Attractions
Old San Juan
This area, encompassing about seven blocks, dates back about 500 years to the Spanish occupation when it served as a military stronghold that even repulsed Sir Francis Drake. The original cobbles on the streets are blue-tinged, and were originally ballast on the Spanish ships. The ancient stones set off the more than 400 restored 16th and 17th century Spanish colonial buildings that fill Old San Juan and draw thousands of tourists to walk the narrow, steep streets every day. The old town is enclosed in amazingly thick, high walls and features numerous attractive plazas bearing sculptures and memorials.
Back to top
Spanish Forts
The mighty six-level fortress of San Felipe del Morro, built in 1540, towers 140 feet above the sea on San Juan Bay, its 18-foot thick walls having proved a worthy defense against invasion. The largest fortification in the Caribbean, it is a maze of tunnels, dungeons, barracks, lookouts and ramps, offering spectacular views from atop its ramparts. Also in Norzagaray Street, Old San Juan, is El Morro's partner in defending the city, Castillo San Cristobal, built in the 17th century to a confusing and intricate modular design.
Telephone: 729 6960
Web site:www.nps.gov/saju
Opening time: Forts open daily 9am to 5pm (June to November), 9am to 6pm (December to May). Tours are available in English and Spanish
Admission: Free
Back to top
La Fortaleza
The Fortaleza was built in 1540 as a fortress to guard the entrance to the San Juan harbor, but later became the official Governor's residence. During succeeding centuries the original structure has been re-modeled and expanded, with a neoclassical façade being added in 1846 to leave the building with its palatial aspect. The current governor of Puerto Rico is in residence - the 170th Governor to live in the Fortaleza.
Address: The Fortaleza is situated at the west end of Fortaleza Street in Old San Juan
Telephone: 721 7000 ext. 2358
Opening time: Daily 9am to 6pm (until 5pm from June to November). Tours are available every 30 minutes from Monday to Friday between 9am and 3.30pm. Reservations are required
Admission: Free
Back to top
Saint John the Baptist Cathedral
San Juan's Cathedral was originally built in 1521 by Puerto Rico's first Spanish bishop as a thatched wooden church, but was destroyed in a hurricane in 1526. The current medieval structure, built from the stone brought in from inland quarries by horsepower, dates from 1540, although extensive renovations and reconstruction was carried out in 1917. The cathedral features Doric columns and elliptical vaults, and contains the marble tomb of the island's first governor.
Address: Cristo Street
Telephone: 722 0861 or 722-1709
Opening time: Daily tours from 8.30am to 4pm. Regular services are held
Back to top
Casa Blanca
The historic homestead of Casa Blanca was built in 1523 by the family of Puerto Rico's first governor, Ponce de Leon, whose descendants inhabited it for 250 years. It was subsequently taken over by the Spanish and then United States military. Today the mansion house contains two museums. A small section is dedicated to artifacts associated with the Taino Indians, while the rest of the house depicts the life of the house through the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries.
Address: San Sebastian Street, Old San Juan
Telephone: 724 4102
Opening time: Tuesday to Sunday 9am to 12pm and 1pm to 4.30pm. Guided tours by appointment Tuesday to Friday
Admission: US$2 (adults), US$1 (children)
Back to top
Casa del Libro
The 18th-century mansion known as Casa del Libro houses a vast collection of rare sketches, illustrations, ancient manuscripts and books, some dating from before the 16th century. The museum's most prized possessions are two royal mandates signed by Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain in 1493 regarding the provisioning of Christopher Columbus's fleet for his second voyage to the New World. This was the voyage during which Puerto Rico was discovered.
Address: 255 Cristo Street
Telephone: 723 0354
Opening time: Tuesday to Saturday 11am to 4.30pm
Admission: Free
Back to top
University campus
The University of Puerto Rico campus in the Rio Piedras offers two attractions for visitors. The University Museum contains archeological and historical exhibits and holds monthly art exhibitions. The Botanical Gardens in the grounds of the University are a living laboratory displaying the native flora of Puerto Rico, containing more than 200 species of tropical and sub-tropical plants.
Telephone: 764 0000 ext 2452 (museum); 763 4408 (gardens)
Opening time: Monday to Friday 9am to 11pm, weekends 9am to 3pm (museum); daily 9am to 4.30pm (gardens)
Admission: Free
Back to top
Museo de Arte
Puerto Rico's showcase art gallery opened just a few years ago at a cost of millions of dollars. The gallery is housed in a former city hospital in Santurce and offers a permanent and visiting exhibition. The aim is to highlight the island's heritage through the work of local artists, such as Francisco Oller, who studied in France with Cézanne, and Jose Campeche, a late 18th century Classical painter. The museum has been described as a 'living textbook of Puerto Rico', spanning the centuries through the medium of art.
Address: 299 De Diego Avenue, Santurce
Telephone: 977 6277 ext. 2230 or 2261
Web site:www.mapr.org
Opening time: Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday 10am to 5pm; Wednesday 10am to 8pm; Sunday 11am to 6pm; closed Monday
Admission: US$6 (adults), US$2.50 (seniors) US$3 (children)
Back to top
Arecibo Ionospheric Observatory
America's ears and eyes are focused on the stars from the island of Puerto Rico. In the northwest mountains of the island about 90 minutes drive west of San Juan, among the Karst Country hills, is one of the most important astronomical research facilities on earth, the Arecibo Ionospheric Observatory. Its massive dish is larger in area than a dozen football fields and is sited in a sinkhole, aimed at the heavens and tuned to detect the slightest sounds emitted from the farthest stars. This is the home base for NASA's 'SETI' (Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence) project and as such holds great fascination for visitors. A Visitors Center is equipped with interactive exhibits to demonstrate how the huge structure works. Visitors can hike to the viewing platform to view the vast tiled dish.
Telephone: 878 2612
Web site:www.naic.edu
Opening time: Wednesday to Friday 12pm to 4pm, weekends and most holidays 9am to 4pm
Admission: US$5 (adults), US$3 (children)
Back to top
Camuy Cave Park
Well worth a day trip from San Juan is the incredible 268-acre Camuy Cave Park, two hours southwest of the city. The park is the site of miles of subterranean caverns that were carved out of the limestone by the Camuy River more than a million years ago. Only seven miles of the caves have yet been fully explored, but 16 entrances have been discovered to what is believed to be the world's largest cave network. Well-maintained walking trails lead visitors down 200 feet into a fern-filled ravine to explore the cathedral-like caverns. Guided tours are available through one cave and two sinkholes, where you will see stalactites, stalagmites and plenty of bats. The caverns also contain a unique species of blindfish. The park has picnic areas, walking trails, food outlets, an exhibition hall and a souvenir shop.
Address: Route 129
Telephone: 898 3100
Opening time: Wednesday to Sunday 8am to 3.30pm; closed when raining
Admission: US$10 (adults), US$8 (children)
