I want to be very clear, you SHOULD visit the beach in Puerto Rico. There are incredible beaches all over the island and they are all worth visiting! I am writing this post simply to share that there are a number of other wonderful things you can do on this beautiful island! It’s one of the reasons I love Puerto Rico so much, the beach isn’t the only thing to do. So here are 6 excellent ideas for things to do in Puerto Rico.
Visit the El Yunque Rainforest (one of the best things to do in Puerto Rico period)
Puerto Rico has an absolutely beautiful rainforest and it is very large. There are tons of things to do here and a number of different ways to visit. You really can’t go wrong.
If you’re into choosing your own adventure, you can easily rent a car and visit the rainforest on your own. There are countless options for hikes and places to explore. You can find tons of information on the official website to help you plan your visit. Make sure to check before going on your own if any of the things you want to do require a permit, as well as what the parking situation will be.
On my most recent visit we didn’t want to rent a car, so we booked a tour and found it to be fantastic! I could not speak more highly of our guide and of the experience we had. We did a short hike and learned a lot about the plants of the rainforest. We swam, did a rope swing jump, did a natural water slide, and ate fresh fruit at a lovely spot in the forest. We then went to Luqillo Kiosks for lunch and ate at a really wonderful spot! This tour allowed us to see so much, and to have everything taken care of for us, which we really appreciated.
I truly think this tour is one of the best things to do in Puerto Rico. I loved the tour so much I wrote a whole blog post about it, you can find it here —-> The Best Way to Experience EL Yunque
If you want to skip right to booking the tour you can do that here —> El Yunque Tour
Something I haven’t done yet, but would love to do, is to stay in an accommodation near EL Yunque and experience that peacefulness for a few days. There are a number of incredible looking accommodations in this area that look very peaceful and you can be immersed in nature. If you had time I would surely add this to your list of things to do in Puerto Rico.
Cocktail Making Class
If you read my blog or follow me on instagram, you would know I am a wine girl. I will have a cocktail from time to time, but it is honestly pretty rare. My cousin and I went to a cocktail making class at “Ron del Barrilito”, just thinking it would be a fun experience and because Puerto Rico is known for rum. Let me tell you, my mind was blown! We learned how to make cocktails and I LOVED all 3 of them! I honestly can’t tell you which one I liked the best, which is shocking. I also had the best piña colada of my life made by one of the bar tenders here!
The experience started with a tour of the property which is a beautiful oasis in the middle of a bustling area. We got to see the villa, the barrel room, the room where they are actually labeling and boxing the rum, and so much more. It was very neat to see the property and the process.
Following the tour, we were given all of our supplies and taught how to make a rum old fashioned, a piña colada, and a drink called “Encanto” that involved Kiwi puree! Who would have thought that it would be so delicious! After making our cocktails we were able to hang out in the beautiful bar area and enjoy sipping them! This also included one drink made by the bartenders on staff and as I previously mentioned, that drink was fantastic!
This was a super fun experience and would be great to do as a couple or with a group of friends, we had a lot of fun! We also ubered here very easily from Old San Juan and then afterwards headed to Condado Beach. This is one of the most fun things to do in Puerto Rico.
Side note: I have also visited Bacardi, which is a more famous name around the world. It was a very neat place to visit and if you love rum, why not visit both! But I found the experience at Ron del Barrilito to be much more personal and enjoyable. I also actually loved the rum in all of the cocktails we had.
You can find and book the tour by clicking here —-> Mixology Class
Stroll the streets of Old San Juan
I will be disappointed in you if you come to Puerto Rico and miss visiting Old San Juan. Visiting here is surely one of the best things to do in Puerto Rico. The streets here are SO vibrant and full of life. It is bustling at almost all hours of the day and there is honestly is so much to see. Just walking around and looking at all of the colors of the city is enough for me, but there are so many things you can do. You can stop for street food at so many wonderful places, you can get a “mallorca” sandwich from “Mallorca” which is literally one of my favorite things to do in Puerto Rico. You can shop in the beautiful boutique shops and fancier jewelry stores. You can try piña coladas, and the best part is you can sip while you stroll. You could take a free walking tour to get to know the history of the city better. You could pop in and out of beautiful church’s and admire the architecture.
We spent 4 days based in Old San Juan and I was so glad we did, we couldn’t get enough of it.
If you’re looking for more information on amazing things to do in Old San Juan, check out my post here —-> 10 Things You Must Do In Old San Juan
Learn Salsa Dancing
If this one sounds a little out of your comfort zone, don’t worry! It was for me too! But we had so much fun learning to Salsa Dance! There are so many different options and ways you can do this in Puerto Rico. If you already know how to do it/what you’re doing, there are plenty of amazing places to go dance. If you don’t know how to dance yet, I suggest taking a class. We actually did a class in a park in Condado and it was so much fun. It was perfect for beginners, we felt comfortable, the instructor was so kind, and we laughed so much! It was a fun new experience and now I can say I can do a little bit of Salsa!
If you want to check something similar to what we did, check this out—-> Salsa Class on the Beach
Tour the Forts & Cemetery
Right on the outskirts of Old San Juan lie two absolutely stunning fortified areas. Castillo San Felipe del Morro & Castillo San Cristobal are very impressive to visit. The best part is, you can walk between them both, and you can buy a combined ticket to see them both. They are also walkable from Old San Juan. I did a lot of morning runs around the area of Felipe del Morro as there is a large grassy area all around it. You can also find an absolutely stunning seaside cemetery called Santa “María Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery”. It is right on the ocean and you can see it from the walls of the fort, I recommend going down and walking through as well, it is a beautiful place to see. The forts are part of the National Park system so make sure to check their opening times and days etc. It only takes a few hours of your time to see them both, and they are worth it!
Go on a Piña Colada Hunt
One of the best things about Piña Coladas is that you don’t even have to have them with alcohol! So this can be an enjoyable activity for literally anyone! There are so many spots you can try them in Puerto Rico and you could have fun trying new spots and ranking them etc.
Here are a few of my favorites:
The best one I had of our whole trip honestly was at “Ron Del Barillito”! But, it wasn’t the one I made, it was made for me by the excellent bartenders there.
We enjoyed visiting “Barrachina” in Old San Juan. This place claims to be the birth place of the piña colada. We were able to walk in and grab one to go so we could keep enjoying walking around. They were delightful and refreshing on a hot afternoon! Being able to wander around with your drink is one of the best things to do in Puerto Rico.
The “Luquillo Kiosks” are another amazing place to visit, set right between the beach and rainforest. We had some killer Piña Coladas here as well, plus we got to enjoy arguably one fo the most lovely views on the island. I highly advise eating here as well, we loved the TriFongo at “Edelweiss Bar & Grill“. Trifongo is a combination of smashed fried green plantains, fried sweet plantains, and boiled yucca and it is DELICIOUS! Mofongo, a popular dish you may have heard of in Puerto Rico, is made with mashed plantains. So trifongo takes it up a few notches!
Where to stay
We absolutely loved our stay at El Colonial Hotel in Old San Juan. Honestly even though it is a hotel, it is one of the best things to do in Puerto Rico. It is an adults only hotel with all inclusive drinks. Yes this includes alcohol, but don’t underestimate the fact that it also includes coffee and water! This is huge in a place where you’re always buying drinks of all kinds! It also has an absolutely lovely rooftop with a view over all of Old San Juan, and some of the nicest staff of any hotel we’ve ever stayed at.
If you’re interested in a place we loved in Old San Juan, check out my post here —-> Where to Stay in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico
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