Puerto Rico is an island in the Caribbean commonwealth of the United States. Whether you’re looking for permanent or a vacation residence Puerto Rico offers you the excitement of overseas living with the convenience and comfort of a domestic home.

Puerto Rico is where four centuries of Spanish Caribbean culture comes face to face with the American convenience store. This leads to some strange juxtapositions - parking lots and plazas, freeways and fountains, skyscrapers and shanties - but it's all a piece with the Caribbean's hybrid history.

Come and discover Puerto Rico!

Here are some facts:

Full country name: Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
Area: 9,100 sq km
Population: 3.91 million
People: Hispanic 88.5%, Amerindian 0.4%, Asian 0.2%, mixed and other 10.9%
Language: Spanish, English
Religion: Roman Catholic (85%), Protestant
Government: commonwealth of the United States
Head of State: Chief Of State (US President) George W Bush
Head of Government: Governor Acevedo Villa

Money: US currency

GDP: US$35 billion
GDP per capita: US$9,000
Inflation: 5.7%
Major Industries: pharmaceuticals, clothing, food products, electronics, tourism
Major Trading Partners: USA, Netherlands Antilles, Trinidad & Tobago

Puerto Rico is 100 long by 35 miles wide—but don’t let these measurements fool you. Close to 4 million people live on the “Island of Enchantment,” with more than a million in the greater San Juan metropolitan area alone. It is a vibrant, modern, bilingual, multicultural society, one that has been molded by Spanish, African, Indian and U.S. influences. Residents of Puerto Rico have much in common with their fellow Americans in the continental United States, yet they retain a decidedly Hispanic heritage.

Both Spanish and English are the official languages, the local currency is the U.S. dollar, and no visas or passports are required to enter Puerto Rico from the United States. Mail is sent through the US Postal Service at the same rates as on the mainland.

The climate is as close to perfect as it can get, averaging 83°F (22.7°C) in the winter and 85°F (29.4°C) in the summer. In other words, it’s always summer! The trade winds cool the coastal towns and the temperature decreases as you go up into the higher mountains.

Puerto Rico is in the Atlantic Time Zone, but does not observe Daylight Savings Time. The island uses standard U.S. electric current. European appliances require an adapter.

There are no customs duties on articles bought in Puerto Rico and taken to the U.S. mainland. Major credit cards are accepted at most businesses, and ATMs connected to major US and international networks are easy to find.

Business hours are similar to those on the mainland, 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM weekdays (the siesta has pretty much disappeared). Most stores are open Saturdays, and all of the larger towns have shopping malls that are open evenings and Sundays.

Getting To Puerto Rico

Getting to Puerto Rico almost always means flying to Luis Muños Marín (LMM) International Airport. The gleaming white terminal located just outside of San Juan is ranked 34th among passenger airports in the United States.

Most U.S. and many international airlines offer direct flights to Puerto Rico, and making connecting flights is easy. LMM is one of the largest airports in the Caribbean and is a popular place for hopping over to the U.S. Virgin Islands and other Caribbean destinations.

Transferring from the airport to your hotel usually requires taking a taxi, although some hotels provide complimentary transportation to their properties in special buses. Puerto Rico Tourism Company representatives at the airport will assist you in finding the right transportation. Major car rental agencies are located at the airport, and others offer free transportation to their off-airport sites.

Although there is no regular passenger service to Puerto Rico by sea, more than a million passengers visit the island on cruise ships every year, whether on one of the many cruise lines whose homeport is San Juan, or on one of the visiting lines.

From North America
2 ½ hours from Miami
3 ¼ hours from Atlanta
3 ¼ hours from New York
3 ½ hours from Washington, DC
4 ¼ hours from Toronto
4 ½ hours from Chicago and Dallas
7 ½ hours from Los Angeles

From Latin America
2 ½ hours from Caracas
5 ¾ hours from Mexico City
11 hours from Sao Paolo

From Europe
7 ¾ hours from Madrid
10 hours from Paris
10 ¼ hours from Brussels
12 hours from London

Getting Around The Island

Ground transportation in Puerto Rico can mean a taxi, a tour bus, a rental car, a ferry, a small plane, a charter boat, a Metrobus, or a p?o. In the near future, you will also be able to get around part of greater San Juan in a shiny new Urban Train.

BY GROUND

Most of the major car rental companies have offices at the airport, in San Juan and in the larger cities and towns. Roads are clearly marked and maps are available. Note that speed limits are indicated in miles per hour, but distances are shown in kilometers.

Taxis are available at the airport, hotels and major tourist points. In the tourism zones, rates are fixed and posted. Outside the zones, taxis are metered and can be hired by the hour.

Fixed rates - Tourist zones:

Airport / Isla Verde - $8.00

Airport / Condado / Miramar - $12.00

Airport / Pier Area in Old San Juan - $16.00

Piers / Old San Juan - $6.00

Piers / Condado / Miramar - $10.00

Piers / Isla Verde - $16.00

Piers / Plaza Las Am?cas Shopping Mall - $12.00

Piers / Plaza Carolina Shopping Mall - $20.00

Piers 1, 4, 6 & Navy Frontier / El Morro - $6.00

Panamerican Piers / El Morro - $10.00

Public transportation in the metropolitan San Juan area is convenient and practical, with regular bus service on established routes.

BY AIR

You can fly to many of the cities and towns within Puerto Rico, including Vieques and Culebra, by chartering a small plane or taking one of the regularly scheduled commuter-type flights from the Ribas Dominicci Airport in Isla Grande, San Juan, or other local airports. If you are staying in the west of the island, look into direct flights to and from the Aguadilla airport.

BY PUBLICO

Among the most interesting—and adventurous—ways of traveling in Puerto Rico is by p?o. P?os are independently owned and operated vans that service hard to reach urban areas. They also travel between island towns; if you have the time and inclination, they can be an inexpensive and fascinating way to learn about the island. You may find yourself riding with a family on its way to see a grandmother on the other side of the island, or a half dozen ballplayers on their way to a game. All in all, p?os offer visitors a terrific opportunity to meet Puerto Rico and its people.