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Understand

Climate

Terrain

Get in

By plane

Puerto Rico's main airport is Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU) in San Juan. Jet Blue, Continental and Delta Connection also fly to smaller airports in the cities of Aguadilla and Ponce.

As Puerto Rico is part of the US commonwealth, U.S. Immigration and Customs Laws and Regulations apply, however, U.S. citizens flying back to the U.S. mainland from Puerto Rico will not have to pass through Customs before boarding their flight. Travel between the mainland and San Juan, Ponce and Aguadilla is the same as if it were between two mainland cities.

Most U.S. and many international airlines offer direct flights from many cities to Puerto Rico. Flights are economical and numerous. SJU is the biggest and most modern airport in the Caribbean and offers all the conveniences and services (McDonalds, Dominos, Starbucks, etc.) of a major city airport. American Eagle operates a hub at SJU and airlines like Caribbean Sun, Liat and Cape Air offer cheap and easy connections to most Caribbean islands.

If you have lots of luggage, beware there are no baggage carts in the domestic terminal, although there are plenty of baggage porters available to help you for a tip or fee. Luggage Carts are available in the international terminal of the airport. At the exit, a porter will assist you with your luggage for a fee.

Transferring from the airport to your hotel usually requires taking a taxi, although some hotels provide complimentary transportation to their properties in special buses. Puerto Rico Tourism Company representatives at the airport will assist you in finding the right transportation. All major car rental agencies are located at the airport, and others offer free transportation to their off-airport sites.

Typical flight times (outbound flights are slightly longer due to headwinds):
Chicago 5 hours
Los Angeles 7.5 hours
Madrid 7 ¾ hours
New York (city)|New York 4 hours
Atlanta 3.5 hours
Toronto 4 ¼ hours
Miami 2.5 hours

By boat

Get around

Unless you are staying in one of the hotels in San Juan, or you have friends or family to provide transportation, you will need to rent a car. Road signs are Spanish language versions of their U.S. counterparts, so you shouldn't have trouble figuring them out.

Police cars and SUVs are noticeable, as by local regulation, they must keep their blue light bar continuously illuminated any time they are in motion. Avoid getting a speeding ticket: fines start at $50 + $5 for each mile above the speed limit.

There are three toll roads on Puerto Rico. They are part of the Tourists Roads system, labeled by small brown signs. Tolls for a 2-axle car range from $0.70 and $1.50. The lanes on the left are reserved for people with RFID toll passes, which you probably won't have on your rental car. If you need change, head for the lanes marked with a "C", usually the furthest to the right.

Do

Whether you're dreaming about spectacular surfing waves, a challenging golf course, or the perfect sunbathing beach, Puerto Rico offers the active traveler a tremendous array of opportunities. Surfing and golf compete with tennis, fishing, kayaking, scuba diving, and horseback riding, not to mention windsurfing and parasailing, for your active time.

Learn about the different character of Puerto Rico's favorite beaches, or find out where to participate in your favorite sports. The hardest part will be choosing what to do first.

Blue Flag in Puerto Rico

The Blue Flag Program, initiated in Europe since 1987 has been modified for implementation in the Caribbean. It is voluntary program and it has proven along the years to be a very effective strategy to guarantee the best quality in beach services for bathers in different parts of the world.

Scuba dive

... Puerto Rico's Caribbean coasts. Spectacular wall diving offshore Guánica, or the cayos of the Spanish Virgin Islands of Culebra & Vieques. PADI 5 star Instruction.

Talk

Communications: Puerto Rico has a very advanced communications network. Major American carriers Cingular, Sprint, Verizon, Sun Com and Centennial have networks on the island. European carrier Movi Star is also involved in a locar wireless joint venture. Cell-phone coverage is very good. The island also has widely available broadband internet access. High speed public wireless internet service in public areas (coffee shops, restaurants, hotels and malls) finally is also growing and free in most places. Look for Blue Zones or for DMAX hotspots.

Buy

The Condado section of San Juan is home to fine designer stores such as Cartier, Gucci, Ferragamo, Mont Blanc and Dior.

You might want to check out the Belz Factory Outlets and the Prime Outlets of Puerto Rico. They house stores like Polo, Hilfiger, Banana Republic and Brooks Brothers.

All big cities also have a large regional mall with very familiar international stores.

There are plenty of ATM machines around the commonwealth.Most are linked to the cirrus, plus, american express and discover networks.

If you're looking for local crafts of all sorts, and want to pay less than in Old San Juan while getting to know the island, try going to town festivals. Artisans from around the island come to these festivals to sell their wares: from typical foods, candies, coffee and tobacco to clothing, accessories, paintings and home décor. Some of these festivals are better than others, though: be sure to ask for recommendations. One of the most popular (yet remote) festivals is the "Festival de las Chinas" or Orange Festival in Las Marías.

Duty free

One of the interesting facts about Puerto Rico that might not be emphasized enough in travel guidebooks is that since Puerto Rico is self governing due to its Commonwealth status, there are no federal taxes or import duties paid on on commodities like gasoline (about $0.50/liter for 87 octane in San Juan, as of 10/29/06) or rum.

This might be an important consideration when planning how much empty luggage to bring, as a 750 ml bottle of Johnny Walker Blue Label costs only $120 in the duty-free airport shop vs. $200+ on the mainland. Bacardi liquor brands are very inexpensive as well -- paying $8.00 for a 750 ml bottle of Bombay Sapphire gin can be something of a shock, after paying $9.00 for a single 4 oz martini of the same booze at La Guardia only 4 hours earlier.

Eat

There is a roadside food stand or 10 at every corner (when you get out of the cities). They serve everything from octopus salad, to cod fritters (bacalaitos), plantain turnovers, to rum in a coconut. You might want to think twice and consult your stomach before choosing some items - but do be willing to try new things. Mavi, for instance, is a fermented drink that children drink in the area. It is quite good. Quenepas (a green fruit that looks like large grapes) are found everywhere in the summer, and are much better for you than potato chips, and easier to eat in the car. Slit the skin with your teeth (pop them), and eat the pulp. Spit out the seed, but don't put the skins or seeds in your pocket because they stain clothes.

Traditional Puerto Rican food is rice and beans, pork in its multitude of forms, and some incarnation of plantain. Tostones (double deep-fried plantains) are addictive. The seafood stuffed mofongo (don't let the name turn you off), is fantastic. Mofongo is a mashed and fried plantain ball, sometime served in a fish stock.

If you are really lucky, you might get invited to a pork roast. It's not just food - it's a whole day - and it's cultural. Folks singing, drinking, hanging out telling stories, and checking to see if the pig is ready, and staying on topic, you'll find the pig likely paired with arroz con gandules (rice with pigeon peas).

In winter, you haven't been to Puerto Rico until you've eaten a real asopao. Preferably, befriend a native Puerto Rican, get invited to their house, and eat until you can't talk. It'll take a while and it will be worth it. Asopao is a uniquely Puerto Rican stew. Often chicken based, with rice, and various spices, you might find it with seafood.

Speaking of seafood - don't be tempted by the land crabs. They are yummy, but they are endangered. We all need to stop eating our way off this planet. But, you might look at them, as you will find them at - like everything else - roadside stands. Often they are live. If you are feeling particularly altruistic, buy the crabs and set them free far from the stands. Pick a nice swamp near the sea. Call it your own wildlife restoration.

Puerto Rico has perfected the paella; you will find fresh Tuna in the Southwest of the Island. The roots are incredible - the natives call them "viandas" - and are available in a wide variety of types, colors, and flavors. Try them all, and use a lot of olive oil, preferably, "Bettis," a Spanish oil you can find in PR (look for the yellow can). Stay away from putting butter or sour cream on them, no matter how much they may look like potatoes, they're not.

Places to eat: look for places that are out of the way. Most of the roadside stand food is fantastic, and if you're not hung up with the need for a table, you might have dinner on a beach, chomping lobster fritters (the PRs call them "empanadillas"), drinking rum from a coconut. At the end of dinner, you can see all the stars.

In the southwest of the island, in Boqueron, you might find fresh oysters and clams for sale (again - street vendors). They were small, but they were only 25 cents. Try them with a lime.

On Culebra, there is a neat little house that sells dinner. Ask around to find it. A couple of years ago, it was the only sit down dinner on the island. The fried snapper was fantastic - but as they say in much of PR - Americans pay more. Every way that statement can be considered is likely true. So, if you don't want to pay more (usually double), send in your Puerto Rican friend first. Either way, the food is great.

With all these choices - roadside stands, local hangouts that you just might find - things that you've never seen before - do yourself a flavor and never eat from the commercial fast food restaurant except maybe, the fried chicken restaurants, which just do it differently in PR.

Finally, there are some wonderful restaurants, and like everywhere, the best are found mostly near the metropolitan areas. Old San Juan is probably your best bet for a 4-star meal in a 4-star restaurant. However if your experimental nature wanes, there are lots of "Americanised" opportunities in and around San Juan. Good luck, keep your eyes open for the next roadside stand, and make sure to take advantage of all the sports to counteract the moving buffet.

Drink

Puerto Rico is obviously famous for its rum and rum drinks, and is the birthplace of the world renowned Piña Colada. Several rums are made in Puerto Rico, including Bacardi and Don Q. Although not as common in the U.S., the national rum of choice in Puerto Rico is Don Q.

Most stores stock a locally-produced beer called Medalla Light that can be purchased for $1-$2 each. Other beer options for the discriminating drinker include Presidente, a light pilsner beer from nearby Dominican Republic (note: it's a different brew from the Dominican version), and Beck's. Beck's imported to Puerto Rico and the rest of the Caribbean is a different brew from the one that makes it to the U.S., and is considered by many to be better. Other beers which have popularity on the island are Budweiser, Bud Light, Heineken, Corona and Coors Light. Many other imported beers are also available, but usually at a higher price.

Most of the beers sold vary from 10 to 12 ounce bottles or cans. The portions are small (compared to the Mainland) in order to be consumed before the beer has time to warm up. Tap water is treated and is officially safe to drink.

Sleep