Puerto Rico Travel Guide: San Juan & Old San
JuanTake Spain and move it to a tropical island. Hire a cast
of thousands to play friendly, welcoming people (most of whom speak English in addition to
their native Spanish). Set design is strictly Cecil B. DeMille: graceful Old World
buildings, Gothic cathedrals, flower-filled plazas. When you're looking for exotic
locations, miles upon miles of white sand beaches, plus an unbelievable rain forest and
mountains, you come to Puerto Rico.
You can explore Old World towns, Gothic
cathedrals and 400-year-old forts, or you can lose yourself amid modern floor shows,
championship golf courses, designer stores, art galleries and symphonies -- all on the
same day.
Puerto Rico is a modern, progressive and
civilized vacation spot that maintains the charm and hospitality of days gone by. You'll
find everything that the Caribbean has to offer in this all-around family destination --
and with it people whose warmth is equaled only by the sunshine that graces its shores.
San Juan
In San Juan, the population is just under one
million, or a third of the entire island. The metropolitan area known as San Juan has 3
distinct areas: Old San Juan, the Beach & Resort area and outline communities.
San Juan (from the Spanish San Juan
Bautista, "Saint John the Baptist") is the capital and largest municipality
on Puerto Rico. As of the 2000 census, it has a population of 433,733,
making it the 42nd-largest city under the jurisdiction of the United States.
San Juan was founded by Spanish colonists in 1521, who called it Ciudad de
Puerto Rico ("City of Puerto Rico"). It is the oldest city in Puerto Rico as
well as in the United States, and the second oldest European-established
city in the Americas, after Santo Domingo, now in the Dominican Republic.
Several historical buildings are located in San Juan; among the most notable
are the city's former defensive forts, Fort San Felipe del Morro and Fort
San Cristobál.
Today, San Juan serves as one of Puerto Rico's most important seaports, and
is the island's manufacturing, financial, cultural, and tourism center. The
population of the metropolitan area, including San Juan and the
municipalities of Bayamón, Guaynabo, Cataño, Canóvanas, Caguas, Toa Alta,
Toa Baja, Carolina and Trujillo Alto, is about 2 million inhabitants; thus,
about half the population of Puerto Rico now lives and works in this area.
The city has been the host of numerous important events within the sports
community, including the 1979 Pan American Games, 1966 Central American and
Caribbean Games, 2006 World Baseball Classic and the Caribbean Series.*
*Special thanks to WikiTravel and
its authors for this content!
Old San Juan
This is a 475-year-old neighborhood originally
conceived as a military stronghold. Its 7-square-block area has evolved into a charming
residential and commercial district. When the United Nations designated world-class
historic sites such as the Taj Mahal, it named six monuments in Old San Juan.
Old San Juan
The streets here are paved with cobbles of
adoquine, a blue stone cast from furnace slag; they were brought over as ballast on
Spanish ships. Time and moisture have lent them their characteristic color.
A leisurely foot tour is advisable for those who
really want to experience this bit of the Old World, especially given the narrow, steep
streets and frequently heavy traffic. To really do justice to these wonderful old sites,
you'll need two mornings or a full day. Another special way to see many of Old San Juan's
sights is to cruise or tour the harbor by ferry or tour boat. The cruise-boat tours pass
El Morro Fortress, Casa Blanca, the City Wall, San Juan Gate, La Fonaleza and the Aduana
Federal. The inexpensive Catafio ferry leaves daily every half hour, 6am to 10pm. From the
dock in Catafio, you can walk to the famous Bacardi Rum Plant (open for tours except
Sunday). Both trips depart from Pier 2.
Some of the priceless architectural treasures of
the Caribbean are found in Old San Juan. Its historic churches, fortresses, homes, and
squares include several of the oldest surviving European structures in the New World. A
few years ago, the United Nations designated parts of the old city a World Heritage Site,
a distinction placing San Juan in a select group of world landmarks such as the Taj Mahal.
| San Juan is
bustling with activity, a living community lovingly crammed into little
space. Probably the best way to get to know the city is to take a
leisurely walking tour through its cobblestone streets.
You'll find fascinating
museums, relaxing sidewalk cafes, an abundance of art galleries,
beautifully restored homes with austere facades and cool inner patios,
and some excellent shops offering everything from heavily discounted
gold jewelry and factory-outlet designer apparel, to unusual Latin
American handicrafts and native-grown hand-rolled cigars.
You can get a feel for the old city
by taking a trolley along the narrow streets, or you can spend several days exploring the
historic nooks and crannies on foot. |
 |
|
If you prefer to strike out on your
own, try one of the following two walking tours, designed to help you make the most of
your journey into the past. Schedules are provided for major historical sites. For other
sites, stop in at La Casita Tourism Information Center, adjacent to Pier One.
Being a military stronghold, San
Juan's main attractions are precisely its two impeccably restored and maintained
fortresses, San Crist6bal and E1 Morro. The first tour should start at San Crisfh~,
located on Norzagaray Street at the entrance of the old city. Built as a defense against
land attacks, it is a masterpiece of military defense strategy, consisting of five
independent units connected by a maze of moats and tunnels. A recreated 18th-century
barracks room can be seen here.
Farther along Norzagaray Street lies
El Morro Castle, begun in the early 16th century and the oldest fortress still standing in
the New World. Used as a defense from sea attacks, new military structures had been added
to it as recently as the 1940s, during World War II. A spacious field, once used as a golf
course, links the fort to the city. There is a military museum as well as a good gift and
book shop on the premises. Open daily from 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M., both San Crist6bal and
El Morro are managed by the U.S. National Park Service, which provides continuous video
presentations and guided tours in English (10:00 A.M., 2:00 P.M.) and Spanish (11:00 A.M.,
3:00 P.M.) at both sites.
Making a right turn on your way out
of E1 Morro, you find the Quincentennial Plaza, located atop the highest hill in
Old San Juan. This stepped square was built to celebrate the 500th anniversary of
Christopher Columbus's discovery of the New World. The plaza abuts the former Ballaja
military barracks, San Jose Plaza, the San Jose Church --the second oldest church
in the New World -- and the Dominican Convent.
Turning right on the corner of
Cristo and San Sebastian streets, you reach Casa Blanca, built as a home for Juan
Ponce de Le6n, the first governor of Puerto Rico. Casa Blanca has a beautifully kept
labyrinth of gardens and fountains, and a fine museum of daily 16th- and 17th-century
life. It is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9:00 A.M. to noon, 1:00 to 4:30 P.M.
You can exit Casa Blanca along the
gardens onto Sol Street and walk down to the Plazuela de la Rogativa, which features a
statue of the San Juan bishop followed by three women bearing torches. The statue
commemorates a rogativa, or religious procession, held in the 18th century during a
British siege. The torches fooled the British into calling off their siege because they
thought that reinforcements had reached the city. From Recinto Oeste Street, walk up
Caleta de San Juan Street until you regain Cristo Street in front of the San Juan
Cathedral.
The original structure of the San
Juan Cathedral was destroyed by a hurricane. It was then rebuilt in 1540 after the
Gothic style then flourishing in Spain.
This is one of the few examples of
authentic medieval architecture still standing in the New World. The body of Ponce de Leon
has lain here in a marble crypt since 1908, next to the tomb of San Pro, the Roman
Catholic martyr interred in 1862. The cathedral is open daily from 8:30 A.M. to 4:00 P.M.
Farther down Cristo
Street lies the Capilla del Cristo, which has a silver altar dedicated to the Christ of Miracles.
According to tradition, a man was miraculously saved there after losing control of his
horse during a race. He erected the chapel on that spot in appreciation of what he
considered Christ's deed. The small chapel is open Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday from
10:30 A.M. to 3:30 P.M.
Walking from Cristo Chapel to the
corner of Cristo and Fortaleza streets, you can make a left turn along Fortaleza Street
and visit the Fortaleza, the Palacio de Santa Catalina, oldest executive mansion still
used as such in this hemisphere. Construction of this magnificent building began in 1533.
It was originally used for military purposes, but today it has been carefully restored and
preserved, and it is graced by exquisitely manicured gardens. Guided tours are available
in English (on the hour) or Spanish (on the half hour) weekdays from 9:00 to 11:00 A.M.,
1:00 to 3:00 P.M.
Once you leave La Fortaleza, walk
along Fortaleza Street and make a left turn on San Jose Street, where you will find Plaza
de Armas and, surrounding it, several beautifully restored buildings, among them the San
Juan City Hall and the Palacio de la Intendencia. The San Juan City Hall features a double
arcade flanked by two towers resembling Madrid's city hall. It houses the municipality's
main offices and a tourist information center. The center is open weekdays from 8:00 A.M.
to 5:00 P.M., Saturday from 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. The Palacio de la
Intendencia, presently
housing the Puerto Rico Department of State, is a typical 18th-century colonial building
with ample arcades, checkered marble floors and a central stone-paved patio with a well.
You can stroll either up or down San
Francisco Street (in front of City Hall). If you stroll down toward Plaza Col6n, you find
the august Tapia Theater on the southern end of the square. It was the first and
foremost performing arts hall in the San Juan metropolitan area until the early 1980s. To
the east of the theater, you see the intricately adorned facade of the Government
Reception Center, an 18th-century building surrounded by huge trees.
If you stroll up San Francisco
Street, across Cristo Street, and return to Recinto Oeste, you reach the San Juan Gate.
This passageway is the only surviving gate through the San Juan wall. Once outside the
gate, you can walk along the newly rehabilitated Paseo de !a Princesa, a 19th-century
boulevard paralleling the ancient walls. Decorated with fountains and lined with flowering
royal palms and large trees, the promenade ends at Plaza de Hostos.
Southward from Plaza de Hostos lies
the Arsenal de la Marina, a sprawling building complex built in 1800 as a base for boats
used to patrol the mangrove swamps around San Juan. After the island was ceded to the
United States in 1898, the American Peace Commission arranged for the Spanish troops to be
temporarily quartered here, pending evacuation. It presently houses the Fine Arts and Folk
Arts divisions of the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture. There are three art galleries
within its grounds.
The tour ends at La Gasira Tourism
Information Center on La Darsena del Puerto, a balustrade overlooking the bay
and the tourism piers where you can sit on a bench, sip a lemonade or passion fruit juice,
rest your feet, or catch a taxi. The information center is open daily.
At several restaurants and outdoor
cafes along Cristo and Fortaleza streets you can grab a hurried lunch or a relaxed meal
during the rout. Distances in Old San Juan are short, although if you take your time to
enjoy these historic places, the tour might well run into four hours. Most of the streets
are shaded and breezy, and, although hilly, pleasant for walking.
