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Delux Walking Tour of Old San Juan

You will first visit Fort San Cristobal where our experienced walking tour guides will meet you. Here you will receive a guided tour of this fortification that successfully defended the old city from attack by the British and Dutch in centuries gone by. Next stop is Plaza del Quincentenario - the Plaza of the Quincentennial, a celebration of the discovery of Puerto Rico. Here you and your guide will commence a lei-surely downhill stroll through history, getting just enough off of the beaten track to make some fascinat-ing finds that elude the ninety percent of our visitors that never leave the main streets.

You will visit Plaza San Jose, with its statue of Juan Ponce de Leon (first governor of Puerto Rico) that was made from captured British cannon that were melted down. Next stop is Casa Blanca, the first fortification ever built in old San Juan, also the Ponce de Leon family home, and the Governor’s Mansion for centuries. Here you will explore the almost Romanesque gardens as well as tour the interior of the home that is now a museum of 16th century family life in Puerto Rico. (Note - the interior is currently closed for renovation).

You will exit the gardens of Casa Blanca through a partially hidden access to Calle Sol or the Street of the Sun. After making the tight descending turn downwards, you suddenly find yourself in the most beautiful section of the entire old city - La Plazoleta de la Rogativa - the Plaza of the Procession. Domi-nating this little park area is a statue commemorating the miraculous saving of the old city from sacking by the British in the 16th century-- accomplished by a procession of women and children led by the Bishop of San Juan at nightfall, with torches in hand, along the very same city walls you are now stand-ing next to. The invading British fleet believed that these torches were a sign of reinforcements coming in from the main island of Puerto Rico, and they fled the harbor.

Now, looking around you will notice that you are standing right next to a gun emplacement at the top of the city wall, and looking down, you can see San Juan gate, located at the foot of the wall, 25 feet thick at the base. Shifting your view upwards, you see La Fortaleza, the current Governor’s Mansion, and originally a 16th century fortification, and you can also see the gardens of the mansion from a distance. Looking out across the harbor you can see the opposite side of the entrance channel with El Cañuelo, a small fortress, protecting the entrance with its position to provide crossfire on an invading vessel. To the left of the small fortress you will see the grounds of Bacardi, the largest distiller of alcoholic spirits in the world. Looking up behind you will notice the beautiful hanging gardens of flowers draping down from balconies in the area.

Next, a short walk through San Juan Gate to the water’s edge, then a stroll up from the gate to San Juan Cathedral, retracing the steps of the original conquistadores. At the cathedral you will see the tomb of Juan Ponce de Leon.

At this point your tour guide will turn you free to explore the many boutiques and shops that line the cobblestoned streets of the old city, but he or she will remain in the area to answer any questions that you might have while you explore further on your own.

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