotels, inns, and private houses extending along cobble-stoned streets into the surrounding hills. Families and tourists alike flock here, and there is a relaxed conviviality that dominates.

Playa Las Animas
A small fishing village about 25 minutes from Puerto Vallarta and accessible only by boat, here you begin to get a sense of what this area was like many years ago. However, tour groups arrive daily and many businesses such as restaurants and water sports equipment rentals have sprung up to accommodate them. Still, it's beautiful and the trip itself is enjoyable.

Playa Los Camarones
Just north of the malecon, this beach sits suspended between the hotel zone to its north and downtown to its south. It is quieter and much less active than Playa de Los Muertos and unblighted by huge beach resorts. It's a good place for truly relaxing in the sun.

Playa Norte
This is a long arc of beach that stretches from the municipal marina in the north through the highly populated hotel zone. It is along here that the beach scene is most commercialized, with vendors of every imaginable ware strolling back and forth as well as jet skis and windsurfers for rent, and parasailing rides for sale. Access must be gained through most of the hotels. The beach is best in front of the Krystal and the Fiesta Americana.

Quimixto
Just past Playa Las Animas towards Yelapa, this cove is less visited and, consequently, less developed. There is a waterfall about a 30-minute hike through the jungle.