Puerto Rico is a complicated island with a Spanish Caribbean culture and a clear American twist. This is especially clear in San Juan, which has a lot of American chain restaurants and other things that make you feel like you’re on the US mainland. If you go a little further, you’ll find small towns, villages, beautiful islands, caves, and a rough hilly interior.
As a place to visit in the Caribbean, Puerto Rico has everything and more. Beautiful beaches with palm trees draw all kinds of beachgoers, from couples and families to hard-core surfers. Some of the beaches have calm, warm water hitting the golden sand, while others have big waves and famous surf breaks.
Top 10 Best Places to Visit Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico is a nice surprise for nature lovers. It has the only tropical rainforest in the US Forest System and the Bioluminescent Bay, which is beautiful at night. The picture is full when you add the culture and charm of old San Juan, with its colonial architecture and old forts.
Check out our list of the best places to visit in Puerto Rico for more ideas.
1. San Juan Viejo (Old San Juan)
With its beautiful colonial buildings and large forts, Old San Juan is like going back in time when you walk through its streets. This is one of the best places to visit in Puerto Rico, so make sure to give this city some time on your schedule.
Old San Juan is the second oldest city in the Americas and has been around for more than 500 years. It is a mix of Spanish colonial past and modern Puerto Rican life. The whole area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with many restored Spanish colonial houses from the 16th and 17th centuries. Some of these beautiful old buildings are now places to eat, shop, or even stay.
2. Fort San Felipe del Morro (Fuerte del Morro)
El Morro Fort (Fuerte San Felipe del Morro) is one of the most popular places for tourists to visit in Puerto Rico. It is the main draw in Old San Juan. This fort from 1539 is an interesting look back in time. It is set on a peninsula and looks very grand.
Wander around this national park’s well-kept grounds and try to imagine what life was like here almost 500 years ago. Explore the caves, walkways, ramps, and tunnels, most of which were built in the mid to late 1800s. Make sure to climb up to the top of the walls and walk out to one of the guard towers to get a great view of the ocean and the modern city that towers over Old San Juan.
3. The San Cristóbal Castle
Castillo de San Cristóbal is a great place to visit. It is easy to miss because it is right next to El Morro, which gets all the attention. Bring shoes that you can walk in because San Cristobal is bigger than El Morro. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the biggest Spanish fort ever built in the New World.
Get Ready to Know the 10+ Best Places to Visit in Europe!
It’s fun to look around Castillo de San Cristobal. For defense, five different units are spread out over 27 acres and linked together by moats and tunnels. If someone broke into one room, the people who lived there could quickly move to another. A national park is where Castillo de San Cristobal is. You can stay here for a week and also go to El Morro with your ticket.
4. National Forest El Yunque
El Yunque National Forest is a great place to see some of the rich beauty of Puerto Rico’s interior. El Yunque National Forest runs along the Luquillo Mountains and includes Pico El Yunque. It is the only tropical jungle in the National US Forest System.
El Yunque National Forest is one of the most popular nature sights in Puerto Rico, and tours from San Juan often stop there. La Coca Falls, Yokah Tower, Bao Grande, Bao de Oro, and La Mina Falls are some of the best places to see in El Yunque National Forest.
La Coca Falls is El Yunque’s first major draw. It is right next to the highway and has an 85-foot drop onto boulder formations.
5. The island of Culebra (Isla Culebra)
Even though Culebra and Vieques are often mentioned in the same sentence, this tiny island with beautiful beaches and green hills has its own personality. Here, there is no hurry, and everyone is calm. Ecotourism is big on the island, and many of the tourist spots are run by people who moved there from somewhere else.
Culebra is in the Caribbean, about 17 miles east of Puerto Rico and 12 miles west of the island of Saint Thomas. It is only seven miles long and three miles wide, and it has 23 small islands around it. The coral reefs in this area are thought to be some of the best in the whole Caribbean.
6. Vieques and the Bay of Bioluminescent Vieques
Vieques, which is eight miles from the rest of Puerto Rico, has become a famous beach resort with small, high-end hotels, restaurants, shops, and art galleries. Since the US Army left the island in 2003, Vieques has turned its attention to tourists.
Puerto Rico now has a good tourism infrastructure to go along with its beautiful beaches. Both Puerto Ricans and tourists from other countries take the time to visit the island. There are no big hotels or condo buildings with a lot of floors. Vieques is the biggest of the Spanish Virgin Islands. It is 21 miles long and 5 miles wide, but it still has the feel of a small island.
7. The San Juan Bautista Cathedral
The Catedral de San Juan Bautista, also called the Cathedral of San Juan, was built in 1540. It is one of the most important places of worship in Puerto Rico. The church is well-known because it is where Ponce de Leon is buried. He was a Spaniard who went looking for the Fountain of Youth.
One fact about the church that not many people know is that it is the second oldest building in the Western Hemisphere. But with the help of its parishioners, the church has held up well over time. Inside, it’s spotless, and the stained-glass windows are as bright as the day they were made, if not brighter.
8. Cayos Icacos
It may seem strange to want to get on a boat and go to another beach when there are so many beautiful ones on the island. But don’t let that stop you from doing one of the best things to do when you’re in Puerto Rico.
The beautiful beach of Cayo Icacos is about 20 to 30 minutes by boat from Fajardo, a small town on the northeast end of the island. Cayo Icacos is in the La Cordillera Nature Reserve, so there are no buildings here. It’s as close as you can get to a deserted island.
9. Surfing and Whale Watching at Rincon
Puerto Ricans call Rincón a “Gringo Paradise.” It is also known as “Pueblo del Surfing” and “Little Malibu.” English is the most common language in the area, and many foreign surfers and other expats have made this town their home.
Rincón became a popular place for surfing after the 1968 World Surfing Championships when pictures of Rincón and its 15-foot-high waves were shown all over the world. You don’t like surfing? Most of the beautiful beaches that are good for swimming are south of town.
Top 10 Best Places in Mussoorie Will Surely Make Your Tour Joyful!
Rincón is also one of the best places in Puerto Rico to go whale watching. From mid-January to March, when humpback whales are in the area, is the best time to go whale watching. In town, it’s easy to set up tours.
10. Beach at Luquillo
Luquillo is a great place to go to get away from the busy beaches of San Juan. Luquillo Beach is just a short drive from the city. It is a stretch of golden sand lined with palm trees that is pretty quiet because there aren’t any high-rise buildings or other developments nearby.
The water is usually calm enough to swim in, and the beach is almost a mile long, which makes it great for walks. On the grounds, which are shaded by coconut palms, there are modern bathrooms, showers, changing rooms with lockers, and food vendors right outside the door. A day trip to El Yunque National Forest can include a stop at the beach.
Conclusion
This Caribbean island has a long past, a lot of cultures, beautiful colonial architecture, perfect weather, fun things to do, delicious food, and friendly people. If you want to know what some of the most famous “can’t miss” places are in Puerto Rico.
| Official Portal | https://directorateheuk.org/ |
