Touring Old San Juan

[yayvacation!]

We will be in San Juan in January, in port from 2:30 to 10:30 pm. I have a couple of questions:

 

1. If we were to do a walking tour of Old San Juan, should we get a guide or is it possible to explore all of the must see sights on foot on our own?

 

2. Is there anything that is an absolute must do while we are in port?

 

Any advice is very much appreciated!! Thank You!!!

[LRDR01]

I recommend using Legends of Puerto Rico for a fabulous walking tour of old San Juan. You will not be dissapointed.... Debbie is amazing and knowledgeable and will cater to your needs during the tour.

Have fun.

[canadarocks]

I'm trying to decide the same thing. :)

 

Guided Walking Tour, City Tour (driving), or City & Bacardi Distillery Tour? :confused:

[AmyinVail]

Is old san juan still as pretty at night? i'd like to go to a hotel for the day, but getting in at 2pm, would go there first and tour old san juan on my back to ship....is this a rotten idea?

[rainforestgirl]

You can either do it on your own or with a guide.

If you do it on your own, don't just wing it, but get a written guide to help you know what you are seeing. Find them on line (Self guided walking tours) or in books etc. There is also a company on-line that lets you download stuff to your IPhone or I pod and there is a company where you can rent an audio tour and head set.

Unless you are a real Bacardi fan or have been to OSJ many times before, I would skip Bacardi. It isn't a tour of the actual rum making process tour, just a movie/entertaining tour.

 

OSJ is beautiful at night. It is lit up nicely. You can still walk around and see lots of it. But I think in November, you will miss the Christmas lights (those make it magical!).

[Kuvasz]

The first time we were in San Juan we did the walking tour of Old San Juan that we booked through the cruise ship. It was wonderful and we saw so much and had the best time as our tour guide was a person that just loved his job and tellling you all about his city. We were just there again in September and thought that we would just go across the street from the terminal and pick up some maps and such and just take the bus to the fort and just make our way back down to the cruise ship.We actually wound up using a tour guide by the name of Edwin Rosado and he took us to alot of different areas that were not in OSJ but beautiful and very interesting also. We even went to the oldest produce market in San Juan,very cool, the building that houses the house of representatives and the senate and just alot of different areas that we would not have seen if we just stayed in OSJ. We booked him for a 2--2/12 hour tour. There was 4 of us and he charged us $25 a piece. He was a great tour guide. I wish that we just extended our time with him. I did get his card and he will take you anywhere you would like to go. If we go back we will use him again.

It's called Intrepid tours. e mail is intrepidtourspr@hotmail.com His Phone # is 787 232 3027. His name is Edwin R Rosado. If you want to see alot of San Juan in the time you are there and do not want to walk everywhere he is a wonderful option to use. have a great time

[seashinesunshine]

Take a walk on the sidewalk down below the old city walls. So pretty and be at the fort ( the one at the entrace to the bay) at sunset. So pretty!

There is no need for a guide while doing a walking tour, you can download walking tour guides or get a book.

[librarylady19]

Sounds lovely and romantic.

I found this walking tour online:

http://gopuertorico.about.com/od/oldsanjuan/ss/WalkingTour.htm

[welldone60]

Check out the GPS store. You can do your own walking tour with thier help.

 

 

http://oldsanjuangpstours.com/

[soulsistah007]

With a walking tour that goes throughout Old San Juan, including some time at both forts, how long would you estimate it to be? Can it be done within 4 hours?

[rainforestgirl]

With a walking tour that goes throughout Old San Juan, including some time at both forts, how long would you estimate it to be? Can it be done within 4 hours?

 

No, I think you need more time than that to do OSJ and both forts. I spend many hours there every month and still am exploring (as things change frequently) and doing new things. Loads of museums, galleries, stores and restaurants that offer lots to see/do.

But if 4 hrs is all you have, you can get a good feel for it, see some sites and do a fort.

[newsman]

Old San Juan is pretty easy to get around, even with a pretty steep climb from bay to the bluffs above the Atlantic where the forts are. Here's quick little synopsis of things to see. If you want to cut the walk, jump on the trolley. And, yes, it was beautiful at night. The path outside the city wall makes for a great excursion.

 

http://www.tampabay.com/features/travel/old-san-juan-is-gateway-to-southern-caribbean-cruises/1131888