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Overview

Puerto Rico Food Tour & Cooking Vacations in San Juan

Puerto Rico lies at the very center of the Caribbean, and it is the perfect destination for an amazing Caribbean culinary vacations and food tours. Even though the island territory is small – making for an amazing and intimate culinary tour – it has over 300 miles of coastline with gorgeous white sand beaches, not to mention lush mountain ranges. 

Puerto Rico, a US commonwealth, is actually an archipelago made up of a main island, four smaller islands, and many islets. Its cultural heritage is rich, arising from the diverse backgrounds of the Taíno, Spanish, and African cultures. It gastronomic heritage as just as fascinating, and the world of local cuisine is yours to explore on our food tour in Puerto Rico.

The Puerto Rican people, or “Boricuas,” as they are called, are a proud and friendly people, ready to welcome you to their island home and show you their enchanting culture. 

Among the many sites to explore on a Puerto Rico food tour, the most popular is Old San Juan. Its 500 years of history are traced in the cobblestone streets, colonial buildings, and lively restaurants and bars. Whether you are in Puerto Rico for a our three-night Old San Juan food tour or able to explore the island more in depth during our Flavors of Puerto Rico Caribbean culinary vacation, San Juan will be one of the highlights of your trip. 

From the beaches and azure waters of Isla Verde, to the rum plantations of Vega Alta, from the coffee haciendas to the famed “pork road” of Guavate, Puerto Rico’s rich history and fantastic gastronomy are calling you. Come explore this amazing island on a Puerto Rico food tour and discover why this island is one of the best destinations for an unforgettable culinary vacation. 


Latest Review

We gave this trip 5 stars
Peter & Rhonda
MT
My husband and I just returned from a six day vacation in Puerto Rico which was masterfully organized by IT. Combining local tours and culinary adventures, it was the perfect getaway. Our travel guru, Peg, at IT listened to us and gave us exactly what we wanted. The local company communicated very well, updating us on events and letting us know who our drivers were, what they were driving, and when to expect them. The drivers and tour guides were knowledgeable, personable, and early. Our local contact gave us helpful restaurant and shopping recommendations and answered all of our questions in a timely manner. There was always an added element to our excursions, giving us more than we anticipated. Again, IT went over and above to give us a memorable trip.

Old San Juan Food Tour Details

Your amazing 6-night Puerto Rico culinary vacation will show you the beauty and delicious gastronomy of this amazing island country. Your 6-night Caribbean foodie tour includes:

  • a hands-on cooking class
  • accommodations at boutique properties
  • walking of Old San Juan
  • rum tastings
  • visit of sugar cane plantation and coffee farm
  • fabulous beach day
  • excursion to Guavate to taste Puerto Rican lechón
  • and more!

Itinerary

Panoramic landscape along the coastline of San Juan, Puerto Rico.Day One

  • Arrival at San Juan airport and private transfer to your hotel.
  • Time on your own to relax, and dinner tonight on your own. If you want a multi-course tasting menu tonight or any other night with an international chef or one of the local up-and-coming culinary stars, please let us know ahead of time so we can reserve a table for you.
  • Overnight.

Enjoying picturesque Old San Juan during a Puerto Rico tour with The International Kitchen.Day Two

  • Start day two of your Puerto Rico food tour by stepping out of your centrally-located hotel to find a perfect breakfast spot. (Your hosts will have given you some suggestions the day before).
  • Next, meet your guide for a private walking tour of Old San Juan. You will have aromatic local coffee at a Bohemian cafe, not to mention a lively discussion of the history and contemporary culture of Puerto Rico, its typical holidays and folklore, and family traditions. Stop at a local supermarket to learn about the staples of Puerto Rican cuisine, which go back to the time of the Taino Indians, along with the ingredients brought later to the island from Africa and Europe.
  • Next, proceed to a rum tasting, with the entire line up of local rums headed by an experienced bartender.
  • Tasting lunch at a local restaurant. Your menu will feature local Puerto Rican specialties (one drink included).
  • This afternoon, enjoy time on your own to explore or relax at the beach. Dinner tonight on your own, with recommendations by your host.
  • Overnight.

A delicious dish of mofongo, Puerto Rico's national dish.Day Three

  • Breakfast on your own.
  • Private transfer (of about 10 minutes) to the chef’s home for a hands-on cooking class. She will use recipes handed down from her grandmother, and  you will prepare a traditional farm-to-table meal with appetizer and main dish.
  • Lunch will follow, with dessert and coffee.
  • Transfer back to Old San Juan.
  • This evening, enjoy time on your own to relax or explore. Dinner on your own.
  • Overnight.

A mix of fried foods on a foodie tour of Puerto Rico.Day Four

  • Breakfast on your own and check out.
  • Continue your San Juan food tour with a transfer with your private guide to Vega Alta, about 30 minutes away, home to the only sugar cane plantation estate and traditional distillery in Puerto Rico. Here they produce fine rum the original way, directly from sugar cane that they grow, unlike most industrially-produced rums, which are distilled from molasses made from sugar cane juice sourced from elsewhere. Taste real Puerto Rican rum at the source!
  • Tour the cane fields and distillery, learning about how they make this unique product from start to finish. And end, of course, with a rum tasting.
  • Spend the rest of the day beach hopping between the gorgeous Cerro Gordo and Mar Chiquita beaches, where you will be able to relax and also taste the typical finger food served at the open-air chinchorros that the locals love. Alcapurrias, empanadillas, pastelillos, bacalaitos, seafood skewers, and more await you! (Cost of finger food paid locally, but expect to spend $15-$20 per person depending on the size of your appetite!)
  • Return to the San Juan metro area and check in at your beach-front hotel in the Isla Verde neighborhood.
  • Dinner on your own and overnight.

A day exploring the beautiful ocean waters of Puerto Rico.Day Five

  • Breakfast at the hotel.
  • Free day to enjoy the beach by day and the tropical food, drinks, and music by night!
  • Overnight.

Enjoying roasted pork on the Guavate pork road.Day Six

  • Breakfast at the hotel.
  • Your Puerto Rico food tour continues with a transfer with your private guide to San Lorenzo (about 40 minutes away), where you will visit a local coffee farm to learn about the island’s coffee history, as well as about modern methods for growing, processing, and roasting coffee. End the tour with a tasting.
  • Next, head to Guavate (about 25 minutes away) and visit the legendary road that travels through the countryside of central Puerto Rico. Guavate has earned cult status among the locals for its lechoneras, the rustic, open-air eateries along the road that specialize in lechón, or whole, spit-roasted pig. The lechoneras start at the base of the mountains and continue on both sides of the road for several miles.
  • Enjoy a lunch of lechón, the house specialty, or of ribs, roasted chicken, or morcilla (blood sausage). (Cost of lunch paid locally based on your selections.)
  • Return to your hotel. Dinner on your own.
  • Overnight.

A delicious pina colada cocktail on the beach.Day Seven

  • Breakfast and transfer to the San Juan airport for your return flight.

Enjoying the colorful center of San Juan, Puerto Rico.Day One

  • Arrival at San Juan airport and private transfer to your hotel.
  • Time on your own to relax, and dinner tonight on your own. If you want a multi-course tasting menu tonight or any other night with an international chef or one of the local up-and-coming culinary stars, please let us know ahead of time so we can reserve a table for you.
  • Overnight.

Traditional foods at La Alcapurria Quema in Plazita Santurce.Day Two

  • Start your day be stepping out of your centrally-located hotel to find a perfect breakfast spot. (Your hosts will have given you some suggestions the day before).
  • Next, meet your guide for a private walking tour of Old San Juan. You will have aromatic local coffee at a Bohemian cafe, not to mention a lively discussion of the history and contemporary culture of Puerto Rico, its typical holidays and folklore, and family traditions. Stop at a local supermarket to learn about the staples of Puerto Rican cuisine, which go back to the time of the Taino Indians, along with the ingredients brought later to the island from Africa and Europe.
  • Next, proceed to a rum tasting, with the entire line up of local rums headed by an experienced bartender.
  • Tasting lunch at a local restaurant. Your menu will feature local Puerto Rican specialties (one drink included).
  • This afternoon, enjoy time on your own to explore or relax at the beach. Dinner tonight on your own, with recommendations by your host.
  • Overnight.

Eating shrimp mofongo during a Puerto Rico food tour.Day Three

  • Breakfast on your own.
  • Private transfer (of about 10 minutes) to the chef’s home for a hands-on cooking class. She will use recipes handed down from her grandmother, and  you will prepare a traditional farm-to-table meal with appetizer and main dish.
  • Lunch will follow, with dessert and coffee.
  • Transfer back to Old San Juan.
  • This evening, enjoy time on your own to relax or explore. Dinner on your own.
  • Overnight.

Panoramic landscape along the coastline of San Juan, Puerto Rico.Day Four

  • Breakfast on your own.
  • Check out and transfer to the airport for your flight home. 

Caribbean Food Tour Details

Included in Your 6-Night Food Tour in San Juan, Puerto Rico

Accommodations

  • Three nights in a 3* or 4* hotel in Old San Juan
  • Three nights in a 3* or 4* hotel in Isla Verde

Food & Beverages

  • Breakfasts at hotel in Isla Verde
  • 2 lunches

Classes & Instructors

Your one hands-on cooking class outside of Old San Juan will focus on traditional Puerto Rican cuisine dishes. The class will take place at the home of a local chef, and will feature recipes handed down for generations.

Excursions

  • Walking tour of Old San Juan
  • Rum tasting in San Juan
  • Visit of sugar cane plantation and distillery, with rum tasting
  • Beach day in Cerro Gordo and Mar Chiquita, with chance to enjoy local finger foods
  • Visit of coffee farm, with tasting
  • Excursion to Guavate, with chance to taste local specialities of the lechoneras

Transfer Details

Transfers included between San Juan airport and your accommodations.

Miscellaneous

  • Orientation meeting on day one

Not Included

  • Gratuities
  • Breakfasts in Old San Juan
  • Cost of finger foods on Day 4 and local foods on Day 6 (paid locally based on your selections)
  • Dinners
  • Beverages except where noted otherwise

Included in Your 3-Night Food Tour in Puerto Rico

Accommodations

Three nights in a 3* or 4* hotel in Old San Juan 

Food & Beverages

  • 2 lunches

Classes & Instructors

Your one hands-on cooking class will focus on traditional Puerto Rican cuisine and will take place at the chef’s home outside of Old San Juan.

Excursions

  • Walking tour of Old San Juan
  • Rum tasting in San Juan

Transfer Details

Transfers included between San Juan airport and your accommodations.

Miscellaneous

  • Orientation meeting on day one

Not Included

  • Gratuities
  • Breakfasts in Old San Juan
  • Cost of finger foods on Day 4 and local foods on Day 6 (paid locally based on your selections)
  • Dinners
  • Beverages except where noted otherwise

Accommodation Information

Enjoy 3 nights at a centrally located hotel during your Old San Juan Puerto Rico food tour, either the 3* Hotel Decanter (or similar), or the 4* Hotel Sheraton (or similar). 

The 3* Hotel Decanter is boutique hotel in a 19th-century colonial building in the heart of the Old San Juan historic district. The hotel has a rooftop terrace and interior courtyard, as well as a restaurant and bar. Interior rooms have queen or king bed, unique design, and original artwork. Rooms have air conditioning, ceiling fan, TV, WiFi, and in-room safe. 

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The 4* Sheraton is a large hotel overlooking San Juan Bay. It has casual rooms with king bed, WiFi, TV, air conditioning, in-room safe, and tea/coffee makers. There is a bar and eatery with open-air dining, a gym, and a rooftop terrace with outdoor pool and hot tub. 

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For those doing the 6-night itinerary, enjoy 3 additional nights at Isla Verde Beach at a 3* hotel or at Condado Beach at a 4* hotel. Inquire with dates for specific accommodations. 

Puerto Rico Culinary Vacation Pricing & Tour Dates

Find pricing and dates for our food tours in Puerto Rico below, and contact us for availability or to plan your trip.



6-Night San Juan Food Tours Pricing:

6-Night Cooking Vacation Pricing

US$3450 per person based on double occupancy

  • Add US$500 per person to upgrade to 4* hotels
  • Add US$200 per person to upgrade to 3* boutique on Isla Verde

Please inquire for 2024 pricing.

30% deposit due to confirm booking.

Balance payment due 60 days prior to tour start date. Questions? Please contact us!

Single supplement: please inquire
Upgrades to ocean-view rooms: please inquire
Peak season supplement may apply (December 22-January 23).


6-Night Food Tours in Puerto Rico Dates

Our Puerto Rico culinary vacations can take place any week you choose for a minimum of 2 people.

2024
Please inquire for availability.

 


3-Night San Juan Food Tours Pricing:

3-night Program

US$1725 per person based on double occupancy

  • Add US$250 per person to upgrade to 4* hotel

Please inquire for 2024 pricing. 

30% deposit due to confirm booking.

Balance payment due 60 days prior to tour start date. Questions? Please contact us!

Single supplement: please inquire
Upgrades to ocean-view rooms: please inquire
Peak season supplement may apply (December 22-January 23).


3-Night Food Tours in Puerto Rico Dates

Our Caribbean culinary vacations in Puerto Rico can take place any dates you choose for a minimum of 2 people.

2024
Please inquire for availability. 

Reviews

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We Can Help Plan The Best Food Tour in San Juan, Puerto Rico!

Enjoying cocktails on the beach during a Puerto Rico culinary tour.
If you require assistance with extra nights or tours in Puerto Rico, transportation, or any other related concerns, we are available to help you in planning the ultimate culinary getaway. Although we cannot do the packing for you, we can offer our expertise and knowledge to enhance your Puerto Rico cooking vacation experience. For further details, kindly reach out to us, or indicate your preferences during checkout and we will get in touch with you promptly. Contact Us
 

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