Puerto Vallarta Old Town will give you the authentic experience of a beach town in Mexico, its history and its culture. While this is not the oldest of the cities, it is the district that has most faithfully retained its original character, and can be compared with Old Town San Diego. The compact area of Viejo Vallarta is full of cobblestone and brick streets shaded by trees and is free of the more garish commercial tourist establishments and souvenir shops. The primary reason for this is that tourists flock to the popular Maleco, often missing out on what a gem this district is.
Puerto Vallarta’s Restaurant Row on Basilio Badillo fashionable and cool as anything the city on Bandera’s Bay has to offer. In 1988, Basilio Badillo was known for three restaurants, Roberto’s Puerto Nuevo, Pizza Joe and El Tucan. These restaurants were so successful that more restaurants and other businesses started to relocate to this area. In the mid-90’s there were 12 restaurants on the 200 block of Basilio Badillo, so for years it was known as "Restaurant Row," or La Calle de los Cafés. Some restaurants closed, and fine shops started to take over. As a result, the area has been known for some years as the best place in town to find high quality items, from folk art to fine art, home furnishings to jewelry and clothing.
Now some of the best Old Town dining will be found here along Basilio Badillo Street, as you know famously called Restaurant Row. You can find everything from traditional informal canteens, to gourmet restaurants serving everything. From local seafood to traditional Mexican specialties, to fine international cuisine. Plenty of bars are available for your after dinner drinks (try the Jalisco tequila) before you head off to enjoy the city’s lively nightlife. This is a center for the ex patriot community, which includes many people from the United States. Therefore, you will find all the necessities you need if you’ve taken advantage of one the vacation rentals in the area. If you want to stay near the action you can stay in different hotels of Vallarta Centro also near to Basilio Badillo Street.
Things to do in Viejo Vallarta include shopping. Art enthusiasts can book guided Art Walk tours, which occur once a week and visit as many as fifteen art galleries offering contemporary and traditional paintings, hand woven fabrics, and other handcrafts. Sightseeing tours will probably take you to the Our Lady of Guadalupe Cathedral, a beautiful structure built from 1929 to 1941. One of the area’s most celebrated events is the colorful December Festival of Our Lady of Guadalupe with twelve days of music and entertainment beginning the first week of the December. This is one of the most important religious holidays in Mexico, and is especially important in Viejo Vallarta, as the city was founded at the same time (in 1851) when the Virgin of Guadalupe appeared to a Mexican peasant.
Also another great event known as “The south side shuffle”, a fun-filled evening of cocktails, culture, conversation, music and drinks. The establishments and musicians will provide entertainment while strolling up and down the street.
