Gringo Gulch: Puerto Vallarta Travel Guide (4.5★)

Stairs, not streets

Gringo Gulch is a neighbourhood you climb. From the back of the Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Calle Zaragoza stops behaving like a road and turns into flights of steps. Whitewashed walls, bougainvillea and wrought-iron gates line both sides.

The area takes its name from the foreigners who settled this slope from the mid-twentieth century. Most famous among them was Elizabeth Taylor. It is still upscale and still residential. That is the appeal: you are walking through people’s front yards with the bay showing between the rooftops.

Taylor, Burton and the bridge

The story most visitors come for begins in 1963. Richard Burton was filming The Night of the Iguana down the coast at Mismaloya, and Elizabeth Taylor came with him. Burton bought Casa Kimberley on this hill. The couple later linked it to the house across Calle Zaragoza with an arched footbridge over the lane.

That bridge is the photo everyone wants. Casa Kimberley has since operated as a boutique hotel, so treat it as a working property rather than a museum. Shoot the bridge from the public street below and leave the gates alone unless you are a guest or have arranged a visit.

The film itself put Puerto Vallarta on the international map. A quiet hillside of foreign-owned villas grew up partly on the back of that publicity.

Walking the gulch

There is no fixed route, and no ticket booth, entrance or closing time. The area is open around the clock because it is simply a neighbourhood. A loop that covers the essentials:

• Start behind the cathedral on Calle Hidalgo and take the Zaragoza steps uphill.
• Pass under the Casa Kimberley bridge and keep climbing for views over the cathedral’s crown toward Banderas Bay.
• Wander the side lanes on the crest. They are narrow, cobbled and often dead-end in a staircase.
• Descend toward the Río Cuale and drop onto Isla Río Cuale, the shaded river island with its market stalls and footbridges.

At an unhurried pace this takes 45 minutes to an hour and a half. Add time if you stop for photos at every gap in the walls, which you will.

Getting there from the Malecón

You arrive on foot. From the Malecón, walk inland on any cross street to the Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Its open-work crown makes it easy to spot from almost anywhere downtown. Go round to the back of the church, and Zaragoza’s stairs start there.

Coming from the Zona Romántica south of the river, cross one of the bridges over the Río Cuale. Isla Río Cuale also works as a gentle approach, saving the steepest pitch for the descent. Taxis can drop you at the cathedral, but cars go no further than the bottom of the steps.

Manners on a residential hill

Gringo Gulch has stayed fairly quiet next to the Malecón crowds, and you keep it that way by remembering people live here. A few habits make the walk easier for you and for them:

• Keep your voice down. Sound carries between the walls, and the houses sit right on the stairs.
• Photograph the lane, not the living room. Open doors and terraces belong to someone. Ask before you take a picture of a person or their home.
• Give way on the stairs. Residents carry groceries and gardeners haul tools up these steps. Step aside on landings rather than mid-flight.
• Do not knock on gates hoping to see inside a famous house. Unless a property advertises itself as a hotel or tour stop, it is private.
• Start early. The climb faces the sun and the stone holds heat, so the first hours after dawn are the most comfortable. Arriving early also tends to put you ahead of the walking tours that pass through later.

Spanish speakers usually call it simply Gringo Gulch, or “la Zona de los Gringos” in casual talk. A “buenos días” to anyone you pass on the steps goes a long way.

Pairing it with downtown

The gulch sits close to the rest of old Puerto Vallarta, so it fits easily into half a day.

Visit the Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe before or after the climb. Then walk the Malecón, the seafront promenade with its bronze sculptures, a few blocks downhill. Isla Río Cuale is good for shade and souvenir browsing. South of the river, the Zona Romántica has the densest cluster of cafés and restaurants for a post-climb meal.

Bring water and shoes with real grip. Some steps are worn smooth, and a few have no railing.