A cultural guide to San Juan
Take some time to explore the Puerto Rican capital’s historic forts, mouthwatering roast pork, and salsa beats—those soft-sand beaches will still be there in the morning
Your essential guide to the best things to see and do in San Juan. Find more travel inspiration for more amazing cities here.
Mention of the Caribbean conjures warm, clear waves lapping sparkling white-sand shores. And while tropical Puerto Rico is certainly blessed with gorgeous beaches, travelers will find its capital, San Juan, equally worthwhile as a cultural destination. Founded in 1521 by Spanish colonists, San Juan’s remarkably preserved historic sites are often the headliners. Yet with vibrant musical, culinary, and visual art scenes, the city offers much more than its past. While recent natural disasters, economic troubles, and displacement have exacted a heavy toll on Puerto Rico, San Juan’s liveliness reflects the resilience of its people, and the city’s vibrant plazas and brightly painted homes are as inviting as ever.
Art & architecture
Stroll through the cobbled streets of Old San Juan, the city’s 500-year-old, Spanish-era historic quarter, to admire picturesque plazas, charming pastel-colored buildings and imposing military fortifications. Within a portion inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site are: two forts, Castillo San Felipe del Morro and Castillo San Cristóbal, both open to the public and offering ocean views; La Fortaleza, where the governor of Puerto Rico resides; part of the old city wall; and likely tables of locals playing dominoes into the night.
The epicenter of visual arts in San Juan is the hip, bohemian neighborhood of Santurce. Home to the Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico and the Puerto Rico Museum of Contemporary Art, it is also known for its many bold street murals and as the site of several festivals, including the urban art festival Santurce es Ley.
Expert tips
The essentials
Fly to Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU). Take a taxi, ride-share service, or shuttle from the airport to your destination in the city. Taxis are the most convenient option and take about 15 minutes.
Getting around
Exploring Old San Juan on foot is the best way to experience its colorful streets, historic sites, and local shops. Stroll along the Paseo de la Princesa, a picturesque promenade lined with historic buildings, sculptures, and views of the bay. Public transportation in San Juan includes buses and a limited metro service called Tren Urbano. Buy tickets online or at the station. Renting a car can be convenient for exploring beyond the city, but be prepared for traffic and limited parking.
Accessibility
Older buildings and Old Town’s hills and cobbled streets are challenging, but newer establishments in San Juan and the port are more accessible. The Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico offers guided tours and resources for visitors with visual impairments.
LGBTQ+
San Juan has a vibrant LGBTQ+ scene, particularly in the Santurce neighborhood with clubs, drag shows, and bars; one neighborhood highlight is La Placita, a historic fruit market that on Thursday and Friday nights turns into a lively “everyone’s welcome” street party. Condado is also very gay-friendly and puts you within walking distance of the “gay beach” (between Calle Vendig and Condado Avenue) and Oasis bar. San Juan Pride takes place in June, featuring a colorful parade, live performances, and events celebrating LGBTQ+ rights and diversity.
Family
Give kids a break between historic sites with some time at Parque Luis Muñoz Marín, a 27-acre urban park that includes a splash pad, rope-climbing mountain, and several different play areas. The Carolina Children’s Museum, or El Museo del Niño de Carolina, makes learning fun with 100 hands-on interactive exhibits; highlights include an outdoor go-kart track, a parked American Airlines plane, mini zoo, and a ferry making “Jungle Trips” through the Blasina Lake.
For beach days, nearby options that are especially family-friendly include Balneario de Carolina for its small waterpark for kids and onsite microbrewery for adults; and Puerto Nuevo in nearby Vega Baja for its picnic tables, calm natural pools, and open-water beach, perfect for older kids to go boogie boarding.
Food & drink
Puerto Rico’s traditional cocina criolla, or creole cuisine, is a fusion of European, Indigenous Taíno, and African ingredients and techniques. Upscale spots like Vianda in Santurce and Restaurante Mario Pagán in Condado serve up modern interpretations of classic dishes.
Equally memorable bites can be found at chinchorros—small eateries or kiosks that sell fried snacks, like empanadas, bacalaitos (codfish fritters), and alcapurrias (ground beef encased in a root-vegetable dough). Hopping from one chinchorro to the next is a beloved Puerto Rican tradition known as chinchorreo. When locals really want to indulge, though, they gravitate toward lechón asado—mojo-marinated whole pig, cooked on a spit over open flames. The “Pork Highway” in the mountain town of Guavate about 45 minutes south of San Juan is famous for its lechoneras, restaurants serving the delicacy.
Puerto Rico is also known for its rum production, and Casa Bacardí, said to be the world’s largest rum distillery, is open for tours (and a mixology class) and accessible from Old San Juan via ferry. And speaking of rum, don’t leave without having at least one piña colada, invented in San Juan at the Caribe Hilton.
Shopping
San Juan is home to the largest mall in the Caribbean, Plaza las Américas, where visitors will find more than 300 retailers. Meanwhile, Ashford Avenue in Condado is the place to go for both local and international luxury designer fashions.
For travelers searching for that unique, authentic souvenir, the shops tucked into the streets of Old San Juan offer a tempting selection, from jewelry to clothing to chocolate and cigars. On the weekend, Paseo de la Princesa, the promenade just outside Old San Juan, turns into a street market where artisans sell crafts and handmade items and musicians serenade shoppers as they browse.
A slew of locally owned boutiques await along Santurce’s trendy Calle Loiza. La Placita de Santurce is a farmer’s market during the day, but after sundown from Thursday to Sunday, it welcomes revelers with live music and dancing.
Music
Live sounds are not hard to come by in San Juan, where the genres of salsa and reggaeton have flourished. Bars and dance halls abound, and street performances are part of daily life. At some venues, visitors can also experience the Afro-Puerto Rican traditions of bomba y plena, two distinct percussion-centered music and dance styles that are often grouped together. Characterized by rhythmic and energetic exchanges between dancers and drummers, bomba in particular is closely associated with the beachside town of Loíza east of San Juan, home to Puerto Rico’s largest Afro-Puerto Rican population.
Bomba y plena are integral features of Loíza’s Festival of Saint James, which combines Catholic, African and Taíno traditions. During several days of parades and processions in late July, performers take to the streets, some of them donning scary-looking masks made out of wood or coconut shells to represent a folkloric character known as the vejigante.
San Juan’s historic center offers quaint hotels steeped in old-world elegance in the most romantic and photogenic part of town. Key sights like fortresses, plazas, and museums, as well as restaurants and bars, are within walking distance.
Technically part of the neighboring municipality of Carolina, Isla Verde is popular among visitors to San Juan for its top-notch urban beach and array of hotels, nightclubs and casinos, all conveniently located near Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport, the primary gateway to Puerto Rico.
Sophisticated and cosmopolitan, Condado’s high-end oceanfront resorts, shopping and dining draw visitors in search of luxury. When it’s time to take a break, Plaza Antonia Quiñones, a public park with statues and shade-giving trees, is the perfect place to relax.
Nathalie Alonso is a Cuban American journalist and children’s author based in Queens, New York. Her work has appeared in National Geographic, Outside, Refinery29, TIME for Kids and Well+Good, among other publications.
