From forts to plazas to fountains, this is your ultimate guide to the best things to do and see on an Old San Juan walking tour!
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Puerto Rico is a fantastic place to visit. You’ll find an impressive array of historical sites as well as beautiful beaches, the lushEl Yunque rainforest, picturesque cobblestone streets, and so much more.
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There are a wide variety of things to do in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. Historic Viejo San Juan is a compact area and very easy to explore on foot, so you can see a ton of great attractions in just a day.
Enjoy exploring San Juan’s historic fortresses, take in the amazing views, or just relax in one of the many plazas and soak up its Spanish vibe. And of course don’t forget to enjoy some delicious Puerto Rican food!
The island of Puerto Rico is a US territory, so if you’re a US citizen, you don’t need a passport to visit. And, you can spend your US dollars here (it’s the official currency).
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Puerto Rico was acquired from Spain in 1898 after the Spanish-American War. This explains why Spanish is the official language of Puerto Rico, with English being the second official language.
Do a little homework before your trip and brush up on a few common phrases in Spanish. Easy phrases like ‘hello’, ‘please’, and ‘thank you’ go a long way in any foreign destination.
Puerto Rico is located in the Caribbean, and it is one of the islands of the Greater Antilles. And its year-round temperatures are pretty consistent – highs in the 80s and lows in the 70s. This makes it a very popular cruise destination.
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Map provided byWanderlog, for making itinerariesoniOSandAndroid. Go to this interactive map of these top things to do and see in Old San Juan!
On the northern side of the harbor, you’ll find Viejo San Juan. Old San Juan is brimming with history – the old city is surrounded by imposing city walls and boasts multiple forts. You’ll also find lovely plazas and amazing art around every corner.
Visiting Puerto Rico on a cruise? If you’re lucky, your ship will dock in Old San Juan. (We were happy that our Caribbean cruise did!) This makes it very easy to hop off the ship and take a walking tour of all the amazing sights.
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If you’re staying in Puerto Rico for a couple of days, even better! You’ll have plenty of time to explore Old San Juan, and also have time to venture further afield.
We’ve been lucky to visit San Juan twice. The first time was as the embarkation point for a Caribbean cruise, so we flew in two days early to be able to have more time in Puerto Rico. The second time was as a cruise port, and we enjoyed a whirlwind day of sightseeing.
There are so many great things to see in San Juan that you just won’t be able to see everything if you’re just there for one day. Pick and choose from the top San Juan attractions based on your personal interest.
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Wondering what to do in Old San Juan? The 11 starred items on the list will give you a great taste of what historic Viejo San Juan has to offer. (And they make a convenient loop from the cruise port.)
Old San Juan is the perfect place to take a walking tour. Since it’s such a small area, you can certainly cover a lot of the historic city and see many incredible landmarks.
However, just winging it sometimes results in missing out of some really awesome sights. Trust me — that’s what happened to us on our first visit to San Juan. I hate it when I’m just back from visiting a city and a friend says ‘did you see X? It’s the best!’ Doh!
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Taking a guided walking tour is a great way to get a feel for the layout of this historic city. Plus you’ll learn a lot more about the unique culture and history of Puerto Rico while you see some of the city’s best sights. You’ll even get tips to help you maximize the rest of your sightseeing.
You’ll find many great walking tours to choose from. The best Old San Juan Walking Tour has over 900 5-star reviews. Your guide is a local author, so you know you’ll hear plenty of amazing stories as you take in the sights!
On this small group walking tour of Old San Juan, you’ll see top landmarks such as the Paseo de la Princesa, Calle de la Fortaleza, Castillo de San Cristóbal, and more.
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See the top highlights of Old San Juan while being entertained with stories about the history and people that shaped this unique city. Book your Old San Juan Walking Tour today!
If you’re arriving by cruise ship and have docked in Old San Juan, hang a left as you exit the dock and head west. The first thing you’ll run across is the lovely Plaza Dársena, also known as Plaza de la Marina.
This plaza overlooks San Juan Bay and has little tables and benches where you can relax and watch the ships in the harbor.
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On the eastern side of the plaza is this gorgeous fountain. The sparkling blue waters of the fountain really pop against the backdrop of this vibrant pink building (the La Casita de Rones restaurant).
Be sure to take a look at the ground around the base of the fountain. You’ll find several mosaic coats of arms here. These represent different cities and villages in Puerto Rico. You’ll also find these mosaic city crests on the northern side of the city, in Plaza San Juan Bautista.
One thing you’ll be quick to notice is how many plazas there are in Old San Juan, just as you would find in iconic Spanish cities such as Madrid and Barcelona.
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Some of them are quite grand, while others are more modest. You may find statuary, fountains, gardens, or shady benches to enjoy in a plaza.
The Plaza de Hostos is one of the more modest plazas in San Juan. It honors famous Puerto Rican independence advocate Eugenio María de Hostos.
Take a moment and look to the north of the plaza. Rising eight stories is the stunning sleek building housing the Banco Popular de Puerto Rico. This is a gorgeous building in the Art Deco style.
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If you look closely, you can see reliefs flanking the intricate central window. Some of these represent Roman gods (Mercury, Ceres) while others represent attributes that make for good banking (wisdom and security).
Tip: Plaza de Hostos and the Banco Popular are popular tour meeting points. So this is a good place to be able to find!
Puerto Rico is considered the Rum capital of the world (and is the birthplace of the piña colada). Why not enjoy some specialty cocktails as you see historical treasures of Viejo San Juan? Book your Puerto Rico Craft Cocktail Walk today!
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Be sure to take a look down as you are exploring Old San Juan. You’ll see the roads use distinctive blue cobblestones, called adoquines. There are a few different explanations for how these blue cobbles came to Viejo San Juan, but both of them have a flavor of colonialism.
Sources indicate that the original materials traveled to Puerto Rico as the ballast on Spanish ships. These stones were dropped off to free up cargo space to carry precious natural resources from Puerto Rico back to Spain.
The stones were then used to build various things in Puerto Rico including pavers for the roads. Over time, the slag turned blue from exposure to the elements.
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The US did a lot of renovation in Puerto Rico to bolster the idea of its Old World charm and hence to enhance its desirability as a tourist destination. This even included ordering new cobblestones to line the streets (newly manufactured to look like aged, weather-worn cobbles).
These blue cobbles are part of Old San Juan’s identity, and you can even see them as creative foundation for San Juan’s artisan community.
I found this lovely piece of art on display, available for you to take home as a souvenir of your visit to Puerto Rico. Noel Estrada’s ‘En Mi Viejo San Juan’ is a famous song of nostalgia for Puerto Rico.
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The San Juan Customs House is a very ornate Spanish Colonial Revival building. It was built in 1924 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. You can’t miss this sprawling two-story pink and white concrete building with its arched windows and doorways.
The Customs House features terra cotta embellishments in the plateresque style, which is a Spanish architectural style featuring intricate, silversmith-like detailing. The terra cotta is further accented with bright colors and includes patriotic motifs such as the eagle.
The Customs House was under construction on our visit – it is undergoing a massive multi-million-dollar renovation –so we could only get a picture of the rear of the building. The front side, facing the harbor, is much more spectacularly
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