Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico will always have a special place in my heart, having been born and raised there and still having a home there (click here for information on booking my house on Airbnb). Puerto Rico is one of the most naturally beautiful places you could ever visit, there are rainforests, beaches, rivers, waterfalls, crystal clear water that’s always warm. It’s incredibly easy to travel to since its part of the United States. Just about everyone speaks English or can at least point you in the right direction. Puerto Ricans are also some of the most hospitable people on earth, just be respectful and you’ll be treated like a local.

Quick travel facts about Puerto Rico

Where is Puerto Rico? Puerto Rico, officially known as the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico (Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico), is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the U.S. Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.

Puerto Rico is only 100 miles long by 35 miles wide, making it the smallest island of the Greater Antilles. Puerto Rico (Spanish for "rich port") consists of an archipelago that includes the main island of Puerto Rico and several islands: Vieques, Culebra, Mona, and numerous islets.

Time zone: Atlantic Standard (UTC - 4:00)

Population: 3,189,068 (July 2020 est.)

Coordinates: 18°15'N, 66°30'W

Currency: U.S. Dollar $

Capital City: San Juan.

Primary ethnicity: Hispanic

Ethnic composition: white (mostly Spanish origin) 75.8%, black 12.4%, other 8.5% (includes American Indian, Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian, other Pacific Islander, and others), mixed 3.3%

Language: Spanish and English are the official languages of Puerto Rico.

Cultural Overview: The culture of Puerto Rico has been greatly influenced by its history. With the blend of Taino Indians, Spanish and African cultures, comes a melting pot of people and traditions, as well as the impact of the United States political and social exchange into every aspect of life.

The Food: Puerto Rican cuisine is a unique tasty blend of Spanish, African, Taíno, and American influences. We call it "cocina criolla", a delicious mingling of flavors and ingredients passed from generation to generation. I’ll make a blog post just about the food soon!

How to get there: You can find the cheapest flights via SkyScanner. Getting to Puerto Rico is relatively easy, there are three major airports on the island. San Juan (SJU) being the biggest of the three. You can fly directly into San Juan from multiple US cities on Jetblue, Sun Country, Frontier, Spirit, Southwest, American Airlines, United, and Delta. There are also direct flights from Madrid, Spain on Iberia, Frankfurt, Germany on Condor, Bogota, Colombia on Avianca, Panama City, Panama on Copa Airlines and seasonal routes from Montreal and Toronto, Canada on WestJet, Air Transat, and Air Canada. Once in San Juan, you can also connect to many of the other Caribbean islands. There are also flights across Puerto Rico from SJU to Mayagüez Airport (MAZ) on Cape Air if you’re looking to get across the island quickly. If you’re looking to fly directly into the south side of the island, Jetblue offers direct flights from New York (JFK) Airport or Orlando Airport (MCO) into Ponce, Puerto Rico (PSE). If you want to fly directly into the west side of the island, Jetblue, Spirit, and United offer direct flights into Aguadilla Airport (BQN). Providing direct service from New York (JFK), Newark (EWR), Fort Lauderdale (FLL), and Orlando (MCO).

Puerto Rico is also a very popular destination for cruise lines, including Azamara, Carnival Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises, Crystal Cruises, Disney, Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean, and Silversea.

Electrical plugs in Puerto Rico: Type A&B (this type of outlet is used in Central & North America) – I recommend an international adapter so you can use it on multiple trips, no matter where you go.

Best time to visit: The best time to visit Puerto Rico is from the end of November to April, this is when the weather is the coolest, ranging from the 70’s to the low 90’s, the humidity is low and there’s very little rain. Water temperatures also stay consistently around the high 70’s and low 80’s year-round. There’s basically one season in Puerto Rico, summertime.

However, it will also be very busy and prices will be higher. From April to November you get more rainfall, but this tends to be concentrated in heavy short downpours mostly in the afternoons.

The longest Christmas celebration in the world: One of the reasons the winter is so popular in Puerto Rico is the holiday celebrations. Christmas celebrations usually start right after Thanksgiving and last until the San Sebastián Street Festival which is the third week of January, essentially Puerto Rico's version of Mardi Gras, San Sebastián Street in Old San Juan shuts down for four days of music, parades, and religious processions for the ultimate street party that originally began over 40 years ago to honor Saint Sebastian. Puerto Rican holiday festivities blend traditions from Spain and Africa, with customs like parrandas, a Puerto Rican version of Christmas caroling, and the eight-day octavitas celebration, which follows the Epiphany on January 6 (also known as el Dia de los Reyes Magos or Three Kings Day). You'll also have the chance to sample local specialties like lechón asado (roasted pork), pollo guisado (chicken stew with potatoes and green olives), and pasteles (mashed green plantains stuffed with meat and wrapped in banana leaves). You can also try the coconut-based coquito, the Puerto Rican version of eggnog, at almost any bar you visit.

Biggest Natural Attractions: It’s pretty obvious that a tropical island in the middle of the Caribbean would be known for its beaches, there’s also world-class surfing, scuba diving, snorkeling fishing, dry forests in the south, El Yunque, the only tropical rainforest in the U.S. National Forest System, El Yunque is home to 26 animal species you won't find anywhere else in the world, as well as the picture-perfect La Mina waterfalls, easily accessible by a light 30-minute hike on paved paths, and one of the most unique attractions, bioluminescent bays. There are only 5 bioluminescent bays in the world and Puerto Rico is home to three of them. One of the easiest to reach from San Juan is Laguna Grande in Las Croabas, Fajardo, about an hour away by car. Lit up by large amounts of dinoflagellates each time you paddle or touch the water, the bay glows brighter on moonless nights, especially if it hasn't rained in a while.

How to travel around Puerto Rico: The easiest way to travel around Puerto Rico is to rent a car and drive yourself. Most of the roads are in decent driving conditions but definitely keep an eye out since streets in the more rural areas are definitely prone to having potholes.

There’s very little public transportation especially outside of the metropolitan area, there are also options like Uber but the further out you go from San Juan the less likely you are to encounter any available.

Visa or passport requirements: Since Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory, U.S. citizens can travel there without a passport, just like traveling to any other state (Reminder: beginning October 1st, 2021, all U.S. travelers over the age of 18 will need a REAL ID-compliant drivers license for air travel).

If you are a foreign citizen, most passport holders won’t need to apply for a visa before traveling to Puerto Rico. For more information on travel into the U.S. or U.S. territory from abroad please click here.

My Puerto rico travel guides