Puerto Vallarta Shopping

Sights Nightlife Performing Arts

1. Cassandra Shaw Jewelry

It's hard to ignore the huge, chunky rings, bracelets, and necklaces here. In the back of the shop are more delicate items of pure silver set...Read More

It's hard to ignore the huge, chunky rings, bracelets, and necklaces here. In the back of the shop are more delicate items of pure silver set with various stones in artful ways. All are unusual.

2. Gallería Dante

Classical, contemporary, and abstract works are displayed and sold in this 6,000-square-foot gallery—PV's largest—and sculpture garden. Check...Read More

Classical, contemporary, and abstract works are displayed and sold in this 6,000-square-foot gallery—PV's largest—and sculpture garden. Check out the marvelous large-format paintings of indigenous people in regional costumes by Juana Cortez Salazar, whimsical statues by Guillermo Gómez, and the work of nearly 60 other talented artists. A classic in the art scene of Puerto Vallarta.

3. Peyote People

Here the Huichol are treated as a people, not a product. At their downtown Vallarta shop, the owners— a Mexican-Canadian couple—are happy to...Read More

Here the Huichol are treated as a people, not a product. At their downtown Vallarta shop, the owners— a Mexican-Canadian couple—are happy to share with customers their wealth of info about Huichol art and culture. They work with just a few farming families, providing all the materials and then paying for the finished products, amazing and colorful handicrafts that represent the most sacred elements of their culture. Huichol imagery is so colorful because they actually see these images when they eat peyote, an hallucinogenic cactus, as part of their religious rituals.

4. Xocodiva

Exquisite truffles and molded chocolates are all stylishly arranged on immaculate glass shelves at this classic Canadian chocolatier. The chocolate...Read More

Exquisite truffles and molded chocolates are all stylishly arranged on immaculate glass shelves at this classic Canadian chocolatier. The chocolate itself is European; among the different mousse fillings are some New World ingredients, including lime, coconut, cinnamon, Kahlúa, espresso, and a few dozen more. Stop by after dinner for a fab dessert; it's open until 10 pm. During holidays, out come the molded Santas or Day of the Dead skulls, some packaged as pretty gifts. Don't miss their new ice cream store just next door called Lix by Xocodiva, they have very unusual flavors and interesting original creations.

5. A Page in the Sun

Folks read books they've bought or traded at this outdoor café by the Hotel Eloisa, and there are almost always people playing chess. The large...Read More

Folks read books they've bought or traded at this outdoor café by the Hotel Eloisa, and there are almost always people playing chess. The large selection of tomes is organized according to genre and then alphabetized by author.

6. Alas de Aguila

In addition to pewter there's a wide selection of Talavera-style objects—from soap holders and liquid-soap dispensers to pitchers, platters...Read More

In addition to pewter there's a wide selection of Talavera-style objects—from soap holders and liquid-soap dispensers to pitchers, platters, and picture frames—in a variety of patterns. Quality is middle-of-the-road; prices are excellent.

7. Alfarería Tlaquepaque

This is a large store with a ton of red-clay items traditional to the area—in fact, their predecessors were crafted before the 1st century AD...Read More

This is a large store with a ton of red-clay items traditional to the area—in fact, their predecessors were crafted before the 1st century AD. Rustic pottery and glazed ceramic pieces come in traditional styles at reasonable prices.

8. Art Gallery Millan

A breath of fresh air in the gallery scene, Millan has cheeky oils by Eduardo Eguía, sculpture by Benito Arciniegas, and affordable, fun ceramic...Read More

A breath of fresh air in the gallery scene, Millan has cheeky oils by Eduardo Eguía, sculpture by Benito Arciniegas, and affordable, fun ceramic cyclist statuettes created by Rodo Padilla.

9. ARTE 550

Wonderful ceramic pieces and sculptures are found at this shop a few blocks in from the malecón. Co-owner/artist Patricia Gawle digs her own...Read More

Wonderful ceramic pieces and sculptures are found at this shop a few blocks in from the malecón. Co-owner/artist Patricia Gawle digs her own clay outside El Tuito. Her monotypes are colorful, cheerful, and tropical-themed. You can browse through the catalogue of hand-painted tile work to order pieces for a kitchen or bathroom mural. Business partner Kathleen Carrillo paints equally cheerful acrylics, and the two also lead tours combining whale-watching, snorkeling, or other activities with journaling and other types of artistic expression.

10. Caballito de Mar

Lynn Auch and Carol Simonton own and operate this small store. At the heart of the collection of vintage and antique silver jewelry are pieces...Read More

Lynn Auch and Carol Simonton own and operate this small store. At the heart of the collection of vintage and antique silver jewelry are pieces acquired by their mother over 40 years of collecting, beginning in the 1940s. The sisters continue to add select, handmade jewelry to their small but stellar collection, and they offer a small selection of folk art as well.

11. Curvas Peligrosas

Here it's all about beachwear, particularly nice bathing suits. The emphasis is on plus sizes, but you can find some items that are as small...Read More

Here it's all about beachwear, particularly nice bathing suits. The emphasis is on plus sizes, but you can find some items that are as small as size 12. Choose from Jantzen, Longitude, Miracle Suits, and other quality brands. The shop also has cute cover-ups and skirts.

12. D'Paola

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13. D'Paola

The large and somewhat unusual selection here includes pashminas, purses, and shawls as well as lots of muslin clothing. You'll find 32 different...Read More

The large and somewhat unusual selection here includes pashminas, purses, and shawls as well as lots of muslin clothing. You'll find 32 different lines and plenty of plus sizes. We'd guess that any woman patient enough to search the massive inventory (the main shop has the most) will find something to her taste—there's that much variety. Complement your clothing purchases with a signature piece of jewelry, perhaps a chunky necklace with giant stones or one made of strands of tiny beads. The Paradise Plaza branch has sexy resort wear and halter dresses from Gecko Batik and other designers, but the best experience on the whole is at the main branch, where the owners' warm friendliness is contagious.

14. Etnica Boutique

This shop has a well-edited collection of cotton and linen dresses, shawls, purses, hats, sandals, and jewelry. A few items from Indonesia are...Read More

This shop has a well-edited collection of cotton and linen dresses, shawls, purses, hats, sandals, and jewelry. A few items from Indonesia are mixed in with things from different regions of Mexico and Central America.

15. Galeria Cerroblanco

This contemporary gallery features fine pieces of jewelry, clothing, painting, and sculpture. Every artwork is from a renowned artist, such...Read More

This contemporary gallery features fine pieces of jewelry, clothing, painting, and sculpture. Every artwork is from a renowned artist, such as Italian Alessandro Alpiani or Mexican Rodrigo Lara.

16. Galería de Ollas

The 300 or so potters from the village of Juan Mata Ortiz add their touches to the intensely—sometimes hypnotically—geometric designs of their...Read More

The 300 or so potters from the village of Juan Mata Ortiz add their touches to the intensely—sometimes hypnotically—geometric designs of their ancestors from Paquimé. At this shop pieces range from about $60 to $10,000, with an average of about $400. Stop in during artWalk, or have a look at its great website.

17. Galería Em

This shop sells art glass, stained glass, and glass sculpture and also has a small selection of eccentric jewelry made by local artists. The...Read More

This shop sells art glass, stained glass, and glass sculpture and also has a small selection of eccentric jewelry made by local artists. The shop offers fully insured international shipping, too.

18. Galería Indígena

The assortment of handicrafts here is huge: Huichol yarn paintings and beaded bowls and statuettes, real Talavera ceramics from Puebla, decorative...Read More

The assortment of handicrafts here is huge: Huichol yarn paintings and beaded bowls and statuettes, real Talavera ceramics from Puebla, decorative pieces in painted wood, and many other items. The owner likes offering customers a drink of water or other refreshment, no strings attached.

19. Galería Pacífico

Open since 1987, Pacífico features the sculpture of Ramiz Barquet, who created the bronze Nostalgia piece on the malecón. Brewster Brockmann...Read More

Open since 1987, Pacífico features the sculpture of Ramiz Barquet, who created the bronze Nostalgia piece on the malecón. Brewster Brockmann paints contemporary abstracts; Marco Alvarez, Alejandro Mondria, and Alfredo Langarica are other featured artists. During the summer months the gallery can be visited only by appointment.

20. Galerías Vallarta

This is the main shopping mall in the whole Puerto Vallarta–Riviera Nayarit area, offering 73,000 square feet of shopping distributed on two...Read More

This is the main shopping mall in the whole Puerto Vallarta–Riviera Nayarit area, offering 73,000 square feet of shopping distributed on two floors and a magnificent view of the arriving cruise ships. This mall and the surrounding shops are mainly visited by cruise-ship passengers and Mexican out-of-towners looking for everything from sporting goods to clothing to housewares. Galerías Vallarta has two escalators; restaurants; parking; a 12-theater cinema; and a fast-food court with the ubiquitous McDonald's, Dominos Pizza, Chili's, and Starbucks (it also has the most slippery polished-stone flooring known to man).