Barra de Navidad is tiny and almost everything is walkable within ten to fifteen minutes. The town sits on a narrow sandbar with the beach on one side and the lagoon on the other, so it is essentially one long street — Avenida Veracruz — plus a few cross streets.
Pangas (small motorised boats) run from the malecón to Isla Navidad and the village of Colimilla on the far shore of the lagoon. The crossing takes five minutes and drivers charge a few pesos per person; agree a price before you get in. These boats also function as water taxis for the lagoon anchorage, ferrying sailors to and from their boats.
Taxis are available and can take you to San Patricio (Melaque), the larger neighbouring town about 4 km west, or further afield to Manzanillo. There is no local bus within Barra itself, but frequent second-class buses run along Highway 200 to Manzanillo, Guadalajara, and Puerto Vallarta from the bus stop on the main road.
Golf carts are popular among visitors for getting around the lagoon side and out to Isla Navidad, and can be rented locally.