BlaakLane.com books Puerto Vallarta airport transfers from Licenciado Gustavo Diaz Ordaz International (PVR) as private cars at a fixed price. Choose a vehicle, enter your flight and your hotel or villa, and a vetted local affiliate waits at the airport's authorised pickup area outside arrivals. The flight is tracked, and international arrivals include 60 minutes of waiting from landing.
How a Puerto Vallarta airport transfer works
Puerto Vallarta sits in the middle of the Bay of Banderas, and where you are staying decides how long the drive is: five minutes to Marina Vallarta, twenty-five to the Zona Romantica, close to an hour to Punta Mita. Enter the address on the booker, pick a vehicle, add the flight and you get one fixed fare for that route. There is no bargaining at the exit and no price change if the highway is slow.
Every trip is dispatched by the 24/7 reservations desk in Toronto and driven by a vetted affiliate from the LimousineWorldwide.Directory network, contracted to the BlaakLane.com written standard. The operator, chauffeur and car are all named in the confirmation you receive. For day trips and dinners in town, see Puerto Vallarta chauffeur service.
About PVR airport
Licenciado Gustavo Diaz Ordaz International Airport sits on Highway 200 on the northern edge of the city, beside Marina Vallarta and a few kilometres south of the Ameca River, which marks the border between Jalisco and Nayarit. It is operated by Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico (GAP), which has been adding terminal capacity to cope with growing winter traffic from the US and Canada. Check gate and terminal notices on the GAP airport site.
Clearing immigration and customs at PVR
International passengers pass Mexican immigration, collect bags and go through customs, including the random red or green light. Rules for visitors are set by the National Migration Institute. On a winter Saturday, when many flights from North America land around midday, the whole process can take 45 to 75 minutes; on quieter days 25 to 40 minutes is normal.
The chauffeur follows your flight and is timed to its real arrival. You have 60 minutes of included waiting from landing on an international flight, or 30 minutes on a domestic flight from Mexico City or Guadalajara. Any longer wait is charged in 15-minute blocks.
Walking out: the arrivals hall and the pickup
After customs, PVR's arrivals corridor is lined with people offering transport, tours and timeshare presentations. They can be persistent. You do not need to stop: your ride is already arranged. Continue outside to the area the airport authorises for pre-arranged transport, where the chauffeur named on your confirmation is waiting and will message you with the exact spot.
If you would rather be met before you walk that corridor, add a meet and greet with a name board. Add-ons are only available in selected locations; the booker shows if it can be added at PVR. Child seats are free on request.
Drive times around the Bay of Banderas
| From PVR to | Typical drive | Area |
|---|---|---|
| Marina Vallarta and the cruise terminal | 5-10 minutes | Jalisco |
| Hotel Zone | 10-20 minutes | Jalisco |
| Nuevo Vallarta | 15-25 minutes | Nayarit |
| Downtown and the Malecon | 20-30 minutes | Jalisco |
| Zona Romantica and Amapas | 25-40 minutes | Jalisco |
| Conchas Chinas and Mismaloya | 35-50 minutes | Jalisco, south coast road |
| Bucerias and La Cruz de Huanacaxtle | 25-40 minutes | Nayarit |
| Punta Mita | 40-60 minutes | Nayarit |
| Sayulita and San Pancho | 45-70 minutes | Nayarit |
| Guadalajara | 4 hours 30 minutes to 6 hours | About 330 km |
Highway 200 is the only main road around the bay, so construction or a minor accident slows every direction. Inside Puerto Vallarta, the old town's cobblestone streets are narrow and many are one-way, and hillside lanes in Amapas and Conchas Chinas are steep enough that large vehicles cannot always reach the door. Tell us the exact address and whether the property has a driveway, and the desk will send a vehicle that fits. For villas above the Zona Romantica, an SUV is often a better choice than a van. Drivers keep to the right.
Taxis, buses and rail
There is no rail link at PVR or anywhere in the bay. Authorised airport taxis sell tickets inside the terminal, and many visitors know the trick of crossing the pedestrian bridge over Highway 200 to hail a city taxi or a bus on the far side. With luggage and children, a pre-booked car at the terminal is simpler, and the fare is fixed in advance.
Choosing your vehicle
Consult the fleet for full specifications. For PVR:
- Standard Sedan: two travellers with a pair of suitcases going to the Hotel Zone.
- Luxury Executive Sedan: a quieter ride to a boutique hotel in Amapas.
- Executive First Class Sedan (Maybach): a special arrival at a Punta Mita resort.
- Standard Black SUV: a family of six for a villa in Conchas Chinas, where streets are steep.
- Executive Black SUV: a small group bound for Punta Mita with golf bags.
- Luxury Stretch Limo: wedding guests of honour.
- Sprinter Van: twelve wedding guests travelling together to Nuevo Vallarta.
- Party Bus: a fourteen-person celebration in the Zona Romantica.
- Sprinter Luxury Jet Van: seven guests with carry-on only.
Villas, cruises and yachts
Many PVR visitors stay in hillside villas south of town, where lanes are steep and narrow; add the villa name and any gate code in the booking notes. Cruise ships dock at the maritime terminal next to Marina Vallarta, just minutes from the airport, and the marina itself is a base for yacht charters. For multi-vehicle moves from the pier, the cruise lines and ports programme can help.
Weddings and group arrivals
The bay is a major destination-wedding market, with ceremonies from Punta Mita to Mismaloya. Guests often arrive on several flights over two days. Our wedding limousine and group transportation services match cars to each arrival, planned by a coordinator and confirmed in writing, and resorts can book through the hotels and concierge programme.
Fares and cancellation
The fixed fare includes the vehicle, the chauffeur, flight tracking and the waiting allowance; check class ranges on rates. You can cancel without charge up to 72 hours before pickup. Cancelling between 72 and 48 hours costs 10%, between 48 and 24 hours costs 50%, and later cancellations or no-shows cost the whole fare.
Other Mexican Pacific airports
For trips further along the coast or inland, see Los Cabos SJD, Guadalajara GDL and Mexico City MEX. The official Visit Puerto Vallarta site and Wikipedia have more on the destination and the airport.
The return trip to PVR
Departures from Puerto Vallarta are concentrated on winter weekends, when hotel check-outs, cruise disembarkations and flights home all happen in the same few hours. Plan to be at the terminal about three hours before an international flight. Leave the Zona Romantica around three and a half hours ahead, Nuevo Vallarta about three and a quarter, and Punta Mita or Sayulita closer to four. The desk will suggest a pickup when you book the return, and the car comes to your lobby or villa gate at that time. Travellers who are not flying until the evening can book a few hours of hourly chauffeur service for a last lunch on the way to the airport.
Seasons and weather on the Bay of Banderas
The busy season runs from about December to April, when the weather is dry and warm and flights from the US and Canada are frequent. The rainy season, roughly June to October, brings short, heavy afternoon storms that can slow Highway 200 and flood low streets for an hour or so. The Pacific hurricane season runs from mid-May to November. None of this affects your fare, but in the wet months the desk may build a little extra margin into departure pickups.
