Safety in San Juan

[aaalynn]

We are doing the walking tour of the forts and when we finish we would like to walk around old San Juan. Is it a safe town to walk freely?

 

Also wondering if we can make phone calls home. Or if wifi would be commonplace around the city.

[Dirkgun]

As with any place in the world... be aware of your surroundings. However in the 5 times I have been there I have never felt unsafe or been unsafe walking around the city. There is one neighborhood called La Perla that is pretty unsafe I guess. But you really have to try to get there you don't just end up there by mistake. It is out side the city walls on the north side of San Juan in between the two forts. In the main part of Old San Juan very safe and you will see a pretty common police presence. Very Charming city, just enjoy the experience. I have some good photos of the city and forts in my 2 victory reviews in my signature. As far as calls home... Puerto Rico is part of the USA so almost all standard Cell plans include it in the plan minutes. I have T-Mobile and it is included, I have traveled with people on Verizon and AT&T and they were also covered under their normal plan. I am sure there is some WiFi available though somewhere I just have never needed it.

[seashinesunshine]

We are doing the walking tour of the forts and when we finish we would like to walk around old San Juan. Is it a safe town to walk freely?

 

Also wondering if we can make phone calls home. Or if wifi would be commonplace around the city.

 

Very safe, except for the above mentioned neighborhood, it would be hard to stumble into it by accident though. We really enjoy it.

As far as your cell phone working, that would depend on your carrier and plan. Last time (Jan 2013) Verizon told me I could text but not call free. Others have said different. I usually just get it in writing a few weeks before the trip. Did you know that Verizon has a cruise ship plan. The plan itself is free but you do have to sign up for it and tell them which ship, and not all ships are on it. You can text for 50 cents to send and 5 cents to receive, I can't remember what calls were per min. But you do have to be out to sea and on the ships router. It is a nice way to keep in touch a few times, esp when the kiddos are back home.

[MDSue]

Old San Juan is very safe; including in the evening. Just use common sense as in any major city. My sister and I travel to Old San Juan frequently and have always felt safe walking around, even in the evening. We always stay in the heart of the city.

 

It's my favorite departure port and a really fun place to visit.

[dcikon2]

OSJ is very safe. We walked around the city late at night, including outside the city walls. Do take the free trolley between the forts. We have visited many islands in the Caribbean, Costa Rica, and Hawaii and OSJ is one of the safest places.

[83010]

We are doing the walking tour of the forts and when we finish we would like to walk around old San Juan. Is it a safe town to walk freely?

 

Also wondering if we can make phone calls home. Or if wifi would be commonplace around the city.

 

I was in SJ early Dec 2013, and found the city felt quite safe. A friend and I walked back to the port from Fort Morro, no issues and no worries. We stopped at Barrachina's and I used their wifi while sipping on a pina colada. Enjoy! :)

[aaalynn]

Woohoo so happy and grateful for the replies! Thank you all.

 

 

 

 

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[sail7seas]

We have spent a great deal of time in San Juan and never had a hint of a problem. Use your normal common sense and pay attention to your surroundings. Don't wear flashy jewelry and enjoy. San Juan is a fabulous port. We've had many great visits there.

[theump]

Very safe, except for the above mentioned neighborhood, it would be hard to stumble into it by accident though. We really enjoy it.

As far as your cell phone working, that would depend on your carrier and plan. Last time (Jan 2013) Verizon told me I could text but not call free. Others have said different. I usually just get it in writing a few weeks before the trip. Did you know that Verizon has a cruise ship plan. The plan itself is free but you do have to sign up for it and tell them which ship, and not all ships are on it. You can text for 50 cents to send and 5 cents to receive, I can't remember what calls were per min. But you do have to be out to sea and on the ships router. It is a nice way to keep in touch a few times, esp when the kiddos are back home.

 

Verizon, cruise ship plan for text. Hope my wife doen't hear about this one. :D

[alfaeric]

We have spent a great deal of time in San Juan and never had a hint of a problem. Use your normal common sense and pay attention to your surroundings. Don't wear flashy jewelry and enjoy. San Juan is a fabulous port. We've had many great visits there.

 

That reminds me of a funny story- my MIL told us that same thing on my first visit to Puerto Rico. This was shortly after we got engaged, so my wife had a new diamond ring.

 

Note- my in-laws live in Ponce- which is on the other side of the island from San Juan.

 

But they warned us that she would have her finger cut off. :eek:

 

Not so much. We love San Juan. Spent many hours wandering around. They don't warn us much anymore... :)

 

(on this same trip, we were told that El Yunque would be cold. so we wore jeans. Cold for Puerto Ricans is on a very, very different scale than us from Michigan. We changed quickly)

[83010]

 

(on this same trip, we were told that El Yunque would be cold. so we wore jeans. Cold for Puerto Ricans is on a very, very different scale than us from Michigan. We changed quickly)

 

Ha! That is awesome! I can totally imagine it. Good reminder too :)

[Wayfairers]

Just follow the normal safety precautions and you will be fine. We've driven over the entire island, hiked and swam in non tourist areas and even attended a cock fight and never had a problem.

 

 

Done..

7d Royal Caribbean

7d Celebrity

10d Princess

14d Carnival

75d Holland America

 

Next..

7d Carnival Conquest

21d Carnival Triumph

[sirenitas]

Like others have mentioned - it is pretty safe. Free WiFi can be found in most cafes (and there are tons!), plus in fast food places and Ben & Jerry's.