Old San Juan Attractions: What to See Inside the Walls

Seven blocks by seven, and most of what people come for costs nothing. Two forts charge, one government building runs free tours you have to book, and the rest is open street. This page is what each place is and what it takes to see it; the guided options are on the city tours of Old San Juan listings.

Castillo San Felipe del Morro

The fort on the headland at the mouth of the bay, begun in 1539 and finished around 1790. You come at it across a green esplanade where San Juan flies kites, then drop through six levels facing the Atlantic on a 140-foot promontory. It costs you $10 as an adult and your receipt lasts 24 hours. Full detail on the El Morro page.

Castillo San Cristóbal

Castillo San Cristóbal is the land defence, dating from 1634 and built out over more than 150 years until it covered 27 acres — the largest fortress the Spanish built anywhere in the Americas. It is the one you reach first if you walk in from Plaza Colón, and your same $10 receipt covers it. Full detail on the San Cristóbal page.

La Fortaleza

The governor's residence, begun in 1533 and completed on 25 May 1540, and the longest continuously used executive mansion in the Americas. The Governor's office runs free guided tours on weekdays, and you will need photo ID to get through security if you are 18 or over. Full detail on the La Fortaleza page.

The city wall and La Puerta de San Juan

Three miles of wall, fifty feet high, completed in 1678 and running from one fort to the other. You can walk through La Puerta de San Juan, the red-doored sea gate that was the city's ceremonial entrance, and follow the Paseo del Morro along the outside of the masonry beneath El Morro. Nothing here costs you anything, at any hour. Full detail on the city walls page.

Catedral de San Juan Bautista

The Catedral de San Juan Bautista is an active parish church on Calle del Cristo, holding the white marble tomb of Juan Ponce de León, moved here from Iglesia de San José in 1908. You pay nothing to go in, and you will not find published visiting hours anywhere we can cite — which is its own answer, and it is set out on the cathedral page.

Paseo de la Princesa and the esplanade

Two pieces of open ground that do more work than their names suggest. The Paseo takes you outside the south wall from near the piers towards the bay, and it is on the itinerary of five of the tours listed here. The El Morro esplanade is officially described by the park as a spot for family activities, with kite flying named among them, and recommended for stargazing on account of the height and the low light pollution. Both are free.

Casa Blanca

Built in 1525, it was the first Spanish construction on the islet and predates every fort in the city. It was granted to the family of Juan Ponce de León and stood as a house rather than a defence, which is why you will walk straight past it on the way to something with cannon on it. It charges its own admission separately from the park.

The plazas

Four of them carry the walking routes, and you will cross at least three of them in an afternoon. Plaza Colón sits at the San Cristóbal end and is where more tours meet than anywhere else. Plaza de Armas has the Alcaldía on it and is the old parade ground. Plaza de San José stands above the church of the same name, and Plaza del Quinto Centenario runs below the Ballajá barracks with the Atlantic behind it. All four cost you nothing and none of them closes.

What each one costs, at a glance

Frequently asked