Travel advice for Puerto Rico
From travel safety to visa requirements, discover the best tips for traveling to Puerto Rico
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The easiest way to get to Puerto Rico is to fly, though the island is also connected to the Dominican Republic and Virgin Islands by ferry. The island’s international gateway is the Aeropuerto Internacional Luis Muñoz Marín in San Juan, with numerous connections to the US and all over the Caribbean, while regional airports at Aguadilla and Ponce are increasingly accepting direct flights from the US mainland and nearby islands.
Visitors from outside North America usually have to fly via the US. To a certain extent, the vast number of Puerto Ricans travelling between the island and the US throughout the year, in addition to a steady stream of business traffic, means that airfares remain fairly consistent, though weekend flights always carry a premium. Fares do tend to rise slightly during the peak holiday season between November and April, and soar during Easter – the biggest holiday of the year for most Puerto Ricans – Christmas and New Year. For US flights it’s especially important to book well ahead if you want to benefit from lower prices.
There are few direct flights from Canada, with Air Canada flying the only nonstop service from Toronto (4hr 35min; Can$1250). Your options increase (and prices fall) greatly if you fly through the US: fares from Montréal and Toronto via US carriers start at around Can$480.
From Dublin, you might save a few euros flying the same routes via London; otherwise it’s faster and cheaper to fly with US Airways or Delta via New York – flights cost around €650.
From South Africa, various combinations of airlines will get you to San Juan via layovers in the US or Spain (via Iberia) from R7500 to R12,000.
At the time of writing you could also travel between St Thomas and St John in the US Virgin Islands and Fajardo on the east coast of Puerto Rico: boats depart St Thomas at 4pm on Saturdays only. One-way is $70, return is just $90.
From travel safety to visa requirements, discover the best tips for traveling to Puerto Rico
written by Rough Guides Editors
updated 26.04.2021
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