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Self Guided Walking Tour of Old San Juan

Embem

By Embem,
in San Juan, PR

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Embem

Embem

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Hubby and I will be on the Carnival Conquest in a few weeks, and we're largely eschewing traditional shore excursions in favor of more DIY options. We'll be in in San Juan on Sept. 17th, and we want to do our own walking tour of Old San Juan and maybe the forts if time allows. 

 

Does anyone have recommendation for guide books/literature on the area to help us map out our walking tour? There was one kindle book I found on Amazon that might be good (The Old San Juan Walking Tour), but reviews were pretty mixed. 

 

Other words of wisdom on San Juan for those who have been there? 

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Racer70

Racer70

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Posted (edited)

We were just in Old San Juan a few weeks ago prior to our cruise on the Freedom of the Seas. Old San Juan is super fun and a really neat part of the city to check out. It's very easy to get around and explore because OSJ is a pretty small area that you can't really get lost in.

 

Wear a hat, proper walking shoes and bring lots of water or be prepared to buy water along the way. They sell it in all the stores & shops and vendors are selling water at just about every street corner. You can google Old San Juan walking tours and maps and come up with lots to look at.

 

Below are links to some pretty good resources. Have fun!

 

http://www.mappery.com/map-of/Old-San-Juan-Tourist-Map

 

https://www.tripsavvy.com/walking-tour-of-old-san-juan-1622096

 

 

Edited by Racer70
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FionaMG "Live from...." Rare

FionaMG

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6 hours ago, Racer70 said:

Below are links to some pretty good resources. Have fun!

Will be calling at SJ in November and are planning on doing pretty much this so thanks for the helpful links. :classic_smile:

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AlohaLivin

AlohaLivin

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@FionaMG  shared this thread with our roll call. A year ago when we booked another San Juan port cruise I decided to do as you are doing and look around for a walking tour. But I didn’t find options that I thought were ideal for us (for example I didn’t need to see both forts set a long distance from one another) and we wanted to mix in some shopping areas and some amazing food finds that I had run across in my research. It seemed to take forever to compile it and lay it out, but I finally pulled together a tour with all we wanted via google maps (I called it the “three amigos take San Juan” 😂). I don’t know that it would fit your needs, but I am happy to share it. Have a great time!

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MrsKC08

MrsKC08

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Posted (edited)
24 minutes ago, AlohaLivin said:

I finally pulled together a tour with all we wanted via google maps (I called it the “three amigos take San Juan” 😂). I don’t know that it would fit your needs, but I am happy to share it. Have a great time!

@AlohaLivin, we are sailing on the Harmony of the Seas in November and one of our ports is San Juan. I'd love to see your itinerary if you don't mind sharing. My email address is: LDCARPENTER08 @  gmail and I would so appreciate it. (Thanks the number 08, not the letter O).

Edited by MrsKC08
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Embem

Embem

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@AlohaLivin I would love to see what you had mapped out for  "The Amigos Take San Juan" 😀

I am especially interested in your food finds! 🙂 My hubby is a huge foodie, and at one point told me that the best part of vacations was "trying all the different foods".  

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AlohaLivin

AlohaLivin

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Glad to share! :classic_smile:  As I said in our roll call, it was far too much work for so few people to benefit. I can't say it's ready for Google apps or anything, but it isn't bad (it's super hard planning and laying out the route in such a small area - thank goodness for Google Earth so I could try to 'see" where the usual map was not helpful).  There is an alt route in the file (which cuts off the end of the tour in case someone has just had enough). It's only a few miles total so that is a good thing!

 

The food I had really researched (I mean why go to another country and not sample the fare?!). I couldn't add everything (but I wanted to), but a place with every kind of cocoa food and beverage is there, one of the top bars in the world is also - I have tried to add images and information for each "stop" that you can click on to "read more." Some of the more highly rated shops and shopping areas are added too (luckily they are close in with other stops). 

 

I hope that it helps! I am sending them out now, so if you don't get it for some reason please let me know. 🐠

 

@Embem  - Where do you want me to send yours? :-)

 

P.S. My understanding is that this map can be used offline (I think you download it to your phone to do that). But for those who end up paying extra for PR, this should help a lot (some of the ones I found required being connected and I wasn't willing to pay that extra charge!)

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AlohaLivin

AlohaLivin

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12 hours ago, Beachnut53 said:

@AlohaLivin   I too would be interested in a copy.  jdingram53. At gmail

(Apologizes for the second posting..not sure I replied right the first time)

No problem. And I will get that emailed off to you today (although it will come from an email from Google!). I hope it will help and be something that at least gives you some interesting out-of-the-box options for the day 🙂

 

Lynn

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AlohaLivin

AlohaLivin

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On the THREE AMIGOS IN SAN JUAN WALKING TOUR -

 

The main tour is in 4 parts (this is because per segment only a certain number of landmarks/stops are allowed and sometimes "stops" have to include the starting and stopping point of an area, such as the shopping area or the Paseo de las Sombrillas (this is the street of parasols that was put up to honor their strength after the storm and is most surely a "must see").

Note that some of the route may seem odd in it's track - but it is set up to minimize back tracking and also to avoid areas that may  have barriers not visible on a 2D map. There is also an optional shorter route built in  - if you open the layers menu, that option is at the bottom and can be turned on simply by clicking the box next to the 3 segments that make up that route. 

 

Please note:

 

1. There were 1-2 areas where the layout of the area was unclear (no matter how many photos, videos, and google earth views that I checked). So while I believe that the route I selected is clear, it is impossible to know 100% if there could be some minor or even major barrier that could not be seen or was recently placed (although I spent quite a lot of energy trying to make sure the possibility of that was low!).

 

2. The layer menu also breaks the tour down into history, culture, food/drink and shopping.  There were actually so many more food locations that looked great, but choices had to be made and these were the best of San Juan that coordinated with our route.

 

Play around with it before you go so operating it is easy when you get there. I put photos and a description of each location on the map (just click on it to open that) so you will have the historical background or location information readily available.  I do hope that it will make your visit more special as it was created with love for my family to have the best visit possible - the best food, best shopping, and a good sampling of San Juan's most important history and culture.   The long route is truly only around 3 miles in total with a lot of breaks built in.  I would love to know how your visit went when you return  🙂  Have fun!

Edited by AlohaLivin
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let's go cruising

let's go cruising

Posted
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16 hours ago, AlohaLivin said:

On the THREE AMIGOS IN SAN JUAN WALKING TOUR -

 

The main tour is in 4 parts (this is because per segment only a certain number of landmarks/stops are allowed and sometimes "stops" have to include the starting and stopping point of an area, such as the shopping area or the Paseo de las Sombrillas (this is the street of parasols that was put up to honor their strength after the storm and is most surely a "must see").

Note that some of the route may seem odd in it's track - but it is set up to minimize back tracking and also to avoid areas that may  have barriers not visible on a 2D map. There is also an optional shorter route built in  - if you open the layers menu, that option is at the bottom and can be turned on simply by clicking the box next to the 3 segments that make up that route. 

 

Please note:

 

1. There were 1-2 areas where the layout of the area was unclear (no matter how many photos, videos, and google earth views that I checked). So while I believe that the route I selected is clear, it is impossible to know 100% if there could be some minor or even major barrier that could not be seen or was recently placed (although I spent quite a lot of energy trying to make sure the possibility of that was low!).

 

2. The layer menu also breaks the tour down into history, culture, food/drink and shopping.  There were actually so many more food locations that looked great, but choices had to be made and these were the best of San Juan that coordinated with our route.

 

Play around with it before you go so operating it is easy when you get there. I put photos and a description of each location on the map (just click on it to open that) so you will have the historical background or location information readily available.  I do hope that it will make your visit more special as it was created with love for my family to have the best visit possible - the best food, best shopping, and a good sampling of San Juan's most important history and culture.   The long route is truly only around 3 miles in total with a lot of breaks built in.  I would love to know how your visit went when you return  🙂  Have fun!

 

Thank you so much for your generosity in sharing this! I am NOT the McNutt in the casino site.  I am the world's worst gambler.

 

Everyone might consider adding The Handcraft Store to their itinerary.  It is just down the street from Ole. 

 https://www.thehandcraftstore.com/ 

 

We went there a few months after Hurricane Maria.  The employees were amazing!  They talked to us and told us their experiences and showed my husband the man-chair so we could shop! All of their merchandise was made by local people. Many things had been crafted from materials that fell from trees during the hurricane.  It's the kind of souvenir shop I always wish for.

 

Renee

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AlohaLivin

AlohaLivin

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1 hour ago, let's go cruising said:

 

Thank you so much for your generosity in sharing this! I am NOT the McNutt in the casino site.  I am the world's worst gambler.

 

Everyone might consider adding The Handcraft Store to their itinerary.  It is just down the street from Ole. 

 https://www.thehandcraftstore.com/ 

 

We went there a few months after Hurricane Maria.  The employees were amazing!  They talked to us and told us their experiences and showed my husband the man-chair so we could shop! All of their merchandise was made by local people. Many things had been crafted from materials that fell from trees during the hurricane.  It's the kind of souvenir shop I always wish for.

 

Renee

Renee - you are welcomed 😁 I didn’t add in every shop in the shopping sections as  it didn’t make sense to add in every possible options. The couple of options listed are just marking/stop points but are within a shopping area offering many interesting shops. I found adding in too much had the map going in confused loops 😩. There could be lots of interesting side stops, fun finds 😊 Looks like you found one!  The tour lists only what we didn’t want to miss and in a few areas marks a general location that has multiple components not listed (like some of the cemeteries areas up near the fort in the NW tip of San Juan could not be added since the layout made google try to take a crazy route (but it’s off to the side and we will definitely take a peek). 

 

Good they have a man chair - did he has his toy (phone) with him? 🙊

 

!Note on visiting the cemetery near the fort in the NW point (Cementerio Santa Maria Magdalena de Pazzi)

- I read in multiple places that this has become a place where those seeking to harm others (especially by mugging) frequent. Every city, without exception, has an area that requires taking extra care or even warrants avoidance and San Juan is not different. I think it is easy to see this area from the land nearby without going into the cemetery itself. I felt it was important to make that one note despite the fact that I have no qualms at all regarding PR as a whole and have very positive feelings about the PR people ❤️

 

 

Edited by AlohaLivin
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amberjohn

amberjohn

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On 8/29/2019 at 6:35 PM, AlohaLivin said:

Glad to share! :classic_smile:  As I said in our roll call, it was far too much work for so few people to benefit. I can't say it's ready for Google apps or anything, but it isn't bad (it's super hard planning and laying out the route in such a small area - thank goodness for Google Earth so I could try to 'see" where the usual map was not helpful).  There is an alt route in the file (which cuts off the end of the tour in case someone has just had enough). It's only a few miles total so that is a good thing!

 

The food I had really researched (I mean why go to another country and not sample the fare?!). I couldn't add everything (but I wanted to), but a place with every kind of cocoa food and beverage is there, one of the top bars in the world is also - I have tried to add images and information for each "stop" that you can click on to "read more." Some of the more highly rated shops and shopping areas are added too (luckily they are close in with other stops). 

 

I hope that it helps! I am sending them out now, so if you don't get it for some reason please let me know. 🐠

 

@Embem  - Where do you want me to send yours? 🙂

 

P.S. My understanding is that this map can be used offline (I think you download it to your phone to do that). But for those who end up paying extra for PR, this should help a lot (some of the ones I found required being connected and I wasn't willing to pay that extra charge!)

 

 

I would appreciate your map/excursion also.  Thanks in advance.  Please email

to John at  "JandNTravels@yahoo.com"

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