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Travel guide · Old San Juan, beaches and rainforest

Travelling to Puerto Rico

Walled Old San Juan, the El Yunque rainforest, bioluminescent bays and beaches like Flamenco, on an island where Spanish is spoken. We tell you when to go, what to see and what to eat.

Updated 18 October 2026 · How we make our guides

  • Best time: from December to May
  • Where to eat: a chinchorro (roadside bar) or a fonda
Photo: Godot13 · CC BY-SA 4.0

Puerto Rico in 30 seconds

  • The months with the fewest warnings to travel to Puerto Rico are from December to May. If you can, avoid from August to October (hurricane season, hurricane peak).
  • To eat like a local: a chinchorro (roadside bar) or a fonda. Don’t leave without trying: Mofongo, Lechón asado, Arroz con gandules.

Puerto Rico in November

You can go, with a few caveats: hurricane season. Book with free cancellation, take out travel insurance that covers weather events and check the National Hurricane Center’s forecasts a few days before you go.

  • November

    Hurricane season

    Hurricanes can form from June to November; August, September and October are the riskiest months. There are almost always days of heavy rain and humid heat.

    What to do: Book with free cancellation, take out travel insurance that covers weather events and check the National Hurricane Center’s forecasts a few days before you go.

More destinations for November

When to travel to Puerto Rico

The months with the fewest warnings to travel to Puerto Rico are from December to May. If you can, avoid from August to October (hurricane season, hurricane peak).

  1. Jan no warnings
  2. Feb no warnings
  3. Mar no warnings
  4. Apr no warnings
  5. May no warnings
  6. Jun with warnings
  7. Jul with warnings
  8. Aug with strong warnings
  9. Sep with strong warnings
  10. Oct with strong warnings
  11. Nov with warnings
  12. Dec no warnings

More destinations for those dates: where to travel in January · where to travel in February · where to travel in March · where to travel in April

  • from June to November

    Hurricane season

    Hurricanes can form from June to November; August, September and October are the riskiest months. There are almost always days of heavy rain and humid heat.

    What to do: Book with free cancellation, take out travel insurance that covers weather events and check the National Hurricane Center’s forecasts a few days before you go.

    Best time: December to April

  • from August to October

    Hurricane peak

    August to October is when hurricanes and tropical storms are most likely.

    What to do: Take out travel insurance and follow the warnings; the best time is December to April.

What to see in Puerto Rico

The cities and areas most worth your time, with their highlights. Open each one for all the places, where to stay and its day trips.

  • San Juan

    San Juan

    Old San Juan of colourful houses and Spanish forts, and the beaches of Condado.

    • Castillo San Felipe del Morro
    • Castillo San Cristóbal
    • Streets of Old San Juan
    • Paseo de la Princesa
    San Juan guide
  • Vieques

    Vieques

    An island of free-roaming horses, wild beaches and the brightest bioluminescent bay in the world.

    • Mosquito Bay
    • Playa Caracas
    • Wildlife refuge
    • Esperanza
    Vieques guide
  • Culebra

    Culebra

    A small, quiet island with Flamenco Beach, one of the best in the Caribbean.

    • Flamenco Beach
    • Tamarindo Beach
    • Cayo Luis Peña
    • Culebrita Island
    Culebra guide
  • Ponce

    Ponce

    The “Pearl of the South”, with its plaza, its red-and-black firehouse and the island’s best art museum.

    • Parque de Bombas
    • Ponce Cathedral
    • Ponce Art Museum
    • Castillo Serrallés
    Ponce guide
  • Rincón

    Rincón

    The surf town on the west coast, with sunsets over the sea and whales in winter.

    • Surfing at Domes and Tres Palmas
    • Punta Higüero Lighthouse
    • Steps Beach
    • Sunsets
    Rincón guide
  • Fajardo

    Fajardo

    The port of the east, the departure point for the islands and the bioluminescent Laguna Grande.

    • Laguna Grande
    • Las Cabezas Lighthouse
    • Icacos
    • Seven Seas Beach
    Fajardo guide
  • El Yunque

    El Yunque

    Puerto Rico’s rainforest, with waterfalls, viewpoints and the song of the coquí frogs.

    • La Coca Falls
    • Yokahú Tower
    • La Mina Falls
    • El Yunque Peak
    El Yunque guide

Day trips and activities

What’s most worth booking from each city. We take you straight to the best-rated tour on GetYourGuide, with its reviews and dates.

From San Juan

From Vieques

From Culebra

From Ponce

From Rincón

From Fajardo

From El Yunque

Some links are affiliate links: if you book through them, Bagintravel may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

What to eat in Puerto Rico

To eat like a local: a chinchorro (roadside bar) or a fonda, and order mofongo or roast lechón. And don’t leave without trying:

  • Mofongo

    Fried green plantain mashed with garlic and pork crackling.

  • Lechón asado

    Spit-roasted pork, on Guavate’s lechón route.

  • Arroz con gandules

    Rice with pigeon peas, the Christmas dish.

  • Alcapurrias

    Cassava or plantain fritters stuffed with meat.

  • Tostones

    Twice-fried green plantain.

  • Coquito

    A coconut and rum Christmas drink.

The typical dish of Puerto Rico, at home

Mofongo
Photo: Dtarazona · Public domain

Mofongo

Puerto Rico’s dish: fried green plantain mashed in a pilón with garlic and pork crackling, shaped into a dome with broth or a seafood stew around it.

  • Serves 4
  • 40 min

Ingredients

  • 4 green plantains
  • 6 garlic cloves
  • 100 g pork crackling or crispy fried pork belly
  • 3 tablespoons of olive oil
  • Salt
  • Oil for frying
  • Hot chicken stock or garlic prawns to serve

How to make it at home

  1. Peel the plantains and cut them into 2 cm slices.
  2. Fry them over a medium heat for about 8 minutes, until tender and lightly golden.
  3. Pound the garlic with salt and oil in the pilón (or a mortar).
  4. Add the hot plantain and crackling in batches and pound into a mash.
  5. Shape it in a bowl, turn it out and serve with broth or garlic prawns.

The trick: Pound it while hot: once cold it won’t hold together.

The typical food of each city, with a recipe

Curious facts about Puerto Rico

What guidebooks don’t tell you and will help you understand the country better.

  • It’s a US territory and its people are US citizens.
  • It has three of the five bioluminescent bays in the world.
  • El Yunque is the only tropical rainforest in the US National Forest System.
  • The piña colada was invented in San Juan.
  • The coquí, a tiny frog, sings all night and is the symbol of the island.
  • From reggaeton to salsa, the island is a musical powerhouse.

Traditions of Puerto Rico

Customs and celebrations that will help you experience the country like a local.

  • January Fiestas de la Calle San Sebastián

    The end of the Christmas festivities in Old San Juan.

  • Christmas Parrandas

    Groups singing from house to house.

  • 23 June Noche de San Juan

    Plunging backwards into the sea at midnight.

  • Bomba and plena

    Traditional Afro-Puerto Rican rhythms.

What not to do in Puerto Rico

First-trip mistakes that are easy to avoid.

  • Don’t travel without an approved ESTA (or a US visa, depending on your passport).
  • Don’t swim at red-flag beaches: there are strong currents on the north coast.
  • Don’t put on sunscreen before swimming in the bioluminescent bays.
  • Don’t leave things on show in the car.
  • Don’t underestimate San Juan’s traffic.
  • Don’t forget to tip: between 15 and 20%.

Before you go

Entry requirements depend on your passport and change: always check them with official sources before travelling.

Frequently asked questions about Puerto Rico

What people search for most before travelling to Puerto Rico.

What’s the best time to travel to Puerto Rico?

The months with the fewest warnings to travel to Puerto Rico are from December to May. If you can, avoid from August to October (hurricane season, hurricane peak).

What to see in Puerto Rico in a week?

The essentials of Puerto Rico: San Juan, Vieques, Culebra, Ponce and Rincón. How many places fit into your days, and in what order, depends on your dates and how you get around: the Bagintravel app plans your trip day by day in a minute.

What to eat in Puerto Rico?

Mofongo, Lechón asado, Arroz con gandules, Alcapurrias, Tostones, Coquito. To eat like a local: a chinchorro (roadside bar) or a fonda.

What is the typical dish of Puerto Rico?

Mofongo. Puerto Rico’s dish: fried green plantain mashed in a pilón with garlic and pork crackling, shaped into a dome with broth or a seafood stew around it.

What should you not do in Puerto Rico?

Don’t travel without an approved ESTA (or a US visa, depending on your passport). Don’t swim at red-flag beaches: there are strong currents on the north coast. Don’t put on sunscreen before swimming in the bioluminescent bays.

Is it worth travelling to Puerto Rico in November?

You can go, with a few caveats: hurricane season. Book with free cancellation, take out travel insurance that covers weather events and check the National Hurricane Center’s forecasts a few days before you go.

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Guide reviewed 18 October 2026. Seasonal data, places and areas: the same ones the Bagintravel app uses. Sources and method.

Photos: cover, Godot13 (CC BY-SA 4.0). San Juan, Farragutful (CC BY-SA 3.0). Vieques, USDA, DRNA PR (CC BY-SA 4.0). Culebra, Bryan Vincent (CC BY-SA 2.0). Ponce, User:Mtmelendez (CC BY-SA 3.0). Rincón, https://www.flickr.com/people/37244380@N00/ (CC BY-SA 2.0). Fajardo, Wikimedia Commons (Public domain). El Yunque, Jami430 (CC BY-SA 4.0).