Ponce ~ 6 Must-Try Activities
Ponce is the second biggest city in Puerto Rico, and it’s located on the south coast, about an hour and a half from San Juan. You can see some of the damage from Hurricane María and the earthquake from 2020 in Ponce, more than in other places. There used to be a boardwalk that has been destroyed and not rebuilt… yet.
Wondering if Ponce is worth visiting? There’s actually quite a bit to do in town, and also just outside of town.
To see a video of all these recommendations, click here!
Keep reading until the end of restaurant recommendations!
Rainbow in the fountain on the main Plaza.
Without further ado, here are my 6 must-try activities to do while visiting Ponce:
Do a Walking Tour
We couldn’t find a Free Walking Tour for Ponce, but Isla Caribe offers a $25 dollars tour that last about 2 1/2 hours.
You walk the Plaza and the guide explains a lot of the history of the town, then move away from the Plaza to see important buildings in town such as the townhall, the centro cultural, famous street corners or mural celebrating important historical events.
The tour starts right on the Plaza, and are given in English and sometimes in Spanish. Check out their website for more info.
Stop by the Centro Cultural
If your tour doesn’t stop by the Centro Cultural, make sure to do that yourself. It is free, small but worthwhile, and has a cute interior garden.
The Centro Cultural Carmen Solá de Pereira features painting honoring people from Ponce, especially musicians and in relation to two styles popular in Puerto Rico: bomba and plena. There are several rooms to walk through and explore.
Visit the Museo de Arte de Ponce
The Museo de Arte de Ponce was very much affected by the earthquake of early 2020, and is still being rebuilt.
As a consequence, when we visited, this museum was only open one day a week, and a limited portion of the collection was on view. It was definitely worthwhile, and only cost 8 dollars per person.
Still, they had three guided tours that day, and two thematic exhibits. Make sure to stop by the small gift shop on your way out, and don’t forget to check out the garden, it contains several interesting sculptures.
Check out their website for the latest updates on their hours and tours!
Take a Tour of the Castillo Serrallés
This is not so much a castle as a fancy mansion where the Serrallés family lived. They founded the distillery that makes the Don Q rum.
It is now a museum, with tours of the facility (no photos allowed inside) with guided tours which include a movie about how the family came to get in the rum business and became so prominent in the area. You can choose a tour with a rum tasting, or just visit the mansion.
There is also a small shop to buy souvenirs, drinks (yes, including rum) and some snacks, with a terrace. You can explore some of the garden from here.
The Castillo is set on a hill on the outskirts of the city, about a twenty-five-minute walk from the Parque de Bombas downtown. Be aware it goes uphill from downtown to the Castillo and downhill on your way back.
Check out their website for more information.
Go to the Cruceta del Vigía and Japanese Garden
Across from the Castillo Serrallés in a 100 foot tall cross. you can go up to the observatory with an elevator, and have a nice view of the city from up there.
There is a restaurant at the bottom, and a Japanese garden right outside.
Both the observatory deck and the Japanese garden are small but worth it, and it’s included in the price of the visit of the Serralles castle, so go for it!
Explore the Centro Ceremonial Indígena de Tibes
Located outside town, almost three miles from the main plaza, the Tibes Ceremonial Indigenous Center is worth a visit if you have time. We were able to easily find a taxi from the plaza to go there but coming back was a little more difficult.
The Tibes Center has a room dedicated to archeology, with artefacts found in the area and talks about the about the native population of Puerto Rico and how they are connected to other native populations in the Caribbean.
There is a room dedicated to a more anthropological look at the indigenous population.
Finally, there is a large garden with over 50 species of native plants and trees and field where the Indigenous population played and lived, with some rocks still showing petroglyphs.
Mural seen on the walk back from the Castillo Serrallés to downtown.
You will need to fuel up for all these activities, so check out my recommendations for restaurants in Ponce here!
The famous Parque de Bombas (the red and black building on the Plaza, which was the first fire station in Puerto Rico, now a museum of firefighting) was closed for renovation during our visit, but it usually is included in the Walking Tour.
Ponce also has a Museum of Puerto Rican Music, but we were not able to go.
If you do go, or do any of the activities above, let me know what you think about it in the comments below!