Mexico: Puerto Vallarta and... Mexico City?

We spent 6 nights in Mexico City in March of 2019, and added two nights in Puebla. There is a lot to do there--even with 5 full days we didn't see everything we wanted to. I would spend 4 nights to get a good sense of the city, with some time in the Centro Historico and some time at Chapultapec Park, including the anthropology museum. The Xochimilco boat tours are also fun. Lively on weekends, quiet on weekdays (at least when we were there). If you want to see the Frida Kahlo museum, look into whether you need to book in advance. It was sold out the day we tried to go there. The Teotihuacan site is an easy day trip, but would take a full day. We stayed in an airbnb in the Condesa neighborhood, and felt very safe. In the evenings there were families and couples walking around. There are also convenient hotels in the historic center. Others on the forum will probably chime in.

I haven't been to Puerto Vallarta, but I think 9-10 days near the beach would be enough for me, and Mexico City would be a great contrast. If you don't go this time, you can keep it in mind for another trip. Do you have to fly via Mexico City anyway, or is PV a direct flight for you?

Have a great time, whatever you decide.

I have been to both places, but on different trips. I would not want 2 weeks in PV, but that's personal. I prefer the more expensive Caribbean in January.

Your plan sounds like people who want to visit Paris, London, Normandy, and Munich on the same trip. The return to PV is a deal-Breaker. Surely you know what going to the airport is like these days! And you know Mexico has crime problems.

Edit: If your hotel has a private beach club, I certainly recommend PV. (I hate endless T-shirt and other sales propositions.) But you generally can't swim safely in the waves and currents. We walked to the beach, which was not recommended, but the hotel ran a shuttle.

Well, flights between the two are frequent, short, and relatively cheap, so why not go for it?
Mexico City is certainly worthwhile - it's one of the world's great capitals with some truly world class museums and attractions ... including possible day trips outside the city to the pyramids of Teotihuacan and one a bit further afield to the Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary in the neighboring state of Michoacan - my wife's personal favorite.
As with any other large international city there are sections best avoided, but the tourist areas are quite safe and a little advance research will help you sort things out.
The area in the immediate vicinity of the Zocalo is dotted with some very nice places to stay, and is central for exploring most of the local attractions on foot.
We've never stayed in PV itself but rather in the village of La Cruz de Huanacaxtle about a half hour by car up the coast. Depending on your particular preferences it'd be worth renting a car to explore the pretty beaches north of PV all the way to Chacala - a personal favorite. The village of Sayulita is a popular surfing haven, though on our last trip it was being loved to death by day trippers clogging up the town center. Worth a look though.

Two weeks in Puerto Vallarta is far too long for me, unless your plan is to relax on the beach most of the time, or fish. It is a nice place to visit, but I think you might get bored after day 5. Visit Mexico City!

Been to PV, it is good, but only for a couple of days. If you can swing inexpensive transport to Mexico City, do it.
Much to see. Don't miss the Ballet Folkloro. Also, the pyramids of Teotihuacan are wonderful as well as the Museum of Archeology.

Hola,
I submitted this "book report" about two years ago ("A Week in Mexico City")
Maybe it still has value (assuming it ever did)....
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/a-week-in-mexico-city

Thanks to everyone for their input! @blue439, what a great Mexico City trip recap. Also helpful to see your review of Aeromexico, as we'd be flying that airline between the two cities (and I have AMEX points to cover the cost!).

All very helpful advice for both PV and Mexico City. I'm going to look further into adding this side trip to our vacation. I know Mexico City likely warrants its own trip, but this would give us a taste!

Our first two trips to Mexico were to Puerto Vallarta and we did some great day tours (Yelapa, Las Caletas, and snorkeling at Isla Marietas). I could easily go back for two weeks at a time. But, if you want to see Mexico City, it seems like a perfect opportunity to do just that.

I love Puerto Vallarta, lucky enough to have visited multiple times over past 20 years. Most recently in Jan 2023 and Jan 2024. We stay for 2 weeks: food tours, whale watching, sailing, las Marietas islands, fishing, San Sebastian del oeste, sunsets over the bay, sunrise over the mountains, sayulita, zip lining, rhythm of the nights, las caletas, yelapa, botanical gardens, hikes to private beaches, kayaking, golfing. Long 7 mile walks on the beach from Bucerias to Nuevo Vallarta. Lots to do to fill 2 weeks.

In 2023 we did a 2 night stop over in Mexico City on our way from Boston to PVR just to go to the shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe. We stayed in Zocalo area. Taxi to/from airport without issues. ( Book at manned kiosk in airport- check each for price).Booked a private local tour guide to take us to the shrine. She was great: took us via Uber, We went to family restaurant in a different area. Our only issue was the marked Mexico City taxi outside the shrine wanted to take us on a tour of the pyramids instead of to the restaurant. Once he heard I spoke Spanish also and some back and forth with the tour guide he relented and took us to the restaurant.

Great Thanksgiving sales on day tours. We like Vallarta adventures and Vallarta eats.

Happy planning!

@aguadeazul thank you for your perspective on Puerto Vallarta. We've never done multiple weeks at a beach location in Mexico, but we've done extended periods in Hawaii (Maui) and never get bored. I'd assume if one were to base themselves in one spot (say, Zona Romantica) in PV and not veer from it much, the experience might start to feel routine. That's not our travel style, though -- we'll often base ourselves in one location, and go off on day trips to see more. All the day trips you mention are ones we've been thinking about. I definitely want to do Yelapa as well as San Pancho (not as interested in Sayulita). Given our experience on Maui, we're also super excited for whale sighting potential. I did recently discover the small towns in the mountains a couple hours from PV -- San Sebastian del Oeste as you mention, also Mascota, Talpa de Allende, etc. If we weren't to do the Mexico City side trip, I think we'd go up into the mountains for a few nights for a change of pace. We love being able to get a "real" feel for countries and all their variance, and I wonder if those small towns might actually offer more contrast than PV/Mexico City together. All great options to consider, though!