Puerto Vallarta is a gorgeous, art-driven city with a beautiful Malecon (boardwalk) filled with an impressive collection of bronze sculptures for every visitor to enjoy as they stroll along and take in the sights of the Pacific Ocean and Banderas Bay.
Puerto Vallarta Walking Tour of the Malecon
Fortunately for art aficionados and tourists alike, Gary Thompson, who owns Galeria Pacifico, offers a wonderful free Malecon Sculpture Walking Tour to learn more about the sculptures every Tuesday morning from mid-November through mid-April in the heart of downtown Puerto Vallarta. No reservations are needed for this stimulating Puerto Vallarta walking tour, where participants gather promptly at 9:30am on the north end of the Malecon right beside the Millennium sculpture (located next to the Hotel Rosita near MacDonalds and Diamonds International).
What to Expect
Artist Mathis Lidice typically kicks off the 2-hour malecon walking tour, speaking to the group of art lovers as he recalls his inspiration while he designed and executed the gigantic Millennium landmark sculpture. The walking tour continues onto the following sculpture after roughly 15 minutes of chatting, questions and time for photographs.
Each bronze sculpture inspires an intriguing conversation, when fascinating details about each artist will be revealed, such as their background in the arts, the creativity and innovation behind their masterpieces, how they attained funding for their sculpture, as well as aspects of their personal lives, including juicy gossip, love affairs, political leanings and scandals.
Questions are always encouraged throughout the malecon walking tour and at least 5 minutes of discussion is devoted to each work of art. The popular Puerto Vallarta tour usually visits around 15 statues and concludes at Galeria Pacifico, where sculptor Jim Demetro frequently makes himself available to speak with guests of the walking tour and further explain the process used to create bronze sculptures. He also enjoys engaging in dialogue about his personal sculptures, titled Dancers of Vallarta and Woman Washing Clothes, respectively.
Tips for enjoying the malecon walking tour in Puerto Vallarta
To ensure you will enjoy this tour to its full potential, here are a few details to consider before participating:
- While the tour is free, it is greatly suggested that anyone taking part in the tour bring along cash to tip the Papantla Flyers and sand sculpture artists that will be encountered along the Malecon.
- Anyone able to walk long distances should find this tour an easy walk.
- While young children should always be encouraged to appreciate art and while they may enjoy taking a glance at these sculptures in passing, this tour isn’t recommended for children as they may become bored or distracted which could be disruptive to the rest of the group.
The next time you are in the mood to entrench yourself in culture as you are enlightened with some behind-the-scenes information on public works of art, join the free Malecon Sculpture Walking Tour in Puerto Vallarta.
