Car Travel in Puerto Rico

If you are staying in San Juan, it's more trouble than it's worth to rent a car. However, if you are staying elsewhere on the island, a car is probably a necessity. If you rent a car, a good road map will be helpful in remote areas. A valid driver's license from your country of origin can be used in Puerto Rico for three months. Rates start as low as $39 a day. Several well-marked multilane highways link population centers. Route 26 is the main artery through San Juan, connecting Condado and Old San Juan to Isla Verde and the airport. Route 22, which runs east-west between San Juan and Camuy, and Route 52, which runs north-south between San Juan and Ponce, are toll roads. Route 2, a smaller highway, travels west from San Juan toward Rincón, and Route 3 traverses east toward Fajardo. Route 3 can be mind-numbingly slow, so consider taking Route 66, a toll toad that bypasses the worst of the traffic. Distances are posted in kilometers (1 mi is a little more than 1½ km), whereas speed limits are posted in miles per hour. Some roads in the mountains are very curvy and take longer to cover than the distance on a map might suggest. Most gas stations have both full- and self-service. Hours vary, but stations generally operate daily from early in the morning until 10 or 11 PM; in metro areas many are open 24 hours. Stations are few and far between in the central mountains and other rural areas; plan accordingly.

Major Agencies

Avis (787/721-4499 in San Juan; 787/890-3311 in Aguadilla; 787/863-2735 in Fajardo. www.alamo.com). Budget (787/791-0600 in San Juan). Hertz (787/791-0840 in San Juan; 787/890-5650 in Aguadilla; 787/843-1658 in Ponce. www.budget.com). National (787/791-1805 in San Juan. www.nationalcar.com).

Local Agencies

Carlos Jeep Rental (787/742-3514 in Culebra. www.carlosjeeprental.com). Martineau Car Rental (787/741-0087 in Vieques. www.martineaucarrental.com).