Puerto Rican Essentials: Art, Music & History Group Tour
Your Tour:
8 nights
9 days
15 meals
Up to 4 miles / day
Tour overview
Program activities, schedules and personnel may change due to local circumstances.
In such an event, we will alert you as quickly as possible.
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 Museum 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 the 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, ending with the visit to the San Cristobal Fort, the largest fortress built in the New World, where students will have a guided tour of the castle. Before leaving the area, we will stop to enjoy a group lunch together. At the end of the trip you’ll have the opportunity to return to the hotel or if you wish, 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 walk to La Fortaleza, the first fortification built to defend the city of San Juan and 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 will go together 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 to experience the most exiting 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.
Tour Inclusions
- Bilingual staff
- Expert tour coordinator during the entire program
- Expert local guides for the visits included
- Local experts for one lecture
- Private ground transportation
- Entrance fees to Museo de las Américas, Music Conservatory, Casa Blanca Museum, La Fortaleza, Fine Arts Museum of PR (MAPR), Castillo Serrallés, Casa Cortés Art Gallery, Casa Bacardí Distillery and Casa del Libro
- Kayak tour at the Bioluminescent Bay of Fajardo
- Hands-on cooking workshop of Mofongo and music & dance Bomba y Plena workshop
- One lecture on Puerto Rican Arts and History
- 8 breakfasts, 3 lunches and 1 snack-lunch, 3 dinners
- Accommodation in 3- 4* hotel at city center in San Juan
- Worldwide Health Insurance through CISI for the duration of the entire program
- Tips are included throughout the program
- 24/7 emergency support from our on-site staff
- Taxes
Tour Pricing
- $3050 USD
Price per person based on double occupancy. Single supplement $720.
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.
Visit to Conservatory Music of Puerto Rico
Puerto Rican Music and Dance Workshop
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