Planning a Trip

Visitor Information

For information before you leave home, visit www.gotopuertorico.com or contact the Puerto Rico Tourism Company offices at La Princesa Building, Paseo La Princesa 2, Old San Juan, PR 00902 (tel. 800/866-7827 or 787/721-2400).

The advertising-driven Caribbean-On-Line (www.caribbean-on-line.com) has some useful information on deals at hotels, restaurants, and shops, along with information on sights and detailed maps of the islands. The site also includes links to travel agents and cruise lines that are up on the Web.

There are several tourism-related websites on Puerto Rico. The best, with the most accurate and current information, tend to be homegrown sites catering to local businesses in specific destinations like Rincón or Vieques.

These include: The Tourism Association of Rincón (www.rincon.org), Insider's Guide to South Puerto Rico (www.letsgotoponce.com), the Vieques website Enchanted Isles (www.enchanted-isle.com), Discover Culebra (www.culebra-island.com), and Puerto Rico Travel Maps (www.travelmaps.com).

You might also want to contact the U.S. State Department for background bulletins, which supply up-to-date information on crime, health concerns, import restrictions, and other travel matters. Write the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402 (tel. 866/512-1800 or 202/512-1800).

A good travel agent can be a source of information. Make sure your agent is a member of the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA). If you get poor service from an ASTA agent, you can write to the ASTA -- The American Society of Travel Agents -- at 1101 King St., Alexandria, VA 22314 (tel. 703/739-2782; www.astanet.com).