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Voykit pocket guide · Puerto Rico
San Juan
San Juan is a forts-in-the-morning, beach-in-the-afternoon city: Old San Juan on foot before 11:00, and check the hurricane outlook from June to November.
San Juan is a hot, humid island capital with a walled colonial quarter, two large Spanish forts and beach districts a short ride east. The trips that go wrong walk Old San Juan's cobbles at noon, arrive on a cruise-ship day without a lunch table, or plan around the sea in hurricane season. Four areas cover a first visit; base in Old San Juan or Condado and use short car rides between them.
- Country
- Puerto Rico
- Best months
- Jan · Feb · Mar · Apr · Dec
- Time zone
- America/Puerto_Rico
- Stay
- 2 days: Old San Juan and El Morro one morning, Condado and Santurce the next
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- USD
- Money
- Cards are accepted almost everywhere; carry small notes for kiosks, some markets, tips and street vendors.
- Daily spend
- Budget $40–70 excl. bed · Mid $70–150 excl. bed · High $150+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- US carriers roam on the island; otherwise install an eSIM before you fly.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 911 · Tourist police Ask via 911 or your hotel · Hospital Centro Médico and private hospitals in San Juan
- Plugs
- 120 V; type A and B sockets, as in the United States.
- Tipping
- 15–20% in restaurants if service is not added; a few dollars for drivers and hotel staff.
- Water
- Tap water is treated and generally drunk; many visitors use bottled water. Ice is safe in established places.
- Toilets
- Cafés, malls, hotels and museums; carry tissues.
Get in
By air
- Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU)
- SJU to Condado or Old San Juan: one fixed-rate taxi or ride-hailing car, 20–45 minutes — the risk is not the ride but a hotel door that locks in the cobbled old town.
Get around
Walk inside Old San Juan; ride-hailing car or taxi between districts.
- Passes
- No pass. Short car rides are cheap; check the fare in the app.
- Late at night
- The Tren Urbano does not reach Old San Juan or the airport; ride-hailing runs late.
See and do
01Castillo San Felipe del Morro
The six-level sea fort on the point of Old San Juan: 90 minutes, at opening, hat and water; it is exposed and hot by 11:00.
02Plaza del Mercado de Santurce
A covered market with produce, food counters and bars: 60 minutes for a late-morning lunch, busy on Friday evenings.
03Cathedral of San Juan BautistaCatedral de San Juan Bautista
The 16th-century cathedral in the middle of Old San Juan, with the tomb of Ponce de León: 25 minutes, best at the start of the morning.
04Ventana al Mar
A small seafront park at the west end of Condado: 30 minutes, at sunrise or sunset; a starting point for the Condado beach walk.
Hours and prices are desk estimates (checked 2026-09); anything marked (check) is not confirmed. Coordinates open in any map app.
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| El Yunque rainforest | Car about 1–1.5 h each way | Full day — leave 07:30 |
| Cataño (Bacardí distillery) | Ferry from Old San Juan, then a short car ride | Half day |
| Laguna Grande bioluminescent bay (Fajardo) | Car about 1 h each way | Evening tour |
Eat
- Casa Cortés ChocoBar
- A chocolate cafe on Calle San José in Old San Juan: coffee, hot chocolate and pastries in the morning; go before 10:30 or after 15:00 on cruise days.
Sleep
- Condado
- Beach hotels, restaurants and a car at the door; larger hotels with lifts and a 15-minute ride to Old San Juan.
- Old San Juan
- First-timers: forts, plazas and restaurants on foot; choose a hotel with a 24-hour desk and a drop-off at the door, since cars cannot enter all streets.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | Buenos díasBWEH-nos DEE-as |
| Thank you | GraciasGRAH-syas |
| How much is this? | ¿Cuánto cuesta?KWAN-toh KWES-ta |
| Not spicy, please | Sin picante, por favorseen pee-KAN-teh por fah-VOR |
| The bill, please | La cuenta, por favorla KWEN-ta por fah-VOR |
| Please take me to this address | Lléveme a esta direcciónYEH-veh-meh ah ES-ta dee-rek-SYON |
| Stop here, please | Pare aquí, por favorPAH-reh ah-KEE por fah-VOR |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Buenos días; kiss on the cheek among friends; avoid: Skipping greetings
- Talking status: Ask and listen; avoid: Lecturing on politics
- Dress: Smart-casual in restaurants; avoid: Swimwear in Old San Juan
- Parties: Join a parranda if invited at Christmas; avoid: Leaving early without goodbyes
Red lines
- La Perla, the neighbourhood below the north wall, has crime problems: do not enter unaccompanied.
- Do not walk in Santurce side streets at night.
- Stay off the fort walls beyond the marked paths.
Scams and watch-outs
- Street vendors who tie bracelets or hand over 'gifts' and ask for money: decline politely.
- Unlicensed drivers at the airport: use the official taxi rank with fixed-rate signs or your app.
- Overpriced 'tour' offers by the cruise dock: book through your hotel or a licensed operator.
- Parking touts in Condado and Isla Verde: use hotel parking or lots.
One and two days
1 day
The first day of the timed plan.
Day 1 — Cathedral and El Morro, a 12:30 lunch table
- 07:30Cathedral of San Juan Bautista
- Castillo San Felipe del Morro (optional)
- 12:30Lunch table 12:30 (Old San Juan)
- Hotel or AC café 13:30–16:00; the walls at sunset if energy allows.
2 days
The first two days of the timed plan.
Day 1 — Cathedral and El Morro, a 12:30 lunch table
- 07:30Cathedral of San Juan Bautista
- Castillo San Felipe del Morro (optional)
- 12:30Lunch table 12:30 (Old San Juan)
- Hotel or AC café 13:30–16:00; the walls at sunset if energy allows.
Day 2 — Santurce market, then coffee in Old San Juan
- 08:00Plaza del Mercado de Santurce
- Casa Cortés ChocoBar
- Rest at the hotel in the afternoon; heat peaks 12:00–16:00.
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Discover Puerto Rico — official tourism: www.discoverpuertorico.com/
- National Park Service — San Juan National Historic Site: www.nps.gov/saju/
- Wikivoyage — San Juan: en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/San_Juan_(Puerto_Rico)
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
San Juan
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
Take me to
- Catedral de San Juan BautistaCathedral of San Juan Bautista
- Police, fire, ambulance911
- Tourist policeAsk via 911 or your hotel
- HospitalCentro Médico and private hospitals in San Juan
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/san-juan). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.