San Juan: enjoy a day in the old city or extend your stay in a modern resort

Cruise Travel, Nov-Dec, 2004 by Lynn Seldon

Puerto Rico's capital of San Juan is an cruise-ship stop--and pre-/post-cruise stayover city--in every way. With a Spanish name that translates to "Rich Port" in English, it's easy to see why San Juan is one of the world's top cruise ports. As the gateway to the Eastern and Southern Caribbean, it is ideally situated to be a home port, with some 250 cruises embarking each year. One or more ships from a half-dozen major cruise lines call San Juan home.

Plus, thanks to San Juan's excellent air service from the U.S. and Canada, the port has become a part of the "homeland cruising" concept for many passengers not wishing to stray too far from home. The numbers show an average of more than 1.2 million passengers cruise through San Juan each year--half of them using the city as their port of embarkation, This all makes San Juan (and the entire island of Puerto Rico) rich with possibilities for pre- and post-cruise stays.

But San Juan's popularity as a port was established long before the first cruise ship ever called there--and even long before the first tourist set foot in the city. Ships have been heading into protected San Juan Bay since the days before Columbus, and the city's history is a fascinating blend of Spanish, African, and Taino cultures--and American ways.

Columbus "discovered" Puerto Rico on November 19, 1493, but it was already inhabited by Taino Indians. He originally named the island San Juan Bautista (Saint John the Baptist), with the name sticking for the port into which he sailed, but not for the island.

Juan Ponce de Leon, a peer of Columbus, was appointed the island's first governor and eventually established a small settlement on the north side of the harbor (now Old San Juan) in the early 1500s. Thanks to the settlement's strategic location, San Juan would eventually play an important role in Spain's struggle for political control in the Caribbean.

Uprisings for independence were constant--even more so after the abolishment of slavery in 1873. Spain finally granted Puerto Rico autonomy in 1897. However, after the Spanish American War, the island came under the control of the United States. During the 20th century, Puerto Ricans gained many rights, including U.S. citizenship in 1917 and the right to elect their own governor in 1948. The island was granted Commonwealth status in 1952.

All this history makes the cruise-ship piers an ideal place to start an exploration of San Juan. The metropolitan city is roughly divided into three parts: Old San Juan (where the cruise ships dock); the Beach & Resort Area (with beach fronts at Condado, Miramar, Ocean Park, Santurce, and Isla Verde); and the Surrounding Communities (Bayamon, Carolina, Catano, Guaynabo, Rio Piedras, and Trujillo Alto).

Old San Juan, with one of the most convenient and historic cruise-ship docks in the world, is ideal for exploration by toot. Walks can range from a few blocks to a few miles, and there's also a free trolley (take the Northern route to see Old San Juan's history or take the Central or Puntilla routes to go shopping).

Cruise ships dock on the protected southern side of Old San Juan, right on Paseo Gilberto Concepcion de Gracia (on busy port days, some cruise ships may also dock across the bay, on Isla Grande, which is just a few minutes taxi ride away). To the left of the dock, the yellow building with the fountains out front has a helpful Tourism Information Center, called La Casita. Maps, brochures, and more will make an exploration of Old San Juan (and farther afield) even easier. Old San Juan highlights include City Wall, San Juan Gate, El Morro (Castillo de San Felipe del Morro), Castillo de San Cristobal, La Fortaleza, and El Arsenal de la Puntilla.

The massive City Wall surrounding much of Old San Juan is an ever-present part of the port. Begun in the 1630s, it features two 42-foot-high parallel walls that were built out of solid sandstone blocks and held together by mixtures of mortar, limestone, and sand. The thick walls were slanted for extra protection, with the base measuring about 20 feet in width and the top around 10 feet.

On the way to El Morro, along the waterfront Paseo de la Princesa, San Juan Gate is a pretty picture spot. The only remaining gate in the City Wall, it was originally built in 1520 and was once closed each night to protect against invaders.

Without a doubt many visitors find El Morro the highlight of a visit to San Juan. The Spanish started building the fort back in 1540 and didn't really complete it until 1786. Rising 140 feet above the sea and towering as high as six stories, El Morro is as formidable to tourists today as it must have been to ships (or soldiers) approaching it centuries ago.

Located on the other (eastern) side of Old San Juan, Castillo de San Cristobal provided a partner to El Morro in the developing port city's defense. It was originally built in the 1630s and then re-done in the 1780s. It sits 150 feet above the water and features a network of five modular units that are connected by moats and tunnels.