Your ultimate guide on how to spend 4 days in Puerto Rico including best places to visit, road trips from San Juan, and more with this jam-packed itinerary!
PR8 Ponta de Sāo Lourenço is een hike die je niet mag missen op Madeira. Lees hier alle tips en onze ervaringen voor deze hike!
Ca y est, on a enfin fait notre fameux roadtrip en Suisse à bord de notre van aménagé ! Je vous donne les détails de notre super itinéraire.
Uncover the beauty of Puerto Rico on a road trip. From pristine beaches to delicious cuisine, this Caribbean paradise has it all.
Contrary to popular belief, Puerto rico is ready for you to come visit and the best thing that you can do to support this beautiful island is to support its economy. Tourism is an important source of revenue for Puerto Rico and it took a big hit after the hurricane.
Looking for things to do in Puerto Rico? This is a complete guide to explore San Juan + beyond, including where to stay, eat, drink and what to do.
PR1 Pico do Arieiro hike is the most popular hike in Madeira. This guide shows you how to hike PR1 and transportation options.
Traveling to Puerto Rico? Here's a 7 day Puerto Rico itinerary that covers the best of the island: San Juan, El Yunque, Fajardo & Vieques!
This is the perfect travel itinerary for your 4 days in Puerto Rico! Check out some of the best restaurants, attractions, and travel tips you’ll need to make the most of your trip!
As Puerto Rico's recovery efforts stall following the unprecedented damage left in hurricanes Irma and Maria's wake, an alternative view on Puerto Rico's recovery is proposed calling for long term capital commitments and regulatory relief.
PR1 Pico do Arieiro hike is the most popular hike in Madeira. This guide shows you how to hike PR1 and transportation options.
De PR6 Levada das 25 fontes & do Risco is een populaire en mooie hike op Madeira. Hier vind je alles wat je moet weten!
PR1 Pico do Arieiro hike is the most popular hike in Madeira. This guide shows you how to hike PR1 and transportation options.
PR1 Pico do Arieiro hike is the most popular hike in Madeira. This guide shows you how to hike PR1 and transportation options.
These Tips for Visiting Culebra Island, Puerto Rico will help you make the most of your trip!
Vieques, Puerto Rico, is an incredible island with lots of great things to do! Check out this comprehensive Vieques guide to start planning your trip.
How to visit El Yunque National Forest on a self guided tour. Learn what to know before you go, apps to download, hikes and swimming holes.
Want to get your hike on in Puerto Rico? El Yunque rainforest is the perfect way to get gorgeous island views & frolic in waterfalls.
We are currently anchored in Salinas, Puerto Rico. Before officially leaving this place and our sailing life, we decided to go on a tour around this beautiful island.
Pico do Arieiro Hike (PR1) With endless views over steep Jurassic valleys, lush greenery, and the Atlantic Ocean, it’s safe to say the Pico do Arieiro
As a popular tourist destination, Puerto Rico can be a little pricey, especially if you're staying in Old San Juan (one of the most beautiful areas!) near where the cruise ships dock. But never fear! There are plenty of free and cheap things to do once you get there! Here are some of our favorites. Near San Juan [caption id=attachment_312 align=aligncenter width=1100] Fountain in an Old San Juan courtyard[/caption] 1. Old San Juan Old San Juan is a beautiful area of San Juan, Puerto Rico full of colorful colonial architecture, different landmarks and monuments, and great views of the ocean. Best of all, it's completely free to wander its cobblestone streets or meander down the Paseo de la Princesa! Calle del Cristo and Fortaleza Street are great for shopping and restaurants, Plaza de Armas and Parque de las Palomas are nice for people-watching, there are three historic churches (Capilla del Cristo, Catedral de San Juan, and Iglesia de San Jose) and you can walk along the old city wall on the north end of the area. Some nice sites in Old San Juan are the San Juan Gate, the Santa Maria Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery, and sculptures like La Rogativa or El Fuente de los Raices. On weekends there are also live music and street vendors along and near the Paseo de la Princesa. [caption id=attachment_310 align=alignnone width=1100] A garita at Castillo San Cristobal[/caption] 2. San Juan National Historic Site This UNESCO World Heritage Site includes several historic fortifications in the Old San Juan area, the largest and most popular of which are Castillo de San Felipe del Morro (El Morro) and Castillo San Cristobal. The entrance fee to all of these impressive sites is only $5 per person (kids free!) and is good for a whole week. We explored Castillo San Cristobal (the larger and newer of the two) first, watching the video about the two forts and exploring its tunnels, dungeons, and many levels. From the top there were some really gorgeous views of Old San Juan and the ocean. Then, we walked along the old city wall (La Muralla), enjoying the fresh sea breeze, onto El Morro. There's a large green space in front of El Morro where locals fly kites and have picnics. We then went inside and explored its many levels and exhibits, including ones about life at the fort in pirate times and the different cannons and ammunition that were used in them. All in all, San Juan National Historic Site is a fabulous educational attraction for only $5 a person! (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [caption id=attachment_315 align=alignnone width=1100] Our free Cuba Libres at the Bacardi Factory[/caption] 3. Bacardi Factory Tour The tour of the Bacardi Factory, which is just across the bay from Old San Juan, is totally free, and perhaps even better than free, because every participant also receives two drink tickets to use at the bar afterwards! To get there you can either take an expensive ($20+) taxi ride around the bay or take the ferry across the bay for 50 cents/person each way and then a $3/person taxi ride to the factory. We chose the latter option, since paying for that long taxi ride would defeat the purpose of a free attraction! The factory tour is unfortunately not an actual tour of a factory, but you do learn a lot about the Bacardi family, the history of the brand, and the process of making rum along the way, and there's even someone to teach you how to make mojitos, daiquiris, and Cuba Libres at one point. Once done with the tour you can relax with your free drinks and shop in the gift shop, which has some really great deals on Bacardi products. Note: The Bacardi Historic Tour is no longer free, but costs $15/adult (those under 17 are still free), making this not such a cheap thing to do in Puerto Rico! However, if you make it down to Ponce you can check out another rum-related attraction, the Seralles Castle for about $9/adult! The Seralles family made their fortune producing many brands of rum, including my favorite Puerto Rico brand, Don Q! An hour or less from San Juan [caption id=attachment_317 align=alignnone width=1100] Into the canopy at El Yunque National Forest[/caption] 4. El Yunque National Forest El Yunque is the only tropical rainforest in the US National Forest system, and best of all, it's totally free to visit! You can drive along the roads, stop at any of the lookout points, and take any of the hikes for free, however, if you'd like to visit the visitor center, it costs $4 per person. I do recommend paying the $4/person for the visitor center, as it has some really great exhibits about El Yunque and rainforests in general, a gift shop where you can buy any bug spray, water bottles, etc. that you forgot, and really helpful staff that can give you maps of the forest and help you figure out what trails might be best for you. We hiked down to La Mina Falls, a waterfall with a pool at the bottom that you can swim in, and had a wonderful time doing so, enjoying the plant life that grows at different elevations in the forest, the lizards we saw darting along the undergrowth, and the trickling stream along the way. [caption id=attachment_319 align=aligncenter width=533] Ladder into Cueva del Indio[/caption] 5. Cueva del Indio Cueva del Indio is an amazing cave full of pre-Columbian Taino carvings a little ways outside of Arecibo, Puerto Rico. The cave is well-lit and you can see all sorts of carvings once you climb down the tall wooden ladder to the cave floor. The area is also really beautiful, with azure waves crashing against the rocks below you, lava rock formations and seven natural stone arches. Best of all, it's cheap! It costs $2 to park your car and $1 per person to explore the area on your own. You can have a guide go with you if you'd like, but you'll be expected to tip them well if you do. This is a really nice area to explore that mixes history, nature and culture, and it is well off the beaten cruise ship-tourist path in Puerto Rico. [caption id=attachment_327 align=alignnone width=1100] Vendor at Luquillo Beach[/caption] 6. Luquillo Beach (Monserrate Balneario) We stopped at Luquillo Beach for lunch and swimming between a morning hike in El Yunque and an evening kayak tour at the Fajardo Bio Bay. It made a really great stopping point between those two attractions, and it was really cheap! It costs $4 to park your car and $1/person to use the restrooms, changing rooms, and shower facilities for the whole day. It is a Blue Flag Beach, meaning it meets certain standards in regards to water quality, environmental management, and facilities standards, so you can feel good swimming there! The sand makes a lovely crescent around the ocean and is fringed by palm trees, so once you're out in the water you can basically forget you're anywhere near civilization. Luquillo Beach is also very well known for its great food at the kioskos. When we went it was at a rather odd time, so none of the kioskos were open, but we ate at a small beachside restaurant where we had some great food and my favorite--a piña colada in a coconut! A bit further (1.5-2 hours from San Juan) [caption id=attachment_330 align=alignnone width=1100] Lion sculpture at Plaza las Delicias, Ponce[/caption] 7. Plaza las Delicias Plaza las Delicias (Square of Delights) is a wonderful square or park in Ponce, Puerto Rico. There is a cathedral and the iconic Parque de Bombas, a refurbished fire station that has become a symbol for the city, in the plaza, as well as numerous benches, trees, fountains, and, best of all, 16 lion sculptures which have all been painted differently by local artists. Visiting the square is, of course, completely free! It's a wonderful spot for people watching, and all around the plaza there are great shops and restaurants in the colorful Spanish colonial style, including a great ice cream shop with tropical flavors like coconut and passionfruit called King Cream (highly recommended)! [caption id=attachment_334 align=alignnone width=1100] Flower in Guanica Dry Forest[/caption] 8. Guanica Forest Reserve (Bosque Estatal de Guánica) After hiking in El Yunque rainforest, why not head to the south side of the island for a hike in the dry forest? The forest is free to visit, and it's a really pretty area, full of a mix of deciduous trees, flowers, and desert plants. There are longer trails that lead to an old fort (Fort Capron) or Tamarindo Beach, but we saw the sugar mill ruins near the picnic area, then took a shorter trail that lead past some limestone caves and onto the Guayacon Centenario, a 1000-year-old tree. We then drove to Tamarindo Beach (also free), even stopping to explore an abandoned lighthouse along the way. [caption id=attachment_336 align=aligncenter width=533] Flaming June by Sir Frederick Leighton at the Ponce Art Museum[/caption] 9. Ponce Art Museum (Museo de Arte de Ponce) When I was researching Puerto Rico for our honeymoon, I looked into a few art museums there. When I saw Flaming June, the piece de resistance of the Museo de Arte de Ponce (shown below), I really wanted to go see it for myself! We were already taking a day trip to Ponce to hike in Guanica dry forest and go to Plaza las Delicias, eating at the Pork Highway on the way back, so it worked out well. The museum only costs $6 per person to enter, and I was really impressed by the collection! First we went through a traveling exhibit about the Vienna Secessionists, then saw The Last Sleep of Arthur in Avalon by Edward Burne-Jones and Flaming June by Sir Frederick Leighton, two really impressive works, before continuing on to see all sorts of Puerto Rican art. On the second floor there were even more great European art and sculptures. It was a really interesting stop and I really felt they had a great mix of both classical European art and more contemporary Puerto Rican works. [caption id=attachment_340 align=alignnone width=1100] Lechon asado along the Pork Highway[/caption] 10. Pork Highway in Guavate You can visit the Pork Highway and have delicious lechon asado (roast suckling pig). The food is affordable and the atmosphere is fun! On the weekends it's very festive and social--some of the lechonerias even have live music. You can try really great Puerto Rican cooking, and have fun meeting locals with a short trip to the Pork Highway in Guavate. Totally worth-it splurge Bioluminescent Bay Kayak Tour If you're going to spend a larger chunk of money on one attraction, I highly recommend taking a Bioluminescent Bay kayak or boat tour! Pretty much any tour operator will charge $45 per person, at least at the Fajardo Bio Bay that we visited, but it was definitely worth it. It's a truly unique experience that is hard to really describe, and if you're going to splurge while you're in Puerto Rico, I think this is a great way to do it! Fajardo is only about one hour from San Juan, and we managed to have a nice (though long) day trip to El Yunque, Luquillo, and Fajardo on our trip. If you aren't renting a car you can often still experience El Yunque and/or the Fajardo Bio Bay by organizing a day tour--just talk to your hotel concierge! Been to the Island of Enchantment before? Know of any free or cheap stuff I missed? Share your thoughts below! 6. Luquillo Beach (Monserrate Balneario) We stopped at Luquillo Beach for lunch and swimming between a morning hike in El Yunque and an evening kayak tour at the Fajardo Bio Bay. It made a really great stopping point between those two attractions, and it was really cheap! It costs $4 to park your car and $1/person to use the restrooms, changing rooms, and shower facilities for the whole day. It is a Blue Flag Beach, meaning it meets certain standards in regards to water quality, environmental management, and facilities standards, so you can feel good swimming there! The sand makes a lovely crescent around the ocean and is fringed by palm trees, so once you're out in the water you can basically forget you're anywhere near civilization. Luquillo Beach is also very well known for its great food at the kioskos. When we went it was at a rather odd time, so none of the kioskos were open, but we ate at a small beachside restaurant where we had some great food and my favorite--a piña colada in a coconut! Vendor at Luquillo Beach A bit further (1.5-2 hours from San Juan) 7. Plaza las Delicias Plaza las Delicias (Square of Delights) is a wonderful square or park in Ponce, Puerto Rico. There is a cathedral and the iconic Parque de Bombas, a refurbished fire station that has become a symbol for the city, in the plaza, as well as numerous benches, trees, fountains, and, best of all, 16 lion sculptures which have all been painted differently by local artists. Visiting the square is, of course, completely free! It's a wonderful spot for people watching, and all around the plaza there are great shops and restaurants in the colorful Spanish colonial style, including a great ice cream shop with tropical flavors like coconut and passionfruit called King Cream (highly recommended)! Lion sculpture at Plaza las Delicias, Ponce 8. Guanica Forest Reserve (Bosque Estatal de Guánica) After hiking in El Yunque rainforest, why not head to the south side of the island for a hike in the dry forest? The forest is free to visit, and it's a really pretty area, full of a mix of deciduous trees, flowers, and desert plants. There are longer trails that lead to an old fort (Fort Capron) or Tamarindo Beach, but we saw the sugar mill ruins near the picnic area, then took a shorter trail that lead past some limestone caves and onto the Guayacon Centenario, a 1000-year-old tree. We then drove to Tamarindo Beach (also free), even stopping to explore an abandoned lighthouse along the way. Flower in Guanica Dry Forest 9. Ponce Art Museum (Museo de Arte de Ponce) When I was researching Puerto Rico for our honeymoon, I looked into a few art museums there. When I saw Flaming June, the piece de resistance of the Museo de Arte de Ponce (shown below), I really wanted to go see it for myself! We were already taking a day trip to Ponce to hike in Guanica dry forest and go to Plaza las Delicias, eating at the Pork Highway on the way back, so it worked out well. The museum only costs $6 per person to enter, and I was really impressed by the collection! First we went through a traveling exhibit about the Vienna Secessionists, then saw The Last Sleep of Arthur in Avalon by Edward Burne-Jones and Flaming June by Sir Frederick Leighton, two really impressive works, before continuing on to see all sorts of Puerto Rican art. On the second floor there were even more great European art and sculptures. It was a really interesting stop and I really felt they had a great mix of both classical European art and more contemporary Puerto Rican works. Flaming June by Sir Frederick Leighton 10. Pork Highway in Guavate You can visit the Pork Highway and have delicious lechon asado (roast suckling pig). The food is affordable and the atmosphere is fun! On the weekends it's very festive and social--some of the lechonerias even have live music. You can try really great Puerto Rican cooking, and have fun meeting locals with a short trip to the Pork Highway in Guavate. Totally worth-it splurge Bioluminescent Bay Kayak Tour If you're going to spend a larger chunk of money on one attraction, I highly recommend taking a Bioluminescent Bay kayak or boat tour! Pretty much any tour operator will charge $45 per person, at least at the Fajardo Bio Bay that we visited, but it was definitely worth it. It's a truly unique experience that is hard to really describe, and if you're going to splurge while you're in Puerto Rico, I think this is a great way to do it! Fajardo is only about one hour from San Juan, and we managed to have a nice (though long) day trip to El Yunque, Luquillo, and Fajardo on our trip. If you aren't renting a car you can often still experience El Yunque and/or the Fajardo Bio Bay by organizing a day tour--just talk to your hotel concierge! Been to the Island of Enchantment before? Know of any free or cheap stuff I missed? Share your thoughts below! xoxo, xenophile https://www.facebook.com/v2.2/plugins/like.php?action=like&app_id=190291501407&channel=http%3A%2F%2Fstaticxx.facebook.com%2Fconnect%2Fxd_arbiter.php%3Fversion%3D42%23cb%3Dfb70ed458%26domain%3Dxoxoxenophile.weebly.com%26origin%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fxoxoxenophile.weebly.com%252Ff12db3cb58%26relation%3Dparent.parent&container_width=0&href=http%3A%2F%2Fxoxoxenophile.weebly.com%2F3%2Fpost%2F2015%2F02%2F10-free-cheap-puerto-rico-attractions.html&layout=button_count&locale=en_US&sdk=joey&share=false&show_faces=false&width=90 http://platform.twitter.com/widgets/tweet_button.40d5e616f4e685dadc7fb77970f64490.en.html#dnt=false&id=twitter-widget-0&lang=en&original_referer=http%3A%2F%2Fxoxoxenophile.weebly.com%2Ftravel-advice%2F10-free-cheap-puerto-rico-attractions&size=m&text=10%20Free%20%26%20Cheap%20Puerto%20Rico%20Attractions%20-%20xoxo%2C%20xenophile&time=1464385499157&type=share&url=http%3A%2F%2Fxoxoxenophile.weebly.com%2F3%2Fpost%2F2015%2F02%2F10-free-cheap-puerto-rico-attractions.html 0 Comments LEAVE A REPLY. http://www.weebly.com/editor/apps/showCommentForm-v2.php?user_id=45805247&blog_id=941295216410867001&post_id=343023200982549857&parent=http://xoxoxenophile.weebly.com/travel-advice/10-free-cheap-puerto-rico-attractions&is_mobile=&r=3&is_light=1
Hiking in Peneda-Gerês National Park was high on my list of things to do in Portugal. My first hike, PR3, was a great introduction to Peneda-Gerês.
