Old San Juan at night
 

Hi folks. My wife and I, along with our 2 year old, will be in San Juan from 5-11:00 in the evening next Tuesday. What can we do in this limited time? Do they have horse carriage tours we can take? How about shopping/eating? I realize that is an extremely limited time frame, but that's all the time the cruise ship we'll be on allows.<BR>Thanks.

There is a small mall across from the piers where you can buy local crafts. Most shops catering to tourists will be open. There are no Horse carriages but a tram is operated that you can get on and off. A pickup point is right in front of the piers. There is also an open air market that should be open when you arrive. It is in a small park about a 5 minute walk from the piers.

Why some cruise lines dock in San Juan at that time is beyond reason. I was in San Juan in 2001 and I have cruised from there as well. The forts (El Morro and St. Christobal) close around 5 -ish and many of the interesting stores close around 5 or 6 as well. There will probably be some &quot;tourist traps&quot; that will open to accomodate the cruise ship but not the majority of stores. The restaurants are expensive in Old San Juan. This is what I remembered from being there last year.<BR>Call the Puerto Rican tourist bur. for detailed info - I am not sure how long the trams run.<BR>Old San Juan is most noted for its night life and restaurants. <BR><BR>But PLEASE becareful where you walk at night. There is a bario between El Morro and St. Christobal on the sea coast that is very rough. Sometimes unsavory characters will venture out into other parts of Old San Juan at night. Tourist have been known to be mugged or worst. My Puerto Rican friends warn me about this area everytime I visit.

Several years ago, on our first visit to Puerto Rico, we spent several days in Old San Juan. I remember walking around from El Morro to explore the area. Not far from there, we noticed a building which had stuffed animals and toys hung along the entire high wall. The items looked like they had been there for a long time. Does anyone know what this bulding was and why all the stuffed animals were hung up on display there?

On another thread under cruises a man states there are horse and buggy rides in old San Juan.