Puerto Vallarta Airport to Nuevo Vallarta Transfer
A short hop north across the Ameca River, at a fixed price for the whole vehicle.
- Distance
- 7.3 miles
- Drive time
- About 15 min
- Highway
- MEX-200
- From, one way
- $150
The drive
PVR to Nuevo Vallarta, across the river
Nuevo Vallarta is the nearest resort area on the Nayarit side of the bay: 7.3 miles from the PVR terminal, about 15 min without traffic.
The route leaves the airport onto MEX-200 northbound and, 3.7 miles in, crosses the Ameca River into Nayarit. Shortly after the bridge it turns toward the sea on Boulevard Nuevo Vallarta, which runs down to the beach road where the resorts are.
That is the whole trip: one highway, one bridge, one boulevard. There is no town to drive through first, which is why Nuevo Vallarta is quicker to reach than the old town of Puerto Vallarta despite being in a different state.
This transfer at a glance
- Distance
- 7.3 miles, MEX-200 north, Blvd. Nuevo Vallarta
- Drive time
- about 15 min without traffic
- State
- Nayarit
- Fixed price
- Per vehicle, set when you book.
Prices
What a Nuevo Vallarta transfer costs
On a transfer this short, most of the price is the vehicle and the driver's time, not the miles, so the gap between vehicles is wider than the gap between zones. A family of five in one Premium SUV pays one price, not five.
| Vehicle | Seats | One way | Round trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business Sedan | Up to 2 | $150 | $300 |
| Premium SUV | Up to 5 | $170 | $340 |
| Executive SUV | Up to 5 | $200 | $400 |
| Sprinter Executive | Up to 12 | $460 | $920 |
| Sprinter Coach | Up to 14 | $460 | $920 |
| Executive Coach Bus | Up to 40 | $895 | $1,790 |
| Motor Coach | Up to 55 | $1,000 | $2,000 |
Two states
The Ameca River is the line between the two states, and it falls almost exactly halfway along this transfer: 3.7 miles of the 7.3 are in Jalisco, the rest in Nayarit.
Crossing it changes the state but not the clock. Most of Nayarit keeps Pacific time, an hour behind; Nuevo Vallarta is in the municipality of Bahía de Banderas, which the federal time-zone law keeps on Central time with Puerto Vallarta. Your resort, your flight and your pickup all run on one time.
The layout
Nuevo Vallarta was built as a resort area, and it reads like one. The large hotels line the beach on Paseo de los Cocoteros; Boulevard Nuevo Vallarta brings traffic in from the highway; and near the river mouth at the southern end there is a marina.
Because the resorts sit side by side along one road, the exact name matters. Two neighboring properties can share an entrance road, or have entrances some distance apart.
Addresses
Street addresses here often name the locality differently from the way people say it. Map data calls the area Nuevo Nayarit, and resort addresses commonly read Nuevo Nayarit or Las Jarretaderas, with the postcode 63735 — all for places everyone calls Nuevo Vallarta.
None of that matters to the transfer as long as we have the property's name. Send the name exactly as your booking shows it, and we will not be confused by the postcode.
Nearby zones
If your plans shift — a night in town, or a few days further up the coast — these are the zones on either side, priced the same way.
| Zone | State | Miles | Premium SUV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hotel Zone | Jalisco | 3.7 | $155 |
| Nuevo Vallarta | Nayarit | 7.3 | $170 |
| Bucerías | Nayarit | 11.0 | $185 |
At PVR
PVR has one main terminal for airline passengers, so there is no terminal to choose. After baggage claim — and, on an international flight, immigration and customs — the arrivals area is lined with desks — the airport operator's own list includes timeshare companies as well as transport companies. None of them is ours.
Our driver is outside the last doors with a sign bearing your name. We track the flight, and the first 60 minutes after landing are free, which on a busy afternoon is often most of what the terminal takes.
Next door
Bucerías is the next town north, 11 miles from the airport against 7.3 for Nuevo Vallarta. Unlike Nuevo Vallarta it is an older fishing town with a plaza and streets of its own, and MEX-200 runs straight through it.
A trip between the two — dinner in Bucerías from a Nuevo Vallarta resort, say — is short, and it is quoted the same way as any other transfer, on the distance and the vehicle.
Going home
Fifteen minutes is quick, and it tempts people to leave late. The drive is rarely the problem on the way back; the airport is. Check-in, bag drop and security take the time they take, whatever the distance from the hotel.
MEX-200 is also the only main road along this side of the bay, so everything moving between the north-shore towns and the airport uses it. Give us your flight time and we will set a pickup that allows for both.
Groups
The Nuevo Vallarta resorts are family territory, and families travel with luggage. Two adults, three children and their bags fill a Premium SUV; add a stroller or a second family and a Sprinter is the easier answer.
For a group flying in on several flights, tell us every flight. We price each pickup separately rather than keeping early arrivals waiting for the last one.
Nearby
Booking
The flight number, the resort's exact name, and how many people and bags. Child seats are free if you ask when you book — say the children's ages.
Tolls are in the Nuevo Vallarta fare, tips are left to you, and a cancellation made more than 24 hours before the pickup is free.
The Puerto Vallarta hub has every zone. Further along the same shore: PVR to Punta Mita.
Frequently Asked Questions
7.3 miles from the terminal, about 15 min without traffic.
From $170 one way in a Premium SUV for up to five, or from $150 in a Business Sedan for two. Round trip is twice the one-way price.
No. It is in Nayarit, across the Ameca River. Puerto Vallarta and the airport are in Jalisco.
No. It is in Bahía de Banderas, which the federal time-zone law keeps on Central time, the same as Puerto Vallarta.
Yes. Addresses there often read Nuevo Nayarit or Las Jarretaderas. Give us the resort name and it makes no difference.
Outside the arrivals exit, at a sign with your name. Walk past the desks inside the terminal.
No, per vehicle, for everyone who fits in it.