11) San Juan, Puerto Rico
While it’s not a state, Puerto Rico is a territory of the United States and for most people on the east coast of the US, is also a very quick flight away – in fact a shorter trip than a flight to any of the states on the west coast. The capital city of Puerto Rico, San Juan, might not spring to mind when you think of European cities in the United States but this city’s historic center was founded by the Spanish in the 1500’s and is reminiscent of a small Spanish town. The former colonial part of the city is known as Old San Juan and is home to historic buildings such as the Fort San Felipe and the Cathedral of San Juan Bautista as well as number of homes dating from the 16th century.
The remains of old fortified city walls cement the feeling that you might be in a small Spanish town rather than an American city and the whole of Old San Juan is a UNESCO world heritage site.
