I always find myself jumping from one website to another while collecting all the information while traveling. It consumes a lot of time.

I suffered, but you don’t have to. I have added a location-wise summary to create your itinerary and estimate your travel cost based on days, number of people you are traveling with, and activities you like. I have also added the most useful links for detailed information on each of these topics to the bottom of this page*.

1. VISA and Airport Info:

Puerto Rico is an extended territory of the United States, so citizens and residents(With green cards) of the US don’t need visas or passports. But be sure to carry the required ID to prove your status. We traveled with a license or state ID while landing, but before take-off from PR, we were randomly asked to show our status. Luckily we had our green card with us.

Also for those who have a valid US visa (H1B, F1, Students, etc.), traveling to PR is like traveling to any other 50 states.

There are also several other countries that fall under “ Visa Waiver Program.” and don’t need a Visa. 

The 3 major airports are : 

The north-east part of the island: Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU), one of the most visited tourists.

North-west: Rafael Hernández Airport (BQN) in Aguadilla. Smaller than SJU but has all major carriers.

South Part:  La Mercedita (PSE) in city of Ponce. 

Thing to be noted , you can easily drive from one end of the island to the other end in 2 to 3 hours . 

Covid Travel Requirements:

A. Travel Declaration Form through the Puerto Rico Health Department’s site. The latest travel updates for Puerto Rico and the form can be found on their online portal.

B. Get a molecular COVID-19 test (nasal or throat swab) no more than 72 hours prior to visiting the Island, and show proof (report in the email is fine) of a negative result or you must quarantine.

2. Getting Around

” Rental Car, “Convenient and best option: Car will help you see more parts of this island than just the city. Your US driver’s license will work for PR. Booking a rental car from the airport would be the most convenient thing to do. But do check with your hotel or resort if they have car rental services for discounts and the parking fee. Also, check if they provide a shuttle service to pick you up from the airport.

If you are staying in AirBnB in San Juan , you may find tons of street parking.

Cost: Starting at 35$( Economy sedan)/50$ (compact SUV)/80$(Standard SUV) per day

Toll: 5 $ per day (avoiding toll roads may add extra 15 to 40 minutes based on where you are going)

Parking fee : 10$ to 15$/ per night.

Cheaper Option: If you are planning to stay in the city area or visit for just a few days, You can walk, ride a free trolley, take a taxi/uber, ride the bus, take a guided tour, ride the ferry, use chauffeured transportation, or even ride a bike, electric scooter or Bird.

Hey no parking fee 🙂

3. Accommodation:

 There are several options. 

You can book Air BnB or Hostels in main city areas like San Juan, Ponce. You will find a good deal if you book at least a week in advance.

Cost: $35 to $184 per night

You must try staying at least for a few days in boutique resorts or hotels with a beachfront. These have an awesome view; you can walk right out to the beach, chill out in family-friendly pools, or drink with friends waiting for the ocean waves and yeah, play golf with the most scenic views under the sun.

Cost: $145 to 300 per night

Activities:

Let’s face it. Different people have different travel choices. So here is the list of things by each region in Puerto Rico. Distance is from San Juan (Metro), where most tourists stay or land.

Metro Part (North East)of Island:	COST
Historic Forts with ocean line: Castillo de San Cristóbal, Castillo San Felipe del Morro Duration: 1 hour Location: Old San Juan	Free
Landmarks: Capilla Del Santo Cristo (Old Chapel with 100s of pigeons), Santa Maria Magdalena De Pazzis Cemetery, Umbrella street (Fortaleza street) , Paseo de la Princesa(Paved walkway along the shoreline), La Rogativa (Artistic Statue), la Perla (colorful settlement), La Casa Estrecha (World’s narrowest house) Duration: 1 hour Location: Old San Juan	Free
Beaches: Isla Verde Beach, Condado Beach, Ocean park beach Duration: As long as you want Location: Old San Juan	Free
Cobbled stoned streets of Old San Juan with colorful buildings for awesome profile pics on your social media Duration: 15 minutes walk Location: Old San Juan	Free
Guided Segway City tours, Electric scooter ride with small group and guide.   Duration: 2 Hours Location: Old San Juan	$108/ 2 hours
City ride by yourself with Street Scooter/Lime and see all landmarks Duration: 2 Hours (appox.) Location: Old San Juan	$15 / 4 mile (approx) or 1 hour
Sunset sailing in SAN JUAN BAY Duration: 2 Hours Location: San Juan	$79/ person
Bacardi Rum Distillery Rum tasting or Mixology Duration: 2 hours Location: San Juan	$60/person

Note: You can literally just walk and see all these sites or get a bird or scooter lying around the streets by downloading the Bird/Lime app like we did. But for people who want to cover more in less time, you can get on a guided Segway tour. However, these tours may not cover all spots mention above.

Note: Due to due covid, forts might be closed, but you can still make small scenic trails with ocean views around them.

EASTERN PART OF ISLAND: SEA Water Activities, Ferry port to smaller PR islands, Forest Hikes, Natural pools, streams	COST
Bio Bay Night Kayaking aka Mosquito Bay: Kayaking in mangrove tunnels at night and watching natural glowing water Duration: 2 Hours Location: Fajardo, 50 minutes from San Juan	52$ per Kayak with 2 people
Mini Boat Adventure with Snorkeling Ride your own mini boat, island hopping, snorkeling in up to 2 spots Duration: 3.5 Hours Location: Fajardo	85$/ person
El Yunque Rainforest Ziplines, Hike, Natural pool, swim, dive, Mountains with tropical trees. Stop by local vendor food street at  Kiosk of Luquillo. Duration: Whole Day, Closes at 5 pm Location: Rio Grande, 45 minutes from San Juan	2 $/ Entry fee per booking
Carabali Rainforest Park: ATVs and Horse Back riding Duration: 1 to 2.5 Hours Location: Luquillo, 40 minutes from San Juan	Horse Back: @ Forest : 39 $ @ Beach and Forest : 99$ ATVs: 55$ upto 2 people per vehicle UTVs: 110$ upto 4 people per vehicle

Eastern Sister Islands (Best Caribbean beaches, Relax , soak in the sun, jeep ride, ferry ride)	COST
Ferry Ride to Culebra Duration: 45 minutes Location: Ceiba Ferry Terminal, 1 hour from San Juan	2.50$ per person + Tax Due to covid, seats are limited to 35 tourists, and residents get first priority, so book in advance and go as early as possible.
Jeep Rental or Golf Cart rental. Duration: 1 to 24 hours rental, same price, Links below Location: Culebra Ferry Terminal, 14 min walk *	75 to 100$ with fuel and other charges.
Flamenco Beach: Top 20 Caribbean beach, white sand, blue crystal clear water, can see fishes onshore even without snorkeling, moonrise, and Star watching for the couple. My favorite part of the trip was this beach. Location: Culebra, 8 minutes from the Ferry terminal	Free
Tamarindo Beach, famous for turtles, Sting Rays. Great snorkeling, can bring own snorkeling gear from Walmart or some store, easily accessible, kids friendly, sunset behind mountains Location: Culebra, 10 minutes from the Ferry terminal	Entry Free Parking Free but limited
Zoni Beach, Instagram friendly coconut trees, great couple pics. Location: Culebra, 19 minutes from the ferry terminal	Entry Free, Parking Free but limited

Northern Part Of Island: Dramatic Ocean waves, Caves and Caverns	COST
Cueva Ventana, cave window, easy hike. Tickets at gate or online. 20$ ticket includes a guide and all safety gear.  Duration: 45 minutes Location: Arecibo,1 hour 10 minutes fron San Juan	20$/ person
Beach: Poza Del Obispo, a small beach and pool surrounded by large rocks and dramatic crashing waves Location: Arecibo, 1 hour from	free
Tours for Extreme Adventure: Body Rafting, Caving, Hiking package Duration: 5-6 Hours Location: Arecibo, 1 hour from San Juan	115$ per person

Note: Public beaches and natural reserves are open only for individual sports (exercise, swimming)
Monday through Saturday from 5:00 AM to 9:00 PM. Being said that, we saw people still enjoying the beach, soaking buns under the sun when we visited this island; however, there were definitely fewer crowds, no commercial beach chairs. For the latest update, check out this site.

Central Part OF ISLAND: Amazing Mountain views, Best Zipline, canyoning	COST
Toro Verde Adventure Park ) (from 2nd longest zipline in the world to shorter 8 zipline combos) Duration: 2 Hours Location: Orocovis, 1 hour from San Juan 1 to 2 hours	$45 to $100 per person
Dona Juana Waterfall Location: Orocovis	Free

WEST OF ISLAND– Surfers Paradise and amazing sunsets,	COST
The Punta Higüera Lighthouse (park), amazing sunset Location: Rincon, 2 hours from San juan	As long as you want Free
Surfing Beaches of Rición, Isabela, Aguadilla Location: Approx 2 hours from San jaun	Free

Other Activities	COST
Golf with a beautiful scenic view of the ocean or river. Each coast from east to west, north to south has Golf courses	$60 with golf cart , 18 hole

Food:

Price of food price is comparable to any other state in US. Average price for sit down restaurants are:

Average Alcoholic Drink: 11$

Average Food : 28$ per day , 11$ per meal

Water: 2 to 4 $

Some things to note are: Fast food restaurants are cheaper than sit down restaurants. Also, the breakfasts will be cheaper. If you are spending about a week or more, eating once a day at home might reduce expense. Famous grocery stores include Walmart, Famcoop, etc. I found bottled water to be expensive. So buying in bulk and keeping it in your car will be a good option.

Covid update as of Dec 2020: Some restaurants have wait times due to limitations on the number of people allowed inside at once. So call in to check wait time, if any.

Most Useful Links:

VISA Info: https://www.puertorico.com/travel/travel-information/visas/

Airport Info: https://www.discoverpuertorico.com/transportation/airports

Latest travel guideline with covid updates: https://www.travelsafe.pr.gov/

Free Trolley : https://sanjuanpuertorico.com/trolley-old-san-juan/

Buses: https://sanjuanpuertorico.com/bus-routes-map/

Hostels : https://www.hostelworld.com/hostels/Puerto-Rico , https://www.hostelworld.com/blog/best-hostels-in-puerto-rico/

Best LGBTQ friendly hotels

: https://www.discoverpuertorico.com/article/best-hotels-lgbtq-travelers

Best Oceanfront Resorts : 

https://travel.usnews.com/Hotels/beach-Puerto_Rico/

Guided Segway(Electric scooter) old sanJuan tour https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g147320-d1074063-Reviews-Segway_Tours_of_Puerto_Rico-San_Juan_Puerto_Rico.html

Rooftop Bars https://www.top10puertorico.com/top10/top-10-rooftop-bars-restaurants/

Surfing beaches Top list 

Culebra jeep/golf  rentals: https://www.culebrapuertorico.com/getting-around-culebra-travel-guide/

Golf your way: https://www.discoverpuertorico.com/article/most-budget-friendly-golf-courses-puerto-rico

Cost of living in Puerto Rico : https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/country_result.jsp?country=Puerto+Rico