The staff at San Juan National Historic Site looks forward to your visit! Click on the brown links above for information to make your visit as enjoyable as possible. In addition, you may always contact us for more information.

Puerto Rico is 100 long by 35 miles wide. 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.

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 code. 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. Most stores are open Saturdays, and all of the larger towns have shopping malls that are open evenings and Sundays.