Visiting Puerto Vallarta - Part 39

Things to do in the Puerto Vallarta area:- FREE Walking Tours.

FREE CITY TOUR OF PUERTO VALLARTA

These tours happen on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 9 a. m. and noon and on Saturdays at 9 a. m. No reservations are needed you just turn up at the right place and time.

The meeting point is in Central Downtown at the Municipal Tourism Office in the Old City Hall building, across the street from the north side of the Main Square and a half block west of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church. The tourism office is located at the south east corner of the building.

This is a 2 hour walking tour and is sponsored by the Municipal Tourism Office; all tours are led by a certified guide. The tour is very interesting and informative and takes you on a brisk stroll through the streets of Puerto Vallarta’s historic downtown. The tour is a must do for anyone who wants to learn some great insider facts about this historic city. A few of the topics covered by the tour include Puerto Vallarta’s architecture, culture, history and famous people. Just be sure to wear comfortable shoes and do not forget your camera.

FREE MALECON SCULPTURE WALKING TOUR

Gary Thompson, the owner of Galeria Pacifico, conducts a free Malecon Sculpture Walking Tour in downtown Puerto Vallarta every Tuesday morning from mid-November until mid-April. The tour begins promptly at 9:30 a. m. at the north end of the Malecon in front of the Millennium sculpture which is next to the Hotel Rosita. The 2-hour tour usually commences with artist Mathis Lidice describing and discussing his inspiration for the massive landmark sculpture Millennium. After about 15 minutes the art walk continues on to the next sculpture. You normally find interesting discussion taking place in front of each bronze statue. You learn about each artist and what moved them to create each masterpiece. Also how they financed their work and background details which include scandals, gossip, love affairs, and political intrigue. During the tour Gary always welcome questions and at least five minutes is dedicated to each subject. After visiting about 15 statues, the tour ends at Galeria Pacifico. Quite often sculptor Jim Demetro will be on hand to enter an interesting talk about the process for creating bronze sculptures as well as to discuss his own sculptures: Woman Washing Clothes, and Dancers of Vallarta.

No reservations are needed, you simply show up at the Millennia Sculpture on the Malecon on any participating Tuesday at 9:30 a. m. Although the tour is free, it is highly recommended that participants bring money to tip the sand sculpture artists as well as the Papantla Flyers. This tour is not recommended for young children as they will get bored quite quickly. It is an easy level walk but you should have the ability to walk long distances.

Continued in part 40.