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San Juan's metro area stretches 12 miles (19 km) along Puerto Rico's north coast. Mapping the city is rather like working a jigsaw puzzle; neighborhoods are irregular in shape and sometimes overlap. There is some disagreement among locals, for example, about where Condado ends and Ocean Park begins.The areas most visited by tour
San Juan's metro area stretches 12 miles (19 km) along Puerto Rico's north coast. Mapping the city is rather like working a jigsaw puzzle; neighborhoods are irregular in shape and sometimes overlap. There is some disagreement among locals, for example, about where Conda
San Juan's metro area stretches 12 miles (19 km) along Puerto Rico's north coast. Mapping the city is rather like workin
San Juan's metro area stretches 12 miles (19 km) along Puerto Rico's north coast. Mapping the city is rather like working a jigsaw puzzle; neighborhoods are irregular in shape and sometimes overlap. There is some disagreement among locals, for example, about where Condado ends and Ocean Park begins.
The areas most visited by tourists run along the coast. Farthest west is Old San Juan, the showplace of the island's rich history. On this peninsula you will find some of the city's finest museums and shops, as well as excellent dining and lodging options. To the east is Puerta de Tierra, a narrow strip of land sandwiched between the ocean and the bay. The area is home to a couple of famous hotels and two noteworthy parks, the Parque del Tercer Milenio and the Parque Muñoz Rivera, as well as Escambrón Beach. The rehabilitation project of the waterfront and cruise docks, Bahía Urbana, is attracting new galleries, shops, and luxury housing developments. Beyond Puerta de Tierra is Condado, an upscale, older neighborhood with a mix of beautiful Spanish-style homes, larger apartment buildings, and resort hotels. Here you'll find designer fashions in the boutiques and on the people strolling down the main drag of Avenida Ashford. Ocean Park, east of Condado, is mostly residential, but the handful of inns and restaurants here are among the city's best. Don’t miss Calle Loíza, parallel to McLeary Street; it’s becoming the area's new gastronomic hub. Beyond Ocean Park is Isla Verde, a more commercial zone, where you'll find the biggest resorts on the best city beach.
Venture inland, however, and you'll find a number of neighborhoods with their own appeal. South of Condado and Ocean Park lies Santurce, a business district with a growing artistic community, thanks to the Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico and the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo. La Placita de Santurce is home to two of San Juan’s top restaurants, Santaella and José Enrique. Bordering Santurce and across the bay from Condado, the quieter, residential neighborhood of Miramar is also a great place for off-the-beaten-path dining. Hato Rey is a busy financial district, where you'll find the large Plaza las Américas Mall. The mostly residential Río Piedras area is home to the Universidad de Puerto Rico.
This huge stone fortress, built between 1634 and 1783, guarded the city from land attacks from the east. The largest Spanish fortification in...Read More
At the northwestern tip of Old San Juan, El Morro (the promontory) was built by the Spaniards between 1539 and 1790. Rising 140 feet above the...Read More
One of the Caribbean's biggest museums, this beautiful neoclassical building was once the San Juan Municipal Hospital. The collection of Puerto...Read More
When people talk about a "beautiful Isla Verde beach," this Blue Flag beach is the one—even though it's so close to the airport that leaves...Read More
This government-run beach has a patch of honey-color sand shaded by coconut palms. An offshore reef generally makes surf gentle, so it's favored...Read More
According to legend, in 1753 a young horseman named Baltazar Montañez got carried away during festivities in honor of San Juan Bautista (St...Read More
San Juan's city hall was built between 1602 and 1789. In 1841, extensive alterations made it resemble Madrid's city hall, with arcades, towers...Read More
Exiled from Cuba, the Bacardí family built a small rum distillery here in the 1950s. Today, it's the world's largest, able to produce 100,000...Read More
The original structure here was a wooden house built in 1521 as a home for Ponce de León; he died in Cuba without ever living here. His descendants...Read More
The restored home of 18th-century naval hero Don Ramón Power y Giralt is now the headquarters of the Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico. On-site...Read More
The Catholic shrine of Puerto Rico had humble beginnings in the early 1520s as a thatch-roofed wooden structure. After a hurricane destroyed...Read More
One of Old San Juan's best-kept secrets, this remarkable cemetery provides a peaceful respite from the bustle of the city. Sandwiched between...Read More
East of Old San Juan and west of Ocean Park, this long, wide beach is overshadowed by an unbroken string of hotels and apartment buildings....Read More
The white-marble Capitol, a fine example of Italian Renaissance style, dates from 1929. The grand rotunda, which can be seen from all over San...Read More
At the eastern tip of Puerta de Tierra, this tiny, 16th-century fort is perched on a hilltop like an afterthought. It was, however, an essential...Read More
This tiny but fascinating museum honors Felisa Rincón de Gautier, who served as San Juan's mayor from 1946 to 1968. Throughout her life, "Doña...Read More
This nonprofit foundation serves many functions: museum; performance space; dance and music school; and archive preserving Puerto Rican contributions...Read More
With its vaulted ceilings, this little church is a splendid example of 16th-century Spanish Gothic architecture. It was built under the supervision...Read More
This 75-acre forest of more than 200 species of tropical and subtropical vegetation is the Universidad de Puerto Rico's main attraction. Gravel...Read More
Sitting atop the fortified city walls overlooking the harbor, La Fortaleza was built between 1533 and 1540 as a fortress, but it proved insufficient...Read More
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