This comparison is challenging, as Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta compete with Cancun for Best Mexican Tourist Destination. Each has different qualities, and it may all depend on what kind of person you are and what you are looking for. Let’s remember that when we say Cabo, we are talking of Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo and that when we say Puerto Vallarta, it includes the fascinating Riviera Nayarit.

So, let’s start with Cabo San Lucas. Cabo’s main assets is that it’s closer to the States, so flights are cheaper, and many visitors even drive down the Baja peninsula. In addition, Cabo is in the middle of the desert, which creates an exciting contrast with the sea and the great golf courses’ greenery.

Finally, Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo are small towns where you can get along by foot, and they are connected by a long stretch of beach called the “Tourist Corridor,” where most resorts are located. All in all, Cabo is a tourist destination built with the American tourist in mind.

Puerto Vallarta is a bit different and a little more diverse. First, instead of desert weather, you have tropical one. Wherever you look in Puerto Vallarta is green and colorful, there are flowers all over the place, and they are pushing hard to become the World Capital of Buganvilia. That will tell you a lot about the character of Puerto Vallarta. In contrast with Cabo, Puerto Vallarta is not a town built explicitly for tourism; it was first a fishing village, and just when John Huston, Liz Taylor, Rock Hudson, and Ava Gardner filmed here “The Night of the Iguana” is that it became an international hot spot. So, it keeps the charm of a genuine Mexican village, downtown Puerto Vallarta is excellent, and Cabo has nothing to compete with.

Puerto Vallarta is a bit different and a little more diverse. First, instead of desert weather, you have tropical one. Wherever you look in Puerto Vallarta is green and colorful, there are flowers all over the place, and they are pushing hard to become the World Capital of Buganvilia. That will tell you a lot about the character of Puerto Vallarta. In contrast with Cabo, Puerto Vallarta is not a town built explicitly for tourism; it was first a fishing village, and just when John Huston, Liz Taylor, Rock Hudson, and Ava Gardner filmed here “The Night of the Iguana” is that it became an international hot spot. So, it keeps the charm of a genuine Mexican village, downtown Puerto Vallarta is excellent, and Cabo has nothing to compete with.