It would be fun to get "lost" on the island of Puerto Rico, wandering about at your leisure, discovering unspoiled villages and remote mountain hamlets off the beaten path. But few of us have such a generous amount of time in the speeded-up 21st century. Vacations are getting shorter, and you'll need a "lean-and-mean" schedule if you want to experience the best of any destination -- even a small one like Puerto Rico -- in a ridiculously short amount of time.
Try our "Puerto Rico in 1 Week" tour, or our "Puerto Rico in 2 Weeks" if you have more time. If you've been to Puerto Rico before and have already visited San Juan and El Yunque, you may want to take a more esoteric drive, following the trail of the Panoramic Route.
Puerto Rico has some good highways along the coast but as you venture deeper into the heartland, driving conditions become more difficult. Take along a detailed road map, and remember to blow your horn as you turn dangerous curves in the mountains.
The itineraries that follow take you to some major attractions with some surprise discoveries. The pace may be a bit breathless, so skip a town or sight occasionally for some chill-out time -- after all, you're on vacation. Of course, you can use any of these itineraries as a jumping-off point for your own custom-made trip that more closely matches your interests.
One thing to keep in mind, you can base yourself out of San Juan for longer time periods, seeing much of the island in separate day trips from the capital.
