Puerto Rico Cities and Regions

Soak up rays on the wide Isla Verde beach, splurge at Condado boutiques, and saunter up and down the cobblestone streets of historic Old San Juan. See our San Juan Travel Guide

The northeast coast of Puerto Rico is home to El Yunque rainforest and Puerto Rico’s biggest resorts and spas.

The territory’s second-largest city, on the southern coast, gives visitors a taste of San Juan’s historical atmosphere, minus the tourist traffic. Don’t miss the Ponce Firehouse museum and the Fountain of the Lions, made for the 1939 World’s Fair in New York.

Grab a folding chair and a beer, and lay claim to your own expanse of beach on this ultra-laid-back island, eight miles southeast of Fajardo. Much of the island was used as a US Navy base for military exercises – some of it is still closed as cleanup progresses slowly.

This collection of fishing towns, along the west coast from Aguadilla (with its own international airport) south to Cabo Rojo, are Puerto Rico’s go-to destinations for surfing, seafood, and sangria. Laid-back Rincón, a two-hour drive from San Juan, has both budget hotels and the island’s top luxury emporium, the Horned Dorset Primavera.

Smaller than nearby Vieques, Culebra has an even more casual atmosphere than its neighbor, not to mention one of the Caribbean’s finest beaches, the mile-long arc Playa Flamenco. Both islands are reached by puddle-jumper flight from San Juan or via ferry from Fajardo.