parkesyau Posted March 26, 2018 #1 Share Posted March 26, 2018 we will be in SAN Juan in a few weeks between 7 and 3. We will have our kids with us and would love to explore a bit of the City. I know they have the trolleys are these pretty good and frequen post hurricane or are we better just walking off an paying a private taxi? Let me know if this plan is ok Take them to cristobal fort(the one closest to port) then walk the streets maybe find a mice place to get authentic food and do a spot of shopping. So I have done little to no research on this port mainly because we are beach lovers What things should I include to see? Is everything walking distance keep in mind I have kids who I’m sure will be bored or not want to walk. My husband and I would do it by foot Is the fort near old San Juan or elsewhere And what is the main strip we should walk down for shops? I’d love to see some of those beautiful coloured buildings little cobble streets shutters We don’t want a beach club nor a zip line or rainforest we want to see San Juan and taste food. Any restaurant recommendations would help I’m just going off TripAdvisor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelsey D Posted March 26, 2018 #2 Share Posted March 26, 2018 (edited) Here’s what my family did two weeks ago during an 8-4 stop. Hopefully, it’s helpful to you. A couple weeks before our trip, I reached out to Puerto Rico Tourism Company via email at contact@tourism dot pr dot gov. (Not sure if I’m allowed to type out email addresses here.) I asked them to mail a map to me to help me plan my walking tour, and they ended up sending three great maps. I chose one and marked it up with the places I wanted to see. Well, guess what I forgot at home and where my first stop was when we arrived! Fortunately, Puerto Rico Tourism Company is a logical first stop. While I recreated my tour on the map, my family checked out the jail cells. [ATTACH]417737[/ATTACH] From there, we would have walked along Paseo de la Princesa, but as you can see from the picture below, the area was closed due to flood damage. I hear that it reopened this week. [ATTACH]417738[/ATTACH] So instead, we headed inward to the historic city, stopping at this chapel that wasn’t open, Capilla del Santo Cristo. [ATTACH]417739[/ATTACH] And then pigeon park... [ATTACH]417740[/ATTACH] I didn’t take a picture of the governor’s mansion. Next was the cathedral... [ATTACH]417741[/ATTACH] Colorful buildings everywhere... [ATTACH]417742[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]417743[/ATTACH] Unfortunately, the gate was also off limits due to the flooding, but I believe it’s open now. [ATTACH]417744[/ATTACH] La Rogativa... [ATTACH]417745[/ATTACH] More of the streets... [ATTACH]417746[/ATTACH] We paid $7 per adult to tour Castillo San Felipe del Morro, and the entrance fee gets you into both forts/castles. [ATTACH]417747[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]417749[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]417750[/ATTACH] We saw the cemetery from above and also walked down into it. [ATTACH]417751[/ATTACH] We saw Totem Telurico in Quincentennial Plaza. From here we could also see San Jose Church, which was under construction but looked beautiful. [ATTACH]417752[/ATTACH] We did all of this in about three hours, so it was about 11:00. Some people spend that much time at a single fort, but I knew my kids couldn’t handle that much sightseeing, so I kept us moving and planned a midday break for lunch at the beach to cool off and recharge. I got an Uber driver to take us to Kiosko El Borica for lunch with a beach just across the road. It’s a place I found online that’s popular with the locals. It’s just outside of San Juan towards Loiza along the beach road (25 minutes from the totem pole). It was a long wait, but the food did not disappoint. [ATTACH]417753[/ATTACH] The beach across the street... [ATTACH]417754[/ATTACH] We let our Uber driver convince us to not stay at that beach but to head to a section of Isla Verde Beach away from the hotels and directly across from the airport. I wished that I had stuck with my original plan closer to Loiza, but this beach was nice. Had we stuck with my original plan, my family could have been swimming while I waited for lunch, so we lost some time there. [ATTACH]417755[/ATTACH] We had about two hours of beach time and arranged for the driver to pick us up at 2:00. Next, our driver dropped us off at the other fort, which is closer to the port, Castillo San Cristobal. We had just under an hour to explore. My youngest loved the dungeon. [ATTACH]417757[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]417758[/ATTACH] We had a short walk back to the pier. Along the walk, we saw the statue of Christopher Columbus at Colon Plaza. We did no shopping, so I can’t help you there. But I will add that I had a few places picked out for lunch in Old San Juan had we decided to stay there. Check out Casa Cortes Chocobar, Punto de Vista Restaurant and Bar, and Cafe Manolin. I hope this helps! Sent from my iPhone using Forums Edited March 26, 2018 by Kelsey D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelsey D Posted March 26, 2018 #3 Share Posted March 26, 2018 I don’t see my pictures. Do you? Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelsey D Posted March 26, 2018 #4 Share Posted March 26, 2018 Let me try again. Jail cells... Paseo de la Princesa... Chapel... Pigeon Park... Cathedral... Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelsey D Posted March 26, 2018 #5 Share Posted March 26, 2018 Colorful buildings... El Morro Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelsey D Posted March 26, 2018 #6 Share Posted March 26, 2018 El Morro... Cemetery... Totem Pole... Lunch... Beach across from restaurant... Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelsey D Posted March 26, 2018 #7 Share Posted March 26, 2018 (edited) Isla Verde... San Cristobal... Sent from my iPhone using Forums Edited March 26, 2018 by Kelsey D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parkesyau Posted March 27, 2018 Author #8 Share Posted March 27, 2018 Omg amazing Thankyou I love the idea of organising the maps before you go. Was it a lot of walking for the kids? I know everyone says it’s small walking around old Sam Juan is it really that small? Are Uber’s easy to find? Thankyou again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelsey D Posted March 27, 2018 #9 Share Posted March 27, 2018 You are very welcome. It was not a lot of walking. The stops that I planned in the morning were very close together, so we never had a long walk between anything. Had we gone straight from one fort to the other, that would’ve been a longer haul, but instead we used that as our midday break and hopped in an air conditioned SUV. I used the Uber app to get a driver. They are not abundant. A taxi driver might me easier to haul down if you’re not using your phone. Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parkesyau Posted March 27, 2018 Author #10 Share Posted March 27, 2018 You have been a huge help Kelsey Thankyou I’m thinking a walk around the old town first, down the board walk to the fountain then through the streets to find the cathedral, the statue and I wanna see the PR flag painted door as I love street art. Then use the free trolley ( hopefully they working ) to go to el Morro and Cristóbal I am thinking I bypass Morro and just do Cristóbal unless it’s an absolute must. Then a nice long lunch for some PR food maybe a spot of shopping. Happy to give the beaches a miss here and focus on the city although I hear it’s hot I can already hear my 7 year old complaining haha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelsey D Posted March 27, 2018 #11 Share Posted March 27, 2018 Sounds like a great plan! Both forts are beautiful, but if my youngest had to choose a favorite, it would be San Cristobal for the dungeon. Can you see my thick, black dots on this map? Those are our stops. We started like you did but had to improvise with some closures. This isn’t the map I used that day. Another one I got from the tourist company was even better, but I gave it to my mom. If you don’t get one in advance, I highly recommend stopping there on your way to the fountain. Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parkesyau Posted March 27, 2018 Author #12 Share Posted March 27, 2018 Oh Kelsey that’s great thankyou what a help you have been!!! I too was thinking Cristóbal only and if we feel up to it and have time to add Morro off the trolley rather than walking. I need to be sure to allow time to visit a jewellery store and treat myself to a tanzanite ring I hear they are beautiful! I am really looking forward to this port now. My husband was thinking the kids can stay at kids club but I think for a bit of complaining they will get a lot more out of seeing Pr. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelsey D Posted March 27, 2018 #13 Share Posted March 27, 2018 And you will have some amazing photo ops with the kids. Best of luck to you. Have fun! Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwbound Posted March 28, 2018 #14 Share Posted March 28, 2018 Here’s what my family did two weeks ago during an 8-4 stop. Hopefully, it’s helpful to you. A couple weeks before our trip, I reached out to Puerto Rico Tourism Company via email at contact@tourism dot pr dot gov. (Not sure if I’m allowed to type out email addresses here.) I asked them to mail a map to me to help me plan my walking tour, and they ended up sending three great maps. I chose one and marked it up with the places I wanted to see. Well, guess what I forgot at home and where my first stop was when we arrived! Fortunately, Puerto Rico Tourism Company is a logical first stop. While I recreated my tour on the map, my family checked out the jail cells. [ATTACH]417737[/ATTACH] From there, we would have walked along Paseo de la Princesa, but as you can see from the picture below, the area was closed due to flood damage. I hear that it reopened this week. [ATTACH]417738[/ATTACH] So instead, we headed inward to the historic city, stopping at this chapel that wasn’t open, Capilla del Santo Cristo. [ATTACH]417739[/ATTACH] And then pigeon park... [ATTACH]417740[/ATTACH] I didn’t take a picture of the governor’s mansion. Next was the cathedral... [ATTACH]417741[/ATTACH] Colorful buildings everywhere... [ATTACH]417742[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]417743[/ATTACH] Unfortunately, the gate was also off limits due to the flooding, but I believe it’s open now. [ATTACH]417744[/ATTACH] La Rogativa... [ATTACH]417745[/ATTACH] More of the streets... [ATTACH]417746[/ATTACH] We paid $7 per adult to tour Castillo San Felipe del Morro, and the entrance fee gets you into both forts/castles. [ATTACH]417747[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]417749[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]417750[/ATTACH] We saw the cemetery from above and also walked down into it. [ATTACH]417751[/ATTACH] We saw Totem Telurico in Quincentennial Plaza. From here we could also see San Jose Church, which was under construction but looked beautiful. [ATTACH]417752[/ATTACH] We did all of this in about three hours, so it was about 11:00. Some people spend that much time at a single fort, but I knew my kids couldn’t handle that much sightseeing, so I kept us moving and planned a midday break for lunch at the beach to cool off and recharge. I got an Uber driver to take us to Kiosko El Borica for lunch with a beach just across the road. It’s a place I found online that’s popular with the locals. It’s just outside of San Juan towards Loiza along the beach road (25 minutes from the totem pole). It was a long wait, but the food did not disappoint. [ATTACH]417753[/ATTACH] The beach across the street... [ATTACH]417754[/ATTACH] We let our Uber driver convince us to not stay at that beach but to head to a section of Isla Verde Beach away from the hotels and directly across from the airport. I wished that I had stuck with my original plan closer to Loiza, but this beach was nice. Had we stuck with my original plan, my family could have been swimming while I waited for lunch, so we lost some time there. [ATTACH]417755[/ATTACH] We had about two hours of beach time and arranged for the driver to pick us up at 2:00. Next, our driver dropped us off at the other fort, which is closer to the port, Castillo San Cristobal. We had just under an hour to explore. My youngest loved the dungeon. [ATTACH]417757[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]417758[/ATTACH] We had a short walk back to the pier. Along the walk, we saw the statue of Christopher Columbus at Colon Plaza. We did no shopping, so I can’t help you there. But I will add that I had a few places picked out for lunch in Old San Juan had we decided to stay there. Check out Casa Cortes Chocobar, Punto de Vista Restaurant and Bar, and Cafe Manolin. I hope this helps! Sent from my iPhone using Forums Kelsey - Thank you so much for sharing your itinerary and the beautiful photos. I'm going to contact the tourism board tomorrow to ask for maps for our trip in August. Thanks again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parkesyau Posted March 28, 2018 Author #15 Share Posted March 28, 2018 Now I am just playing the waiting game for those maps.. no big deal I suppose I can pick them up in the tourist centre Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelsey D Posted March 28, 2018 #16 Share Posted March 28, 2018 They never replied to my email, but the maps showed up in my mailbox in less than a week. Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelsey D Posted March 28, 2018 #17 Share Posted March 28, 2018 Kelsey - Thank you so much for sharing your itinerary and the beautiful photos. I'm going to contact the tourism board tomorrow to ask for maps for our trip in August. Thanks again! You’re welcome! Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ubiquitous Cruiser Posted March 30, 2018 #18 Share Posted March 30, 2018 Just to give an idea of the distance for walking ... it's .8 miles to Totem Telurico in Quincentennial Plaza from the downtown cruise port. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rose102798 Posted April 1, 2018 #19 Share Posted April 1, 2018 Wow! Awesome post. Thank you so much. Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bradsnana Posted April 5, 2018 #20 Share Posted April 5, 2018 So many wonderful things to see in San Juan. This is one of my favorite ports. I love history and this port is steeped full of it. Be sure to go to the forts and the beautiful churches. My Hubs thought I was nuts but I also enjoyed walking through the cemetery by the big fort. Some of those graves are hundreds of years old. They are very ornate and the statues are amazing! OSJ is beautiful and the people are very friendly, so don't be afraid to ask for recommendations from the locals. We are headed back in about a month...I can't wait! Sent from my iPad using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bradsnana Posted April 5, 2018 #21 Share Posted April 5, 2018 You have been a huge help Kelsey ThankyouI’m thinking a walk around the old town first, down the board walk to the fountain then through the streets to find the cathedral, the statue and I wanna see the PR flag painted door as I love street art. Then use the free trolley ( hopefully they working ) to go to el Morro and Cristóbal I am thinking I bypass Morro and just do Cristóbal unless it’s an absolute must. Then a nice long lunch for some PR food maybe a spot of shopping. Happy to give the beaches a miss here and focus on the city although I hear it’s hot I can already hear my 7 year old complaining haha Don't bypass El Morro!!! It's super cool! Sent from my iPad using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reerun25 Posted April 7, 2018 #22 Share Posted April 7, 2018 Great information! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radcruiser68 Posted April 13, 2018 #23 Share Posted April 13, 2018 Thanks for the info! Our trip is a long way out but I love the whole planning process and this was very helpful! Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaShesLookinOutMyWindow Posted April 25, 2018 #24 Share Posted April 25, 2018 I'm toting around many extra pounds (size 3XL) and had no problems walking to the fort in OSJ. We walked everywhere, including my 9 year old that hates walking. Not a peep out of her. We just broke it up into 1-2 blocks at a time. We headed left off the ship to paseo de la princessa for some cool pics, and stopped by again on the way back, because there was a little outdoor market and some food carts set up. Casa Cortez was our snack break - the churros were delicious! We headed up to the fort, and stopped at a fountain to take pictures with a huge lizard. After the fort, we walked back to the ship. It really isn't a bad walk, even considering that you're going uphill, if you break it up with several stops. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MWD Posted April 26, 2018 #25 Share Posted April 26, 2018 I don’t see my pictures. Do you? Sent from my iPhone using Forums How far is the Isla Verde beach from the port? Can you rent chairs and umbrellas? Any info would be helpful. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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