Planning a Trip

Getting There & Departing

Regional buses from Manzanillo frequently run up the coast along Hwy. 200 on their way to Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara. Most stop in the central villages of Barra de Navidad and Melaque. First-class ETN buses (www.etn.com.mx) make the 4-hour ride to and from Guadalajara for $35 each way. From the Manzanillo airport, it's only around 30 minutes to Barra, and taxis are available. The fare from Manzanillo to Barra is around $45; from Barra to Manzanillo, $35. From Manzanillo, the highway twists through some of the Pacific Coast's most beautiful mountains. Puerto Vallarta is 3 hours by car and 5 hours by bus, north on Hwy. 200 from Barra. To arrange a car rental, Crazy Cactus (tel. 315/355-6091), located at 21 de Noviembre #60, offers car rentals from November through April.

Visitor Information

The tourism office for both villages is at Jalisco 67 (between Veracruz and Mazatlán), Barra (tel./fax 315/355-5100; www.barradenavidad.com); it's open Monday through Friday from 9am to 5pm.

Orientation

In Barra, hotels and restaurants line the main beachside street, Legazpi. From the bus station, beachside hotels are 2 blocks straight ahead, across the central plaza. Two blocks behind the bus station and to the right is the lagoon side. More hotels and restaurants are on its main street, Morelos/Veracruz. Few streets are marked, but 10 minutes of wandering will acquaint you with the village's entire layout. There's a taxi stand at the intersection of Legazpi and Sinaloa streets. Legazpi, Jalisco, Sinaloa, and Veracruz streets border Barra's central plaza.