13 Puerto Rican Souvenirs to Buy in San Juan

Store in Puerto Rico
Store in Puerto Rico | © Veni/Flickr
Mariela Santos

Take a memento home from your trip to San Juan, Puerto Rico, either for yourself or a loved one. A souvenir is a common buy when traveling, and when it’s money well spent, there’ll be no buyer’s remorse. With these 13 souvenirs, what’s seen in Puerto Rico doesn’t have to stay in Puerto Rico.

Hammock

Set up a hammock and pretend you’re comfortably lounging in one of San Juan’s most scenic spots, like one of the city’s most beautiful beaches. Hammocks vary in size, color, and material so there should be plenty of options to choose from.

Hammock in Puerto Rico

Candy

Coffee mug

Start your day with the souvenir that’ll keep your very important morning coffee warm, perhaps providing a flashback of the different coffee shops you visited in the capital.

Percussion instruments (skins)

Take a percussion instrument home and use it as a decorative piece, or better yet, sign up for music lessons. Learn how to play and gain a new skill, with inspiration coming from a souvenir purchase. Instrument options include bongos, congas, and panderos. But do consider how you will get it home.

Bongos (musical instrument)

Decorative plate

Placed on a wall, table, or shelf, a decorative plate can be a good conversation piece at your home or office.

Artesania

These one-of-a-kind pieces are Puerto Rican artwork that are created by artisans or craftsmen and women. Artesania comes in many different forms and explores themes of Puerto Rican culture including, but not limited to, daily life, religion, and historical events.

Picture frame

The perfect item to display one of the hundreds of pictures taken on your trip, a beautiful picture frame can enhance the photo.

Book on Puerto Rico

There’s so much to learn about Puerto Rican history and culture that even a couple of trips to the island won’t suffice. As a result, getting a book to read or peruse is a great way to continue to expand the information you already know. If looking for lighter reading, a book of photos may be the way to go.

Bookstore

Keychain

Buy one of the most portable, practical souvenirs and take a reminder of your time in San Juan wherever you go. As long as you don’t lose your keys and the accompanying keychain, this is one of many souvenirs that can last a long time.

T-shirt

A t-shirt is probably one of the most common souvenirs, which makes it easy to find in different stores. Souvenir t-shirts vary in the images they have, which often include the names San Juan or Puerto Rico, festive t-shirts celebrating an important event like the Fiestas de la Calle San Sebastián, and elements of Puerto Rican culture such as the coquí frog and San Juan fortifications like El Morro.

Instruments (plant-based)

Maracas and güiros are fun instruments that add a unique musical element to a song. It’s always good to study how to play an instrument and these two are a good fit for beginners.

Jewelry

Different styles of jewelry made from a variety of materials is what you’ll find in San Juan, from local and international stores. Buy one for yourself or someone special back home.

Shotglass

What better way is there to drink rums from Puerto Rico and elsewhere, than a souvenir shot glass from a country with a significant tradition of rum production?

Shotglass

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