Northern Coast (Puerto Rico)

The Northern Coast of Puerto Rico is home to most of the San Juan metropolitan area.

Cities and towns

 * — largest city in the region outside of San Juan, famous for its observatory and historic downtown
 * — seafood, beaches and shopping
 * — San Juan's largest suburb and second largest city in the region
 * — famous for its underground river and cave system
 * — San Juan's second largest suburb and third largest city in the region, location of the main airport
 * — located in the Bay of San Juan across Old San Juan
 * — a mountain town set in karst hills, with caves and waterfalls, that is also known for its indigenous history
 * — famous for its historical beach resorts and golf
 * — small town surrounded by caves and mogotes
 * — popular for its dairy industry and colorful vejigantes
 * — famous for its beaches, seaside cliffs and surfing
 * — a fun beach town
 * — cliffs, pirates and secret beaches
 * — Puerto Rico's capital and largest city
 * — famous for its yearly heifer festival, its caves, waterfalls and food
 * — one of the oldest towns of Puerto Rico
 * — known as the "Underwater City"
 * — visit the Lin Manuel Miranda museum in the pueblo
 * — famous for Mar Bella Beach

Understand
Most of the Northern Coast region consists of San Juan and its western suburbs which extend to Arecibo, making it one of the most accessible regions for visitors in Puerto Rico.

By plane

 * Luis Muños Marín International Airport (SJU IATA) also known as Isla Verde Airport, located in Carolina, is the main domestic and international entry point to Puerto Rico. The airport offers car rental services and shuttle connections to hotels.
 * Fernando Luis Ribas Dominicci Airport (SJU IATA) also known as Isla Grande Airport, located in the Santurce district of San Juan, is a secondary airport offering local flights to Culebra and Vieques, and charter flights to destinations in the Caribbean.

By car

 * PR-52 runs south-north connecting the central and southern regions of Puerto Rico to San Juan, while route PR-1 is a secondary road that follows the same route.
 * PR-22 runs west-east along the Atlantic Coast, connecting the north and western regions of Puerto Rico to San Juan, while route PR-2 is a secondary road that follows the same route.
 * PR-66 runs east-west along the Atlantic Coast, connecting the eastern region of Puerto Rico to San Juan, while route PR-3 is a secondary road that follows the same route.

By car
Primary routes :
 * PR-2 (Kennedy Expressway) connects most of the Northern coast municipalities with San Juan.
 * PR-5 (Río Hondo Expressway) connects Naranjito and the northern mountainous region with Bayamón and Cataño.
 * PR-17 (Jesús T. Piñero Avenue) crosses San Juan from east to west, connecting Luis Muños Marín International Airport with Río Piedras and Hato Rey, San Juan's central business district.
 * PR-18 (Las Américas Expressway) crosses San Juan from north to south, connecting Río Piedras with Hato Rey and Santurce.
 * PR-20 (Rafael Martínez Nadal Expressway) crosses Guaynabo and provides a secondary connection from Caguas in the south to Guaynabo and, further northeast, to San Juan.
 * PR-22 (José de Diego Expressway) connects Arecibo with San Juan, crossing San Juan from west to east from Guaynabo to Santurce.
 * PR-26 (Román Baldorioty de Castro Expressway) connects Carolina and Luis Muños Marín International Airport with Santurce and further east with Old San Juan.
 * PR-52 (Luis A. Ferré Expressway) connects Ponce and Caguas to the south with San Juan at PR-18.
 * PR-165 (El Caño Expressway) connects Guaynabo with Cataño.

By bus
The Puerto Rico Metropolitan Bus Authority (AMA) operates the public bus system in the San Juan metropolitan area. Fares run from $0.75 to $1.50 depending on the route and day, week and month passes are available, in addition to student and senior discounts. The AMA has about 31 routes throughout San Juan and the surrounding cities.

By train
Although Puerto Rico no longer has a railway transportation system the Tren Urbano (TU) is a reliable albeit limited way of moving around San Juan and its surrounding cities. As of 2021, there is one line connecting Santurce in San Juan with Bayamón, although there are plans to further extend the system to include routes to Old San Juan and the international airport. The rapid transit system has 16 stations throughout the municipalities of San Juan, Guaynabo and Bayamón. A single trip costs $1.50 (or $0.75 if transferring from a bus route), and there are discounts for seniors, students and children.

By boat
The Cataño Ferry or AcuaExpreso (Spanish: Lancha de Cataño) consists of a single route connecting downtown Cataño with Old San Juan.

See

 * Arecibo Observatory in Arecibo, famous for its now destroyed radio telescope, has an interesting museum and shop.
 * The Camuy River Cave System is arguably the third longest underground river system in the world.
 * Cataño located across Old San Juan famous for its panoramic views of El Morro and its seafood restaurants.
 * Downtown Arecibo, one of the oldest cities in Puerto Rico famous for its colonial architecture and its nearby lighthouse and beaches.
 * Old San Juan in San Juan, the second oldest European settlement in the Americas, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, famous for its colonial architecture, cobblestone streets, fortresses and city walls.
 * San Juan National Historic Site
 * Río Camuy Caverns in Camuy

Go next

 * La Montaña
 * Porta del Sol