Ponce Puerto Rico, Caja de Muertos Island
8
Cruises availables
At departure or passage at this port
Emerald Waterways (6 Cruises)
Royal Caribbean Cruises (2 Cruises)
Frequently Asked Questions
At the commercial pier next to La Guancha, on the Caribbean coast, about four kilometres from the historic centre. A taxi or excursion shuttle covers that distance in ten minutes or so.
Not advisable: four kilometres from an industrial port area, in the heat of the island's south coast. Take a taxi or the excursion shuttle; once downtown, everything is walkable.
Plaza Las Delicias, the Parque de Bombas and the Isabel, Cristina and Reina streets lined with turn-of-the-century houses. The Ponce Art Museum if time allows. All of it lies within walking distance of the square.
The large square shaded by fountains and clipped laurels at the city's heart. The Fuente de los Leones, brought back from the 1901 Buffalo World's Fair, plays in front of the Our Lady of Guadalupe cathedral. Fifteen minutes on a bench tells you more about ponceño daily life than many museums.
Ponce's old fire station, a red and black striped wooden structure standing behind the cathedral since 1882. It now houses a small free museum: hand pumps, leather helmets and photographs, including of the great commercial district fire of 1899.
A hybrid style, half European and half Caribbean, seen around the square: wrought-iron balconies, pink colonnades, worked cornices. The Teatro La Perla, a neoclassical hall from 1864, and the Casa Armstrong-Poventud are its finest pages.
One of the most respected European collections in the Caribbean, including Frederic Leighton's famous canvas Flaming June. It's a surprising detour: few visitors expect to find this in a provincial Caribbean city.
Only by boat excursion: the islet lies about 13 kilometres offshore. A protected nature reserve, it offers dry trails leading to a 19th-century lighthouse, coves where turtles nest and fine snorkelling. Places are limited, so book early.
The US dollar and Spanish. English is understood in tourist areas and hotels, less so in neighbourhood shops. Cards work without trouble in town.
They are different cities. Ponce lies about 110 kilometres from San Juan and does not try to dazzle: facade after facade, it tells the story of the coffee and sugar golden age that built it. Travellers who like cities on a human scale come away satisfied.
