What to See and Do in Ponce

Castillo Serrallés is the former home of the Serrallés family, who owns the Don Q rum distillery. It’s built during the 1930s on 1 hectare of hilltop land, which overlooks the downtown area of Ponce. The grand estate is now a museum where you can learn about the sugar cane and rum industries in Puerto Rico.

The lavish Spanish Moroccan architecture of the castle and the well-manicured gardens make this a popular venue for destination weddings. The view alone makes it worth a visit, though the guided tour of the museum is worth your time if you’d like to learn more about the island’s history.

The Isla Caja de Muertos is a small, uninhabited island a short boat ride from Ponce. The exact translation of the island's name can be interpreted as the rather morbid 'coffin island', but it's perhaps more accurate to use 'dead man's chest' since the novel inspired Robert Louis Stevenson to write Treasure Island was itself inspired by Isla Caja de Muertos. With its rugged shoreline and jungle-covered interior, it certainly has that pirate paradise feel to it.

Isla Caja de Muertos is a nature reserve, serving as a popular breeding ground for endangered sea turtles. However, you can still go and hike around the 1.54-sq-km island. If you head up the hilltop lighthouse, you get a fantastic view of the whole island. Alternatively, check out some of the beaches around the shoreline, including the blue-flagged Playa Pelícano. It’s right by the dock where the boat from La Guancha will drop you off.

The Museo de Arte de Ponce (MAP) is considered one of the top art collections in the entire Western Hemisphere, let alone Puerto Rico. 4,500 artworks by local and European artists are spread across 14 galleries, making it the largest art museum in the Caribbean. It also has one of the most important collections of Pre-Raphaelite art in the world.

MAP was established in 1959, with the local industrialist Luis A. Ferré starting it with a modest selection of just 72 works. It now occupies a beautiful custom building with 2 gardens and an amphitheatre. You have to pay a small fee to see the extensive art collection.

The Cruceta del Vigía is a 30-metre-tall cross with an observation deck built into the crosspiece. Its location up on the hilltop overlooking downtown Ponce, just behind Castillo Serrallés and in front of Jardín Japonés, gives you a great view from the 21.3-metre-wide sky bridge.

While you’d think that the great view from the observation deck and the glass elevators that take you up to it would be justification enough for the name that translates as ‘Watchman’s Cross’, there’s actually a historical reason. This hilltop was once the place where the island’s early settlers looked out for ships arriving in the bay. The lookouts would stand up on a simpler and shorter cross formed from 2 tree trunks to get a better view. This steel and concrete version was opened in 1984, with a tourist centre at its base and a Japanese garden on its grounds. There’s a small admission fee to get to the observation deck.

La Guancha is a small but lively area of Ponce on the headland that forms the eastern edge of the city's beautiful bay. You might not think that an area behind the city's main commercial port would be that fun, but it's long been popular with families and couples thanks to its great views and sandy beach.

La Guancha is also a prominent shopping, dining and nightlife hub in Ponce. At the heart of the neighbourhood, you'll find a wooden boardwalk alongside the marina – the Paseo Tablado La Guancha, which was built in the 1990s. Behind this is a line of shops, restaurants and bars, with an observation tower at the southern end.

The Letras de Ponce is a famous yet remarkably simple landmark on the road into the city. It consists of 5 giant letters, each 6.1 metres tall, 5.5 metres across, and 3.7 metres deep. Made of black and red marine steel, it spells out “Ponce” across a distance of 500 metres. Designed by Ponce native Carlos Rivera Villafañe, the letters were entirely constructed in Puerto Rico.

They are best seen from the southbound lanes of PR-52, at the intersection with PR-10, meaning that you’ll pass the installation just as you’re entering Ponce having driven from San Juan. This is obviously a busy highway, so act with caution and common sense if you want to stop to get some photos.

Parque de Bombas is one of the most iconic attractions in Puerto Rico. Its name and black-and-red colours clearly indicate its former use as a fire station – Puerto Rico’s first. It was originally built in 1882 as a pavilion for the Exhibition Trade Fair and, when the fire station closed in 1990, was converted back into an exhibition space, specifically a museum of firefighting.

The museum contains a collection of antique firefighting equipment from the station’s 108 years of service, including old pumps, trucks and tools. There are also some moving memorials to past heroes. For an additional bit of historical interest, head about 1.2 km west to Calle 25 de Enero. Here, you’ll find the old firefighters’ homes, also sporting the striking red and black colours of their station.

The aptly named Plaza Las Delicias (Plaza of Delights) is a public square at the heart of Ponce’s Historical Zone. It’s technically made up of 2 squares – Plaza Degetau and Plaza Muñoz Rivera. Combined, it’s home to the iconic Parque de Bombas, the magnificent Fuente de Leones fountain, plenty of statues and monuments, and Ponce Cathedral.

With plenty of shade-giving trees, Plaza Las Delicias is one of the most popular attractions in the city for both locals and tourists. It’s surrounded by other attractions, including the Armstrong-Poventud Residence, city hall, and many shops and restaurants.

Ponce Historic Zone is exactly what it sounds like – the old part of the city, mostly built around the end of the 19^th century and the start of the 20^th. It’s a particularly picturesque place, with many of the buildings boasting fancy design and vibrant colours. The Parque de Bombas is undoubtedly the most iconic example of both, but you should also check out the Casa Wiechers-Villaronga, which looks a little like an oversized wedding cake but contains the Museum of Ponce Architecture.

It’s worth noting that the zone goes by many names. One of the most common is simply “Ponce Town”, but it’s also known as Ponce Centro, Ponce Histórico, Distrito Histórico and Ponce Tradicional. There are dozens of noteworthy places to see, including museums, theatres, parks, markets, government buildings and more – far more than we can realistically list here.

Paseo Atocha is a bustling shopping street in central Ponce. While it started life as just a regular busy road lined with shops, its popularity with pedestrians led to the need to stop vehicle traffic running down it in 1991. Its popularity continued to soar and further stretches of the road were added to what was fast becoming a sort of impromptu outdoor shopping mall.

Paseo Atocha contains a wide range of stores, though fashion outlets are especially well represented. You won’t find a huge number of luxurious international brands as local stores dominate the scene here. You’ll find a good selection of cafés and bistros between the many shops.