San Juan Tourist Attractions and Sightseeing

(San Juan, Puerto Rico)

With its choice of UNESCO World Heritage sites and national monuments, many museums, forts, city walls, grand colonial mansions, and tourist attractions within the magnificent Old San Juan neighbourhood, the capital of the island of Puerto Rico has everything to delight the holidaymaker who is here for more than just the beaches.

The city's 500-year colonial history and its long heritage of settlement since the Stone Age make this cosmopolitan yet charming destination a holiday favourite. When you first arrive, a walking tour is highly recommended, or if you are just here for the San Juan beaches and water sports, then you may like to try your hand at snorkelling or possibly even scuba diving. Other notable tourist attractions include the San Felipe Fort (El Castillo San Felipe del Morro), the San Cristobal Fortress (Castello de San Cristobal, the San Juan Cathedral (Catedral de San Juan Bautista) and the Fortress (La Fortaleza).

Walking Tours / Guided Tours

If you are just in San Juan for a short amount of time, then a self-guided walking tour of the city is a great way to take in the top sights and learn about its most interesting buildings. A notable route connects the following tourist attractions in this order:

• Pier 2 - a good starting point, with a number of cafes to hand
• La Casita - a historic gatehouse and tourist office
• Paseo de la Princesa - an esplanade dating back to the 19th century
• Raices - an eye-catching bronze sculpture / fountain
• Puerta de San Juan - the old gateway with origins in the 1630s
• La Fortaleza - a palace-like fortress reached along the Recinto Oeste
• Plazuela de la Rogativa - a charming park (the Small Plaza of the Religious Procession)
• Gran Hotel El Convento - the city's most upmarket hotel
• Catedral de San Juan - an austere white-washed structure
• Plaza de Armas - a busy square, central to life in the Old City
• Plaza de Colon - a former entrance to the city, reached from the Puerta de Tierra
• Fuerte San Cristobal - an imposing fortification complete with military reenactments
• Museo de San Juan - occupying an old market building, with much colonial information
• Plaza del Quinto Centenario - built in 1992 to pay tribute to Christopher Columbus
• Museo de las Americas - with art from around the Caribbean and Europe
• El Morro - a giant citadel / fortress officially named the El Castillo San Felipe del Morro
• Casa Blanca - an ancestral home to the Juan Ponce de Leon family
• Plaza de San Jose - featuring a statue of Juan Ponce de Leon and an ancient cannon
• Iglesia de San Jose - one of the oldest of all the Americas' churches
• Paseo del Morro - stretching for around 1.5 km / 1 mile along the city walls

Open hours: daily
Admission: free

Scuba Diving and Snorkelling

Although Puerto Rico may be known for its excellent scuba diving, the dive sites and opportunities around San Juan are not the best. This is due to the fact that the strong winds and waves often stir the water up, affecting the clarity and visibility. However, that said, the water around the Condado area is usually quite reasonable and features attractive coral attractions, caverns, tunnels and a number of underwater grottoes. Snorkelling and scuba diving excursions are also possible around the nearby islands close to the coastline of Fajardo - with Icacos being particularly good for snorkelling, and for scuba diving, the islands of Palomino and Palominito are a reliable bet. Tour operators in San Juan are based on the Avenida Munoz Rivera and the Avenida Isle Verde.
Open hours: daily
Admission: free, charge for tours and equipment hire

Hiking

Address: Aventuras Tierra Adentro, 268A Avenida Jesus T Pinero, Rio Pedras, San Juan, Puerto Rico, PR
Tel: +1 787 766 0470
A great way to explore and enjoy the outdoor attractions of San Juan is to spend a day hiking and rock climbing. Tour operator Aventuras Tierra Adentro provides trips to the caves of Rio Camuy, as well as the Rio Tanama and Angeles Cave. All levels of ability are catered for and the day starts with a basic overview and lesson outlining what you should expect. For children, a trip to the Yuyu Cave will be a real treat and this is quite manageable.
Open hours: Tuesday to Saturday - 10:00 to 18:00, custom tours can be arranged
Admission: charge for day trips

Sport Fishing

Tel: +1 787 723 2292 (Benitez Fishing Charters)
Tel: +1 787 791 6195 (Castillo Tours and Watersports)
The surrounding Caribbean Sea is called home by a wealth of fish, and many people come here to indulge their passion for deep-sea fishing. Amongst the most spectacular of the game fish here include blue marlin, white marlin, dolphin tuna, mahi mahi and wahoo. These deluxe trips last for four hours upwards and include all of the necessary angling equipment, cabin facilities and onboard refreshments.
Open hours: daily - hours vary
Admission: charge for fishing trips

San Felipe Fort (El Castillo San Felipe del Morro / Fuerte San Felipe del Morro)

Address: Calle del Morro, San Juan, Puerto Rico, PR
Tel: +1 787 729 6777
One of the main sights in the San Juan National Historic Site is this 16th-century citadel. Perched high above the ocean, the well-preserved fort is amongst the largest Spanish citadels in Latin America. This fortress comes with six floors, ramparts, sea views, a grey and white lighthouse block (on the sixth floor), and walls stretching for some 43 metres / 140 feet, being up to 4.5 metres / 15 feet thick in places. In 1983, El Morro became a UNESCO World Heritage Site and features various exhibits, along with English videos explaining how the construction lasted for around two centuries. Guided tours of the principal attractions are available and will lead you around the Santa Barbara Bastion and the Austria Half Bastion.
Open hours: daily - 09:00 to 18:00
Admission: charge

San Cristobal Fortress (Castello de San Cristobal / Fuerte San Cristobal)

Tel: +1 787 729 6777
This massive fortress, covering over 27 acres / 11 hectares of land and built to guard against easterly attacks via the Puerta de Tierra, took from 1634 to the early 18th century to reach its present form. The Castello de San Cristobal remains one of the biggest Spanish-built military structures ever constructed within the Americas and actually comprises six different fortresses, which are connected and combine to protect the heart of the fort. Labyrinthine tunnels, dungeons, moats, bridges and a legendarily carnivorous sentry box add to the experience.
Open hours: daily, June to November - 09:00 to 17:00; December to May - 09:00 to 18:00
Admission: charge

San Juan Cathedral (Catedral de San Juan Bautista)

Address: Calle del Cristo, San Juan, Puerto Rico, PR
Tel: +1 787 722 0861
Begun in 1540, this Gothic-inspired cathedral is the spiritual centrepiece of the city, with its elegant vaults and beautiful interior. Although smaller than many Spanish churches, the cathedral boasts especially distinctive angular white-washed architecture and was built after the earlier church was destroyed in a hurricane in 1529. The holy mummified relic of St. Pio, a Roman martyr, is displayed in a glass case and the stained-glass windows flood the nave with tinted light. The ornate marble tomb of Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon is also here.
Open hours: daily - 08:00 to 16:00
Admission: free

Tapia Theatre (Teatro Tapia)

Address: Avenida Juan Ponce de Leon, San Juan, Puerto Rico, PR
Tel: +1 787 721 0180
Built in 1832, this imposing theatre, one of the oldest in the Western world, was named after renowned Puerto Rican poet and writer Alejandro Tapia y Rivera (1826 to 1882). The theatre (formerly the Municipal Theatre) was restored to its original glory in 1972 and stands on the Avenida Juan Ponce de Leon, just across from the Plaza de Colon. Many famous Latin American playwrights have been associated with productions here.
Open hours: dependent on productions
Admission: charge

The Fortress (El Palacio de Santa Catalina / La Fortaleza)

Address: Calle Fortaleza, San Juan, Puerto Rico, PR
Tel: +1 787 721 7000
A UNESCO World Heritage site, this magnificent 16th-century structure was originally a defensive citadel protecting the harbour and is now the residence of the Puerto Rican Governor. La Fortaleza also goes by the name of El Palacio de Santa Catalina and is interestingly the western hemisphere's most historic executive mansion in constant use since its completion in 1533. The courtyard and gardens are open to the public, and free guided tours of the chapel and dungeons are available.
Open hours: Monday to Friday - 09:00 to 15:30, daily - courtyard and garden
Admission: free

City Hall (Casa Alcaldia)

Address: 153 Calle San Francisco, Plaza de Armas, San Juan, Puerto Rico, PR
Tel: +1 787 724 7171
Fronting the Plaza de Armas is this grand colonial masterpiece, with its two towers and double arcade, which was built in stages over an incredible 185 years, commencing in 1604 and finally being completed in 1789. Still in use as the City Hall, there is a small art gallery attraction upstairs, while the tourist information centre is on the ground floor. Visitors are able to tour the facility at their leisure for no charge.
Open hours: Monday to Friday - 08:00 to 17:00, Saturday - 09:00 to 17:00
Admission: free

San Juan Gate (Puerta de San Juan), City Walls (Murallas) and Cemetery (Cementerio)

Address: Old San Juan, San Juan, Puerto Rico, PR
Much of the Old City's defences are still standing, including the city walls, the forts and the San Juan Gate, still the main entrance to the city before its expansion in the early 1900s. A walk around these iconic and lengthy walls gives great views across the bay and brings you to the city's ancient cemetery (cementerio), which resides just beyond the northernmost fortifications and features a neo-classical chapel and some early graves of important locals, such as famed Puerto Rican politician and freedom-fighter Don Pedro Albizu Campos (1893 to 1965). For safety reasons, it is always recommended that you explore the cemetery as a group and not on your own.
Open hours: daily- 24 hours
Admission: free

Botanical Gardens (Jardin Botanico)

Tel: +1 787 763 4408
The Botanical Gardens cover an area of more than 70 acres / 28 hectares and are home to the Experimental Agricultural Station of Puerto Rico (Estacion Experimental Agricola de Puerto Rico). A series of walking trails take you past many horticultural and natural attractions, such as a lotus lagoon, a palm plantation and an extremely colourful garden filled with literally thousands of blooming orchids. The gardens are generally fairly quiet, partly due to the fact that they are a little difficult to locate, being found near to the junction of Highway 1 and Highway 847.
Open hours: daily - 06:00 to 18:00
Admission: free