If you’re looking for a tropical but accessible place to travel with your friends, consider this thrifty 5 day Puerto Rico itinerary! A trip full of beautiful beaches, hiking, snorkeling, and great drinks and food! Since we live in the Southeastern United States, Puerto Rico is a quick flight away and has everything for a perfect summer trip with your best friends. We had a fantastic time, enjoyed many activities, and still feel like we want to go back and explore further. Call up your friends and head out on this versatile and beautiful trip!
Important Info to Know Before You Go!
- Since Puerto Rico (PR) is a US territory, US residents can simply travel with your state ID and US dollar currency like any other domestic flight
- Similarly, US cell service will be useable in PR
- Renting a car will be an ideal way to get around the island to explore areas outside of San Juan
- Uber is not allowed to pick up at the SJU airport, so prepare to take a taxi
- With year-round warm weather, Puerto Rico is a great place to go any time of year. However, consider avoiding peak hurricane season (August-October)
- Hiking boots are a great idea if you decide (you should!) to visit El Yunque National Forest
- Bring mosquito repellent to protect against mosquito bites!
Below you’ll find our thrifty 5 day Puerto Rico itinerary that we did over the July 4th holiday timeframe.
Our 5 Day Puerto Rico Itinerary
Day 1: Fly to Puerto Rico & Beach Time
Our flight landed in Puerto Rico in the mid-afternoon, therefore, we didn’t do any big activities. Instead, we took a taxi from the airport to our airbnb in Isla Verde and then we:
- Walked to a grocery store and stocked up on breakfast and lunch items
- Ubered to Piñones to bounce around some authentic food stalls for traditional Puerto Rican dishes. This is a great place to try some mofongo (delicious side dish of mashed fried green plantains with crispy pork skin and garlic) and frozen cocktails
- Sat on the beach back in Isla Verde for a sunset swim
Day 2: Walking Tour of Old San Juan + More Beach Time
We made the most of every minute in PR. On our first full day our itinerary included:
- Breakfast at our airbnb
- Exploring Castillo San Felipe del Morro in Old San Juan (part of the San Juan National Historic Site). Entrance fee is $10 for adults and free for children under 15. They are open 9:30 AM-4:30 PM seven days a week. Plan your visit here. And BRING SUNSCREEN.
- Walk the beautiful cobblestone, pastel streets of Old San Juan. Make sure to stroll through Plaza de Armas and up and down Calle de la Fortaleza.
- Load up on delicious traditional Puerto Rican eats from the food trucks and street vendors on Paseo de la Princesa. Highly recommend trying alcapurrillas (plantain fritters stuffed with ground meat) and empanadas.
- Grab a piña colada from one of the two debated birth places of the famous cocktail, The Barrachina Hotel on Calle de la Fortaleza.
- Head back to your beach of choice. We opted for Isla Verde since it’s where we were staying, but other popular beaches include: Escambron Beach, Ocean Park Beach, and Condado Beach.
- Wash up and head to La Placita de Santurce, a lively market square with lots of food, great cocktails, and salsa dancing
Day 3: El Yunque National Forest and Bacardi Factory
Instead of renting a car the whole time, we picked up our car on day 3, so that we could easily move about the island for the remainder of our trip. We got an Uber to drop us off at the rental car location back at the SJU airport. Remember, you can’t get an Uber FROM the airport, but you can get an Uber back TO the airport. Our third day looked like this:
- Breakfast at our airbnb
- Pick up our SWEET Jeep Wrangler rental at SJU airport
- Drive to El Yunque National Forest– 35 minutes each way. As of Sept 2023, there are no reservations required to visit, and it is FREE to enter the forest.
- Hike some amazing forest trails
El Yunque National Forest Trails We Hiked
- Mount Britton Tower Trail, 1.6 miles Out & Back, Moderate
- Angelito Trail, 0.7 miles Out & Back, Easy – If you want to take a dip in the Las Damas Pool in the Mameyes River
- For a list of the best trails that we didn’t have time to hike, visit this All Trails List
From El Yunque, head to Casa Bacardi. Casa Bacardi is less than an hour away, and it is back toward San Juan.
- We opted to do the cheaper Legacy Tour ($30 + tax) which includes a welcome rum cocktail, a tour where you learn the Bacardi family history, and a rum tasting. This tour runs 45 minutes.
- Other more expensive tours include a full rum tasting tour ($75 + tax), a Mixology Class ($75 + tax), and a Founder’s experience ($200 + tax). To plan your visit, check out the Casa Bacardi website.
To end our day, we grabbed some AMAZING Arepas from an outdoor place in Isla Verde called Los Chamos Arepas and spent more time on the beach with some Bacardi rum + coke that we bought at the gift shop.
Day 4: Day Trip to Culebra Island
On the fourth day of our trip, we had breakfast, packed lunches, and drove our Jeep down to Ceiba on the eastern coast of the island. Here’s what to know:
- The drive from San Juan to Ceiba is 1 hour
- The ferry from Ceiba to Culebra is 1 hour and is run by Puerto Rico Ferry
- The cost for the ferry is ONLY $2.25 one-way for adults and $1.00 for children
- They run many ferries throughout the day so make sure to check their ferry schedule
- Note: you can also take ferries to Vieques and Cataño from Ceiba but we didn’t have time on our trip!
- We rented snorkel gear for $15 a person and a golf cart to explore the island for $22 a person. When you get off the ferry in Culebra, there are so many businesses renting out all kinds of equipment. We had no need to book ahead, but many companies do reservations online ahead of time as well like Jerry’s Jeep Rental.
This day was SO worthwhile. Although a bit cloudy, we didn’t get rained on, and we got to see a sting ray, sea turtles, and beautiful fish at Playa Carlos Rosario. Then we went for a swim at the renowned Flamenco Beach.
If we had more time, we would have loved to stay a night in Culebra and also to visit Vieques, too. If you have a few more days in your itinerary, this is what we would recommend!
Day 5: Cueva del Indio & Playa Mar Chiquita
On the last day of our trip, we drove west toward the town of Arecibo to see the famous Cueva del Indio (Indian Cave) marked with the petroglyphs of the native Puerto Rican Taino people predating Columbus’ arrival on the island. The drive from Old San Juan is only 1 hour. The water is a brilliant clear blue, and the rocky cliffs make for a gorgeous walk and picture spot.
Cueva del Indio is a fantastic place to marvel at history and take in some beautiful sights, but not for swimming. On our way back to San Juan, we drove 35 minutes to Mar Chiquita Beach, a gorgeous natural pool created by two limestone outcroppings that create this bay.
Note: If you’re staying near Isla Verde, we HIGHLY recommend a breakfast stop at Bistro Cafe. Doesn’t this breakfast look heavenly?
That’s a wrap on our girls 5 day trip to puerto rico! This doesn’t even scratch the surface of all the amazing things to do in PR. We’ll have to go back again and experience more soon.
Budget
| Flight to Puerto Rico | $200 per person |
| Lodging | $187 per person |
| Rental Car + Gas | $95 per person |
| Food/Drink | $100 per person |
| Activities | $90 per person |
| TOTAL | $672 per person |
Ways to Save
- Shop around for flights! Puerto Rico is beautiful year-round (might be best to avoid peak season).
- We barely ate out on this trip. Where we did eat out, we made it count trying traditional puerto rican food. Shop for groceries where you can. It makes being on-the-go very easy.
- Not staying in Old San Juan. Our airbnb in Isla Verde was perfect and the beach there wasn’t crowded at all.
Puerto Rico is already such a great thrifty trip option, especially for people living in the Southeastern United States. You save BIG on flights, and there are so many free or inexpensive activities to do in PR.
Have you been to PR? Let us know if we missed any of your favorite spots!
Great information! And so many affordable options! Now I want to visit PR!! Definitely adding to my travel list! Thanks girls!
Wow!!! This trip looks amazing and I’ll be following this itinerary for my trip this summer. You guys have definitely convinced me to do go. Thank you 🙂