Puerto Rico
Covers 25 islands from Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands to Aruba, the Bahamas, Bermuda, Cozumel and Roatán, with prices, flights and entry rules checked at the source.
UpdatedThis page carries dated prices, schedules or seasonal facts checked on the date above, and that window has now passed. Re-check the sources at the foot of the page before you book.
Puerto Rico is the easy Caribbean for Americans. It is a US territory, so you need no passport and you pay in US dollars. San Juan's airport has nonstop flights from 41 US mainland airports on our count, more than anywhere else in this region. And it is a big island, with far more to do than its neighbors: a walled colonial city, a rainforest, caves, surf towns and three bioluminescent bays.
It is also cheap by Caribbean standards. On Kayak, the cheapest 3-star-or-better room in San Juan was $120 a night with tax for Wednesday, January 13, 2027, and $114 for Wednesday, July 14, 2027. The trade-off is that the best beaches and sights are spread out. Plan on renting a car, or on booking tours.
At a glance
- Best for
- Families, teens, solo travelers and budget trips that want history, rainforest and beaches in one week
- Skip it if
- You want a tiny, car-free island where the beach is the only plan
- Getting there
- Fly to San Juan (SJU); no passport for US citizens, REAL ID to fly
- Hotel, mid-January
- $120 a night with tax (cheapest 3-star, San Juan), $114 in mid-July
- Island size
- About 3,515 square miles (9,104 km2); the drive around takes five to six hours
In this guide
How Puerto Rico scores
Six factors, scored 0 to 10 the same way for all 64 islands. How we score
- WeatherData · 20%9.0
- Beaches & seaEditors · 25%8.0
- Things to doEditors · 25%9.0
- Getting there from the USData · 10%8.9
- ValueData · 10%7.4
- Room to breatheData · 10%6.8
Weather month by month
Best months by our weather score: January, February, March. Daytime highs, rain and sunshine are 2016–2025 averages at Luis Munoz Marin International Airport (Open-Meteo historical weather archive); sea temperatures are 2022–2025 averages for the nearest sea area (Open-Meteo marine archive). Months marked in the storm row fall in the Atlantic hurricane season (June 1 to November 30); the score takes that risk into account.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °F | 82 | 81 | 82 | 83 | 85 | 87 | 86 | 87 | 87 | 86 | 84 | 82 |
| Sea °F | 81 | 80 | 80 | 81 | 83 | 84 | 84 | 85 | 86 | 86 | 85 | 82 |
| Rain (in) | 2.8 | 3.3 | 3.0 | 4.2 | 3.8 | 2.6 | 3.9 | 4.4 | 6.6 | 5.5 | 5.7 | 3.1 |
| Weather score | 9.6 | 9.4 | 9.6 | 9.0 | 9.2 | 9.1 | 8.3 | 6.9 | 5.4 | 6.5 | 7.5 | 9.4 |
| Storm season | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● |
The numbers behind the score
- Gateway airport
- Luis Munoz Marin International Airport (SJU)
- US nonstops
- ATL, AUS, BDL, BNA, BOS, BUF, BWI, CLE and 33 more
- Distance
- 3,382 mi from Los Angeles, 1,602 mi from New York
- Passport
- Not needed for US citizens
- Hotel, one night
- $120 on Jan 13, 2027 · $114 on Jul 14, 2027 (San Juan (Condado, Santurce, Old San Juan))
- Visitors a year
- 5,551,200 overnight visitors (2024), plus 1,356,300 cruise passengers
- Bringing a dog
- Easy: No quarantine. Requirements are set by Puerto Rico's Department of Agriculture (a vet health certificate and current rabies vaccination are standard for interstate moves); its website failed a security-certificate check on October 20, 2026, so confirm timing with your vet and airline.
Hotel prices: Cheapest 3-star-or-better double, 1 night, 2 adults, Kayak 'stay total' including taxes and fees, member-only and private deals excluded, checked 2026-10-20. January: Canario Boutique Hotel, Santurce/Condado. July: Hotel Mome, Old San Juan.. Visitor figures: Puerto Rico Planning Board, Statistical Appendix of the Economic Report to the Governor 2024, via Puerto Rico Tourism Company statistics.
Where Puerto Rico ranks
Who Puerto Rico is for, and who should skip it
Puerto Rico suits families and teens who get bored on a beach by day three, solo travelers who want a walkable, social base in Old San Juan or Condado, and anyone on a budget. Food is a reason to come on its own, from the kiosks of Pinones and Luquillo to the restaurants of Santurce.
It is a weaker fit if you want a small island where you never drive. For that, take the ferry to St. John from St. Thomas, or look at our Caribbean ranking. Compare it with the others on our list of islands to visit without a passport.
Where to stay and what it costs
- Old San Juan: the colonial city, with small hotels, restaurants and the forts. Walkable, but its beaches are on the other side of the lagoon.
- Condado and Ocean Park: beachfront hotels and apartments between Old San Juan and the airport. Lively, though Condado's surf can be rough.
- Isla Verde: big resorts on calmer water next to the airport.
- Rincon and the west coast: surf town guesthouses, a good second base in winter.
- Fajardo, Vieques and Culebra: the east end and its islands, for bio bays, snorkeling and Flamenco Beach.
Our Kayak check on October 20, 2026, one night, two adults, taxes and fees in: $120 at Canario Boutique Hotel in Santurce/Condado for January 13, 2027, and $114 at Hotel Mome in Old San Juan for July 14, 2027. Those are entry prices. The Tourism Company's own registrations show an average daily rate of $320.14 in San Juan's metro hotels for January to June 2026.
Beaches: calm, rough and worth the ferry
- Isla Verde: the calmest city beach, good for families, with resorts and rentals.
- Condado and Ocean Park: wide sand in town, but waves and rip currents are common. Swim where it is posted as safe.
- Luquillo: a long, sheltered beach east of San Juan, calm and shaded, with the food kiosks next door.
- Flamenco Beach, Culebra: the island's best beach, a horseshoe of white sand and pale blue water. Reached by ferry or small plane.
- Crash Boat, Aguadilla: clear water and a pier on the northwest coast.
- Rincon: a surf coast in winter, when north swells arrive; calmer in summer.
Sargassum seaweed can pile up on east- and south-facing beaches in some months. We score the beaches 8: excellent at their best, but the best ones take a drive or a boat.
Things to do
- San Juan National Historic Site: the forts of El Morro and San Cristobal. Entry is $10 for visitors 16 and older, valid 24 hours for both, card only. The National Park Service counted 1,402,132 recreation visits in 2025.
- El Yunque National Forest: rainforest trails, waterfalls and lookout towers in the Luquillo Mountains. The Forest Service is still managing visitor capacity because of limited parking and disaster-recovery construction, and has proposed new recreation fees at the El Portal center and La Mina area. Check access before you drive out.
- Bioluminescent bays: Mosquito Bay on Vieques, Laguna Grande in Fajardo and La Parguera in the southwest, best on moonless nights by kayak or boat.
- Surfing in Rincon, Aguadilla and Isabela in winter.
- Food: roadside lechon in the mountains, kiosks at Pinones and Luquillo, and Santurce's restaurant scene.
- Culebra and Vieques day trips or overnights for snorkeling and quieter beaches.
That is well over a week of variety, which is why things to do scores 9. Discover Puerto Rico puts the drive around the whole island at five to six hours.
When to go
December to April is the driest, busiest season, and cruise ships crowd Old San Juan: the port counted 1,615,039 cruise passengers in 2025, most of them between November and March. Summer is hotter and wetter but hotel prices barely moved in our check. Surf in the northwest peaks in winter. Our 12-month weather table below gives sea and air temperatures and rainfall.
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, according to the NOAA National Hurricane Center, peaking around September 10, with most activity from mid-August to mid-October. Book refundable rates for those months and read our hurricane season guide.
Getting there from the US
Luis Munoz Marin International (SJU) has scheduled nonstops from 41 US mainland airports on American, Avelo, Delta, Frontier, JetBlue, Southwest, Sun Country and United. New routes are still being added for winter 2026/27: Frontier from Houston and Cleveland from December 17, 2026, Southwest from Columbus from February 13, 2027 and from Kansas City from June 5, 2027.
Entry: no passport for US citizens. Discover Puerto Rico notes that since May 7, 2025 you need a REAL ID-compliant license, or a passport, to fly; TSA charges $45 if you arrive without acceptable ID. On the way home, USDA inspects your luggage at the airport, and most fresh fruit, plants and cut flowers cannot go to the mainland.
Dogs: no quarantine. Requirements are set by Puerto Rico's Department of Agriculture; its website failed a security-certificate check on October 20, 2026, so confirm the health certificate timing with your vet and airline.
What a trip costs
A week in San Juan at the entry prices we found runs about $800 to $850 in hotel nights for two. Add a rental car for days in El Yunque and the east, about $10 per adult for the forts, and a bio bay tour. Puerto Rico's Planning Board counted 5.55 million tourists and 1.36 million cruise excursionists in fiscal 2024, so popular sights are busy; start early. Compare the other US territory islands on our US Virgin Islands ranking.
Tickets and tours you can book
Icacos Deserted Island Catamaran, Snorkel, and Picnic Cruise
Lunch, drinks and snorkel gear are included; transport from San Juan to the Fajardo marina is not.
Rating as shown on Viator
From San Juan: El Yunque Rainforest and Waterslide Tour
Transport and the guide are included; food, drinks and tips are not, and you meet at Norte Shopping Center in San Juan rather than your hotel. Expect mud and wet clothes.
Rating as shown on GetYourGuide
Bio Bay Kayak Tour in Fajardo
Gear, snacks and gratuities are included; transport from San Juan (about an hour) is not. The glow is faint near a full moon, and Vieques' Mosquito Bay is brighter if you are staying there.
Rating as shown on Viator
Booking through these links supports this site at no cost to you. Prices move by date, so we do not print them here; the official prices we checked are in the page above.
Frequently asked questions
Do you need a passport to go to Puerto Rico?
No, not if you are a US citizen. You need a REAL ID-compliant license or a passport to fly, and TSA charges $45 if you have neither.
Do you need a car in Puerto Rico?
Not for Old San Juan and Condado, which are walkable. For El Yunque, Luquillo, the west coast and the bio bays, a car or tours are the practical choice.
What is the best beach in Puerto Rico?
Flamenco Beach on Culebra, reached by ferry or small plane. On the main island, Luquillo is the best calm swimming beach and Isla Verde the calmest in San Juan.
How much is a hotel in San Juan?
On Kayak, the cheapest 3-star-or-better room was $120 with tax for January 13, 2027, and $114 for July 14, 2027. The average rate in metro San Juan hotels was $320.14 in early 2026.
Is El Yunque open?
Yes, but the US Forest Service is managing visitor numbers because of limited parking and recovery construction. Check its access page before you go.
Further reading
Official sources
- Kayak hotel search, San Juan, January 13-14, 2027 (2 adults, 3 stars and up) – Cheapest stay total with taxes and fees $120 (Canario Boutique Hotel); July 14-15, 2027: $114 (Hotel Mome); checked October 20, 2026
- Puerto Rico Planning Board via Puerto Rico Tourism Company, Number and Expenditures of Visitors (fiscal years) – FY2024 (preliminary): 5,551.2 thousand tourists, 1,356.3 thousand excursionists; checked October 20, 2026
- Puerto Rico Tourism Company, Cruise Passenger Movement in Old San Juan (calendar year) – 1,615,039 cruise passengers in 2025; checked October 20, 2026
- Puerto Rico Tourism Company, Monthly Registration and Occupancy Report (calendar years) – Metro ADR $320.14, January-June 2026; checked October 20, 2026
- Wikipedia, Luis Munoz Marin International Airport: Airlines and destinations – 41 US mainland nonstop airports, with start dates for new routes; checked October 20, 2026
- National Park Service, San Juan National Historic Site, Fees – $10 per person 16 and older, 24 hours, both fortifications, no cash; 2025 visits from NPS IRMA statistics; checked October 20, 2026
- USDA Forest Service, El Yunque National Forest – Visitor capacity managed due to limited parking and recovery construction; proposed recreation fees; checked October 20, 2026
- Discover Puerto Rico, No Passport, No Problem and Planning Essentials – REAL ID required from May 7, 2025; drive around the island in five to six hours; checked October 20, 2026
- USDA APHIS, Traveling to the US Mainland from Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands – Agricultural inspection before departure; items not allowed; checked October 20, 2026
- TSA, REAL ID – $45 ConfirmID fee without acceptable ID; checked October 20, 2026
- NOAA National Hurricane Center, Tropical Cyclone Climatology – Atlantic season June 1 to November 30, peak September 10; checked October 20, 2026
