Beautiful Tourist Places to Visit in Ponce, Puerto Rico, America

Beautiful Tourist Places to Visit in Ponce, Puerto Rico, America

Ponce is a city as well as municipality located in the southern portion of Puerto Rico Island (an unincorporated territory of USA). Ponce is the second most populated city after San Juan city and the 2^nd largest municipality on the island. It is popularly called ‘La Perla del Sur’, ‘La Ciudad Señorial’ and ‘La Ciudad de las Quenepas’.

Geography of Ponce:

Ponce coordinates with 18°00′ N latitude and 66°37′ W longitude and spans over a total area of 501.44 sq. km with an average elevation 50 meters.

History of Ponce:

Ponce takes its name from Juan Ponce de León y Loayza who was the grandson of the Spanish explorer and conquistador, Juan Ponce de León. Ponce Municipal Hall (1840) and McCabe Memorial Church (1908) are the historical icons of Ponce.

How to reach Ponce?

Ponce is situated around 70 km southwest of San Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico. Ponce has its own airport located 4 km away from the downtown Ponce and it was named Mercedita Airport which operates every day flights to New York and Orland in USA, served by JetBlue Airways.

There are taxis available at the airport, taking 10 minute to reach and also city is served by public bus services with regular buses to San Juan. Tourists can also hire a taxi or car for comfort journey.

Culture, Food and Shopping in Ponce:

Ponce is known for its rich culture with many libraries, museums, galleries, historical residences and estates. The most famous festivals that take place in Ponce are:

Ponce Jazz Festival (April)
Ponce Carnival (February)
Barrio San Anton’s Bomba Festival (July)
Día Mundial de Ponce (September)

The shopping centres in Ponce are:

Fox Delicias Mall
Centro Comercial Plaza del Caribe
Centro del Sur Shopping Center

The prominent restaurants in Ponce are listed below:

Classic Delights
King’s Cream
Cafe Cafe Cocina Criolla Espresso Bar
Chez Mademoiselle Coco

Places of interest in Ponce:

Plaza Las Delicias:

Plaza Las Delicias is the main square of Ponce hosting many historical and modern attractions such as Lions Fountain, Parque de Bombas (museum), Ponce Cathedral and the plaza is surrounded by Ponce City Hall (the oldest colonial building of Ponce) and Armstrong-Poventud Residence.

Museums of Ponce:

Ponce is considered as the museum city of Puerto Rico with museums of Casa Wiechers-Villaronga, Museo de la Música Puertorriqueña, Casa de la Masacre and Casa Armstrong Poventud and Museo de Arte de Ponce.

Isla de Caja de Muertos:

Isla de Caja de Muertos or Coffin Island is located around 45-minute boat ride away from Ponce city. It is an uninhabited island but houses beautiful beach and lighthouse which dates back to 1887.

Other places of interest near Ponce are:

Catedral de la Guadalupe
La Guancha Paseo Tablado
Castillo Serralles
Paseo Tablado La Guancha
Hacienda Buena Vista
Panteón Nacional Román Baldorioty de Castro
Cementerio Catolico San Vicente de Paul
Tibes Indigenous Ceremonial Center
Serrallés Castle
Cruceta El Vigía
Casa de la Masacre de Ponce

Best time to visit Ponce:

Generally the beginning and ending months of the year are best suited to travel Ponce.

Accommodation options in Ponce:

Most of the hotels in Ponce are sited at Plaza Degetau that range from budget options to luxury resort. Budget hotels charge around $65 per night, mid range- around $90 and top end- around $150. List of famed hotels and resorts in Ponce include: