San Juan - What to do?? Where to go??

We are arriving around noon and off to the ship we go. The ship doesn't leave until 10pm and we have to be onboard around 8:30pm....

So, once we board, drop off our things - we want to get off the ship and see what there is to see in Old San Juan... Any suggestions?? Not really interested in seeing the forts - but any other things we should try to squeeze in prior to leaving dock?...

What's near the port area (walking distance) for us to do/see?...

Thanks for the info CC friends!!

There are plenty of shops and restaurants that are all around Old San Juan. If you are not interested in seeing the forts or other points of historical interest what are you interested in doing?

Free trams around old town and Fort. Explore.

CVS to left of Port to stock up.

There are free trams that run a circuit around Old San Juan. Get on one and hop off at El Morro. This is the fort you'll pass on the way in to SJ. It's part of the US National Park system so it's quite cheap. Spend some time there. It's quite nice. Afterward you can get back on a tram and head back to Ols SJ and just walk around.

The Bacardi Rum Factory is right across the harbor from the pier. OSJ is also just a great place to walk around. Don't really need to have an agenda or specific place to see. Just enjoy the ambience of the old city!

If you are not interested in the forts, just walking around old San Juan can be enjoyable. Hang a left once off ship.

We arrive in San Juan on Saturday. It sounds like we will be on the same cruise as you. We can't wait. Happy travels.

If you do a search on this forum for El Morro, you will find some the posters wrote some pretty detailed reviews of Old San Juan. They also included some walking maps. We took the trolley up to the Fort. Were very impressed with the fort. It also drives through Old San Juan so you can see some sites along the way. hang a left out of the terminal and walk about 2 blocks and stand by the sign for the free trolley. Then hop on once it comes. The trolley will take you all the way up to then entrance of the fort so don't get off to early.

When you leave the ship and walk out to the street, turn left. Walk for about 1/2 mile, and you'll see a small park, with horse drawn carriages in front. Here's a link with the information. http://www.puertoricodaytrips.com/osj-horse-carriage/

You seem to know that you don't want to go to the forts... and there have been some other options presented. Just curious why you're not interested in the forts... they're really amazing and scenic.

Also, OSJ is arguably the oldest city in the US... and just walking the streets gives an "old country" feel that you can't get in very many places.

If you like cats, there's a cat rescue place for feral felines.

Of course, if none of that strikes your fancy, you could just hang out on the ship and enjoy the sun and the pool.

Whatever you do - you're on vacation! Have a great time!!! :)

There is some great kite flying done by the cemetery near El Morro. Sounds creepy, but it isn't. You can buy a cheap kite and head over there. OSJ is a great city for just exploring, delving into history or shopping. I'm sure you'll find something to do! :o

my DH and kids went zip-lining. I am afraid of heights so I didn't go. They has a great time. We booked through the ship. It was an un-scheduled stop because of a storm we couldn't go to our original ports.

Old San Juan itself is pretty fascinating to me. I could roam around there for hours if my legs would let me:D Very interesting looking restaurants there.

Old San Juan itself is pretty fascinating to me. I could roam around there for hours if my legs would let me:D Very interesting looking restaurants there.

We did 7.5 miles of walking... and 33 flights of stairs.

We were a little sore the next day. :)

I found San Juan to have THE best homemade type of hand crafted goods to be brought home. I was so tired of going to each port and finding the same junk! All of the shirts, hats, beach towels, dolls, jewelry, etc. are all the same and so not what I wanted. I wanted REAL homemade unique gifts to bring home to family & friends. I was able to find this in San Juan. Be careful of being pan handled, they are everywhere and come in all shapes & sizes. DH got taken by a woman who claimed to be a widow of a fallen firefighter. DH is a firefighter so she had him at hello. Claimed she hadn't ate in 3 days, yatta, yatta, yatta. He gave her $3.00 and we saw her later with the biggest ice cream cone known to man!

How about a bike tour? For those who have been, we were thinking of a "San Juan city and beach tour," and then just roaming around old San Juan for the remaining 4 hours. Does this sound like a good plan? I understand that the bike tour doesn't really give a tour of old San Juan, so will 4 hours to walk around be ok?

Thanks for all the ideas, tips and places to go/see in Old SJ...! We will probably opt for walking around - or taking that trolley! I also heard there is a Harley Davidson store nearby... might have to stop there for a quickie t-shirt buy for the hubs?....

Appreciate your responses!

brandelynne - Have a great cruise too! See you onboard!

OSJ really isn't that big. DD and I walked quite a bit of it in January. We did a quick walk through of the forts, there are some really nice views from there. We walked the Paseo de Morro through the San Juan gate. We found the Parque de las Palomas and fed the pigeons. We did a lot of shopping and just enjoyed the area.

Can someone please tell me if there is a place to securely store our luggage in the port area when off the ship the day of disembarkment? We want to walk around OSJ but don't wish to drag along our luggage.

Also, is it easy to get a taxi at the end of the day from the port area back to the airport? Any tips in chosing an honest driver?

You can take a taxi to Barachina's and leave your luggage. Just leave a tip in the jar. It is easy to find a taxi when you are ready to head to the airport.