Must-SeeSan Juan
Puerto Rico
A 500-year-old walled city of blue cobblestones and huge Spanish forts, with big Atlantic beaches and great nightlife.
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US Territories
Spanish forts, Caribbean bays and the far Pacific, under the US flag.
The United States has five inhabited territories, two in the Caribbean and three in the Pacific. Puerto Rico has a 500-year-old World Heritage city and a tropical rainforest, and the US Virgin Islands have a national park with some of the region's best beaches.
The Pacific territories are a much longer trip: Guam and the Northern Marianas for World War II history, and American Samoa for its remote national park. Most Americans never see them, and those who do tend to remember them.
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- Best Time
- December–May in the Caribbean; hurricane season is June–November
- Ideal Trip
- A week for Puerto Rico; another for the Virgin Islands
- Passports
- US citizens need none for Puerto Rico from the mainland. Carry one for the Virgin Islands, and the Pacific
- Money
- US dollar throughout
The Short List
Must-See
Must-See
Must-SeeEl Yunque National Forest
Puerto Rico
The only tropical rainforest in the US National Forest System, an hour from San Juan, with waterfalls and tree frogs.
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Must-SeeSt. John
US Virgin Islands
An island that's about two-thirds national park, with Trunk Bay's snorkel trail, sugar-mill ruins and steep green hills.
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Worth a Detour
Worth a DetourVieques
Puerto Rico
A sleepy island of wild horses and empty beaches, home to one of the world's brightest bioluminescent bays.
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Worth a DetourCulebra and Flamenco Beach
Puerto Rico
A tiny island with Flamenco Beach, often ranked among the world's best, and rusting Navy tanks on the sand.
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Worth a DetourSt. Thomas
US Virgin Islands
The busiest Virgin Island: a Danish colonial port with hillside steps, plus the world-famous curve of Magens Bay.
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Worth a DetourSt. Croix
US Virgin Islands
The largest Virgin Island, with handsome Danish towns, rum distilleries and the famous reef at Buck Island.
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If You're Nearby
If You're NearbyPonce
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico's elegant southern city, with a striped red-and-black firehouse and one of the Caribbean's finest art museums.
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If You're NearbyRincón
Puerto Rico
The Caribbean's great surf town, on the island's west coast, with winter waves, whale-watching and famous sunsets.
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If You're NearbyGuam
Guam
America's far western outpost, where the day begins: Chamorro culture, Tumon Bay's beaches and major World War II sites.
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If You're NearbySaipan and the Northern Marianas
Northern Mariana Islands
A beach island of the Western Pacific where one of the Pacific War's bloodiest battles was fought.
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If You're NearbyAmerican Samoa
American Samoa
The only US national park south of the Equator: rainforest cliffs and coral reefs, in a living Samoan culture.
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On the Map
Classic Routes
7–10 days
Puerto Rico Loop
The old city, the rainforest, a glowing bay, then the south and the surf coast.
7–10 days
Virgin Islands Hop
A Danish port, a national park island, and the reef at Buck Island.
Good to Know
Getting Around
Rent a car in Puerto Rico outside San Juan. In the Virgin Islands, they drive on the left. Ferries link Ceiba with Vieques and Culebra, and St. Thomas with St. John.
Language
Spanish is the main language in Puerto Rico, though many people speak English. English is standard in the Virgin Islands and Guam, alongside Chamorro on Guam and Samoan in American Samoa.
Hurricanes and Typhoons
Storms can do serious damage, and recovery takes years. Check on any place before you go, and consider insurance if you travel from June to November.