PR · Travel guide
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico is compact, but travel time is not always obvious from distance alone. Highways make coastal journeys straightforward, while roads through the mountainous interior can be narrow and winding, so allow extra time when crossing the centre of the island.
Quick facts
- Currency
- USD
- Main languages
- Spanish, English
- Calling code
- ++1-787 and 1-939
- Driving side
- right
- Plug types
- Type A, Type B
Power
120 V · 60 Hz
Tipping
Puerto Rico follows a tipping culture close to the mainland United States, and this is normal local practice rather than a special expectation placed on tourists.
- Sit-down restaurants: around 15 to 20 per cent of the pre-tax bill is customary for good service.
- Bars: one or two dollars per drink or a similar percentage on a tab is common.
- Taxis and rideshare: around 10 to 15 per cent or a sensible round-up is typical.
- Hotels, spas and guides: small tips are customary for personal service.
Check the bill before adding a tip because some restaurants add an automatic gratuity or service charge, particularly for larger groups.
Getting around
San Juan has useful public transport and plentiful ride-hailing, but travelling widely around Puerto Rico is much easier with a hire car. Ferries and short flights provide access to Vieques and Culebra.
Public transport around San Juan
The metropolitan area has buses and Tren Urbano, which links parts of San Juan, Guaynabo and Bayamón. Public transport is useful for selected city journeys but is not a practical island-wide network for most sightseeing itineraries.
Taxis and ride-hailing
Taxis are easy to find around San Juan, the airport and major tourist districts. Uber is the main rideshare service and is widely available in urban areas including San Juan, with more limited coverage elsewhere.
If you are staying outside the main towns, arrange transport or hire a car rather than assuming an Uber will be available for the return journey.
Driving
A hire car is usually the simplest way to explore outside the San Juan metro area. Main roads are straightforward, but mountain routes can take longer than their distance suggests and mobile data can become patchy in remote areas.
Rental cars commonly use the AutoExpreso electronic toll system, so ask the rental company how toll charges will be passed on to you.
Vieques and Culebra ferries
Passenger ferries run from Ceiba to Vieques and Culebra. Tickets are sold online, in the City Experiences app and at terminals, but only a limited number of non-resident tickets are released for advance online purchase.
If a specific sailing matters to your itinerary, buy as soon as that timetable becomes available and arrive with plenty of time for check-in.