Suggestions in San Juan

[wdgeorge]

Hello!

We are cruising to San Juan in March. Does anyone have suggestions on what to do besides the standard excursions?

Thanks

Wendy

[summersigh]

Google the San Juan Free Trolley

[Butterbean1000]

We've been a few times and our favorite thing to, do is to just wonder around old San Juan.  Be sure to visit the old forts, sample some local cuisine. You can get around town on the trolleys.  We took a tour of Barcardi Rum Distillery.  It was a little disappointing, but still worth the trip.  Be sure to take the fairy over.  You will save a ton in taxi fares.  We always finish our day with a trip to Senor Frogs.

Edited January 26, 2019 by Butterbean1000

[smurfm69]

 We did the 2 hour Segway tour.  It's a lot of fun and you get to see a lot of old San Juan and learn about its history.

[coevan]

Renting a car is inexpensive and it very easy to navigate.  El Yunque is a great day trip. Stop for lunch at a local place on the way back. Visit the Rum Factory. As others said Old San Juan and Fort Morro are very interesting. 

[Elaine5715]

It is a lovely stroll between the forts.  One admission gets you in both.  Stop at http://www.barrachina.com/ for a pina colada.  

[rainy812]

In October we did a walking food tour one morning, a night time kayak tour in the bio luminescent lagoon, a private tour to el Yunque for the better part of a Sunday after the cruise and toured both forts.  There is also a cat rescue place down by the water in Old San Juan that was pretty cool.  

[KatPem]

Tons to do in Old San Juan...walking around and exploring is amazing.  Lots of cool little shops, bars, restaurants...historic buildings, cobblestone roads, beautiful plazas and plant life.  Gorgeous vistas.  All walkable. one of my favorite places

[Kermarkim]

This will be my first time to San Juan port.  So when you say all walkable, do you mean once you get off the ship at the port, you are already in Old San Juan or will we have to get transportation to Old San Juan and then walk around?  Thanks.

[skivy]

You will love Old San Juan.

From the ship walk left until you reach the Paseo de la Princessa. There may be little kiosks open along the walkway that end at the Raices fountain. (A tribute to the people of Puerto Rico.) See below picture. 

Continue your walk along the wall. (La Muralla) Continue along the waterfront until you reach the big red gate. Enjoy the waterfront walk, statuary and unique trees. 

Go through the gate and up the hill. At the top of the hill is the San Juan Cathedral. The ceilings and walls are spectacular. 

Now you have two options. You can continue your upward walk past the El Convento hotel to the top of the hill. You will come across a unique Taino totem. A few more steps and you will see the incredible Fort, El Morro. A must see. Too the right is a cemetery with incredible sculptures. Kids should be flying kites in the huge field. 

You can then walk back the same way to the Cathedral. (Another option is the free green trolley which travels through Old San Juan.) If you walk down the blue cobblestone streets you will come to a street called Fortaleza. It is where the umbrellas are. It leads to the governors mansion. If you continue on the original street you will end up at Pigeon Park. 

There are a number of fun restaurants that I like. Punta de Vista atop Hotel Milano. Great lunch menu and 2 for 1 mojitos. Also if you like chocolate go to the Choco Bar on San Francisco. Good fun and an assortment of alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks/desserts. 

Other fun shops, parks, fort and often street entertainment in the area. 

Enjoy!

[jill1349]

We will only be in port for about five or six hours (Allure in March) and would like to go to the old town - it sounds very interesting and thank you all for the information.   But, we are traveling with my mother who uses a wheelchair so we would need to push her.   I realize the sidewalks will likely not be ADA compliant but any thoughts on the condition of the sidewalks for a wheelchair would be appreciated.

 

[alfaeric]

17 hours ago, Kermarkim said:

This will be my first time to San Juan port.  So when you say all walkable, do you mean once you get off the ship at the port, you are already in Old San Juan or will we have to get transportation to Old San Juan and then walk around?  Thanks.

When you walk off the ship, you are right in Old San Juan.  And you can just wander around.

[alfaeric]

8 hours ago, jill1349 said:

We will only be in port for about five or six hours (Allure in March) and would like to go to the old town - it sounds very interesting and thank you all for the information.   But, we are traveling with my mother who uses a wheelchair so we would need to push her.   I realize the sidewalks will likely not be ADA compliant but any thoughts on the condition of the sidewalks for a wheelchair would be appreciated.

 

For most of Old San Juan, the sidewalks are narrow and there are no ramps on the corners.  There are some streets where you can get around, though- but it will be a challenge.  Maybe take the free trolley for a lap or two to get a good picture of Old San Juan.

[jill1349]

Alfaeric, thanks for the information on the streets.   Narrow streets are okay but it is difficult with no ramps on the corner to cross the streets.   Just starting to do some research - sounds like parts of El Morro are accessible and perhaps the walk outside of the city wall.   Will continue my research.   Thanks again for your information.

[Kermarkim]

• Thank you Skivy.  Your instructions are very helpful.  I'm looking forward to it.

[thunter1224]

Is there a casino close to the docks ?  

[alfaeric]

On 2/4/2019 at 3:14 PM, thunter1224 said:

Is there a casino close to the docks ?  

Not anymore.  The casino at the Sheraton closed a few years ago.

[thunter1224]

Thank You.  I guess we will try and find one somewhere else on the island 🙂

 

[40yearcruiser]

Just a hint for those who are planning to visit the forts. If you have a US national park pass, it will get you into the forts free. If you are age 62 or over and you have a Golden Age passport it is still good but the lifetime senior passes now have gone up to $80 (used to be $10). You can also get an annual senior pass for $20. If you have a senior pass you can take 3 other adults with you free; children under 16 are also free. Active military and those with a permanent disability are also eligible for a free pass. They MAY have passes for sale at the forts; the last time I was in San Juan I forgot to take my pass and when I asked about buying another one they were out of them. The US National Park website has information about the parks and passes.

 

The regular admission price for the forts is $7 and includes both forts.  If you don't have a pass and don't have plans to visit any other national parks this would be your best alternative, but I thought I'd remind those who do have a pass to take it along. I plan to pack mine this time!

[CruiseMomTX]

In Jan we ported there for the first time.  We got off and it was still early so walked around and then found a little place to have coffee and breakfast.  After that we ended up at the fort closest to the port and since the govt was sill shut down it was free admission.  Walked around there for a while then just wandered around town.  We got a drink and snack before going back to the ship.  In all we walked around 4.5 miles and had a good time.  It was Jan but still quite warm out.  

When we got off the ship there were a bunch of different people trying to sell tours, the one we thought about was I think a 2 hour tour for around $15, has anyone tried this or any others you found right after getting off the ship?

[PhoenixCruiser]

Thank You.  I guess we will try and find one somewhere else on the island [emoji846]
 

Embassy Suites and Casino

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[potatotomato]

Great info

[3smithboys]

Thanks for all of this great information.

[Stinger-pr]

On 2/4/2019 at 4:14 PM, thunter1224 said:

Is there a casino close to the docks ?  

Closest one in Casino Metro at the Sheraton Convention Center hotel. You will need a cab to get there but it's about 10 minutes away.

[Stinger-pr]

On 1/29/2019 at 12:13 AM, jill1349 said:

We will only be in port for about five or six hours (Allure in March) and would like to go to the old town - it sounds very interesting and thank you all for the information.   But, we are traveling with my mother who uses a wheelchair so we would need to push her.   I realize the sidewalks will likely not be ADA compliant but any thoughts on the condition of the sidewalks for a wheelchair would be appreciated.

 

This is a very old city so there will be some obstacles. That said, most of the sidewalks have good enough surface for you to navigate a wheelchair on and most corners will be flat to the street surface for ease of mobility. Your problem could be the street itself. They are cobble stones and they are not evenly flat, especially the older parts of the city that have not been restored. Hills aside, you should have no problem getting at least to the center of the old city to Plaza De Armas in front of city hall. A walk from the pier to the San Juan Gate around the base of the old city (and up to the base of El Morro fort if you decided to go for it all) wall is another option.