If you’re planning a trip, or considering planning a trip, to Puerto Rico – this is the best place to start! By now you’ve probably heard that Puerto Rico is amazing and that’s certainly true. Puerto Rico has everything, delicious food, beautiful beaches, great music and so much more. Soon you’ll be drinking piña coladas on the beach in paradise… but for now, here is all of the practical information you need to make the most of your amazing trip. Keep reading for my 15 Essential Puerto Rico Travel Tips!
15 Essential Puerto Rico Travel Tips
1: Old San Juan is Amazing – Start Your Trip Here
Old San Juan, specifically, is a postcard worthy, dream destination. All of San Juan is beautiful, but the cobblestone streets, Spanish colonial architecture and colorful buildings really sets Old San Juan apart.
Whenever I visit Puerto Rico, I like to spend at least a night or two in Old San Juan. While there’s no beach directly in Old San Juan, there are several within a 15-30 minute walk (or a quick Uber drive).
If it’s your first trip to Puerto Rico, absolutely make sure that you visit Old San Juan. There is so much to see and explore here.
For all of the best things to do and where to stay, check out my guides all about Old San Juan:
- The 16 Best Things To Do in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Epic 48 Hours in Old San Juan: The Best Things to Do and See
2: Explore the Whole Island – Rent a Car
I know I started this with “Old San Juan is amazing,” and that’s true, but I highly recommend visiting more than San Juan/Old San Juan on your trip.
Driving from one end of the island to the other takes about 3 hours (it’s about 100 miles). So, visiting several towns and cities on one trip is totally doable.
Renting a car is an affordable and easy way to see the island. If you’re planning on leaving the San Juan area at all, unless you’re going on a guided day tour, you’ll definitely want a rental car. The public transportation outside of the San Juan metro area is quite limited, so a car is the way to go.
In a week-long trip, you can definitely see most of the major towns and cities on the island. Be sure to check out my guide for an Ultimate 7 Day Road Trip Around Puerto Rico for all of the best stops, hotels, restaurants and recommendations for your trip.
If you have fewer days to spend in PR, you’ll want to cut some stops out. However, you’ll still definitely have time to check out at least one additional stop, like Isabela, Rincón or La Parguera.
3: No Passport Needed (If You’re From the US)
Puerto Rico is a US territory, so it’s considered domestic travel in the United States. This means, if you’re a US citizen, you can leave your passport at home.
This also means your phone works the same as if you’re in the mainland US – no roaming charges!
4: The US Dollar is the Currency in Puerto Rico
Because Puerto Rico is a US territory, the currency on the island is the US dollar. A lot of people expect Puerto Rico to be much cheaper than the mainland US and this is definitely not the case.
Hotels, restaurants, shops, tours, etc. will all be the same prices you’d pay in most US locations. The one thing I have found to be slightly cheaper are Ubers – so that’s great!
5: Don’t Expect Everyone to Speak English
Yes, Puerto Rico is a US territory, but the primary language on the island is Spanish. English is a mandatory subject in schools, but the primary language of instruction in most schools is Spanish.
In major tourist areas, most people speak English and you’ll also find restaurant menus in English.
If you speak Spanish, speak Spanish while in Puerto Rico.
6: Don’t Miss Out on the Bioluminescent Bay(s)
Puerto Rico has three bioluminescent bays and I highly recommend visiting one. A bioluminescent bay is a body of water that has a large concentration of dinoflagellates, which are teeny tiny light producing organisms. It sounds a little gross, but I promise it’s so cool.
Essentially, these dinoflagellates produce a “glow in the dark” effect, causing the water to glow green or blue at night.
Puerto Rico has three of these amazing bioluminescent bays. Mosquito Bay is on the island of Vieques and is considered to be the brightest bio bay in the world! Because this is off of mainland Puerto Rico, it’s a little more challenging to get to, but totally doable and worth it.
On the mainland, or really just off, you’ll find two more bio bays, one in Fajardo (Laguna Bay) and one in La Parguera.
Laguna Bay in Fajardo is the most visited bio bay, due to its close distance to San Juan (about an hour). However, I personally recommend the bio bay in La Parguera, because you can actually swim in it.
La Parguera is about 2 hours from San Juan, so this only makes sense if you plan to go for a day and spend the night – which I definitely recommend. La Parguera is a fantastic stop on a Puerto Rico road trip, so be sure to check out my detailed PR road trip guide here.
To get to these bays, you’ll absolutely want to go on a tour. A guide will take you to the right spot, explain more about what bio bays are and how they work, and, if you’re in La Parguera, take you to an amazing swimming spot.
Honestly, swimming in the bio bay in La Parguera is such an incredible experience. Your hands and arms will glow when you pull them out of the water and all around you the water is lighting up as you swim and move.
Bio Bay Tours
Vieques
Fajardo
- Bio Bay Kayak Tour in Fajardo
- Hike El Yunque Rainforest and Kayak Bio Bay Combo Tour
- Pick-up and drop-off included!
La Parguera
- Bio Bay Swim and Sunset Charter
- Bioluminescent Bay Chiliboats Tour
- La Parguera Glowing Bioluminescent Bay Boat Tour from San Juan
- With round trip transportation from San Juan!
7: Parking Can Be a Difficult, Especially in Old San Juan
If you are planning on staying in the San Juan area, especially if your hotel is in Old San Juan, I don’t recommend renting a car. This is because parking can be difficult and Ubers are inexpensive.
You’ll likely end up spending way more renting a car and parking it in a garage than you would just Ubering (and walking) everywhere.
If you are planning on leaving San Juan and visiting other parts of the island, you’ll definitely need a car. But my best advice is to pick it up after you’re done in San Juan. If you’re spending a few days in San Juan and then going to Rincón, for example, pick up the car the day you leave for Rincón and not before.
8: Some Traffic Lights Are Treated as Stop Signs at Night
This was an interesting one to learn! To be clear, this is absolutely not the case in San Juan where there is often a lot of traffic. However, in smaller towns and less populated areas, between midnight and 5am, many red lights are treated as stop signs. Essentially, you stop, and if it’s safe to go, you go.
This means you need to be very aware of oncoming traffic and only go on a red light if no one is coming in the other direction on a green.
I’ve read in a few places that the midnight to 5am “rule” is actually a law, but I haven’t been able to verify this. If you know for sure, let me know in the comments!
9: Tap Water is Safe to Drink
Tap water is safe to drink from the faucet in Puerto Rico! You can bring a reusable water bottle and refill anywhere.
10: Don’t Miss Out on Local Food
There are tons of great restaurants in Puerto Rico and, when thinking about where to eat, you definitely don’t want to miss out on delicious local cuisine.
Some of the most popular, must-try Puerto Rican dishes include:
- Mofongo
- Mofongo is one of the first things that comes to my mind when thinking about Puerto Rican food. The base of this dish is mashed green plantains and it’s topped with your choice of meat, seafood or vegetables and served with a delicious sauce.
- Arroz con gandules
- You know rice and beans, but what about rice and peas? This side dish is, essentially, pigeon peas that are seasoned and sauced to perfection and served with rice.
- If you’re looking for rice and beans (which I always am!), the Puerto Rican version is arroz y habichuelas.
- You know rice and beans, but what about rice and peas? This side dish is, essentially, pigeon peas that are seasoned and sauced to perfection and served with rice.
- Tostones
- Tostones are smashed, deep fried green plantains. These are on the savory side and less sweet.
- Amarillos
- Unlike tostones, these are made from ripe, deep fried plantains. They are sweet and SO good. Literally one of my favorite foods.
- Bacalaítos
- These are thin, salted codfish fritters. It’s like a crunchy, handheld seafood pancake. It’s a lot more delicious than it sounds and it’s the perfect snack or appitizer.
- Alcapurrias
- Ready for a deep fried, handheld snack that’s perfect for the beach or on the go? Alcapurrias are deep fried yuca stuffed with your choice of meat or seafood.
If you’re interested in sampling a bunch of Puerto Rican food, I definitely recommend a food tour in San Juan! It’s the perfect way to spend an evening.
All over PR there are tons of great restaurants serving traditional Puerto Rican food. A few of my favorites in the San Juan area include:
- La Casita Blanca
- This is Bad Bunny’s favorite restaurant and it has gotten very popular! Expect a line, but it’s worth it.
- Orozco’s
- This restaurant was featured on Diners Drive-Ins and Dives and is great! It’s also conveniently located in Condado.
- Deaverdura
- One of the most famous spots in Old San Juan for traditional Puerto Rican food. There may be a line, but it moves fast. This is a very casual and homey restaurant.
- Cafe el Punto
- Another great spot for traditional Puerto Rican food!
- Cafetería Mallorca
- Come here for breakfast, specifically for the mallorcas. A mallorca, put simply, is fried dough stuffed with cheese (and meat if you want!) and covered in powdered sugar. Trust me, it’s so good and the perfect breakfast. They also offer some other variations of the mallorca and I’m sure they’re all great.
11: Puerto Rico is, in General, Very Safe
Puerto Rico is, in general, very safe. As a tourist, you should feel very comfortable in Puerto Rico. I travel to Puerto Rico regularly and have never once felt unsafe.
Crime rates in Puerto Rico are considered to be higher than in the mainland US, however, they remain lower than in many mainland cities, like Boston. As long as you use common sense, you should be totally fine. Like with traveling anywhere, take basic travel precautions and stay in populated areas (especially at night).
In San Juan, don’t go to La Perla neighborhood. The caveat to this is if you know exactly where you’re going (to one specific bar) and it’s daytime – but you really need a reason to go. Please do your research and understand where you’re going.
12: Skip the All-Inclusive Resorts
This connects back to safety. There is an unfounded fear by many that when you travel anywhere in the Caribbean, you have to stay in an all-inclusive resort to be safe. This is definitely not true, in general, and certainly not true in Puerto Rico.
There is so much to do, see, eat and experience in Puerto Rico that I think you’ll be really missing out if you stay in an all-inclusive the whole time.
The caveat to this, of course, is if you really love all-inclusive resorts and want to stay in one – then go for it! But don’t feel like you have to for safety reasons.
13: Tipping Culture is the Same as the Mainland US
In Puerto Rico, tipping culture is the same as in the mainland US. This means that 20% is standard at restaurants. It’s also customary to tip hotel staff (housekeepers, valets, etc.), taxi drivers and tour guides.
14: Uber is Great in the San Juan Area
If you’re staying in the San Juan area, Uber is great and, for the most part, affordable. This is a much better option than renting a car if you’re staying in the capital exclusively.
You can easily get Ubers at any time of day and unless it’s raining, or there’s a major event going on, I’ve always found the prices to be very reasonable and much cheaper than other cities like Miami, Boston or NYC.
15: Hurricane Season is June-November
Hurricane season in Puerto Rico is June-November. I’m not saying it’s impossible to visit during this time of year, but you should definitely monitor hurricanes.
Major hurricanes have hit Puerto Rico in the past 10 years, notably Irma and Maria that hit just a few weeks apart in 2017. During that time, there was horrendous damage, fatalities and many residents in PR were without power for 6+ months.
If you monitor the weather, and cancel your trip accordingly if a hurricane is predicted to come close to the island, you should be okay – but that’s a decision you’ll need to make. Likely, everything will be fine and there won’t be a hurricane or tropical storm during the dates you choose. If you do choose to travel to PR during hurricane season, there will likely be fewer tourists this time of year and prices will, usually, also be cheaper.
My Favorite Hotels in Puerto Rico
Below are a few of my absolute favorite hotels on the island! Whether you’re visiting San Juan, Rincón, La Parguera, or all of the above – there are great options.
- Hotel El Convento
- Old San Juan
- O:LV Fifty Five Hotel – Adults Only
- Condado, San Juan
- Rincon of the Seas Grand Caribbean Hotel
- Rincon
- Parguera Plaza Hotel – Adults Only
- La Parguera
- Copamarina Beach Resort & Spa
- Guanica (40 minutes from Ponce)
Must-Do Activities on Your Trip to Puerto Rico
Like I’ve said countless times, there is so much to do and see in Puerto Rico! In my opinion, there are a few “can’t miss” activities, like visiting El Yunque Rainforest, visiting a bioluminescent bay and taking a salsa dancing class.
- El Yunque Rainforest, Waterslides, and Beach Tour with Transport
- ATV Adventure Near San Juan
- Old San Juan City Walking Tour
- Beginner to Advanced Salsa Dance Class in Condado
- San Juan Catamaran Sunset Sail with Drinks Included
Thanks so much for reading, if you have any questions, or any other Puerto Rico travel tips to add to this post, please let me know in the comments.
Be sure to check out my other Puerto Rico posts to keep planning your trip:
- What to Wear in Puerto Rico: Year Round Packing Guide
- The Ultimate 7 Day Itinerary for Puerto Rico
- Planning an Epic Trip to Puerto Rico: Step-by-Step Guide
- The Ultimate 7 Day Road Trip Around Puerto Rico
- The 16 Best Things To Do in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Epic 48 Hours in Old San Juan: The Best Things to Do and See
Lastly, be sure to follow us on Instagram, @twosistersabroad, for tons of mini-guides, recommendations and photo inspo!
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♡Kate
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