Palette of Puerto Rico: Group Tour through Boricua Art & Culture

Venture to the charming city of Ponce, nestled on the southern coast, to delve into its unique Creole architectural style. The Museum of Fine Arts awaits with its eclectic mix of European and Puerto Rican art, offering a visual feast to its visitors. Whip up a storm in a hands-on cooking class as you learn to prepare the quintessential dish of Mofongo, diving deep into the culinary arts that form a cornerstone of Boricua culture. Journey through old San Juan’s heart, where a treasure trove of cultural offerings beckons. Explore its engaging museums and the resonating halls of the music conservatory, embodying the harmonic essence of Puerto Rico’s art and culture.
Musician in PR
Market San Juan
Playa Escondida, Fajardo

Your Tour:

8 nights

9 days

15 meals

Up to 4 miles / day

Tour overview

Terrazas
Trnidad-Atardecer
Callejón Hamel8 scaled
Embark on a vivid journey through Puerto Rico’s artistic and cultural tapestry. From the moment you step on the island, the omnipresence of art entwined with everyday life captivates your senses. Explore iconic museums, architectural marvels, melodious tunes, and tantalizing cuisine, all shared by our warm-hearted locals. This group tour unravels a unique narrative of Puerto Rican culture, offering a rich and memorable experience under the expert guidance of our seasoned tour leaders.

Program activities, schedules and personnel may change due to local circumstances.

In such an event, we will alert you as quickly as possible.

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Day by Day

Day 1

Overnight: San Juan

The tour coordinator will greet everyone, and we will review the program schedule, emergency procedures and answer questions. After orientation we will set out with our tour coordinator to take a walk and explore the area around the hotel. At a restaurant, we´ll enjoy a welcome dinner with a delicious set menu.

Day 2

Overnight: San Juan

We will set out with a local expert for a lecture on the history of Puerto Rico and its artistic past. Then, we will take our private bus to the Museo of the Americas, where we will enjoy its four permanent exhibitions: Popular Arts in the Americas, The African heritage, The Indigenous of America and Conquest and Colonization: birth and evolution of the Puerto Rican nation. After this visit, we will have time to have lunch on our own and we will set up a meeting point to follow the itinerary later. In the afternoon, we will enjoy a visit to the Music Conservatory, a unique place in San Juan, where we will discover a magnificent building and learn the influence of the music in the island.

Day 3

Overnight: San Juan

After breakfast, we will depart by bus to the town of Cataño, from where you will see the breathtaking view of the Bay of San Juan and El Morro Fort. From Cataño, we will take a ferry to cross the Bay of San Juan where we will enjoy a walking guided tour around San Juan, covering the major points of interest. We will walk to our cooking class, where we will learn how to prepare the famous Puerto Rican dish Mofongo and there we will enjoy our own creation for lunch. Finally, after lunch, we will end our day with a visit to the El Morro Castle, the largest fortress built in the New World, where we will have a guided tour of the castle. At the end of the trip, you’ll have the opportunity to return to the hotel or explore the area on your own. 

Day 4

Overnight: San Juan

After breakfast, our bus will pick us up and take us to Casa Blanca, the home of Ponce de León. Located in San Juan and founded in 1521, this museum is considered the oldest structure in Puerto Rico, preserving authentic details of the time. After this, we will take a walk to La Fortaleza, the first fortification built to defend the city of San Juan and also the official residence of the governor since the 16th century. After this interesting visit, we will go together to enjoy a group lunch.

Right after lunch, the bus will take us to the Fine Arts Museum of Puerto Rico (MAPR), the most important art gallery in the country. We will finish the day here and you’ll have free time to explore on your own.

Day 5

Overnight: San Juan

In the morning our private bus will be waiting for us to go to the southern city of Ponce. On the way, we will stop in Hacienda Buena Vista, a coffee plantation, where we will learn about the whole process from the harvesting to the roasting of the coffee. Then, we will continue our trip to the beautiful city of Ponce and after a short walking tour, we will visit the Parque de Bombas (Fire Station) to discover this unique and colorful building. After this, we will go to a local restaurant to enjoy a delicious lunch together. With our batteries recharged, we will continue to the Castillo Serrallés, a castle turned into a museum with information about the sugar cane industry and its impact on the economy of Puerto Rico. Then, we will take the bus to return to San Juan.

Day 6

Overnight: San Juan

After breakfast, we will depart by private bus to Old San Juan to visit Casa Cortés Art Gallery and get to know its history where we will also be able to taste its famous chocolate. Then we will have a light lunch and head to a Puerto Rican dance academy, where we will learn about the traditional music, instruments and basic dance steps. An amazing opportunity to be immersed in the local culture. After this, you’ll have free time to explore on your own.

Day 7

Overnight: San Juan

In the morning our private bus will be waiting for us to go to El Yunque National Rainforest, the only tropical rainforest in the national forest system. With nearly 29,000 acres, it is one of the smallest in size, yet one of the most biologically diverse. Come experience the breathtaking scenery, clear mountain rivers, and outdoor recreation through a short hiking adventure. Afterwards, we will take our bus to Luquillo beach where you’ll have the opportunity to taste a traditional lunch in its kioskos on your own and enjoy the afternoon at the beach. In the late afternoon we will depart to Fajardo, a nearby town, to enjoy a delicious group dinner and experience the most exciting activity of the trip: a kayak tour through the Bioluminescent Bay of Fajardo. We will return to the hotel in San Juan in the evening.

Day 8

Overnight: San Juan

After breakfast, we will depart by private bus to Casa Bacardí, where we will learn about the emblematic rum that is distilled in a beautiful building in Cataño. After this, we will depart to Old San Juan to have lunch together and visit the Casa del Libro, a society founded by a group of citizens with the purpose of creating a specialized library of outstanding copies of the best in book production and design throughout the centuries. Today its collection in variety and quality compares favorably with its European and American counterparts. 

Finally, you’ll have some hours of free time until the farewell dinner in a local restaurant.

Day 9

Transfer to the airport at a designated time.

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Tour Inclusions

Tour Pricing

Price per person based on double occupancy. Single supplement $570.

For a minimum of 15 pax.

Additional Experiences

Customize your trip according to your interests by adding any of these once-in-a-lifetime experiences.

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Painting in non-traditional mediums

Painting in non-traditional mediums

Imagine having your own painted purse, custom-designed shopping bag or Picasso-inspired pillow. Here, you can paint your own interpretation of artistic masterpieces or designs on a personalized clutch, canvas, handbag or pillow. You will receive a short tour of our workshop, after which you will choose a medium (bag, pillow, clutch, canvas etc.) and an image. We provide instructions, paint, paintbrushes, etc., and the painting session begins!
Conservatory Music PR

Visit to Conservatory Music of Puerto Rico

The Conservatorio de Música de Puerto Rico is a public institution offering university-level studies in music. Located in San Juan’s historic Miramar, it grants degrees in piano, vocal music, guitar, orchestral instruments, jazz and Caribbean music, composition. In this tour, we will visit the conservatory and learn about its different projects.
Loiza

Half-Day Trip to Loiza Aldea

In this trip, you will discover the Afro-Caribbean community of Loíza. You will learn about its cultural heritage, attend a demonstration of Bomba y Plena dance and finally spend a relaxing afternoon on the beach at Piñones.
Music and Dance Workshop

Puerto Rican Music and Dance Workshop

A local music group will explain the names and sounds of instruments used in traditional Puerto Rican song, along with the typical clothes used in different clothes associated with different dances and music genres. Finally, we will learn the basic movements of emblematic dances such as Bomba y Plena, salsa and cuembé.
Charter a Helicopter

Charter a Helicopter

Customize an amazing tour by air. From Old San Juan to beaches of the outer islands, this aerial perspective will give your clients the best views of the Island. See San Juan from the sky in a helicopter tour.

Visit to Casa Paoli (Folkloric Research Center of Puerto Rico)

Casa Paoli is a renovated historic house where tenor Antonio Paoli was born. It is currently dedicated exclusively to educational purposes, and its main function is the study of Puerto Rican culture. To this end, samples of the island’s folk traditions are collected, classified and shared. We will visit the premises and learn how this initiative began.