Everyone loves cheap things, but what about free things? I think we all love free stuff more! Here is a list of FREE things to do in Puerto Vallarta on any given occasion.

1) El Malecon (The Boardwalk)

El Malecon in Puerto Vallarta spans a couple of miles from Los Muertos Beach and La Zona Romantica to the neighborhood of Centro.

It may seem like a no-brainer but this is a great activity to do alone or with your family. 

This stretch goes through many amazing shops, restaurants and artists. You’ll find several street performers as well. Some you might’ve seen in other cities. You’ll find the unique and culturally elusive man of gold. However, there are other amazing street performers. 

You get bonus points if you find the Alien with its Alien, face-hugger egg ready to pop. This incredible costume looks homemade. It also looks very hot. I can’t imagine what it feels like on a 90 degree day with 100 percent humidity. This man (or woman) deserves every tip they get. Even if he’s just slightly moving his arms up and down.

The “Street Alien” as I’m calling him is one of the coolest things I’ve seen in terms of street performers. Don’t forget to take pictures!

El Malecon goes through several great restaurants and touristy souvenir shops that are too expensive. However, the walk up and down is beautiful and bustling. You’ll see a great cross section of North American tourists. It’s very nice to see.

2) Watch a Free Show on the Beach

Depending on the night you walk through El Malecon, you’ll notice a built in amphitheater with concrete arches. This area is called Los Arcos (the arches) and on weekends there’s always free shows. The shows range from ridiculous clown shows, to pretty amazing Mexican guitarists showing off their skills. 

This quaint amphitheater gets very busy and it’s always a great time. Don’t forget to make some time for this if you’re looking for something fun and budget friendly.

3) Walk or Run on Playa de Los Muertos

Depending on where in Puerto Vallarta you stay in, you’ll be closer or further away from Los Muertos beach (or Dead Mans beach.) This beach is cute, full of palapas and hotel beach clubs. 

You can walk the entire length of the beach. It’s beautiful. At one point you’ll come across a great statue of a sea horse on the sand. The sea horse has become a symbol in Puerto Vallarta. 

Eventually you’ll hit a great lush bluff. Not to worry, soak up the scenery. After you’re done you can look for the stair case that leads above the bluff and back down again. You can continue this walk for a while.

This walk is free and full of beautiful moments. This beach makes a great beach run any day.

While you’re there, you might see several hustlers trying to sell their trinkets and such. They’re a rip-off, in terms of prices. However, I like buying from them because I like supporting them.

4) Explore the Streets of Old Town 

Many people don’t do this and I get it. You’re in a new town, in a foreign country. You have no idea if its safe. Puerto Vallarta is a very safe city. And their old town, in the Emiliano Zapata area is an old colonial city that goes up a hill. The streets are made of cobblestone. Not even cobblestone, the streets are made of rocks. The flags above the streets are traditional and cute. The jungly hillside gives this city a unique vibe next to the great beach.

You should definitely get off the main drag and explore the streets of the old city. Not only will you stray away from the beaten path (literally) but you’ll find all kinds of hidden gems.

Considering the amount of Americans and Canadians that retire here the restaurants vary from French Cafes to Americanized food. However, you’ll never find these great gems if you stay on the main, touristy, side of town.

I’ve stayed in the old town each time I’ve visited Puerto Vallarta and although, it’s not a big city, I’ve discovered many great little squares, shops and cafes each time.

This part of town is the most memorable and authentic, for sure!

5) Take a Stroll on Isla Cuale

There is a thin island in the middle of one of the rivers. This river goes right to Playa de Los Muertos (Dead Mans Beach.) In fact, you can take El Malecon right to the beginning.

From the boardwalk, before you get to Los Arcos amphitheater, you’ll see it under the bridge. Take the stairs down and explore that area.

This island is called Isla Cuale and it starts at El Malecon. It only goes down about a mile, give or take. You’ll find lots of trinket, souvenir booths along with great cafes. There are several fancy restaurants in this area as well. 

Apart from the fact that it’s a free thing to do, you’ll discover some fun things like suspension bridges. They connect some of the adjoining streets to the island. They’re fun to walk across if you’ve never experienced a suspension bridge. They sway as you walk. It makes you feel like Indiana Jones! I highly recommend taking that extra minute to walk across one of these.

As you continue to walk the island, you’ll come across some great structures. There’s small abandoned structures near the end. They’re covered in creepy graffiti. These structures are left here from the last hurricane, which inevitably flooded the entire island. It would only be better if you told me La Llorona is spotted here.

There’s a great sculpture garden I like to call the “Sculpture garden of harsh truths” because the signs throughout the garden are about littering and helping maintain the garden that jab at your lack of humanity if you decide to litter or not plant organic fruits. I think they’re fun.

There’s a cultural center at the end with a gigantic and colorful staircase known as the Gringo Gulch next to it! This staircase will take to to a residential area of Puerto Vallarta. The views from the top are beautiful. It’s a picturesque sight.

6) Check out Los Muertos Pier

The pier at Los Muertos beach has become iconic. At night, it lights up beautifully. This is a major point of attraction for most people. It highlights the surrounding area. Many people come here to soak up the environment and take a poop-load of pictures. 

Every time I visit Puerto Vallarta, I always get pictures of this pier in different angles and different styles of composition.

Los Muertos Beach Pier is free to roam and it’s on Playa de los Muertos. I should mention there are no restaurants on the pier itself. All restaurants are near the surrounding beach.

7) A Fun Bonus Activity if You’re into Photography

If you’re looking for something artsy, fun and free then I suggest you do a treasure hunt for the many weird and quirky statues around the city. Emiliano Zapata or the old city has commissioned a lot of great Mexican artists from all over Mexico to give you these incredible and somewhat whimsical statues.

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Check out my video on things to do in Puerto Vallarta

Let Me Break It Down For You:

There are many free things to do in Puerto Vallarta but here are a few that I’ve done, that I recommend:

1. Walk up and down El Malecon
2. Watch a free show on the beach
3. Explore Playa de los Muertos
4. Walk around the streets of Old Town
5. Check out Isla Cuale
6. Take a stroll on Los Muertos Beach pier
7. Find as many weird and quirky statues in the city!

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