Bucerias
Discover Bucerias
Bucerías (Divers town) is a popular beach town in Nayarit, on the Pacific Coast of Mexico. Bucerias is on the coast of Bahia de Banderas, about 18 km (11 mi) northwest of the Puerto Vallarta airport. It features cobblestone streets, a main square, a wide array of restaurants, and a white sand beach that stretches uninterrupted for more than 29 km (18 mi). Once a quaint fishing village where divers collected shells and pearls, Bucerías has become a tourist town of 16,000 people (2020), which doubles during the winter high season. The wave of all-inclusive hotels that starts in Nuevo Nayarit becomes more subdued here, as buildings become smaller and the units are mostly in condominium, rather than hotel style.
What to Experience in Bucerias
Taste of Bucerias...
If you're looking for traditional Mexican cuisine, this is not an easy place to find it. The restaurant menus are calibrated to feel familiar to elderly Canadians and Americans from frigid plains states, and to not exceed any of their spice tolerances. That said, the seafood is fresh off the boat and does not need much else to stand out. There's also quite a bit of upscale international cuisine. If you cross the highway into the residential part of town, you can eat somewhere with less tourists and more locals around. There are traditional eateries along the streets Estaciones and Ignacio Zaragoza: On the other side of the arroyo, closer to the plaza, there are many beach front dining options. There are higher-end restaurants in La Zona Dorada. All of the beachside restaurants have full bars. Beer and sodas to go can be purchased at Oxxo or any small snack bar. Coastal Nayarit is littered with small beach communities with casual vibes, cold beer, and great sunsets. Drive or take a bus up and down the coast to experience one or a dozen of the different beach flavors. You can enter and leave the regional buses where you like along the route, there are no actual bus stops.
Festivals & Events
Experience the vibrant festivals and cultural celebrations of Bucerias.
Cash is still king in Bucerias. Even among businesses near the touristy beachfront, some do not take cards at all, and some give favorable cash rates. There are ATMs throughout the village. There are several banks along MX-200 Highway in tourism center. Major banks include: If you're looking for traditional Mexican cuisine, this is not an easy place to find it. The restaurant menus are calibrated to feel familiar to elderly Canadians and Americans from frigid plains states, and to not exceed any of their spice tolerances. That said, the seafood is fresh off the boat and does not need much else to stand out. There's also quite a bit of upscale international cuisine. If you cross the highway into the residential part of town, you can eat somewhere with less tourists and more locals around. There are traditional eateries along the streets Estaciones and Ignacio Zaragoza: On the other side of the arroyo, closer to the plaza, there are many beach front dining options.
Essential Information
Getting There
Multiple OptionsThe Carretera Pacifico (Fed Hwy 200) is the main road between Puerto Vallarta and Tepic; it links most coastal areas and crosses Bucerias. Gustavo Diaz Ordaz International Airport (PVR) in Puerto Vallarta is the closest commercial airport. Buses and taxis are available at the airport. Surrounding areas such as Puerto Vallarta, Nuevo Nayarit and Sayulita offer taxi service to Bucerias. Make sure you negotiate a price before you leave. From the airport, purchase a taxi voucher near the exit. Buses regularly run along Hwy 200. You can take any bus with "Bucerias" painted on the front window. Buses marked "La Cruz", "Punta Mita" or "Sayulita" will pass through Bucerias. From the airport, go to the highway, cross over the elevated walkway and take any bus or van with “Bucerias” on the window. The fare is M$22 (Jan 2026), drivers can make small change. From Puerto Vallarta, take a bus with Bucerias painted on it. The fare is M$22 (Jan 2026), drivers can make small change....
Getting Around & Staying
Getting Around
The tourism district is the two-block by twelve-block area between the beach and MEX-200. (The highway is also shown on maps and in street addresses as Blvd. Rivera Nayarit and as Av. Heroes de Nacozari.) The center of the village can be easily explored on foot. A meandering city street in an arroyo that acts as a drain for rainwater bisects the town into the eastern Zona Dorada with the beach lined mostly with hotels and condos and the western El Centro with mostly restaurants lining the beach. The two zones are joined across the arroyo by the 20.75541-105.338953 Puente del Beso (Kissing Bridge) foot bridge. Within Bucerias you can use the regional buses along the highway for M$10 (Nov 2021). They offer you change. Buses are so frequent that you don't need to take the microbuses. Instead wait up to one minute more and take the normal buses. Cash is still king in Bucerias.
Where to Stay
Coastal Nayarit is littered with small beach communities with casual vibes, cold beer, and great sunsets. Drive or take a bus up and down the coast to experience one or a dozen of the different beach flavors. You can enter and leave the regional buses where you like along the route, there are no actual bus stops.
Money & Budget
Cash is still king in Bucerias. Even among businesses near the touristy beachfront, some do not take cards at all, and some give favorable cash rates. There are ATMs throughout the village. There are several banks along MX-200 Highway in tourism center. Major banks include: If you're looking for traditional Mexican cuisine, this is not an easy place to find it. The restaurant menus are calibrated to feel familiar to elderly Canadians and Americans from frigid plains states, and to not exceed any of their spice tolerances. That said, the seafood is fresh off the boat and does not need much else to stand out. There's also quite a bit of upscale international cuisine. If you cross the highway into the residential part of town, you can eat somewhere with less tourists and more locals around.
Safety Information
Nearby Destinations
Glimpses of Bucerias
Beach at Bucerias
Walking under an archway of umbrellas
a group of people standing on top of a sandy beach
Colorful tapestries at a farmer's market in Bucerias
A stroll through Bucerias
Building in Bucerias
Al llegar a este destino turístico rápidamente fui a la playa, esta foto fue tomada un día antes de mi cumpleaños y yo estaba muy feliz. Upon arriving at this tourist destination I quickly went to the beach, this picture was taken before my birthday and I was very happy.
Family photo against a sunset on a beach in Mexico
Early bird on a Bucerías beach in Nayarit, Mexico
Water droplets on pink desert roses
Beach at Bucerias
Walking under an archway of umbrellas
a group of people standing on top of a sandy beach