Puerto Rico has so much to offer! Colorful buildings, amazing history and culture, beautiful beaches and forests, and friendly locals. Discover the places you must visit during your stay in amazing Puerto Rico.

Before our arrival in Puerto Rico, we didn’t know much about the country, so we can safely say that we were very, very positively surprised by how wonderful this country is. In addition to beautiful weather, friendly locals, wonderful views and colorful houses, Puerto Rico also served us one of the most beautiful places we have seen so far.

And even though we only managed to see a small part of the island, we already know that we will return there someday to discover some more amazing places on the island.

#1 Visiting the Old Town of San Juan

San Juan is an amazing place, full of the culture and history of Puerto Rico.

The colorful buildings go on and on, the streets are paved with blue cobbled stones that came to San Juan, all the way from Liverpool in England, and the luscious cats make the time spent in the capital even more enjoyable.

Learn about the places you must see during your visit to San Juan, in a post that has been devoted entirely to Puerto Rico’s amazing capital city San Juan.

#2 Exploring the charming Ponce

It is the second largest city in Puerto Rico after San Juan. The old town is well preserved and it is built in the Creole architectural style.

In Ponce, in addition to the beautiful buildings, you will also visit interesting museums and eat some of the best ice cream in Puerto Rico at King’s Cream.

– Ponce: Plaza las delicias

These are two plazas located on either side of the cathedral, right in the center of town. In addition to the wonderful fountains, numerous trees provide shade during sunny and hot days.

Around the plazas you will also notice numerous colorful buildings, restaurants and bars where you can find something refreshing to drink, or delicious to eat.

– Ponce: Catedral Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe

The facade of the Cathedral, commonly known as Ponce Cathedral, was built in 1937 in a neoclassical style with two twin towers on each side.

But it wasn’t always like this. The Cathedral’s history begins in 1670, when a small chapel stood on the site. In the early 19th century it was rebuilt as a church. However, after fires and earthquakes that destroyed the church, in 1924 the cathedral we know today was built on the site of the church.

The cathedral has a beautiful blue color and in the middle of Plaza las Delicias it looks truly majestic and grand.

– Ponce: Parque de bombas

Behind the aforementioned cathedral is another building. All in red and black stripes. This quite sizable building built in 1882 is the first fire station in Puerto Rico, and first in whole Caribbean. After many years of luminosity, the building was converted into a museum about the firefighters.

In addition to the red and black facade, the museum is also all red inside. Here you will find numerous photos, uniforms, helmets and even emblems from firefighters stations from all aroun the world. In the middle of the museum stands an amazing Ford that once served a firefighters car in Ponce.

Entrance to the museum is completely free, so take the opportunity to step back in time in this amazing place.

– Ponce: Museo de Arte de Ponce

This mid-century modern building contains about 4’500 works of art from Europe as well as works of Puerto Rican artists.

The collection includes paintings, sculptures, prints, photographs, drawings, decorative arts, pre-Hispanic and African objects, Puerto Rican folk art, contemporary ceramics, video, and sound art.

– Ponce: King’s Cream

Is there anything better after a full day of sightseeing than delicious ice cream at one of the most famous ice creamshops in all of Ponce?

King’s Cream is very popular among locals and tourists alike, well that’s not too much of a surprise, because the ice cream here is truly delicious, so much so that you’ll want to go for a second serving. 😋

#3 Cueva del Indio

Time for a little nature. Cueva del Indio is an impressive cave surraounded by dramatic cliffs. Its name comes from pre-Columbian indigenous petroglyphs that are found in the walls of the cave.

Getting to the cave is not easy, and one must be very careful both when reaching the cave, but also on the cliffs surrounding it.

This is not a place recommended for the elderly or small children. On the way to the cave you will experience a number of large holes in the ground, so be careful, watch where you are walking and wear appropriate footwear.

However, if you are not afraid of a bit of effort and climbing, this place will compensate for all the inconveniences.
Entrance to Cueva del Indio is $10 per person.

#4 Los Siete Arcos

Right next to Cueva del Indios is another wonder, Los Siete Arcos, it’s one of the most beautiful places we’ve seen in our lives!

The views are breathtaking, but also provide a bit of adrenaline. As with the aforementioned cave, here you also have to be very careful. Look under your feet, and not be distracted by the beautiful views while walking around or taking selfies.

Admire the amazing arches, wonderful plants, beautiful sandy beaches, and the wonderful deep blue shade of the ocean. This place is truly unique, so reserve a few hours to explore it.

Access to Los Siete Arcos is included in the price of entry to Cueva del Indios and is worth every dollar.

#5 El Yunque National Forest

Puerto Rico is full of gems and El Yunque National Forest is one of them. The forest, despite the damage the hurricane did, is still an amazing and beautiful place worth visiting.

Here you will see a natural waterfall like La Coca Falls. Juan Diego Creek which is a natural pool where you can take a swim (or a bath, because the water is really shallow).Yokahu Tower from where you can enjoy amazing views of the forest. Or Banio Grande which was a swimming pool back in the days. If this is still not enough, hike to Mt. Britton Tower or El Yunque Peak. Which will take you 1h – 2h each direction.

The online ticket for El Yunque Natural Forest must be booked at least 24h before your arrival. Entrance costs only $2, which is a very affordable price for this amazing experience. You get around the park by car, although some attractions are so close that you can walk to them.

Since Puerto Rico is an island, you can reach it either by ferry or by plane. Politically, Puerto Rico and therefore San Juan belong to the USA, which is why there are daily national flights to the island for example from Miami. Of course there are also some international flights.

You can also reach Puerto Rico by ferry, as we did from the Dominican Republic.

To explore Ponce, Cueva del Indio, Los Siete Arcos or El Yungue National Forest you must rent a car.

Unfortunately, car rental prices in Puerto Rico are high and the prices on the websites are not what you will find when you arrive. You have to reckon with additional fees and insurance (even if you have already purchased insurance for these occasions). Be prepared for this before you book a car online.

Either in San Juan, Ponce, Cueva del Indio and Los Siete Arcos, once you get there, in most places you can get around on foot (the exception is the Museo de Arte de Ponce there you have to get by car from the Historic part of the city where the other attractions are located).

In El Yunque National Forest, on the other hand, most parking lots only allow parking for 15 minutes, so you are forced to move by car between stops.

Puerto Rico is quite an expensive destination, with hotel and Airbnb prices being very high.

If you want to live more affordable, you can for example stay at Jharlyn’s Airbnb  as we did. It took us about 20 minutes to get to the Old Town of San Juan. We were about 1h 30min away to get to Ponce, 1h 15min to get to Cueva del Indio and Los Siete Arcos, and 40min to get to El Yunque National Forest.

If you want to stay longer than one day in Ponce and visit other museums in the city, we advise you to rent something directly in Ponce.

The best time to visit Puerto Rico is April to June. This is right after the dry season (December to March) so prices are already a bit lower.

The prices are per person, except for the accommodation and car, which we rent for 2 people.

Accommodation: $80 / night

Restaurant: $20 / meal

Snack: $2 – $8 / meal

Pleasure: $3 – $8 / event

Car: $64 / day

Activity: $2 – $15 / event