Old San Juan may be small (around 7 square blocks), but there are still lots of attractions to see. You can easily spend a full day exploring the walled city of San Juan, but if you only have a few hours to spare, you can still get a feel for the place.

This self-guided walking tour of Old San Juan will be split into two parts. The first part will take you from near the cruise ship piers at the La Casita (Tourist Information Center) along the Paseo La Princesa, through the San Juan gate and then on to El Morro. In Part 2 we will then head back into Old San Juan and take you to La Fortaleza, the shopping district, San Cristobel Fort and back to the Tourist Information Center.

The first thing that you will notice about Old San Juan is that it is a walled city that looks today as it did 300 – 400 years ago, when the Spanish defended the city from the invading British. As you wander around the city, enjoy the Spanish colonial buildings that make up the heart of the city.

To orientate yourself, take a look at the Old San Juan map that highlights attractions and related articles.

La Casita

The tour starts at the La Casita which is now the Tourist Information Center. The building is located close to the cruise ship piers at Plaza de la Darsena.This is a great place to start your tour of Old San Juan, as you can get information on attractions, maps, restaurants and more from the helpful staff (bilingual).

La Casita is open daily from 8am – 8pm, but the free drinks only start at 1pm and are not available on Thursday / Friday. 787-729-6777

Coqui bonus: Sample a free drink courtesy of ‘Rums of Puerto Rico’

Coqui note: On Saturday / Sunday (late afternoon / evening) the area around the La Casita is a popular spot as local artisans display their crafts and local musicians fill the air with traditional music.

Paseo La Princesa

From La Casita keep the San Juan bay on your left and head towards the Paseo La Princesa promenade. This is a tree lined walk (and one of my favorite spots) with gardens, benches, and street vendors. The promenade takes you along the outside of the city wall. The wall is impressive and you can see how it would be so imposing to anyone attempting to take the city by force. The wall is about 20ft thick raising to heights of around 60ft in places.

Further along the promenade you will pass the Old San Juan Jail – La Princesa. No longer a jail, it is the home of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company. The building is open weekdays to the general public, where you can take a tour of the cells.

Continue past the jail towards the Raices fountain; a bronze sculpture fountain designed by Luis Sanguino. This is a great photo opportunity spot.

Past the fountain the Paseo La Princesa continues to follow the city wall and the San Juan Bay. The walkway curves to the right and leads you to The San Juan Gate (city gate).

At this point, you can continue to follow the walkway towards El Morro or head through the large city gate.

Coqui note: The walk towards El Morro is nice with some great photo opportunities of El Morro, but unfortunately it is a dead end and you will need to retrace your steps back to the San Juan Gate

San Juan Gate

To enter into the city, pass through the large red gate. This gate is the last remaining gate that is still standing in the city. As you pass through the gate, look up to view the inscription ‘Benedictus qui venit in nomine domini’ – translated ‘blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord’. Here you can see just how thick the wall of the city is. Once through the gate, head up the hill towards the San Juan Cathedral. As you reach the top of the hill, you will see the Cathedral straight ahead and the Hotel El Convento on your left.

Coqui note: The Hotel El Convento has a great tapas restaurant that has an open air courtyard; just in case you are feeling hungry. Also close by is the Children’s Museum, which is open daily except Mondays.

San Juan Cathedral

The small; San Juan Cathedral was built 400 years ago and contains the remains of Ponce De Leon. Mass is offered Daily in Spanish.

With the Cathedral on your right, head up the hill (you are currently on Cristo Street). This street contains craft shops as well as ‘outlet stores’ for Coach, Ralph Lauren and others. There are also art galleries and restaurants to check out if you have the time.

At the top of Cristo Street you will find the Pablo Casals Museum, the African Heritage Museum and the Puerto Rico National Gallery (open daily except Sunday and Monday form 9am – 4:30pm).

At the top of Cristo Street turn left. You should see a large Totem pole. This is the Plaza del Quinto Centenario. The plaza is a popular spot, especially on hot days, due to the fountain, that is a big hit with children.

From the plaza you will see in the distance, the impressive structure of El Morro. El Morro is situated on the cliff edge with a large expansive field in front. If you are fortunate to be here on a weekend with good weather, you should see the field filled with families enjoying the sea breeze, as both young and old fly their kites.

Coqui note: You can purchase small kites from the street vendors located along the roadside.

Coqui caution: If you plan to walk to El Morro when the kites are flying, just be careful. You never know, when one might decide to come back down to earth…

El Morro

As you approach El Morro you will get a sense of just how impressive this fortress is. Built on 6 levels to defend San Juan from sea attack; the fort was initially completed in 1589, with improvements made to the walls in the 1700’s.

El Morro is a National Historic Site maintained by the US National Park Service. Entrance costs a few dollars and you can either tour the fort on your own or join one of the regular ranger tours that are given in English (on the hour) or Spanish (30mins past the hour). Inside you will find a chapel, kitchen, latrine, barracks, all with informational displays.

El Morrow is open daily from 9am – 5pm (June to November) and 9am – 6pm (December – May).
Tel: 787-729-6777

Coqui note: The views from El Morro are striking at any time of the day and you will have plenty of photo opportunities from around the fort. It is also possible to arrange a wedding at the fort.

Coqui note: If you now want to see San Cristobel fort, jump on the free trolley that will take you to San Cristobel. If you are feeling energetic, you can walk along Nozagaray Street with the ocean to your left. (this walk is not recommended at night).

The Self Guided Walking Tour of Old San Juan will continue in Part 2.

Other ways to see Old San Juan:
Take a Segway Tour of Old San Juan
See Old San Juan from a Jet Ski or a Carriage Ride
Take a Night Time Tour of Old San Juan

Photo resource:
Entrance to San Juan by djonemore
Paseo La Princesa Promenade by oscalito
Street in Old San Juan by caliellis
El Morro by philfromottawa

Beach Information:
Escambron Beach, San Juan
Flamenco Beach, Culebra
Luquillo Beach
Seven Seas Beach, Fajardo

Puerto Rico has one of the busiest cruise ship schedules in the Caribbean. If you are one of the many that will be starting a cruise in Puerto Rico, the following might be helpful.

Pre Cruise

Most Puerto Rico cruises starting from San Juan will leave port late afternoon / early evening, with boarding starting around lunch time

What do we do with our luggage before we can board the cruise ship in San Juan?

There are a few options with regards to dealing with your luggage before you can board the cruise ship.

1. If you have arrived the day before, you might want to consider checking out of your hotel as late as possible. That way you can just relax around the hotel area (pool / beach) and take a taxi to the cruise ship closer to the boarding time. If the hotel checkout is too early, ask for a later checkout or ask the hotel to store your luggage until it is time for you to head to the cruise ship.
2. If you arrive early in San Juan on the day your cruise leaves (or you want to tour Old San Juan) you can store your luggage at either Barrachina Restaurant or Audio Guia. Both are close to the cruise line piers in Old San Juan. Audio Guia charges a storage fee and storage at the Barrachina Restaurant is free (but I am sure the owners will expect that you will at least buy something at the restaurant). With your luggage in storage you are free to see the attractions of Old San Juan.

Note: Some Puerto Rico cruises depart from the Pan American pier which is on the opposite side of San Juan bay. If this is the case for your cruise, then you will need to take a taxi from the storage location to the Pan American pier. The taxi will cost you around $10 plus $0.50 per piece of luggage, excluding hand luggage, and an additional charge of $1.00 per luggage, after three pieces


3. For anyone arriving on the same day as the cruise, the cruise line will have the option to take their transfer from the airport to the cruise pier. This is a service that you will have to pay for in advance.
   Advantages: You should be able to check your luggage in when boarding the bus and should not need to re-check it when you arrive at the ship (confirm this with your cruise line)
   Disadvantages: If you are traveling with others, the cruise line transfer will probably be more expensive than taking a local taxi. Also, you will need to wait at the airport until every passenger has boarded the bus.

Will we be able to leave the ship, once we have checked in?

1. Depending at one time your ship departs, you should be able to leave the ship to see some of the attractions of Old San Juan before your cruise departs. Once again, if your Caribbean cruise departs from the Pan Am pier, you will need to take a taxi in order to get to Old San Juan. Depending on how long you have before your cruise departs will determine how much of Old San Juan you will be able to see. Attractions worth considering are:
   El Morro Fort
   San Cristobel Fort
   La Bombonera restaurant (if you are around for breakfast / brunch)
   San Juan Cathedral
   Governors Mansion and gardens
   San Juan Gate and the Paeso La Princesa
   
   Note: If you plan on boarding the cruise ship first before touring Old San Juan, plan to have a daypack (hand luggage) with a change of clothes. This way you will not need to wait for your main luggage, before heading into Old San Juan

Post Cruise

We have several hours to kill in San Juan at the end of our cruise. What can we do?

Again, the main issue that you will have is your luggage. Here are some suggestions:

1. If you plan on touring Old San Juan, then use one of the two storage facilities; Barrachina Restaurant or Audio Guia.
2. Check to see if your airline offers luggage check-in at the cruise ship piers. American Airlines offers this service for the Old San Juan piers, so it is worth checking with your airline. This option means that you can check-in your luggage before you leave the ship and forget about it until you arrive at your final destination.
3. Book one of the ‘end of cruise tours’ that the cruise line offers. These tours will usually be on a bus and will allow you to take your luggage with you. At the end of the tour, you will be dropped off at the airport.
4. If none of the cruise line tours appeal to you, consider taking a private tour. Again you will be able to take your luggage with you and at the end of the tour get dropped off at the airport.
5. If you are feeling a little bit more adventurous, arrange a rental car and do a self tour. If you have the time, a trip to El Yunque rainforest is a good option. Just make sure that the car rental company will allow you to drop the car at the airport or will take you to the airport after dropping the car off.
6. If you would just like to relax by a pool or the beach. Check the various hotels in San Juan to see if they have any day passes or day rooms available. The Marriott has offered this in the past, so make a few phone calls (use the local San Juan number rather than the general 1-800 number).
7. If you are not leaving Puerto Rico after your cruise, contact your hotel (use the local number) and arrange for an early check-in or to store your luggage at the hotel until your room is ready.

If you have any other suggestions for pre & post luggage options, please add them in the comments.

Puerto Rico cruise resources:
Taxi prices around San Juan
Barrachina Restaurant for luggage storage (9am – 5pm) click on ‘free services’
Audio Guia for luggage storage – across from pier 4 (website unavailable at this time)
Puerto Rico travel map (zoom into Old San Juan for pier locations and attractions)

Photo sources: djonemore and fotodawg

Relevant Posts:
Restaurants around San Juan
Old San Juan Pre and Post cruise Ideas
Attractions – Alternative Ideas

Most of the time, your cruise ship will be docked at Old San Juan close to the ‘Sheraton Old San Juan Hotel & Casino’ (14 on the map). If your cruise docks elsewhere in San Juan, you can just take a taxi into Old San Juan.

From your cruise ship make you way to the fort El Morro (1 on map) either by foot, taxi or local free trolley service. The fort is an excellent historic site and will help you appreciate the history of this old city.

From El Morro tale ‘Calle del Morro’ to ‘Plaza San José’ (4 on map) and maybe relax with a drink from one of the local café’s. From here walk down ‘Del Cristo’ until you reach the ‘Catedral de San Juan’ (9 on map). Spend some time to enjoy this beautiful cathedral. Across the road from the cathedral is the hotel ‘El Convento’ (8 on map) where you can enjoy tapas or a cool drink.

Continue down ‘Del Cristo’ and make your way to the ‘La Fortazela’ (11 on map). This is the governor’s mansion and tours are available if you have time. From ‘La Fortazela’ head to the ‘Old San Juan Gate’ (10 on map). Taking a stroll through the gate brings you to ‘Paseo La Princesa’; a very beautiful and scenic promenade by the old city walls,. This promenade will take you back towards the cruise ships.

If during your time in Old San Juan, you are looking for some place to eat, take a stroll along ‘Calle Fortazela’ and you will pass several good restaurants; including; The Parrot Club, Tantra, Aquaviva, and Dragonfly to name a few.

Enjoy your visit to Old San Juan.

If you found this post interesting you should check out:
Enjoy yourself in Old San Juan
The Frugal Traveler in San Juan

Source for map: Frommers Maps

They are long, very long; some 1,112 feet long to be exact, they have 15 decks and carry approximately 3,634 passengers. They are the world’s largest cruise ships and they are coming to Puerto Rico. If you are here in San Juan, Puerto Rico on May 8th then you will have the chance to see one of the world’s largest cruise ships; the Freedom of the Seas of the Royal Caribbean cruise line. It will dock in San Juan as part of its 7 night Caribbean cruise which originates in Miami. If you miss the Freedom of the Seas, you can catch its sister ship Liberty of the Seas later in May when it also docks in San Juan.

Don’t worry, if you miss the ships this month, as according to the Royal Caribbean schedule, both ships will be making a stop here in Puerto Rico every month until the end of the year.

Among the “firsts at sea” on these new cruise ships are the FlowRider surf park; the magical H2O Zone water park; children’s sundeck; boxing ring; men’s barber shop; even solarium whirlpools cantilevered off the side of the ship. As well as these ‘firsts at sea’ the ship will have the usual promenade, rock-climbing wall, ice-skating rink, Johnny Rockets diner, Café Promenade, Ben & Jerry’s, and Portofino restaurant.

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