The 3 BEST Day Trips in Puerto Rico (close to San Juan)

‘La Isla del Encanto’ or ‘The Island of Enchantment’ is the perfect way to describe Puerto Rico, the US territory located in the Caribbean. 

I recently came back from a week long trip to the Island and left feeling completely enchanted by the natural beauty and vibrant culture it has to offer. Puerto Rico has so many different areas to explore from mountains, to rainforests, to beaches to cities. 

These are my 3 FAVORITE day trips close to San Juan we took during our time and my recommendations on what to do once you get there. 

1. Piñones 

Piñones is a small, coastal area in Loíza, about 20 minutes by car from Old San Juan. The best thing about this area is the variety of authentic puerto rican street food served by locals it offers and the fact that there are little to no tourists walking around. 

The narrow streets are filled with different vendors and food shops that are right next to the beautiful beach where you can enjoy a freshly cut coconut or refreshing Piña Colada.

There are also seating options in most of the restaurants so you can enjoy your food there and leave to go to the beach whenever you feel like it. 

We chose the street shop ‘Iguana Bar’ and I can only recommend this place for it’s absolutely delicious $2 puerto rican street food options and $4 virgin Piña Coladas. Their juicy ‘pinchos’ came fresh from the grill and their empanadas, rellenos de papa and bacalaítos were all amazingly flavorful and savory items. 

Additionally in my opinion, the beach in Piñones was way more beautiful than the ones in the San Juan area and had bluer water and calmer waves as well which made it perfect to cool off at on a hot sunny day. 

2. El Yunque Rainforest 

About an hour car ride away from San Juan, you can explore the El Yunque Rainforest that offers multiple waterfalls, hiking trails and unique wildlife like the Puerto Rican Parrot or coquí frogs. 

We booked a tour through the Rainforest with a local guide who explained some of plants and wildlife to us that we came across.

We hiked all the way to a little waterfall area that had a natural waterslide, a cliff jump and a rope swing all for us to try out! 

After the hike and the waterfall activities our guide drove us to a local food spot that served delicious traditional puerto rican food. We were able to sit, relax and enjoy our food in the midst of the rainforest. 

3. Old San Juan 

Yes, you will read about Old San Juan in every travel guide but yes, it is absolutely 100% an unskipable stop if you’re ever in Puerto Rico in my opinion. This town is not just the oldest city under U.S jurisdiction but also a hub for history with an old world 16th century spanish colonial look and architecture. 

Every corner in this little city is unique and colorful which makes it so fun to walk around in. But one of the highlights are not just the fun vibrant and lively streets but also the castles that surround the town. Built in the 16th to 18th century, these spanish fortifications were once there to protect the city from pirates and european rivals. Now you can visit them and enjoy the view on the beautiful ocean while learning some of old san juans history.

This city is full of little hidden gems like this coffeeshop that I found in the last little corner of the town, they made their own creation of the affogato with a twist and the owners were so sweet and explained the concept behind their coffee creations to me with such joy. 

Old san juan also offers some iconic picture spots like the famous murals in Calle Imperial featuring a huge art piece of the puerto rican flag on an orange house wall which is a typical picture taking place for anyone who visits. 

I hope you liked my recommendations and this post is useful for your next puerto rico trip. Let me know which of these spots you would most likely visit or which must-have puerto rico spots I missed in the comments!!!