Things to Do in San Juan, Puerto Rico: A Local Captain’s Guide

I have lived in Puerto Rico my whole life and I have been taking visitors out on the water around San Juan for more than 13 years. Every week guests ask me the same question at the dock: what else should we do while we are here? This is the answer I give them. These are the things to do in San Juan, Puerto Rico that I send my own family and friends to, in the order I would do them.

1. Walk Old San Juan and its two forts

Start here. Old San Juan is more than 500 years old, and you can feel it under your feet: the streets are paved with blue cobblestones called adoquines. Walk to Castillo San Felipe del Morro, the fort that guarded the entrance to the bay, and then to Castillo San Cristóbal on the other side of the old city. Both are part of the San Juan National Historic Site, and one ticket covers the two forts. Check the National Park Service website for current hours and prices.

My advice: go early, before 10 in the morning. The sun is softer, the cruise ship crowds have not arrived, and the big lawn in front of El Morro is almost empty. Bring water and wear comfortable shoes, because the cobblestones are uneven.

2. Follow Paseo de la Princesa to the San Juan Gate

This is the most beautiful short walk in the city. Paseo de la Princesa runs along the outside of the old city walls, right at the edge of the bay, and ends at the red San Juan Gate. For centuries this was the door where ships’ passengers entered the city. Late afternoon is the best time, when the walls turn gold.

3. Eat your way through Old San Juan

Puerto Rican food tells our history: Taíno roots, Spanish recipes and African cooking, all on one plate. Order mofongo (mashed fried plantain with garlic), a plate of arroz con gandules, and finish with a piragua, shaved ice with fruit syrup sold from carts in the plazas. If you only try one thing, make it mofongo.

4. See San Juan from the water

I am a captain, so of course I will tell you this, but I mean it: you do not really understand San Juan until you see it from the water. This city exists because of its bay and its coast. From a boat you see the skyline of Isla Verde and Condado, the reef that protects the shore, and the mangrove channels of Piñones that most visitors never find.

Our tours leave from Cangrejos Yacht Club, 10 minutes from Isla Verde and the SJU airport, and we never take more than 6 guests. It is a calm, dry ride: no snorkeling, no wet clothes, just comfortable seats, shade and the story of the coast. The Signature 90-minute boat tour is $100 per person, and a private charter for up to 6 guests starts at $450 for two hours.

5. Spend a beach day in Isla Verde or Condado

San Juan has city beaches that are better than most resort beaches. Isla Verde has the widest sand and the calmest water, and it is the one I recommend for families. Condado is closer to Old San Juan, with more restaurants and a livelier feel, but the waves are stronger. If you want a quiet swim, look at Playa El Escambrón, a protected cove between the two.

6. Go to Piñones for fritters and the mangrove boardwalk

Ten minutes east of Isla Verde the hotels end and Piñones begins. This is where locals go on weekends. Wooden kiosks line the road and fry alcapurrias (plantain and yuca fritters filled with meat or crab) and bacalaítos (salt cod fritters) over wood fires. After you eat, walk or rent a bike on the boardwalk that crosses the Piñones State Forest, the largest mangrove forest in Puerto Rico.

Piñones is also where I spend most of my working days. If you want to go inside the channels instead of looking at them from the road, the mangrove wildlife boat tour takes you through them slowly, with herons, pelicans, iguanas and, on a lucky day, a manatee.

7. Discover the culture of Loíza

Keep driving east from Piñones and you reach Loíza, the heart of Afro-Puerto Rican culture. This is the home of bomba, a music and dance where the drummer follows the dancer and not the other way around. It is also where artisans carve the colorful vejigante masks out of coconut shells. If you visit in late July, the Fiestas de Santiago Apóstol fill the streets with music, masks and processions. After Hurricane Maria I worked with communities across the island, and Loíza is the place I am most proud to show people.

8. Spend a night at La Placita de Santurce

By day La Placita is a small market square where people buy fruit and vegetables. At night, especially Thursday to Saturday, the streets around it turn into an open air party with live salsa, small bars and good restaurants. Go for dinner, stay for the music. While you are in Santurce during the day, visit the Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico and walk Calle Cerra to see the murals.

9. Watch the sunset

Sunset in San Juan falls between about 5:45 PM in winter and 7:00 PM in summer. The classic spot on land is the lawn of El Morro, where families fly kites as the sun goes down. From the water it is even better, because you see the sky change color behind the whole city. If that sounds like your kind of evening, look at our sunset cruise.

10. Take a day trip to El Yunque

El Yunque is the only tropical rainforest in the U.S. National Forest System, and it is about 45 minutes to an hour east of San Juan. You can hike to waterfalls, swim in river pools and climb observation towers with views to the ocean. Go on a weekday if you can, start early, and check the Forest Service website before you go, because some areas need a reservation or close after heavy rain.

11. See a bioluminescent bay

Puerto Rico has three bioluminescent bays, and the closest one to San Juan is Laguna Grande in Fajardo, about an hour away. Tiny organisms in the water glow blue when you move your hand or your paddle. Two tips from someone who works on the water: book a night close to the new moon, when the sky is darkest, and do not expect it to look like the edited photos online. It is subtle, and it is still magic.

12. Tour Casa Bacardí

Across the bay from Old San Juan, in Cataño, is the Bacardí distillery. The tours include a tasting and a good view back to the old city. It is an easy half day, and a nice plan for a rainy afternoon.

How many days do you need in San Juan?

Three full days is the minimum I recommend. Here is how I would plan them:

• Day 1: Old San Juan and the forts in the morning, Paseo de la Princesa in the afternoon, dinner in the old city.
• Day 2: Beach morning in Isla Verde, lunch in Piñones, a boat tour in the afternoon or at sunset, La Placita at night.
• Day 3: Day trip to El Yunque, with the bioluminescent bay in Fajardo that same night.

Frequently asked questions

What is the number one thing to do in San Juan?

Walking Old San Juan and visiting El Morro. It is the reason the city exists and you can do it in half a day.

Is San Juan safe for tourists?

The areas visitors spend time in, such as Old San Juan, Condado and Isla Verde, are busy and well patrolled. Use the same common sense you would in any city: do not leave valuables in the car or on the beach, and take a taxi or rideshare late at night.

Do I need a car in San Juan?

Not for the city itself. Old San Juan is walkable and rideshares are easy to find between Old San Juan, Condado and Isla Verde. You will want a car or a tour for El Yunque, Fajardo and Loíza.

What can I do in San Juan with only a few hours from a cruise ship?

Stay in Old San Juan. The port is at the edge of the old city, so you can walk to both forts, Paseo de la Princesa and lunch without any transportation.

What is the best time of year to visit San Juan?

December to April has the driest weather and the most visitors. May, June and November are quieter and less expensive, with warm water and short afternoon showers. Hurricane season runs from June to November, with the highest risk in August and September.

Planning more of your trip? Read my guides to things to do in Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico with kids, Piñones and Loíza, sunset times in San Juan and the best time to visit.

See you on the water

San Juan is a city you can enjoy for a weekend or for a month. If you want to see the side of it that only shows from the water, with a small group and a captain who grew up here, I would be glad to have you on board.