Founded by Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon in 1521, San Juan, Puerto Rico, is the oldest settlement in the United States and its territories. Today, it draws visitors looking for historical discovery, exciting nightlife, beach and water activities, artistic and cultural attractions and more.
Here’s a sampling of the destination’s best offerings.
Historic Landmarks and UNESCO World Heritage Sites
The heart of the city, Old San Juan, is home to a UNESCO World Heritage Site that includes the beautifully preserved fortresses of Castillo San Cristobal and Castillo San Felipe del Morro, or “El Morro.” Both are frequent cover subjects for tourism brochures, and a $10 ticket garners entrance to the pair within a 24-hour period.
Visitors can exit on the seaside of El Morro and walk the shoreline path to Puerta de San Juan, a fire engine-red archway that was the city’s original entrance. Just beyond, at the foot of El Paseo de la Princesa walkway, lies a fountain with statues that pay homage to the island’s Taino, Spanish and African heritage. This romantic, streetlamp-lined pedestrian promenade comes alive on weekends, with artisans, food vendors and musicians set up along both sides.
Inside Old San Juan are a number of historic landmarks, including the Catedral de San Juan Bautista, Museo Casa Blanca (a former residence that now houses 16th- and 17th-century artifacts) and La Fortaleza (the governor’s house), as well as plenty of picturesque architecture, especially along pastel-hued Calle San Sebastian. Museo de las Americas, [https://www.museolasamericas.org/] located in a former military barracks, gives context to the art and cultural history of Puerto Rico and the Americas.
Arts, Entertainment and Nightlife
The colorful, mural-splashed Santurce neighborhood is the city’s creative hub. It’s the home of some of the city’s most innovative dining options, as well as the sleek, modern performance venue Centro de Bellas Artes Luis A. Ferre and the Puerto Rico Museum of Contemporary Art.
Street art in the Santurce neighborhood, the creative hub of San Juan
Credit: 2022 Discover Puerto RicoSanturce is also San Juan’s nightlife capital. Around La Placita, a historic farmers market, nightly live salsa music and dance spill over from the bars into the streets. Calle Loiza is another lively area for music — and the island’s famous rum cocktails.
To the north, elegant Condado, once known as the “Riviera of the Caribbean,” features the city’s greatest concentration of luxury hotels, fine dining and designer shopping, especially along Avenida Ashford. Both Condado and sister neighborhood Ocean Park are popular with LGBTQ residents and travelers.
Best Beaches in San Juan
Most beaches in Puerto Rico are public, although some charge a small fee for parking. Many are populated by food vendors selling everything from tacos to barbecue and "paletas” (fresh-fruit popsicles).
From Old San Juan, it’s a quick walk to Escambron Beach. The Balneario de Escambron side, which has restrooms and showers, is best for swimming and sunbathing. Snorkeling, scuba diving and sea turtle spotting are more common on the opposite side.
Condado Beach, popular with the LGBTQ community, is sandwiched between the ocean and a lagoon. The lagoon is ideal for kayaking and stand-up paddleboarding; the ocean side is a favorite among sunbathers and boogie-boarders. Strong currents mean swimmers should remain close to shore, or perhaps head to the calmer, family-friendly Playita del Condado instead. Travelers who want to escape the crowds will enjoy strolling, windsurfing and kitesurfing along Ocean Park Beach.
Carolina, near the Luis Munoz Marin International Airport, is the location of adjacent Hobie and El Alambique, both less-trafficked beaches with quieter waters for swimming and snorkeling. Carolina Beach is a local favorite, thanks to its clean white sand, low tides, smaller waves and family-friendly sunbathing and picnic areas.
Escambron Beach is a quick walk from Old San Juan.
Credit: 2022 Discover Puerto RicoWhere to Stay in San Juan
Fairmont El San Juan Hotel has updated its historic lobby, where guests can now enjoy live music. The just-launched Foxwoods El San Juan Casino, located at the Fairmont El San Juan, opened at the end of 2021 as a $12.5 million project that is expected to reap an estimated $22 million in revenue and create more than 150 jobs, according to the property.
Meanwhile, the San Juan Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino has renovated its ballroom and main tower guestrooms within the last few years.
Family is the core of the program at the Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve Puerto Rico. It has added a new arcade-style room with carnival and virtual games, plus a floating waterpark with a climbing wall, an ocean swing, a waterslide and more. The hotel has also renovated six private villas, all with plunge pools and outdoor showers, and introduced a Vichy shower experience for stimulating the chakras.
In Rio Piedras, the 23-room boutique Hotel Nest opened in January. The founders of the well-reviewed Dreamcatcher have launched two new properties: the ’70s-themed Mood Haus, and DaDa JaJa, an industrial-chic space inspired by Dadaism. A stay at either gives guests full access to all amenities and activities at the Dreamcatcher.
Following a $50 million investment, a Residence Inn by Marriott hotel — the first new branded flagship property in the region in more than two decades — just opened this month in Isla Verde, for stays of five nights or more.
San Juan’s 500th Anniversary
Through June, the city is celebrating its 500th anniversary with a variety of events that present an exciting opportunity to get acquainted with San Juan.
Clients can expect lots of live music — day and night. (Salsa and bomba, a 400-year-old drum-based musical genre brought to plantation-era San Juan by enslaved West Africans, are two of the most popular styles.) Also part of the anniversary, a new two-hour-plus walking tour guides visitors through the cobblestone streets of Old San Juan, highlighting colonial architecture, military history and little-known facts. A summer regatta is also in the works; check with Discover Puerto Rico for emerging details.
