40 Best Places to Shop in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

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

The 300 or so potters from the village of 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 an afternoon walk through downtown.

The beauty of its glistening glass-bead Czech jewelry in iridescent and earth colors may leave you weak at the knees. Sometimes a Huichol artisan at the front of the store works on traditional yarn paintings, pressing the fine filaments into a base of beeswax and pine resin to create colorful and symbolic pictures. Sales support the owner's nonprofit organization to promote cultural sustainability for the Huichol people.

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. 

This is arguably the best farmers' market in the whole Puerto Vallarta/Riviera Nayarit region. It offers a balanced combination of good quality Mexican handicrafts and jewelry, as well as clothes, lamps, hammocks, cigars, organic products, and lots of delicious food. Everything is in a delightful environment with stunning views of the Marina Riviera Nayarit and Banderas Bay, and there's live music. It makes for a great way to spend a Sunday morning.

This boutique has its own extensive line of bikinis, cover-ups, yoga pants, and some items for children (including sunglasses, bathing suits, flip-flops). There's a small line of jewelry, and Brazilian flip-flops for adults in a rainbow of colors.

Internationally known Sergio Bustamante—the creator of life-size brass, copper, and ceramic animals, mermaids, suns, and moons—has a team of artisans to execute his never-ending pantheon of creative and quirky objets d'art, such as pots shaped like human torsos (which sell for more than $1,000). Paintings, purses, shoes, and jewelry are sold here as well.

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. During holidays, out come the molded Santas or Day of the Dead skulls, some packaged as pretty gifts.

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.

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.

Ancestral sells local handicrafts and Mexican products of Nahuatl (ancient Aztec) origin. You can even buy beautifully hand-painted bull skulls. From time to time, they also offer workshops and embroidery, painting, and Nahuatl-language classes.

With more than 17 years in Sayulita, Annie Banannie has become one of the most beloved residents in town. She's the shop owner, manager, and jewelry artist, working strictly in silver (no gold) and semiprecious exotic stones from all over the world. You will find great pieces with emeralds, sapphires, and rubies, and many other stones.

Since 2005, El Gato Gordo has been providing locals and visitors alike with the finest selection of Habanos and Cuban cigars in town. Be ready to spend, as these top-quality cigars sell at over $300 individually and up to $16,000 by the box.

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. 

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.

This is the main shopping mall in the whole Puerto Vallarta–Riviera Nayarit area, offering 73,000 square feet of shopping 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 and housewares. Galerías Vallarta has restaurants, parking, a 12-theater cinema, and a fast-food court with the ubiquitous McDonald's, Domino's Pizza, Chili's, and Starbucks.

The gift items here include small housewares and tin frames sporting Botero-style paintings. The classy selection of Talavera pottery is both decorative and utilitarian. An extension half a block down the street has an even larger inventory including leather settees, lamps, desks, and other furnishings as well as pieces from various parts of Mexico. Neither shop is for bargain hunters, but prices are reasonable given the high quality.

The Cuban cigars for sale here start at around 85 MXN ($4) each and top out at about 4,000 MXN ($200) for a Cohiba Siglo VI (by order only; they don't keep these in stock). You can smoke your stogie downstairs in the casual lounge while sipping coffee or enjoying a shot of Cuban rum.

The inventory of folk art and utilitarian handicrafts is large, and each piece is unique. Scoop up masks and pottery from Michoacán, textiles and shawls from Guatemala, hammocks from the Yucatán, and lacquered boxes from Olinalá.

The largest, newest, and most modern shopping mall in Puerto Vallarta, La Isla features top-shelf boutiques, gourmet restaurants, and VIP cinema theaters. Its only con is that it's outdoors, which makes it hard to walk around in the heat of the summer or during rainy days.

Small shops and outdoor stands sell an interesting mix of wares at this informal and fun market that divides El Centro from Colonia Emiliano Zapata. Harley-Davidson kerchiefs, Che paintings on velvet, and Madonna icons compete with the usual synthetic lace tablecloths, shell and quartz necklaces, and silver jewelry amid postcards and key chains. The market is partially shaded by enormous fig and rubber trees and serenaded by the rushing river; a half-dozen cafés and restaurants provide sustenance.

A good place to shop for local products and produce is the Mercado Municipal.

Buy machine- or handmade tiles starting at about 20 MXN ($1) each at this large shop. You can get mosaic tile scenes (or order your own design), a place setting for eight, hand-painted sinks, or any number of soap dishes, cups, saucers, plates, or doodads. Around the corner and run by family members, Mundo de Cristal has more plates and tableware in the same style.

Come for the glassware from Jalisco and Guanajuato states, in sets or individual pieces. Also available are Talavera place settings and platters, pitchers, and decorative pieces. Look in the back of the store for high-quality ceramics with realistic portrayals of fruits and flowers. You can have your purchase packed and shipped.

Relatives of the owners of Mundo de Cristal and Mundo de Azulejos own this shop. Attractive, lead-free items in modern and traditional designs are sold here at reasonable prices. The practical, tarnish-free pieces can go from stovetop or oven to the dining table and be no worse for wear.

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

The most comprehensive plaza in the Nuevo Vallarta Hotel Zone has a food court, grocery store, several coffee and juice shops, an Internet café, a Starbucks, clothing and handicraft boutiques, and a bank. You will also find Riviera Nayarit's Conventions and Visitors Bureau on the second floor.

This shopping mall is lively and full on weekends and evenings, even when others are dead. Its anchors are the Soriana supermarket and the second-floor casino. Surrounding these are tiny stores dispensing electronics, ice cream, fresh flowers, and more. This is also a good place for manicures and haircuts. Adding to the commercial center's appeal is the six-screen Cinemex movie theater.

Nuevo Vallarta was in dire need of a proper, non-tourist-oriented shopping center, and that's exactly what Lago Real is—an unpretentious mall featuring a wide array of shops and services including Walmart, Cinépolis, Telcel, a food court, and several banks.