In Puerto Vallarta, is "Old City" the same as "Old Town"?

Question

If so, which is correct? Or have they always been used interchangeably?

Answer 1

Hi dulladress

Both is wrong. Originally the center zone of Puerto Vallarta is called "Colonia Centro". Sometimes also it is called "Downtown", at least some buses say "Downtown". this is the unique english term whiched offically is used sometimes.

The "Old City" or "Old Town" just refers to the area which was populated before 1950.

This area is devided in two parts, in the part north to the Rio Cuale river which usually is called within the english speaking population "Down Town" and the part south to the river called "Zona Romantica" or "Romantic Zone."

5 blocks east to the Malecon in the "Down Town" area begins the "Gringo Gulch", the area where also Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor had their houses.

You can have a look to http://www.puertovallarta.de
in the maps area, there are two maps and a satellite map of the "Old Town City Centro Downtown Romantic Zone".

Answer 2

They're used interchangeably. Might even be called downtown on some maps. It's the area behind the malecon where the church is.