San Sebastián del Oeste From Puerto Vallarta: Which of the Two Day Tours, and What Fills the Day
6 min read
For most people the answer is the San Sebastián del Oeste tour with lunch: €70.38 per person, 4.4 stars from 61 reviews, seven hours with hotel pickup, an organic tequila distillery, a coffee factory and a walk through the town. If you want a shorter day with more history from the guide, take the Guided San Sebastián Tour at €74.48, 4.5 stars from 38 reviews.
See dates and prices for the San Sebastián del Oeste tour with lunch
The town, and why it takes a day
San Sebastián del Oeste is a former silver-mining town in the Sierra Madre, at about 1,480 metres above sea level according to Wikipedia. It is a designated Pueblo Mágico. Published figures put it at roughly 68 kilometres from Puerto Vallarta and about an hour and a half by road, which is why both tours are most of a day and why neither is a quick excursion.
The altitude is the practical point: the town is higher and cooler than the coast. One of the booking pages recommends a lightweight jacket in winter, together with sunglasses, a hat, insect repellent, comfortable shoes and cash for souvenirs and tips.
The two compared
| Tour | Duration | From | Rating | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Sebastián del Oeste with Lunch | 7 hours | €70.38 | 4.4 from 61 reviews | The full day: bakery, distillery, coffee, town and lunch |
| Guided San Sebastián Tour | 6 hours | €74.48 | 4.5 from 38 reviews | A guided walk through the town’s history |
The seven-hour tour
Run by Puerto Vallarta Discovery, with an air-conditioned van and hotel pickup and drop-off. The booking page describes the order of the day: a stop at a local bakery with a view over the hills, an organic tequila factory where you see the process from agave to distillation, with a tasting, and a coffee factory that the page calls the oldest in the area. In the town you walk to the church, the main square, the town hall, the museum and a workshop where artisans work in silver, and lunch is at a family restaurant. The tour includes lunch, a bottle of water and a bilingual guide. The page lists wheelchair users as not suitable.
It is the cheaper of the two and has more reviews.
The six-hour tour
Run by Riviera Tours and Transfers, and described as a guided historical tour of the town: the municipal centre, the town jail, a small museum and an art gallery, then a tequila gallery where you sample local tequilas with your guide. It also includes a distillery visit, an organic coffee factory visit, lunch at a traditional Mexican restaurant with soft drinks, time to wander, and round-trip transport. The price is €77.32.
One caution from the reviews: after praising the guide and the Mexican meal, one reviewer notes that some reviewers have called it a selling tour, and says the offered tour of just the town would probably have been the better choice. That is one person’s account, and the operator is the one to ask what is on offer for your date.
Check availability for the Guided San Sebastián Tour
Who should skip this
If you get carsick on mountain roads, the roughly 68 kilometres to the town are the whole problem, and no tour avoids them. If tasting is what you came for, the tequila guide compares tasting in Puerto Vallarta with the trip to the town of Tequila. And if your time is short, the day trips from Puerto Vallarta category lists the alternatives on the coast, including Sayulita and San Pancho.
Our recommendation
Book the San Sebastián del Oeste tour with lunch at €70.38 if you want the standard day: it costs less than the other, has more reviews, and includes the town walk and lunch. Choose the guided six-hour tour at €77.32 if the town’s history is what interests you and you would rather have an hour less in the van. Whichever you book, bring cash and a layer for the altitude.
