Login | Register | Subscribe to the GG RSS Feed

San Juan, Puerto Rico

1
2
3
4
5
Julia Rosien | 11/23/2007 - 01:00 | 1 comment
 

San Juan is the full meal deal for cruisers

San JuanSan JuanAn embarkation for many Southern Caribbean cruise lines and one of the busiest ports of call, it's an American city with a world of contrasts. Old San Juan, a 7-square block area of 16th century museums, art galleries, bookstores and private homes is a stark contrast to sophisticated boutique hotels and spas of the newer city.

Within an hour's drive you'll find beaches, mountain ShorelineShorelineranges and a 200ft canopied rainforest. If you only have an afternoon to explore the city, these are your best bets:

  • El Morro: A UNESCO site and US national park, this labyrinth fort is a short walk from the pier in Old San Juan. It's open 9am to 5pm (6pm peak season).
  • Shop: San Juan isn't a duty-free port, but within a few blocks of the pier you'll find native crafts - more than a little off-beat (like a wooden shrine with Marilyn Monroe).
  • El Yunque: If you're up for a short day trip, take an ATV tour around the El Yunque foothills. It's an hour drive there and the tour takes roughly 4 hours, so watch your time if you're embarking in the evening. Expect to spend approx. $120US.
  • Casa Bacardi: Rum lovers unite - jump on the public ferry at the pier and grab a taxi to the factory for a tour and tasting.

    • Remember that most businesses close on Sundays in the Caribbean and end of day is between 5pm and 6pm.

    Ever been to San Juan? What did you love most about it?

    Talk Back, Girlfriend and rate this post!

     

    Related Stories

    Caribbean Festivals and Events Guide
    Caribbean Island Vacations - Pretrip Planning
    Caribbean Favorite Islands

    Rate This Post

    Average: 5 (1 vote)

    Bookmark This Post

    • Delicious
    • Digg
    • StumbleUpon
    • Reddit
    • Magnoliacom
    • Newsvine
    • Furl
    • Facebook
    • Google
    • Yahoo
    • Technorati

    Comments

    While cruising last winter,

    Submitted by Mandy on Fri, 05/23/2008 - 13:14.
    While cruising last winter, we stopped here on our Northern circuit. A great old city fort style tour with cobblestone streets and very old cityscapes. A definite to visit on any tour stopping in San Juan. And Bacardi is there too!!

    Post new comment

    The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.
    CAPTCHA
    This question is for testing whether you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
    Image CAPTCHA
    Copy the characters (respecting upper/lower case) from the image.
    Register

    Membership is free and with it you can set up a profile, vote on stories and post your opinions.

    Already a member?
    Login
    Not a member? Join!
    Register

    Most Recent Comments

    • On Canada Goes Green for St. Patrick's Day, Julia Rosien said "Great to meet you as well, Terri. And yes, we adore the Bay of Fundy :-) While I'll agree it's no longer parka weather in your neck of the woods, it's not quite string bikini weather either. Shall we toast to it and let the beer warm us up? Happy St Paddy's Day! Julia"

    • On Canada Goes Green for St. Patrick's Day, Terri said "hey Travel girls, great to hear that you love our Bay of Fundy here on the east coast of Canada as much as you love Tim Horton's ...and, as a Bay of Fundy chick, I love the green tide analogy. For sure, there will be lots of fun times down here around St Paddy's day but I just want to send you a correction to say you certainly won't be needing a parka? to visit at this time of year. It's +8 to +10 degress Celius (that's in the 50s F for our American friends) - definitely well above parka weather. haha So nice that the birds are chirping and the maple sap is flying out of the trees and, ultimately, on to our pancakes. Happy spring! Terri the Bay of Fundy blogger bayoffundy.blogspot.com "

    • On Bonaire - Landsailing or Diving, Ann Phelan said "I love when folks visit our island and immerse themselves in the very cool diversions offered..thanks for sharing."

    • On Tour Bus Crash in Tortola – Caribbean Princess Passenger Dies, Sad and heavy heart said "On a note about the roads of Totrola which are steep, and windy and narrow, all the more reason that tour vehicles should have regular safety checks, SEATBELTS (which dirvers should mandate use or not allow passengers to continue with the tour, driver's should go slow, and Princess Cruise Lines should do extensive background checks, and not hire people with the nick-name of Crash-Dummy."

    • On Tour Bus Crash in Tortola – Caribbean Princess Passenger Dies, Jan said "We were also on the ship with our friends, had spent the day at the beach in Tortola where the slider on my Omega came off, "broke" and lost. I had just purchased it on board the ship the day prior. But nothing can compare to the loss of a family member. The Captain had everyones attention for the announcement. Captain Draper done a great job informing the passengers of the accident. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Rumphrey family."