How To Get To Riviera Nayarit
Getting to Nayarit Mexico is a breeze whether you are venturing via the highway system or travelling to one of the two airports in Riviera Nayarit that service the region.
Visit our Maps & Brochures page to download driving maps and travel guide information about Riviera Nayarit, Mexico. Below, you’ll also find an extensive list of the current airlines and flights available from dozens of different major cities across Canada, the United States, and Mexico. “Getting to Nayarit” is now easier than ever!
Getting to Nayarit By Land
The Pacific Motorway is the main access highway into the state of Riviera Nayarit. This roadway also connects Tepic, the capital of Riviera Nayarit, with other important cities in Mexico such as Guadalajara and Mazatlán.
From north to south, Mexico is crossed by Federal Highway 15, which goes from Nogales to Mexico City (2165-km/1345-miles).
On the southern coast, Federal Highway 200 extends from Tepic down to the Guatemala border passing through all the main destinations and municipalities of Banderas Bay and Compostela, including Puerto Vallarta.
In the north, Highway 54 reaches San Blas, and Highway 15 connects with Santiago Ixcuintla.
Among the numerous projects underway to generate growth along this tourist corridor in Riviera Nayarit is the establishment of an ambitious highway network, with an estimated investment of more than 7.8 billion pesos (nearly 400 million USD)
The roadways will be divided into four expressways: Tepic- San Blas, Tepic-Compostela, Compostela-Las Varas, and Las Varas-Bucerías.
The Tepic-San Blas Highway reduces the driving distance between Tepic, the capital of Nayarit, and the Historic Port of San Blas down to only 20 minutes. Together with the new dock in San Blas, this coastal town will surely see a spike in domestic visitors.
Added to these routes will be the Jala-Puerto Vallarta freeway, which will spur even greater commercial and tourism growth, as well as the Tepic-Aguascalientes and Tepic- Zacatecas highways, linking the wonders of the Riviera Nayarit with the center of the country.
The first stretch of the Jala-Bahía de Banderas Highway, from Jala to Compostela, was recently completed. The second and third sections are underway. This new 105-mile highway will reduce the drive time from Guadalajara to Riviera Nayarit’s beaches from five hours to approximately two hours.
Below is a distance listing between major tourist towns in Nayarit, along the Pacific Coast of Mexico:
Getting to Nayarit By Air
Flying to the Riviera Nayarit is now easier and more convenient for both national and international travelers.
There are two major airports in Riviera Nayarit: Tepic International Airport and the Puerto Vallarta International Airport. Both await you with exceptional customer service and all the amenities required to ensure your arrivals and departures will always be pleasant experiences.
For information on Taxis, care rentals, and how to get from your airport to your hotel destination see our Getting Around Nayarit page.
Tepic-Riviera Nayarit Airport (TPQ)
The Tepic International Airport (TPQ) is located just 1 hour east of the resort coastal area of San Blas in Riviera Nayarit, Mexico’s Pacific Coast’s oldest sea port. Below is a list of the regularly scheduled airlines with service to Tepic as well as the cities they fly from.
Airlines that fly to Tepic International Airport (TPQ):
- Aeromexico Airlines from Mexico City
- Volaris Airlines from Tijuana City
Puerto Vallarta International Airport (PVR)
Puerto Vallarta International Airport (PVR) offers easy access to Riviera Nayarit and is located
- Just 10 – 15 minutes from Riviera Nayarit’s southern-most resort areas of Nuevo Nayarit/Flamingos
- Just 30 minutes from the resorts of Punta Mita, and Litibu
- And approximately 1 hour from the area of Rincon de Guayabitos
With both National and International arrivals, Puerto Vallarta airport is a modern facility that offers much for the international traveler. The Puerto Vallarta terminal provides several snack bars and drink counters, rental car agents, banks for currency exchange, Duty-Free shops, and Nayarit tour information booths.
The airport parking lot offers short and long-term parking. Taxi service to and from the various hotels and resorts in the area is available at the front door and charter buses are provided for groups of travelers through their respective travel agencies. Charter buses are located at the side doors. The Puerto Vallarta airport also handles private jets, as well as general aviation.
Airlines that fly to Puerto Vallarta International Airport (PVR):
- Aerocalafia from Mazatlán and Los Cabos
- Aeromexico from Guadalajara, Monterrey, New York and Mexico City
- Air Canada from Calgary, Toronto and Vancouver
- Air Transat from Montreal, Edmonton, Vancouver, Toronto, Winnipeg, Calgary, Regina, Saskatoon, Ottawa and Victoria
- Alaska Airlines from San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Portland and Chicago
- American Airlines (US AIRWAYS) from Dallas Ft Worth, Phoenix and Chicago
- Canjet from Toronto
- Delta Airlines from Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, New York, Atlanta, Detroit, Seattle and Minneapolis
- Frontier Airlines from Denver and Chicago
- Interjet from Mexico City, Toluca, Guadalajara, Monterrey and Bajío
- Magnicharters from Mexico City
- Sun Country from Minneapolis and Dallas
- Sunwing from Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, Vancouver, Saskatoon, Winnipeg and Ottawa
- Southwest from Santa Ana, Houston & Denver
- TAR Mexico from Leon, Aguascalientes, Guadalajara, Monterrey, Morelia and Queretaro
- Tui Thomson Airways from Manchester and Gatwick
- United Airlines from Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Newark and Salt Lake City
- Volaris from Mexico City, Tijuana, Monterrey, Guanajuato and Phoenix
- Viva Aerobus from Mexico City and Monterrey.
- West Jet from Calgary, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Vancouver, Toronto, Abbotsford, Kelowna, Prince George, Victoria, Regina, Edmonton and Comox
*Gateways my vary depending on seasonality.
