Services Offered
Tours & Activities

City Tour of Old And New San Juan

See modern San Juan as you drive in air-conditioned comfort through the areas of Isla Verde, Condado, past Fort San Gerónimo and on into Old San Juan, one of the most beautiful old cities in the New World, and filming location for big-budget movies starring such luminaries as Steven Seagal, Kurt Russell, Gene Hackman, and Sylvester Stallone. Your first stop is for a short visit to Fort San Cristobal, a main-stay of the San Juan fortification system, from which the Spanish successfully defended their city from British and Dutch attacks as well as frequent assaults from various and sundry pirates. Be sure to watch their historical video on the area. In addition, search out the dungeon where there is centuries old graffiti representing images of Spanish galleons drawn on the walls. As you continue your drive through the old city, you’ll see the beautiful 17th century Spanish ironwork on the restored homes and note the blue-black glazed cobblestones that were brought to San Juan as ballast for the Spanish galleons, and were used to surface the narrow streets of the Old City. In addition, armed with our Map of Old San Juan, you will have time to explore some of the many interesting shops, boutiques and art galleries that have made this historic area their home.

Luncheon for groups can be arranged at one of several Old San Juan restaurants, including The Hard Rock Café or the courtyard of El Convento, and for larger groups, the old chapel at Hotel El Convento is now the ballroom, and can accommodate groups of up to 250 persons.

Please note: As of March, 2004, access to the northern more scenic road of Norzagaray Street has been limited to small vans or cars. Larger capacity vehicles must take the more direct road of San Francisco. While this has not affected the tour greatly, it does limit some of the more interesting views. Therefore, some groups have opted to add a walking tour guide to enhance the tour and enable their participants to view these points of interest. For those groups more likely to shop than sightsee, the walking tour guide would not be necessary.

Availability
This tour is not offered on Sundays due to traffic congestion & because most shops are closed.
We suggest this tour be done on Day 2 of your program, unless you are staying at the Conquistador, in which case you may wish to do on Day 3 – providing an intermediate day without the long transfer back into town.

Recommended attire:
Comfortable clothing
Walking shoes

Possible Enhancement
Disposable Old San Juan camera per person or per couple - $9 per camera
See below for additional enhancements and variations of the City Tour

City Tour Quick Facts

Metro area hotels:
Minimum/Maximum – 18 min/no max
Travel time to Old San Juan – 15-20 minutes
Door to Door - 2.5-3 hour tour
Recommend - morning or afternoon

Hyatt Dorado Beach:
Minimum/Maximum – 18 min/no max
Travel time to Old San Juan – 45 min. to 1 hr
Door to Door – approximately 6 hours
Recommend – Depart hotel @ 9am | Depart Old San Juan @ 2pm

Westin Riomar/Sol Melia Paradisus:
Minimum/Maximum – 18 min/no max
Travel time to Old San Juan – 45 min to 1 hr
Door to Door – approximately 6 hours
Recommend – Depart hotel @ 9am | Depart Old San Juan @ 2pm

Wyndham El Conquistador:
Minimum/Maximum – 18 min/no max
Travel time to Old San Juan – 1.25-1.5 hours
Door to Door – approximately 7 hours
Recommend – Depart hotel @ 9am | Depart Old San Juan @ 2:30pm

Days of Operation
This tour is not offered on Sundays due to traffic congestion & because most shops are closed.
We suggest this tour be done on Day 2 of your program, unless you are staying at the Conquistador, in which case you may wish to do on Day 3.

Recommended attire:
Comfortable clothing
Walking shoes

Possible Enhancement
Disposable Old San Juan camera per person or per couple - $9 per camera

CITY TOUR ENHANCEMENTS AND VARIATIONS

Afternoon City Tour
Many groups elect to see Old San Juan in the afternoon and segue on into cocktails and an evening af-fair with a late return to the hotel. This is a great way to get “more bang for your buck” by minimizing transfer time and cost into San Juan for little more than the cost of a basic City Tour. See our write-up on Off-Property Venues or Dine-Around in San Juan!

Enhance Your Tour Of Old San Juan
Enhance your visit to Old San Juan with a walking tour of historical Old San Juan with a knowledgeable walking guide. Our specially trained walking guide will join your group in Old San Juan for an hour and a half walking tour through the historical sites and narrow streets of Old San Juan. Visit San Jose Church, the second oldest church in the Western Hemisphere, and stroll through the gardens of Casa Blanca, built by the first governor of Puerto Rico, Juan Ponce de Leon. Your walking guide can show you some of Old San Juan’s Art Galleries or point you in the direction of some great bargains.

If you are looking for a fun and unusual way to introduce your group to Old San Juan, try our very popu-lar Photographic Treasure Hunt. Not only will your group discover the history of the second oldest set-tlement in the New World in an interactive way, they will also be involved in a great exercise in group dynamics!

Shopping Transfers To Old San Juan
Should you wish to step away from history for a moment, there are bargains to be had in the many shops, boutiques (including outlet stores for Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, Dooney and Bourke, and Coach!) and art galleries of Old San Juan. You will disembark at Plaza de Armas, just off Cristo and For-taleza Streets, the heart of the shopping district. Later in the afternoon, at a preset time, you’ll return to a Plaza and waiting vehicles will take you and your purchases back to your hotel.

Authorized clients can view current rate and availability information by accessing their online accounts.