Puerto Vallarta Airport Transportation
Private Puerto Vallarta airport transfers from PVR to both sides of Banderas Bay, at a fixed price per vehicle.
What’s included
- Met outside arrivals with a name sign
- Wait time free for the first hour
- Flight tracked, so a delay is free
- Private transportation, Puerto Vallarta to Punta Mita
- Cancel free until 24 hours out
- Toll roads paid, child seats free
The bay
Two states around one bay
Puerto Vallarta airport sits roughly halfway around Banderas Bay, and the places people stay fall on both sides of it. South of the runway is Puerto Vallarta itself, in the state of Jalisco: Marina Vallarta next door, the Hotel Zone along the boulevard, and the old town around the Malecón and the Zona Romántica. North of it is Nayarit — Nuevo Vallarta, Bucerías, Punta Mita and Sayulita.
The state line is almost at the airport fence. Heading north on MEX-200 you cross it 3.7 miles from the terminal, at the bridge over the Ameca River on MEX-200. The airport operator describes PVR as serving "Puerto Vallarta and Riviera Nayarit" for exactly that reason.
The clock does not change when you cross. Mexico's federal time-zone law puts Nayarit on Pacific time, but makes an exception for the municipality of Bahía de Banderas, which keeps Central time like Puerto Vallarta. Every Nayarit town on this page is in Bahía de Banderas, so a pickup time means the same thing on both sides of the river.
Which side of the line
- Jalisco
- Marina Vallarta, the Hotel Zone, Old Town and the Zona Romántica.
- Nayarit
- Nuevo Vallarta, Bucerías, Punta Mita, Sayulita, San Pancho.
- The state line
- 3.7 miles north of the terminal, on MEX-200.
- The clock
- The same on both sides — Bahía de Banderas keeps Central time.
Prices
Puerto Vallarta airport transportation prices by zone
The grid prices the whole vehicle for each zone, so the number is the same whether the SUV carries two people or five. The closest zones are a few minutes away and priced near the minimum; Sayulita and Punta Mita are the long runs, around three-quarters of an hour each.
The exact quote follows your address: the Hotel Zone and Nuevo Vallarta are both long strips, and a hotel at one end is a mile or two from a hotel at the other.
| Zone | State | Miles | Drive time | Premium SUV | Executive SUV | Sprinter Executive | Motor Coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marina Vallarta | Jalisco | 0.9 | about 5 min | $145 | $170 | $430 | $955 |
| Hotel Zone | Jalisco | 3.7 | about 10 min | $155 | $180 | $440 | $975 |
| Zona Romántica / Old Town | Jalisco | 6.0 | about 10 min | $165 | $190 | $450 | $990 |
| Nuevo Vallarta | Nayarit | 7.3 | about 15 min | $170 | $200 | $460 | $1,000 |
| Bucerías | Nayarit | 11.0 | about 20 min | $185 | $215 | $475 | $1,020 |
| Sayulita | Nayarit | 24.1 | about 45 min | $235 | $270 | $535 | $1,105 |
| Punta Mita | Nayarit | 25.2 | about 45 min | $240 | $275 | $540 | $1,115 |
Arriving at PVR
According to Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico, which runs the airport, PVR is in the municipality of Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco and has two buildings: the main commercial terminal and a separate FBO for private aviation. Airline passengers all come through the main terminal, so there is no terminal number to give us.
Our driver waits outside the arrivals exit, past the last set of doors, holding a sign with your name. We track the flight, so an early or late landing moves the pickup, and waiting is free for the first 60 minutes after the aircraft is on the ground.
Flying private? Tell us when you book. The FBO is its own building, and the pickup goes there instead of the main terminal.
Inside arrivals
This is not a rumor. The airport operator's own list of services at PVR includes the desks of 3 timeshare companies, inside the terminal, in arrivals, past baggage claim, open 10:00 am to 6:00 pm. The same arrivals area has transport desks as well. Between them, the walk from baggage claim to the doors passes a good deal of selling.
We have no desk inside, and nobody inside speaks for us. If someone says your driver is with them, or asks for your booking to "check" it, keep walking. The only place to meet us is outside the arrivals exit, at the sign with your name.
It helps to decide before you land: collect bags, walk straight through, and stop only once you are outside.
Our meeting-point policy
- Outside the arrivals exit, never at a desk inside.
- A sign with your name — not the company's, not a list.
- We never ask you to confirm the booking with anyone in the terminal.
- Flight tracked, so the driver is there when you come out.
Hotels
Naviva, A Four Seasons Resort, at Punta Mita, comes from completed bookings, not from a list of names.
Everywhere else around the bay is quoted the same way. Send the property's exact name and street address — in Nuevo Vallarta and Punta Mita the name gets the car through the gate, and in the old town the street number is what finds the door.
Routes
Puerto Vallarta transfers, zone by zone
The four transfers with their own pages carry the full route, the highways and the price for every vehicle.
Booking
The flight number, the property's name and address, and how many people and bags. For a private flight, the FBO and the tail number.
Around the bay the fare covers any toll road. Tip at your discretion; children's seats are free when requested; cancel without a charge up to 24 hours ahead of the pickup.
Frequently Asked Questions
3.7 miles, about 10 min without traffic, south on MEX-200.
No. It is in Nayarit, across the state line 3.7 miles north of the terminal. Punta Mita, Bucerías and Sayulita are in Nayarit too.
Most of Nayarit is, but not the part you are going to. The federal time-zone law keeps the municipality of Bahía de Banderas — Nuevo Vallarta, Bucerías, Punta Mita, Sayulita — on Central time, the same as Puerto Vallarta.
Outside the arrivals exit, with a sign showing your name. Never at a desk inside the terminal.
The airport's own list of services includes timeshare companies' desks in arrivals, past baggage claim, as well as transport desks. None of them is us. Walk through to the exit.
Per vehicle. The quoted total covers everyone, as long as they and the luggage fit.
No. The vehicle is private to your party and runs straight to your hotel.
A taxi is hired once you are through arrivals, at whatever its operator charges. A PVR airport transfer is settled before you fly: one price for the vehicle, the flight tracked, the driver outside with your name. Transportation from Puerto Vallarta airport to hotel doors on either side of the bay works the same way.
We track it, so the pickup moves with the aircraft. Waiting is free for 60 minutes after landing.
Yes. Tell us when you book; the FBO is a separate building from the main terminal.