San Juan in December is one of the easiest warm-weather trips an American family can take.
Puerto Rico is a United States territory, so trip is a domestic flight. There are no passports to chase down for the kids and no customs line waiting for you on the way home.
December is also the month I would pick. The average high in San Juan is a little over 84 degrees, and the island's Christmas season is already running by the first weekend of the month.
Here is the weekend I would plan.
Sort the Flight Out First
Delta flies nonstop to San Juan from Atlanta, Boston, Detroit and New York, so a lot of families can get there without changing planes. Most airlines, Delta included, file Puerto Rico under travel within the United States for baggage purposes.
Atlanta is the city I would build a weekend around. A nonstop out of a hub usually gives you a choice of departure times, which matters when you are travelling with children who fall apart after dark.
The flight is also the part of this trip with the widest price swing. I would watch flights from Atlanta for a few days before booking instead of taking the first fare that comes up.
Pack the same identification you would carry for any other domestic flight. As of May 7, 2025, adults need a REAL ID compliant license or another accepted document such as a passport. Children under 18 travelling with an adult are not asked for identification at all, which takes one errand off the week before you leave.
Once you get to Puerto Rico, the airport sits about 15 minutes from downtown San Juan. Taxis wait outside the terminals, and the staff working the stand will tell you what the ride costs before you get in. Uber picks up on the ground floor of Terminals A and B.
Start in Old San Juan Before the Day Gets Warm
Old San Juan is the part of this weekend everyone will remember, and it is much better early.
The streets are cobblestone, the houses are painted in every color you can imagine, and the whole district is small enough to walk with children.
Save part of the morning for Castillo San Felipe del Morro, the fort out on the point. A ticket is ten dollars and good for 24 hours, and the same ticket also gets you into Castillo San Cristóbal at the other end of the old city. Children 15 and younger are free.
Spend an Afternoon at Playa El Escambrón
Playa El Escambrón is a short drive from the old city and it is the beach I would choose with kids. Coral reefs sit just offshore, which makes it one of the better snorkeling spots in the city. The island's tourism board calls it the perfect place for families to gather.
Parking and transportation run from 8:30 in the morning until 5 in the afternoon, so treat this as a daytime stop rather than a sunset one. There is no food on the sand either. Restaurants and food stands are about five minutes away, and Luis Muñoz Rivera Park is next door when somebody needs shade.
Let the Christmas Season Do the Work
This is the part most visitors do not expect.
Puerto Rico celebrates one of the longest holiday seasons in the Western Hemisphere. It begins right after Thanksgiving and runs for close to 45 days, finishing in the middle of January with the Fiestas de la Calle San Sebastián, the street festival that closes it.
A December weekend lands you inside it without any planning at all. The decorations are up, there is music in the streets, and the whole island is in a holiday mood.
One honest warning. A parranda is the Puerto Rican version of carolling, and the groups usually set out after 10 at night and move from house to house until late. It is lovely to hear. It is less lovely if your toddler is asleep. Worth asking about if you are booking a room in a residential street.
Easy Eats, Even for Picky Eaters
December food here is built for families.
Lechón asado is slow-roasted whole pork and the star of any holiday meal. It comes from lechoneras, the open-air roadside restaurants that specialize in it. Pork, rice and plantains are an easy sell to most children.
Pasteles are on every holiday table. They are a local specialty close to a tamale, made from green banana and root vegetable masa and wrapped in banana leaves. Arroz con gandules, which is rice cooked with pigeon peas, is the other plate you will see all month.
And you cannot go wrong with dessert. Tembleque is a silky coconut pudding dusted with cinnamon, and arroz con dulce is a sweet rice pudding flavored with brown sugar, cinnamon and cloves.
One drink to watch. Coquito is the local answer to eggnog, a creamy coconut drink, and it is often spiked with rum. Ask before you hand a cup to a child.
A Few Things to Settle Before You Go
- Identification. Adults need a REAL ID compliant license or another accepted document. Children under 18 travelling with an adult need none.
- Rain. December averages 4.85 inches of rain in San Juan. Showers blow through quickly. Pack a light rain jacket and carry on with the day.
- Fort tickets. One ten dollar ticket covers both forts for 24 hours, and children 15 and younger go free.
- Beach timing. Parking and transportation at Playa El Escambrón stop at 5 in the afternoon.
- Getting into the city. Ask the staff at the taxi stand what the ride costs before you get in. Uber picks up on the ground floor of Terminals A and B.
December Is the Weekend to Pick
San Juan asks very little of a family. The flight is domestic, the money is dollars, the old city is walkable, and the beach is a few minutes from the fort.
Book the flight first, give Old San Juan the morning and the beach the afternoon, and let the holiday season fill in everything else.
And if you want more easy family weekends, have a look at my family weekend in Savannah, Georgia. It is the drive-there version of this same weekend, with squares and sweet shops in place of forts and reefs.
