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5 Things to Do In Ponce

Plaza Las Delicias in Ponce
Ponce is located on the south side of Puerto Rico, approximately 60-90 minutes by car (traffic permitting). The fastest route from San Juan is to head south on expressway #52. This is a toll road, but it is much faster than taking route #1. The drive is extremely scenic and there are a couple of stopping points along the way, to allow you to capture the scenery. As you drive south you will see the landscape change from green mountainous to more flat arid landscape.

Ponce has a lot to offer and you can easily spend the day (if not more) there enjoying all that it has to offer. Here are 5 things to get you started:

Museo de Arte de Ponce

25 Av de Las Américas, Ponce, Puerto Rico • 787-848-0505

People drive to Ponce just to visit the museum, as it boasts the most extensive collection of European and Latin art in the Caribbean. The museum was designed by Edward Durall Stone, who was one of the builders of New York’s Museum of Modern Art. The museums extensive collection includes over 1,000 paintings and 400 sculptures

Plaza Las Delicias

Ponce Fire StationThis is the cities main plaza that is divided into 2 sections; Plaza Munoza Rivera and Plaza Gegetau. Here you will find historic buildings and the cathedral. A large fountain with two large bronze lions is one of the major attractions of the plaza. This is a great place to relax with a drink and watch the locals go about there day to day business

Ponce Trolley

If you are pressed for time and want to see as much of Ponce as possible; then the free trolley service is a good option. The trolleys make stops throughout the city and you can jump on and off as you like.

El Vigía Hill

This is in the north section of Ponce and is the location of the a 100 feet high by 70 feet wide concrete cross; The “Virgin’s Cross” (Cruz del Vigia). The cross was built in 1984 and replaced an earlier wooden cross. The cross is a memorial to the Spanish garrison that lived on the hill to watch for smugglers’ ships attempting to unload contraband on the shores of Puerto Rico

La Guancha

La Guancha Boardwalk in PonceThis is the beachfront boardwalk located about 3 miles south of Ponce. Here you can walk by the estuary and enjoy the sights of the yachts that are moored there. La Guancha can become extremely busy and lively on a weekend, with the bars and restaurants serving good food and drinks.

I hope this has given you a taste of what Ponce can offer and I hope you enjoy your time there. Don’t forget to see the old Ponce Fire Station while you are there.

Image Source boricua491000 and falconpr75’s

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8 Responses

  1. You can visit La Hacienda Buena Vista too. It is a place own by a conservation and protection agency.

  2. Hi Vanne.

    Thanks for the tip. Agree this is another great place to visit, while in Ponce.

  3. My wife and I are coming to PR June 27th. We are flying Delta and arriving at 1:16PM. So we will have the rest of Friday to tour. We have been to PR a couple of times before on cruises (we are going on the Destiny the 29th). So we would like to see the sights of SJ outside of OSJ. Then on Saturday, June 28th we will have all day to tour. Ponce sounds nice.

    Please advise us of available tours or good tour companies. We heard about you on Cruise Critic which I read daily and contribute to after cruising. We have hiked El Yunque and swam the Bio bay. We appreciate any help that you will give us in seeing more of PR.

    Thanks

    Ed & Sherry Peeks

  4. Hi Ed

    I have no experience with tour companies, so you might want to pose the question on Cruise Critic or try tripadvisor.com

    If you are thinking of Ponce, the drive is real easy and straightforward, so you might want to consider a rental car. I see that the 28th is a Sunday and so another option, would be to head inland to the Guavate area and grab some local Lechon (roast pork). Sunday’s in this area are very popular with locals and even though the roadside restaurants look a little run down, the food is very good, according to what I have heard.

    Note about Ponce – the Meseum de Art in Ponce will be closed until 2010 for refurbishment, so gthat is one place you will have to skip

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