Rent a Car in San Juan

Old San Juan's cobblestone streets and colonial forts — El Morro and San Cristóbal — are best explored on foot, and the Condado and Isla Verde beach strips have plenty within walking distance too. But Puerto Rico rewards a hire car the moment you want to leave the capital. El Yunque, the only tropical rainforest in the US National Forest system, is about 40 km east. The bioluminescent bays near Fajardo, the surf beaches of Rincón on the west coast, and the mountain roads of the Cordillera Central are all realistic day trips or overnight stops with your own car.

It's worth remembering that Puerto Rico is a US territory: American citizens don't need a passport to visit, US dollars are the currency, and driving is on the right just like the mainland — but road signs and distances are in Spanish and kilometres, and local driving style is noticeably more assertive than in much of the continental US. A hire car turns the island from a beach-resort stay into a proper road trip.