Discover San Juan

There are spectacular views from the Castillo San Felipe del Morro, a fort begun in the 1530s to guard access to San Juan Bay. Stones gathered from ancient Taíno ceremonial centers were used to built its walls, up to 18 feet thick.

Visit the Iglesia de San José, which was founded by the Dominicans in 1532. The second oldest church in the New World, it stands as a Gothic gem from of the Old World, but is currently on the list of the Most Endangered Historic Places.

Enter the Metropolitan Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, which is the second oldest cathedral on the American continents, and the resting place of the explorer Juan Ponce de León.

The Castillo San Cristóbal, built in the 17th century, is the largest fortified complex erected by the Spaniards in the New World. Visitors can see the spot where the first shots of the Spanish-American War were fired in 1898, as well as the Garita del Diablo, a sentry box from which, according to local lore, the devil would snatch away soldiers on night guard duty.

Consider a visit to the Museo de Las Américas, which focuses on the cultures and the history of the American continent, from Alaska to Patagonia.

Set out for the U.S. National Forest system's only rainforest, El Yunque, which is located on the eastern side of the island. Showers may be frequent but they are brief. The park's 28,000 acres harbor 240 indigenous species of trees, giant ferns, vines and orchids. Visitors are sure to see hundreds of tropical birds and hear the peeping of the ubiquitous national symbol, a tiny, green tree frog called el coquí.

A long crescent of warm sand shaded by coconut groves and a pristine lagoon protected by coral reefs make up Puerto Rico's most popular beach. Enjoy Playa Luquillo's Caribbean flavor while snacking on some empañadillas or sipping fresh coconut milk!

Plan your free time or consider an optional excursion.

Travel to one of Puerto Rico's oldest towns, Arecibo, which was settled in 1556. In the vicinity stands the world's largest single-aperture radio telescope. Its dish, with a surface of 18 acres, sits in an ancient sinkhole, providing both an "ear to the heavens" (and to potential extraterrestrial intelligence) and a protected environment where ferns, wild orchids and begonias shelter mongooses, lizards and frogs.

Head to the southeastern corner of the Camuy municipality to visit the Parque Nacional de las Cavernas del Río Camuy. The world's third-longest underground river flows there through deep limestone caverns, and within a chasm filled with tropical flora and fauna.