Traveling Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico is where I spent a few days between matches on a Team USA trip, based in San Juan with just enough downtime to explore beyond the hotel. Old San Juan’s cobblestone streets and colorful colonial buildings make for some of the best wandering of any Caribbean city, and it’s easy to fill a free afternoon there without much of a plan at all.

One of the best things about visiting Puerto Rico as a US traveler is that it’s a US territory, so there’s no passport required and no currency exchange to worry about — it uses the US dollar. That said, the culture, food, and pace of life feel distinctly their own, and Spanish is the dominant language outside tourist-heavy areas, even though English is widely spoken. That familiarity, combined with a genuinely distinct culture, is part of why Puerto Rico works so well for a first Caribbean trip.

Rain showers are common and usually brief, especially outside the dry winter months, and hurricane season runs June through November — worth checking the forecast if you’re traveling then. Beyond San Juan, El Yunque rainforest and the bioluminescent bays in Vieques and Fajardo are worth the extra time if your itinerary allows, though car rental or an organized tour makes both much easier to reach. Pack accordingly and you’ll barely notice the rain at all.

Food is a big part of why I’d go back to Puerto Rico. Mofongo, lechón, and fresh-caught seafood along the coast are worth planning meals around, and the local coffee scene in the mountains around Adjuntas and Utuado rivals anywhere else in the Caribbean. San Juan’s Santurce neighborhood in particular has turned into a genuinely exciting food and street art scene worth a half-day on its own. Save room for a proper coffee stop somewhere along the way.

Getting around Puerto Rico is straightforward if you rent a car, since public transportation outside San Juan is limited. Roads are generally in good shape, and driving norms will feel familiar to US visitors. If you’re sticking to Old San Juan, though, everything is walkable and a car becomes more of a liability than a help given the narrow streets and limited parking. Book your rental ahead of time in peak season, since availability can get tight.

A quick packing note for Puerto Rico: sunscreen, bug spray, and a light rain jacket cover most of what you’ll need, since the climate stays warm and humid year-round with quick-passing showers rather than long stretches of rain. If you’re planning to visit the bioluminescent bay, go on a night with little to no moonlight — a new moon makes a huge difference in how bright the glow appears.

Below you’ll find our full write-up on that trip to San Juan, plus anything else we’ve published about Puerto Rico. If you’ve got a favorite spot on the island, let us know in the comments — we’re always looking for reasons to go back.