San Juan, Puerto Rico

✨ Things to Do

🗺️ Where to Stay

🛎️ Best Hotels

⛱️ Beaches

🍽️ Restaurants

🚗 Day Trips

🏘️ Neighborhoods

🍸 Bars

🏛️ Museums

📜 Historical Sites

🗓️ Best Time to Visit

🚌 Getting Around

👉 Tips & Things to Know

🧳 What to Pack

San Juan sports a heritage site, museums, restaurants, and beaches, for every type of traveler, so you will always find something to do. Some of the top attractions are:

• El Morro – A fort with more than 400 years of history, built to protect San Juan Bay from invaders.  
• Castillo San Cristobal – The biggest fort built by the Spaniards in the New World, with a great view of the city.
• Calle Fortaleza – The most famous street in Old San Juan, sports dozens of shops and restaurants to enjoy.
• Condado Lagoon – Great lagoon to kayak, or paddleboard side by side with manatees while soaking in the sun.
• La Placita – Local reunion spot with live music and restaurants, where locals spend the night dancing and eating.

👉 Explore all things to do in San Juan. 

San Juan sports all kinds of hotels for every type of traveler. Here are some of the best you should try: 

• Sheraton Old San Juan – This hotel sports the best location for visitors to explore Old San Juan on foot.
• La Concha Renaissance Resort – La Concha sports restaurants, salons, bars, and prime location on the beachfront.
• Condado Vanderbilt – A 4-star luxury hotel with a spa, fine dining restaurant, and infinity pool facing the Condado Beach. 

🍽️ Restaurants

What to eat will be the least of your problems, since San Juan sports a variety of restaurants with local and international cuisine. Make  sure to visit: 

• Café Manolin – Old-style restaurant with traditional Puerto Rican food within a budget.
• Café Cuatro Sombras – Great local San Juan coffee shop with fresh brewed Puerto Rican coffee to warm your mornings.
• Lote 23 – If you’re hungry late at night, head over to this food truck park with great Puerto Rican snacks.
• Princesa Gastrobar– Enjoy Puerto Rican cuisine right on one of the most important landmarks, Paseo de la Princesa.
• Casita Miramar – This restaurant picks ingredients from its yard and offers a meal in an  Instagram-worthy location.

👉 Read full list of best restaurants in San Juan.

🚗 Day Trips

• El Yunque National Rainforest – The only rainforest in the USA, El Yunque is home to beautiful waterfalls and scenic views.
• Culebra – Culebra is home to pristine beaches like Flamenco Beach, and it’s perfect for a Caribbean escape.
• Vieques – Vieques sports a bioluminescent bay, breathtaking beaches, wild horses, and wonderful hiking routes.
• Bacardi Rum Factory – A short ride away from San Juan, you can take a tour of an internationally known rum distillery.
• Ponce – A historical city with the oldest fire station, an art museum, and a castle, worth visiting.

👉 Read full list of best day trips from San Juan.

🏘️ Neighborhoods

• Old San Juan – Best neighborhood for sightseeing, with a historical site, museums, bars, and restaurants.
• Condado – Top hotels, restaurants, and bars along the coast with amazing views and family fun.
• Ocean Park – Chill neighborhood centrally located, close to bars, restaurants, and the beach, but away from crowds.
• Santurce – A great area with bars, restaurants, and nightclubs, great to enjoy nightlife and local culture.
• Miramar – A perfect area for business travelers looking for a central location without the rush of tourist sites.

🍸 Bars

• El Techo Rooftop – This rooftop bar in the famous La Placita sports a casual and lively ambiance.
• ARYA Rooftop– You can enjoy a drink while looking at Condado’s skyline from the top of Olive Boutique Hotel.
• La Factoria – One of the world’s top 50 bars, this LGBTQ-friendly  bar is great to enjoy a cocktail at night.
• La Taberna Lúpulo – If you’re looking for a craft beer, head over to this bar in Calle San Sebastián to refresh yourself.
• The Mezzanine – Enjoy a drink in one of the balconies of this cocktail bar while looking at Old San Juan’s streets.

🏛️ Museums

• Museo Las Americas – This impressive structure across El Morro is a museum with collections about the history of America. 
• Museum of Contemporary Art – Because not everything is about the past, this museum hosts contemporary art exhibitions.
• Museum of Art of Puerto Rico – Located in the heart of Santurce, this museum’s collection starts from the outside of the museum.
• Casa Blanca Museum – Juan Ponce de León’s last house, now hosts an impressive 16th and 17th century collection.
• History, Anthropology and Art Museum– Museum that hosts the famous Puerto Rican painting El Velorio.

🏛️ See the full list of best San Juan museums.

📜 Historical Sites

• El Morro – Historical fort built during the 16th century to protect the capital city from incoming sea attacks.
• Castillo San Cristobal – The biggest fort built by the Spaniards, it protected the capital city from multiple land attacks.
• La Fortaleza – Dating back to 1540, this palace continues to house the governors of Puerto Rico up to today.
• Capilla del Cristo – This small chapel on a dead-end street sports a few urban legends plus a unique altar.
• San Juan’s Cathedral – The Cathedral sports centuries of history plus a breathtaking interior. 

🗓️ Best Time to Visit

Puerto Rico is home to great beaches and warm weather all year round, so the best time to visit is up to the type of vacation you’re looking for:

• 🌼 Spring – The spring is part of the dry season and temperatures and tides are great to enjoy the beaches.
• ❄️ Winter – Perfect season to find lower and fresh temperatures on the island, without the constant rain. 
• 🌞 Summer – The rainy season starts, but it’s also the time with the warmest temperatures and the best tides.
• 🍂 Fall – Best season to avoid the crowds, and get cheap prices but it’s also Puerto Rico’s hurricane season.

🚌 Getting Around

If you don’t want to rent a car, San Juan sports multiple transportation options, so you don’t have to stick to your hotel:

• 🚶‍♀️ Walking – Old San Juan and Condado are walkable areas, so you don’t need a car to explore.
• 🚗 Driving – You can rent a car to maximize your time and comfort while moving around. Read our full guide to driving in Puerto Rico.
• 🚇 Public Transit – Public transportation runs frequently, it’s a cheap option, but it isn’t reliable.
• 📲 Ride Share – If cars and taxis are too expensive, you can use Uber to get cheaper rides.
• 🚴‍♀️ Biking – Bikes are a cheap and safe option to move around Old San Juan, Condado, and Ocean Park.
• 🛴 Scooters – If bikes are too tiring, you can rent a scooter with the Skootel app.

👉 Tips & Things to Know

• 💰 San Juan is expensive – San Juan isn’t a cheap destination, but you can get cheaper prices by traveling between May and June, or during the fall.
• 🌧️ There’s a hurricane season – The risk of storms and hurricane impacts is higher from late June to November, but the island isn’t always affected.
• 🏘️ Avoid caserios – Caserios are public housing buildings, and they aren’t safe for tourists, so you shouldn’t stay nor visit them.
• 🌊 Beaches can be dangerous – San Juan beaches are beautiful, but they can be dangerous with the wrong weather, so always watch out for riptides.
• 👨 Basic Spanish helps – Not everyone speaks English, so visitors should learn basic Spanish phrases that help them get along.

👉 Read more Puerto Rico travel tips.

🧳 What to Pack

• 🦟 Mosquito Repellent – Mosquitoes in Puerto Rico can transmit dengue and other diseases, so use repellent, especially on the beach.
• ☀️ Sunscreen – The weather is hot, and even when it’s cloudy you’ll get tanned, so you need to protect your skin.
• 🥾 Sneakers or Hiking Boots – Besides flip flops, you’ll need comfortable sneakers to discover different nature attractions like El Yunque.
• 👙 More than swimwear – You will need both swimwear and normal clothes, since locals don’t visit restaurants and shoppings with beach clothes.
• 💊 Medications – The air quality changes frequently, so people with asthma and respiratory problems should pack their medications.

👉 Read full Puerto Rico packing list.

🤓 Facts & Info

• Census Population (2020) – 355,181 (city), 973,230 (metro area)
• Time Zone – AST (UTC/GMT -4 hours all year) No daylight saving time.
• Area Codes – 787
• Airports – Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU)
• Nickname – La Ciudad Amurallada (The Walled City)
• Demonym – Sanjuaneros
• Territory – Puerto Rico
• Country – United States of America

💵 Costs & Budgeting

• 3 Star Hotel Room – $150-350/night
• 1 Bedroom Apartment Rental – $50-$300/night
• Rental Car – $40-$150/day
• Public Transit Ticket – ~$1.50 ($1.50 to airport from center)
• Ride Share from Downtown to Airport – $12-18 depending on different variables
• Take Out Meal for Two – $10-40
• Sit Down Dinner for Two – $30-$200
• Draft Beer – $3-10