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Old San Juan
Sightseeing Guide
Historical Sites, Museums, Shopping – and Rum
San Juan's prime
landmark is the Castillo San Felipe del Morro.
Walking the narrow cobblestone streets
of Old San Juan and then suddenly emerging to a wide-open view of a
beautiful blue ocean would seem to be enough of a self-guided sightseeing
tour to satisfy any visitor to this historic city.
But look to the right and there is an inviting fort. Further up, to
the left, is a much bigger fort, in fact a landmark of this land. Between
the two are museums, a continued vista and a vibrant collection of San
Juan's people and visitors.
Yes, there's much to do in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. Take a walk – or
a ride – with us on this sightseeing journey.
Historical
Sites
The water battery
(top), the three flags and the tower at del Morro.
San Juan is all about history and it
showcases it like a fine gown in a department store window. Its historical
heart is the massive Castillo San Felipe del Morrow fort which majestically
sits at the aquatic entrance to the city.
 Dating
back to 1539, it was built by the Spanish to protect the city from a
sea invasion. Originally just a single tower, it is now a milti-level
facility that dominates the landscape.
It has cannons pointed out to the sea, the enticing sounding cassenetes
(living and storage quarters), a lighthouse (rebuilt by the US Navy
in 1908 after it damaged it in 1898 during the Spanish-American war)
and the original tower. The shell fragments on the tower's ceiling are
from the USN's bombardment.
Three flags – USA, Puerto Rico and one from the old Spanish
military – look over the fort. From that vantage point, the Bermuda
Triangle can be seen on a clear day.
The grounds getting to the fort so expansive that it takes five minutes
by foot to reach the entrance from Calle Norzagaray. Fortunately, the
free trolley goes right to the gate.
Allow at least 90 minutes to visit the entire facility, including the
brief film. Cost: $3 adults.
Castillo San Cristobal fort is on the edge of Old Town.
A second fort, Castillo San Cristobal (easily confused with
del Morrow for first-time visitors as it's at the edge of Old Town)
was built to protect the city from land attacks. It also sits on the
water's edge and makes for many outstanding photo ops.
Museums
Many of San Juan's
museums are a short walk from the del Morro fort.
Some say Old Town San Juan is an open-air
museum because of its history. But there are several actual indoor museums
to visit, and most are conveniently located practically right across
the street from Castillo San Felipe del Morrow in what is a "museum
row" along Calle Norzagaray around the Plaza San Jose.
The Museo de Las Americas explores the history and culture of
the Americas. Museo de San Juan features San Juan's history to
today through art. More artworks are on display at Museo Arte Contemporaneo
de Puerto Rico. The Museo de Nuestra Reiz Africana traced
the city's African heritage, and Institute of Puerto Rican Coluture
(books, music, arts and crafts store).
Shopping
 Naturally,
shopping is a tourist attraction, particularly in Old San Juan. Leave
some space in the suitcases for jewelry, locally made clothes, Puerto
Rico trinkets and 3-for-1 tees.
The main street of Calle de La Fortaleza – past all the restaurants
– is where to find many of the small specialty shops, even a tiny
alleyway of sorts with local artifacts curiously called the La Calle
Shopping Mall.
At the end of the street, turn right up Calle de Cristano to find some
of the more upscale stores.
There are plenty of food choices along La Fortaleza and de Cristo.
And to quench the thirst that invariably happens when walking streets
and wandering in and out of shops (particularly among men), Barrachina
is the original pina colada bar.
The
Free Trolley
The open-air trolley is the provides a convenient and free scenic ride.
Old San Juan may be small enough to walk
at a leisurely pace and take up an afternoon or even two, but since
at least half of the walking requires going uphill (often in the Caribbean
sun) it's nice to have a handy alternative.
And just when the feet start to drag, along comes a free shuttle to
the rescue.
It goes chug, chug, through the city, past government buildings, along
the sea, to the museums and eventually to del Morro.
It can be caught all over town, though the main station (and for buses,
as well) is at the Western Bank office on Calle Reciento Sur. Note there
are three trolleys, one marked City Hall which just goes through the
center of Old Town, one marked El Morro Fort which goes to the fort,
and an open-air national parks version which also goes right to the
door of del Morrow.
The
Bacardi Factory
An energetic ending
to an informative tour is part of the Bacardi Rum factory.
With all those bars serving fresh mojitos
and the flavor of Caribbean rum in the air, it's almost a given that
a tour of the Bacardi factory is in order for any visitor to San Juan.
The company is an amazing success story, a family-run business that
has become the world's #1 producer of rum. The tour traces the history
to the present and ends with a complimentary tasting of drinks featuring
Bacardi products.
It begins with a tram ride that gives the mistaken impression this
will be a Disneyland-type experience. That ends at the first stop, a
movie theater featuring an 8-minute, fast-paced film that makes single
people want to sprint to the nearest nightclub.
From there it's off to a replica of second-generation Emilio Bacard's
office – his reading glasses are glued to his desk, discouraging
a goofy photo op – adjacent to a room stacked to the ceiling
with rum barrels.
At the next stop, the "sniffing stations" are unique and
insightful. Small barrels of various rum samples – some at
various stages of development – are in small rooms; pull up the
lid to smell the rums. A few make you want to crush some mint leaves
and take a taste.
Another room features a bartender explaining – but not actually
making – various rum drinks. The grand finish is a club-like room
with an intoxicating stack of Bacardi bottles and wrap-around screens
showing high-energy videos. A very cool feature is the ability to create
a short video and e-mail it to friends.
At each stage, a cheerful tour guide explains everything about their
particular area. This continual changing of the guides is like a baton
hand-off at a track meet.
Missing is an actual tour of the distilling process; rather, screens
show the process in short film segments.
The final stop is a return to the starting point but it's not straight
to the bar for the two 6-ounce drink samples just yet. The tram pulls
up to the door of "Casa Bacardi" which is a fancy way of saying
"gift shop." Let it be noted that while all the rums are available
for purchase, some of the same bottles are significantly cheaper at
the airport's duty free shop. A bottle of 8-year-old, for example, sells
for $19 at Casa Bacardi and $12 at the airport (duty free purchases
are allowed when flying to the States).
BACARDI TOUR FACTS: The tour is free and includes two tickets
for drink samples. The last tour is at 4:15 p.m., 3:45 on Sundays. It
is located across Cana de San Antonio bay, about a mile from the ferry
terminal. The ferry, located across from the Sheraton in Old Town, runs
every half hour, takes 15 minutes and costs just 50 cents. From there,
turn right to catch a taxi ($3 per person, each way) or a city bus ($1.50
each way) for the 10-minute ride to Bacardi. Note: Waiting for the bus
can cost more time than the actual wait; you may arrive too late to
take a tour and have to wait for the next one (45 minutes).
More
San Juan Articles:
• An introduction to
San Juan.
• The ultimate
San Juan visitor's guide.
• See and feel the heartbeat of Old San Juan's nightlife.
• Read a first-person journal of Old San Juan from The
Bartender.
• See San Juan in pictures with our Photo
Essay.
 Ride
the Boston Party Bus!
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