Buses safe to us in Puerto & Nuevo Vallarta?

[brielove]

Hi, we just booked our dolphin swim & it's in Nuevo Vallarta. I was told to expect to pay $25 each way for a taxi...I am wondering if it's safe & easy enough to just catch a bus? It will be me, my husband & 2 6yr olds. I mentioned it to my husband this am & he said no - too dangerous. But my thought is it would be fun & I love to feel more immersed in the country I'm visiting. Just need to make sure it's safe for the kids. Saving some money would be great, but not if it's not worth it.

 

So if it is safe - where do we catch the bus & which line would we take to go to Nuevo Vallarta Sea Life park?

 

Thank you!

Erika

On Carnival Pride leaving 11/23/08

[afcj1]

I'm not sure if where you're going is on a bus route, but my son and I just took the city bus and it was very safe.

 

The bus station is a little bit of a walk, especially since you have 2 youngsters. If you walk out of the terminal turn right to the end of the street and make a left. Eventually you need to cross the street and the station is on the perimeter of the WalMart/Sam's Club parking lots. There was a gentleman there that helped us chose the correct bus.

 

We had pesos, so I'm not sure if the drivers take USD's.

[dolphinwyo]

I haven't taken the buses to that specific route - so I can't help you with directions. However, as far as traveling on the buses with children - I did take the buses on our last land vacation in Puerto Vallarta - we walked into town from our resort - about 1 1/2 miles into town - no sidewalks for a long way....not fun with a stroller. Then on the way back we were too tired and grabbed a bus - we paid in Pesos - just waited on a bus bench until we saw the one we needed. Crossing the streets where it dropped off us was a little like playing Frogger if you know that game....that was the scariest part. The bus itself - we were the only tourists on board, but I didn't feel scared. I had my DH, DD - 6, DS - 3, and myself. Their Grandma wasn't too pleased to hear we were taking them on buses in Mexico though. It is your own comfort level (and DH's).

[Nancyquilts]

We always take the local bus to go down town in Puerto Vallarta. You can exchange dollars for pesos at a cambio on the street between the port and the main street. Nancy

[cruizinfools]

We have taken the bus several times while visiting Puerto Vallarta & think it is a great experience. I am pretty sure we have always been the only tourists but no one seems to care and I have never felt unsafe. We have never had children with us, but that wouldn't stop us. We were concerned the first time because we thought we might have taken the wrong bus as the route taken to our destination was not as direct as we expected. :o

 

We just returned from a 9 day cruise on Carnival Spirit that included PV. Because we have been there for a week long stay and one other time on a previous cruise, we took the bus to Sayulita, a little village 20 miles north of PV. We had read about the area in the travel section of our local paper; then I found a website (http://www.sayulita.com/index.html) which told all about taking the bus. We walked across the street to the bus pickup area in front of Walmart, waited for our bus, and for 40 pesos round trip each we took our own little excursion! Had some of the best nachos ever at a little beach restuarant, along with a couple of cervesas each for another 20 pesos, tip included!

 

You should be able to find a PV website with bus info. I am sure there are buses going to the Nuevo Vallarta area - you just need to find out if that is what will be on the windshield of the bus so you know you are getting on the correct bus. It is definitely cheaper than taking a taxi.

 

Good luck!

Marilyn

[MSN-Travelers]

Hi, we just booked our dolphin swim & it's in Nuevo Vallarta. ...

 

So if it is safe - where do we catch the bus & which line would we take to go to Nuevo Vallarta Sea Life park?

 

Thank you!

Erika

On Carnival Pride leaving 11/23/08

 

Erika,

 

Safety on the Vallarta bus system shouldn't be a concern to you. The bus system is still the primary transportation system for the many thousands of workers every day. When in Vallarta, it is our primary means of getting around too. The city bus system cost 5 1/2 pesos per person but it is reported that the rate may go to 6 pesos by the end of the year.

 

You are headed north toward Nuevo Vallarta and the city bus system does not travel that far. You would take a bay bus and the company logo, for north-bound passengers is ATM. A great site for Vallarta information is - http://www.vallartainfo.com/index.html and there is a section that addesses Vallarta transportation.

 

To get you started, here is the a map of the port and you will see the "ATM" bus stop symbol at the west end of the Walmart parking lot. http://www.vallartainfo.com/hotelzone.html I'm not sure what the bus fare will be but I suspect it will be around 10 pesos per person to Neuvo Vallarta.

 

The VallartaInfo map for Nuevo Vallarta doesn't show the location of Sea Life Park, but it is immediately east of the first NV exit. Sea Life Park used to be named SPLASH and you can find it on this satelite map - http://www.wikimapia.org/#lat=20.7026512&lon=-105.2703094&z=18&l=0&m=a&v=2

 

If you still have questions, and you want answers from the people that live in the area, go to the Vallarta Scene board and ask - http://www.vallartascene.com/ The guy that runs the VallartaInfo site is one of the moderators for Vallarta Scene.

 

As for the taxi fare to Sea Life Park, I think $20-$25 USD is a little high. Exit the port and head for the main street. A bright yellow city taxi shouldn't cost much more that $120-$150 pesos (roughly $12-$15 USD) for your family of four. Always negotiate/confirm the price before getting in any taxi.

 

Enjoy!

[brielove]

Great, thank you for all your help!

[Hlitner]

We live in PV during the winter and use the buses several times a week. They are quite safe (a big bus is safer than some of the crazy taxi drivers). As to getting to Nuevo, you need to leave the port and cross the main street towards Sams and Walmart. Once you cross the street you will see a major bus top located right off the road next to the Walmart parking lot. They have buses that are a bit larger than the local buses (these look more like school buses built 50 years ago) and there will usually be several different buses lined up at the stop. They have buses going to several different places, but there are always some Mexican men (and boys) who will steer you to the proper bus. We are always surprised to read the various negative things about PV (and Mexico) on these boards. Keep in mind that PV and its suburbs are home to thousands (actually more than 10 thousand) of Americans and Canadians (our friends have been spending winters there for about 20 years) and we somtimes think that we even outnumber the Mexicans during Jan and Feb. We have no problem walking the streets after midnight, eating the food (including some of the street food), riding the buses, or using the taxis. PV is a very very tourist-friendly community which is probably safer than must US cities of comparable size.

 

Hank

[Bemidji Ty]

Safe? Yes! Just make bus is going sure you know where the bus is going before you get on. We had what turned into a 2 hour adventure last year when we were staying at a time share. We thought we were going back to our hotel. After we got on, the driver changed signs. And we ended up out in the middle of Nowhere-Mexico.

 

We make it back OK and didn't have a ship to catch. Just make sure you know where the bus is going.

 

They are fun.

 

Smooth sailin'