Trolley to the Fort

[phinn]

I understand there is a free trolley service that takes you to the Fort. Can someone tell me how far that is from the ship? I think I would like to do this on my own rather than ship tour.

[RayInPR]

There is a trolley stop just across the street from the cruise piers in Old San Juan. Google "old san juan trolley" and you'll be able to find a list of the stops and a trolley map.

 

The trolleys fill up quickly and can get snarled in traffic in OSJ. It's almost quicker to just walk to either of the forts than waste time waiting for the trolley.

[Berk987]

Totally true. No one seems to know the schedule, not even the girl in the info booth. Forget about waiting. If it is there, try it. If not, don't wait for it. It was tooooooo hot to wait for it. We just took a cab to the fort and then walked down hill when done. Not worth it to stand in the heat even if it is free. Cab ride to the fort was only a few dollars.

[Mskala]

We were there last week and we timed the trolley. It took approximately 15-20 minutes between each one. We watch about 4 go by.

[rainforestgirl]

There is no real schedule- they run continuously but it all depends on the traffic in OSJ (which can be a nightmare during trash pickup times (which are 3 times a day!)).

But it is not a "tour". There is one that goes by the Capital building and the forts. But that is about all the interesting stuff you will see on the trolley.

The best way to tour OSJ is by walking. You don't need a tour guide (but they are available and cheaper than through the ship), you just need a map and maybe a write up about what there is to see and do in OSJ.

The forts, the cathedral, the City Gate, Paseo de la Princesa, the chapel, Pigeo park, all the museums, the architecture, inside the Capital, the shopping, the rum tastings, so much more!

If you have issues walking then I would say ok, do the trolley, but there are also some horse and carriage tours and Segway tours also Or a Taxi.

 

To make sure you have a seat on the trolley, don;t try to get on at the stop right across from the cruise ship....walk west to the earlier stop- on the street by the food trucks.

[phinn]

thanks everyone. I think we'll try walking. If it's a bit much, I think we'll walk there and talke taxi or trolley back. Thank you all

[welldone60]

thanks everyone. I think we'll try walking. If it's a bit much, I think we'll walk there and talke taxi or trolley back. Thank you all

Take a taxi up to the forts and then walk back down through Old San Juan. Lots of places to "fuel up" as you walk back.

[ehough]

We caught the trolley to the left of Carnival's pier- at Pier 2. It took us foreverrr to get past the Victory traffic, but once we did, it was quick. I would not have personally walked to the fort- lots of uphill, and it was HOT. We did, however, walk back with no problem.

[138east]

If you're going to walk, walk back from the fort, not to the fort. If you want to try the trolley, pull up the online map and find the previous stop (14???) That is really the best place to get on.

 

If you walk, just be aware that the entrance to the fort is across a huge field that has absolutely no shade or benches to sit down. Even if you want to walk back to the ship, it makes sense to grab the trolley at the fort and ride it back 1 stop just to avoid the walk from the fort to the street.

[adamsmom]

We walked to San Cristobal, and it only took about 15 minutes or so. It closes at 6:00 during summer months, and 5:00 during winter ones, so you don't want to waste time waiting in a trolley. If you have difficulty walking, you might want to take some sort of transportation, though. Once we got to the fort, we just walked up the driveway (in the shade of the building) to the office to enter.

[Berk987]

geta cab to where you want to go to first and then walk back from there. you're only there for a few hours, so don't waste your time waiting for the free trolley. time is money, and you're time is valuable.