San Juan, Puerto Rico Travel Guide 2019 - Top Things To Do In San Juan - NY Times Top Destination for 2019
/Top 7 Things to do in San Juan, Puerto Rico in 2019
Voted by the New York Times as the number one top destination in the world for 2019, Puerto Rico has tons to offer to even the most demanding traveler. As much as Puerto Rico has to offer, San Juan has enough to keep you busy for days all on its own. This vibrant old city has so much history and so much character that you’ll wonder why you haven’t visited much sooner. Although effects of Hurricane Maria can still be found around Puerto Rico, San Juan has pretty much caught back up and is a perfect place to visit.
If you love eating delicious seafood at sidewalk cafes, exploring almost 500 year old castle like fortresses, and wandering through colorfully painted streets, then keep reading to get the 7 best things to do while visiting San Juan, Puerto Rico in 2019. Oh, and please don’t forget the beaches!
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#1 - Visit and Explore Castillo San Felipe del Morro - Map
Sunset at Castillo San Felipe del Morro, Puerto Rico, 2019
This fortress dates all the way back to 1539 when King Charles 1 ordered its construction. The fortress has seen numerous battles over almost 360 years, when it saw its final battle in 1898. In 1898 the U.S. Navy bombarded the fortress as its first Puerto Rico campaign of the Spanish-American war, which effectively ended Spanish rule if the island.
When arriving at the fort, you'll first cross the dry moat by walking over a large stone bridge. This will bring you into the courtyard where you'll find the chapel, kitchen and other rooms.
Castillo San Felipe del Morro, PR, 2019
Castillo San Felipe del Morro, PR, 2019
There are six levels in the massive fortress to explore with the park rangers as guides. This is a very popular attraction, and for good reason. Make sure to set aside enough time to explore everything there is to explore here, and enjoy the history!
The bridge over the dry moat at Castillo San Felipe del Morro, 2019.
Castillo San Felipe del Morro photo taken from Cementario Santa Maria.
#2 - Explore the Beautiful Fuerte San Cristóbal - Map
The second but largest of military forts in Puerto Rico is Fuerte San Cristóbal, or Fort Saint Christopher.
A famous Irish mercenary, Alejandro O’Reilly, and his compatriot Thomas O’Daly were hired by Spain to design the fort and began construction in 1634. It wasn’t until nearly 150 years later, around 1783, that construction on the fortress was finished. In its prime, the fort was comprised of 27 acres of interconnected forts, tunnels and bridges designed to protect San Juan from land based attacks from the east.
The fortress consists of three levels:
Level three is the highest observation level;
Level two is the level where the main firing battery is located, and;
Level one is the lowest level of the main plaza
Around the fort are sentry posts (garitas) that served to allow sentries a place to watch for incoming enemy forces, and keep away from the elements of the weather. One particular garita was named “La Garita del Diablo,” or “The Devils Guard Post” after a sentry disappeared from his post one night long ago. Although three legends had it that he simply vanished, it was widely believed that he ran off with a woman to somewhere far away.
#3 - Take a Stroll Through Santa María Magdalena de Pazzi Cemetery - Map
The Chapel At Cementerio Santa María Magdalena de Pazzis in Old San Juan, just after sunset. Facing east, this is also a great spot for a sunrise photo.
Located directly against the walls of Castillo San Felipe del Morro is this beautiful colonial era cemetery. The cemetery construction began in 1863 and was named after Santa María Magdalena de Pazzi (Saint Maria Magdalena).
Central to the cemetery is the chapel which is surrounded by the hundreds of beautifully decorated gravesites. The statues and sculptures at the gravesites are absolutely stunning, and really need to be seen in person to be truly appreciated.
The Santa Maria Cemetery, facing west with Castillo San Felipe del Morro on the hill.
The cemetery is made up of the old and new cemetery, has a beautiful panoramic view of the ocean, and is the perfect location to take both sunrise and sunset photographs (depending on time of year).
Several notable interments in the cemetery include:
Pedro Albizu Campos, nationalist leader and politician
Aurora de Albornoz, scholar, poet
José Julián Acosta, abolitionist, journalist
Ricardo Alegría, father of modern Puerto Rican archaeology
Miguel Ángel Álvarez, journalist, comedian and actor
Jose Celso Barbosa, founder of the Puerto Rican statehood movement
#4 - Walk Around El Paseo de la Princessa - Map
El Paseo de la Princessa is immensely popular with locals and tourists alike, and is a great place to take a nice walk after a meal. Close to the start of the pathway, you’ll find a nice little pocket park called Old Town Princesa Park. The park has numerous statues along a winding path that is filled with lush plants and trees. At the end of the path is a small playground for kids to blow off some steam. Fair warning, there is no shade covering the playground, so kids will likely overheat quickly.
One of several statues in the Paseo de la Princessa
As you continue just past the pocket park and playground, you’ll find a Banyan tree on the right with three restaurants. “Princesa Gastrobar”, “It’s Rum Time,” and “Café La Princesa” giving you three choices for a quick bite to eat, or an adult beverage to keep you moving around the path.
"It's Rum Time" Rum Bar, Old San Juan, PR
As you reach the water, you’ll arrive at a beautifully made fountain, Fuente Raíces. This detailed bronze fountain shows the gods and goddesses of Taíno, European and African descent, some riding horses and dolphins, as water shoots over them. The fountain represents the racial and ethnic roots of the Puerto Rican people of today. Facing west, this is a romantic and popular spot to watch the sunset over the bay.
Continue along the passage and you’ll make along the walls that protect La Fortaleza (the Governer’s mansion), which was built between 1533 and 1540 to defend the harbor of San Juan. As you reach the end of La Fortaleza you will see La Puerta de San Juan on the right. This marks the end of Paseo de la Princessa, and is the “The Gate of San Juan.”
This is La Fortaleza overlooking the bay and Puerta de San Juan, Puerto Rico.
As you pass by the Puerta de San Juan, the path turns into Paseo del Morro and continues all the way along the walls of the fortress. Stunning sunsets are sure to be seen here, so time your walk accordingly.
#5 - Explore the Casa Blanca Museum - Map
Casa Blanca was the very first fortification built in San Juan as the residence of Juan Ponce de León and his family. Although Ponce de León died in Havanah, Cuba during an expedition to Florida and never actually lived in Casa Blanca, his family used it as their residence until the mid 18th century.
Casa Blanca was originally built in 1521 as a wood structure and was frequently used a refuge from attacks by Taino rebels. As one might imagine, the structure was burned to the ground during an attack, and was then rebuilt in stone in 1523. In its later years, Casa Blanca was home to the Spanish Army, and later the U.S. Army.
The building and grounds now serve as a museum and are open Tuesday-Sunday from 8:30AM to 4:00PM. Make sure to set aside around two hours to make your way through the house, garden and grounds.
The kitchen at Casa Blanca gives you a look into culinary history
The grounds of Casa Blanca are meticulously kept, and provide a great spot to explore around and see how the house was run in the past. As you walk through the house, be sure to go out to the balconies to see the amazing views of Viejo San Juan!
One of beautiful views from atop Casa Blanca
A stunning view from Casa Blanca, looking out over Old San Juan and La Fortaleza
Aside from the beautiful gardens and stunning views, Casa Blanca has lots of very cool buildings and structures to see and take pictures of. If you’re in to the selfies, make sure you get one by the sentry post as pictured below.
The Sentry house at Casa Blanca
Part of the gardens at Casa Blanca
#6 - Go to the Beaches!
Considering Puerto Rico is an island with lots of islets, there is no shortage of beaches to visit here. There are many beaches even within the San Juan area and there are a few you should definitely visit!
Playa El Escambrón - Map
Playa El Escambrón is one of the most popular beaches on the islet of San Juan, and is located right on the edge of Old San Juan. This beach is popular with locals and tourists alike, and is a popular spot for swimming, snorkeling, and sunbathing. There are plenty of palm trees for shade and scenery, and the beach also has some historic sites and ruins to check out as well. Definitely a great spot to go!
Atlantic Beach at Condado - Map
Condado Beach is located in the popular and trendy area of Condado, and is a beautiful spot to catch some sun, sand and even some waves. It is connected to Condado’s popular resorts, hotels and casinos, to bring your wallet and your game face if your into playing your luck!
This area also has no shortage of great places to eat, as well as watering holes to quench your thirst. If you’re into some water sports, you can do that here as well. Considering this is probably the most trendy and popular beach on Puerto Rico, you simply can’t go wrong with a nice long visit here.
Playa Ocean Park - Map
Ocean Park Beach is another great place to spend the day in the sun. The water here is very calm, and the beach is kept nice and clean. It’s not the biggest of beaches, but there is plenty of room for you to find a nice spot for the day.
A beautiful sunset while flying a kite at Ocean Park Beach
There are other beaches within San Juan, and way more outside of San Juan. If you’re a surfer and willing to drive for a couple hours, then you should seriously consider going to Rincón the Northwest Coast of Puerto Rico. While you’re out there, you might as well stop and see some of the historic lighthouses and other historic areas. I’ll be touching on these areas outside of San Juan in another posting soon, so check back!
#7 - Take a Walk and See all the Colorful Buildings Throughout San Juan
Old San Juan is such a fun place to walk around in and explore, that no visit would be complete without a lot of strolling around. The colorful buildings with their very old architectural style are just so much fun to look at, and of course, photograph.
Colorful buildings decorate throughout Old San Juan
I just love this building with its style and colors.
One of the colorful buildings you’ll find in Old San Juan was also declared the “narrowest House in the World” by Guinness Book of World Records. Although I’m not sure it still holds this title, I know it did for some time. The house is located just above the Paseo de la Princessa and next to some restaurants and shopping areas. Click here for a link to the location on Google Maps.
Worlds most narrow house in Puerto Rico
Just around the corner from the narrow house (and up the hill a little more) is a very old chapel called Capilla del Santo Cristo de la Salud. The chapel was built in 1753 and is cared for today by a group of elderly lady volunteers called “La Hermandad del Santo Cristo de la Salud.”
The chapel is only open on Tuesdays and religious holidays, so if you want to get inside you’ll need to plan accordingly. Unfortunately, I’ve never made it in to the chapel, but it is filled with ancient treasures.
Capilla del Santo Cristo de la Salud is a tiny little chapel you can’t miss in Puerto Rico.
Right next to Capilla del Santo Cristo de la Salud is Parque Las Palomas, or Pigeon Park.
Lots of colorful umbrellas decorate this street leading to the Governer’s mansion in Old San Juan
Parque Las Palomas is a small but scenic park that serves as a refuge for hundreds of pigeons. There is usually a man selling bird seed here for you to feed the birds. If you squat down and extend your arms out to your sides, these birds will jump up and sit on your arms. I was lucky enough to have one of these birds jump square onto my head and sit there for a minute or so!! It was quite hilarious!
This pigeon tried to catch a ride on my arm, sorry not the one that landed on my head!
As you wind around the city, make sure you take a quick walk through Plaza De Armas to check out the fountain and the rest of this historic town square. You’ll find locals and tourists enjoying the serenity here, as well as enjoying an ice cream cup.
This nice gentleman gave me a delicious guava flavored “ice” cup.
The fountain at Plaza de Armas
#8 Bonus Top Thing to Do in San Juan - Eat!
Puerto Rico is a fantastic place to enjoy all kinds of culinary delights, and San Juan has more places to eat than you will be able to try out. Everything from steak houses, seafood, vegan food to traditional Puerto Rican food can be found here and more. There are a few of my favorite places that I try to stop by every time I go to Puerto Rico, and you should make a point to try these out!
My brother-in-law checking out the menu at Chocobar Cortés. (Thanks for the shot, Danny!)
“I’ll take one of everything, please!” Chocolate on display at Chocobar Cortés
Chocobar Cortés is one of the first places I stop to get a bite. As you might imagine, chocolate is the main theme here, and man are there some great choices!
Here are my favorites from Chocobar Cortés:
Chocolate Beverages:
Choco Martini is a one of the favorite drinks here - Baileys, milk chocolate, Absolut vodka
Chocolate Rum Fashioned - Zacapa 23 rum, sugar, chocolate bitters, orange peel
Don Ignacio is another favorite - Barrilito 3 star rum, cognac, spiced syrup, sweet vermouth, angostura bitters, dark chocolate rim
Starters:
Pulpo Gallego Criollo is a fantastic starter - Galician style octopus, yautía purée, fried octopus chips. The fried octopus chips taste like an octopus bacon, and is simply delicious.
Ceviche de Pescado Fresco is another fantastic starter - Fresh fish ceviche, cacao nib tiger's milk, green banana chips
Main Foods:
Ciabatta de Pollo a la Parrilla is delicious! - Chili cocoa chicken breast, gouda cheese, asparagus, lettuce, tomato, Cortés balsamic chocolate vinaigrette
Churrasco a la Parrilla is another great one - 8oz. skirt steak, couscous, citrus, capers, white chocolate, piquillo pepper sauce
The rest of the menu that I’ve tried here is equally fantastic, and you simply can’t go wrong here!
Stuffed Avocado Shop is my second favorite in San Juan, and is directly across the street from Chocobar Cortés.
I am originally from California, so avocados have been a main staple for me my whole life. Fairly recently we’ve have avocado toast on every corner (which is awesome!), but Stuffed Avocado Shop takes a different turn for the better. As the name states, they serve avocados that are stuffed to the brim with delectable ingredients no matter which one you choose. First, you get the entire avocado placed in the bottom of the dish, then depending on your choice, it is stacked high with yummy goodness.
The Spicy Salmon is a choice you can’t go wrong with and is piled high with (you guessed it) spicy salmon, avocado, white rice, spicy shoyu, cucumber, onions, seaweed salad, masago, and seaweed flakes.
The Chipotle Chicken is another of my favorites and is piled with chipotle chicken, avocado, baby greens, cilantro cream, cilantro queso fresco, and rice for an extra $2.
Of course there are other items on the menu, so stop by and try out some amazing avocado goodness!
Vaca Brava is another great all around beef restaurant that gets an honorable mention.
Since I don’t want to turn this post into a foodie-centric post, I’ll finish up on the food portion here. The restaurants I’ve listed here are my favorites, but are certainly just a few of the many amazing places to eat in San Juan. No matter your taste, you will find it here in San Juan! Also, I’m a fairly frequent visitor to Puerto Rico, so if you have a recommendation for me, please leave it in the comments section below!
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Matthew Reed - Editor/Author/Photographer
