Puerto Rico
North America · San Juan · PR
Puerto Rico is the dazzling island country of the Caribbean that unites the great main island of the Antilles with the islets of the Vieques, the Culebra and the Mona, a territory of the United States in the warm, turquoise waters of the north-east Caribbean. It is a country of the extraordinary natural and cultural wealth, blessed with the mountains of the central cordillera, the rainforest of the El Yunque, the bioluminescent bays of the east and the over 500 kilometres of the beaches of the Atlantic and the Caribbean coasts. The capital of the San Juan, with its immense colonial fortresses, its cobbled old town and its legendary rum distilleries, is the historic gateway of the island, while the music, the carnival and the cooking of the island carry the proud mixed heritage of the Taino, the Spanish and the African peoples. Beautiful, exuberant and endlessly welcoming, Puerto Rico is the shining crossroads of the Latin and the Caribbean worlds.
Overview
Puerto Rico is a country in North America. Its capital is San Juan and the international dialling code is +1787. Languages commonly used in everyday life here include Spanish and English. Local currency is the US Dollar (USD). Our guide covers 1 airport, including Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport. We also list 1 city in Puerto Rico: San Juan.
The Walls of the San Juan and the Fortresses of the Bay
The capital of the San Juan, the great historic seaport of the island that rises on its headland between the ocean and the bay, is the magnificent colonial heart of Puerto Rico, the city of the 500 years that the immense fortresses of the crown, the castle of the Morro and the fort of the Cristobal, still guard on their stone ramparts. The old town of the city, the cobbled lanes of the blue stones, the pastel houses of the balconies and the cathedral of the port, is one of the finest preserved colonial urban cores of the Americas, and the museums and the galleries enrich every corner. The walls of the city and the promenade of the sea wall, with the ocean washing the base of the ramparts and the cruise ships of the bay, give the unforgettable, cinematic setting of the historic capital of the Caribbean.
The Rainforest of the El Yunque and the Falls of the Mountains
The forest of the El Yunque, the only tropical rainforest of the United States national forest system and the crown of the eastern mountains of the island, is the great green sanctuary of Puerto Rico, a lush world of the dwarf forests, the giant ferns and the ceibas that collects the clouds of the trade winds on the slopes of the peaks. The trails of the forest, following the streams and the waterfalls of the gorge, reach the famous falls of the La Mina and the enormous lookout tower of the peak, where the whole green blanket of the rainforest streams toward the coast and the sea. The extraordinary endemism of the forest, with its bright green Puerto Rican parrots and its tiny tree frogs of the coquí, whose song gives the island its distinctive nightly sound, makes the El Yunque the essential natural experience of the country.
The Bays of the Bioluminescence and the Islands of the East
The eastern waters of the island, the passages that separate the big island from the islets of the Vieques and the Culebra, hold some of the strangest and the most beautiful natural phenomena of the Caribbean, the luminous bays whose waters ignite in a glowing blue when the midnight swimmers disturb the microscopic living lights of the plankton. The celebrated bay of the mosquito on the islet of the Vieques, among the brightest bioluminescent bays of the world, lights the black water of the lagoon with the electric blue sparkle of the dinoflagellates, while the beaches of the Flamenco of the Culebra, with their white sand and their turtles, rank among the most beautiful of the whole of the region. The mangrove channels and the coral reefs of the two islands, and the sea caves of the passage, complete the luminous, untouched world of the eastern archipelago.
The Cafés of the Mountains and the Towns of the Coffee
The central mountains of the island, the green cordillera that runs the length of the interior, preserve the deep inland culture of Puerto Rico, the towns of the coffee, the tobacco and the harvest festivals that hang their balconies over the valleys of the mist. The old coffee plantations of the region, the haciendas of the mountain slopes with their colonial estate houses and their roasting yards, anchor the slow, agricultural world of the interior, and the hill roads that wind between the peaks, over the passes and down into the deep green river valleys, give the visitor the heartland of the island beyond the beaches. The artisan workshops of the mountains, the sugar cane of the coastal plain and the grandmothers' cooking of the interior, with their plantains and their mountain stews, complete the deep culinary and rural soul of the country.
The Caves of the Camuy and the Wonders of the Karst
The north-west of the island, the extraordinary limestone country of the karst, hides beneath its forests and its haystack hills one of the great cave systems of the Americas, the caverns of the Camuy that carry an underground river through three kilometres of the enormous floodlit chambers hung with the stalactites of the centuries. The tours of the caves, descending into the cathedral cavern of the Clara and the great sinkholes where the river smells of the bat colony, give the unforgettable descent into the hidden plumbing of the island. The observation balconies of the site, where the river of the Camuy pours into the cavern through the jungle-clad wilderness, and the whole dramatic karst belt of the mogotes and the sinkholes of the west, complete the strange, sculpted geology of northern Puerto Rico.
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- Capital
- San Juan
- Currency
- US Dollar (USD)
- Languages
- Spanish, English
- Calling code
- +1787
- Internet TLD
- pr
Entry requirements
Check who can enter →See which passports travel visa-free or need a visa to enter Puerto Rico.
Airports (1)
All airports →Cities (1)
All cities →Frequently asked questions
What is the capital of Puerto Rico?
San Juan is the capital of Puerto Rico, and the country sits in North America.
What currency is used in Puerto Rico?
You pay with US Dollar (USD) in Puerto Rico. Exchange rates move day to day, so check the current rate before you change money or use your card abroad.
Which languages do people speak in Puerto Rico?
The languages we list for Puerto Rico are Spanish and English. A couple of greetings in the local language go a long way when you travel, even in cities where another language is widely used.
What is the international dialling code for Puerto Rico?
The dialling code for Puerto Rico is +1787 — keep the plus sign when you save the number.
Which airports serve Puerto Rico?
Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU) in San Juan is the airport we cover for Puerto Rico.
Which cities in Puerto Rico do you cover?
Our guide lists 1 city for Puerto Rico: San Juan (capital).