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Unique Old San Juan Walking Tour
4.8
23 Ratings
San Juan
Explore Old San Juan’s rich history on a 3.5-hour walking tour. Visit colonial landmarks, hear expert insights, and experience the charm of this UNESCO site.
Explore Old San Juan’s rich history on a 3.5-hour walking tour. Visit colonial landmarks, hear expert insights, and experience the charm of this UNESCO site.
Duration:
3 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Plaza de San Jose - This quaint cobblestone square is highlighted by a statue of Juan Ponce de León, crafted from English cannons seized during the 1797 raid. It’s a favorite gathering spot on weekend evenings.
- Iglesia de San Jose - Built in 1532, this Catholic church showcases Spanish Gothic architecture and Catalan vaults.
- **Paseo de la…
- Plaza de San Jose - This quaint cobblestone square is highlighted by a statue of Juan Ponce de León, crafted from English cannons seized during the 1797 raid. It’s a favorite gathering spot on weekend evenings.
- Iglesia de San Jose - Built in 1532, this Catholic church showcases Spanish Gothic architecture and Catalan vaults.
- Paseo de la Princesa - An 1853 European-style urban promenade featuring shady trees, cafes, and the impressive Raíces Fountain.
- La Puerta de San Juan - A large gate from around 1635 that served as the main entrance to the walled city during the Spanish colonial period.
- Castillo de San Cristobal - A heavily fortified citadel constructed between 1765 and 1785, it is the largest Spanish-built fort in the Americas.
- La Fortaleza - Palacio de Santa Catalina - A monumental fortification that includes the residence of the island’s governor, dating back to the 16th century.
- La Rogativa - A sculpture that commemorates a women-led religious procession from 1797.
- Catedral Basilica Menor de San Juan Bautista - A landmark cathedral from 1540, the second oldest in the Americas, housing the tomb of city founder Ponce de León.
- Calle San Sebastian - The street where the largest celebration, Fiestas de la Calle San Sebastián, takes place. This event marks the unofficial end of the world’s longest holiday season. During the multi-day festivities, Old San Juan is filled with live music, spontaneous dancing on every corner, and even circus performances!
- Castillo de San Cristobal - A monumental 16th-century Spanish fortification perched on a cliffside, with cannons aimed seaward.
- Museo de Las Americas - Located in an 1800s army barracks, this museum features exhibits ranging from pre-Columbian to modern art from the Americas.
- Plaza de Armas - A historic square facing the city hall, featuring a fountain adorned with four 19th-century marble statues.
What's Included
- All taxes, fees and handling charges
- Professional guide
- All taxes, fees and handling charges
- Professional guide
What's Not Included
- Lunch
- Gratuities
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- There will be no entrance into Fort El Morro
- Lunch
- Gratuities
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- There will be no entrance into Fort El Morro
Additional Information
Discover the history of Old San Juan as you pound its ancient cobblestones on a 3.5 hour walking tour! Old San Juan is the second oldest city in America, a UNESCO World Heritage Site as well as a U.S. Historic Zone. You might feel that you’ve been thrown back into the past with over 400 well-preserved buildings in the old city!
Take a comprehensive look…
Discover the history of Old San Juan as you pound its ancient cobblestones on a 3.5 hour walking tour! Old San Juan is the second oldest city in America, a UNESCO World Heritage Site as well as a U.S. Historic Zone. You might feel that you’ve been thrown back into the past with over 400 well-preserved buildings in the old city!
Take a comprehensive look at the wealth of colonial landmarks in this former Spanish colony, visiting ‘La Fortaleza’ (Governor’s House), the imposing San Felipe El Morro Fort, 16th-century San Jose Church, the Ballaja Barracks and much more. As you stroll, your expert guide provides additional insight into the design and famous personalities that once inhabited this charming area!
A break to get a refreshment, snack and bathroom break will be provided halfway the tour or upon request.
Points of interest:
Plaza of San Jose
San Jose Church
Paseo de la Princesa
San Juan Gate
Castillo de San Cristobal
La Fortaleza - Palacio de Santa Catalina
and more!
- There is a possibility of cancellation after confirmation if there are not enough participants to meet requirements. In the event of this occurring, you will be offered an alternative or full refund.
- Comfortable clothing/shoes recommended
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
- Please note: La Fortaleza (Governor’s Palace) is not open to the public during the weekend.
Location
Café Cuatro Sombras
Calle Recinto Sur
Outside the entrance of Cafe Cuatro Sombras you will meet your guide.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.8
(23 Ratings)
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Richard_e
Feb 16, 2023
What a wonderful experience with an awesome tour guide! - This was our first trip to Puerto Rico and visiting Old San Juan. We chose this tour to see and learn more about the area and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Our guide Mayra was the best! She kept in touch with us prior to the tour to remind us of important things to bring and our meeting place. As it turned out, my spouse and I had a private tour with her. Mayra was so nice and down to earth and very knowledgeable about the area and its history with many interesting and informative stories. She gave us the space to take time on things we were more interested in and to take hundreds of pictures. With Mayra, we felt like we were exploring the city with a great friend! We both highly recommend this walking tour and if possible, make sure to request Mayra!
Review provided by Viator
Rachel
Mar 5, 2020
Awesome adventure - highly recommended - Chendo provided the group with a wonderful tour. He is very knowledgeable about the history of Old San Juan and the architecture in the area. We covered an extensive amount of ground on our tour. I highly recommend the walking tour but most importantly Chendo. My friends just booked multiple trips with him for tomorrow!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rogerss1959
Feb 27, 2020
A great tour in Old San Juan - I highly recommend this tour and most notably for the expertise and congeniality of our tour guide. The weather was very good that day and our ship did not get into port until later afternoon so out tour did not start until 3pm. Our guide was very knowledgeable and endeavored to show us as much as possible in the 4 hour tour. You really need the full 4 hours to get it all in, there is a lot to see. As it is a walking tour, be prepared to walk a lot but it is well worth it. The one big downside we encountered however was that a number of the museums which were supposed to be open were unfortunately closed prior to their posted closing time. However, our awesome guide carried on and we still felt very fulfilled as to what we saw and experienced. If you can get on the earlier one, which we could not due to our late arrival, we would recommend taking it. Also, bring water as it is as said before a fairly strenuous walk with a good bit of uphill and downhill. Old San Juan is truly a beautiful and history filled location.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Cynthia_z
Feb 19, 2020
Recommended! - This walking tour with Chendo was very nice. There were only three of us in the group (myself and a couple), which made it very casual and intimate. It was nice to see so much history of Old San Juan. You can't get the same experience in a car like you do on foot. You see so much more! Chendo was very personable, friendly, calm, and knowledgeable. I especially appreciate how he didn't tell any of us to rate the tour and his performance with five stars like most do! If you're okay with walking a few miles, I would recommend this tour!
Review provided by Viator
Joanneriordan134
Feb 7, 2020
Old San Juan Walking Tour - Our guide Chendo was outstanding! He was just so knowledgeable and so friendly. We walked around Old San Juan and just saw so much. It was just such a wonderful time. We can’t recommend this tour enough!
Review provided by Viator
Rebeccap296
Jan 27, 2020
Great way to learn about Old San Juan - Old San Juan might cover a small area, but there is so much history and so many hidden gems that it is worth it to take a good walking tour! Our guide was Moira, and she explained so much about the history of Puerto Rico, as well as contemporary Puerto Rico. She began our tour at 7 AM since we were there during the Festival of San Sebastian. She took us around to most of the main sites, but she also showed us some great things we would have missed had we been on our own. I would definitely recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Shelly_d
Dec 29, 2019
Fantastic Tour - Ian was a great tour guide. He showed us all around the island and went out of his way to make sure we had an amazing time. Would definitely recommend this tour, and Ian, to anyone wanting to truly see Old San Juan.
Review provided by Viator
Paulrq9248fe
Dec 2, 2019
Beautiful way to see Old San Juan - This was a great tour, Ian was great and proved to be a wealth of knowledge. He was attentive to our questions, was kind and personable. He not only outlined the history of the city but even pointed out the architecture and it origins. We did the afternoon tour which was warm so extra water was a must as well as you will have to be fairly fit as the walking distance was well over 8 miles.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sportsguy562001
Jan 14, 2020
Enjoyable tour - Our group of five had an enjoyable tour in the morning. This was our first tour of San Juan. Everyone enjoyed everything about the tour. Our guide answered every question. She was enthusiastic. I highly recommend this tour for all first timers in San Juan.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Juliecf6426vu
Dec 31, 2019
Walk got cancelled but appreciated response - Things happen, for sure! We were bummed to learn that our scheduled guide had some sort of emergency. The company was really great in a stressful situation. They offered to find another guide, and called everyone to let them know. Ultimately, they were not able to find one and they offered a rebook or refund. We didn’t have time to rebook, and I truly expected it to be a battle to get the refund. But I got a call and an email confirming the refund was being processed and apologizing for the inconvenience. The refund showed up 2 days later in my credit card. Bummed to miss the tour, but appreciate the efforts made to make things right. We’ll try to book again next time we’re in San Juan.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
