San Juan Free Tour

This free tour lasts about two hours and covers the walled city of San Juan on foot. The guide speaks English. It starts at the Santo Cristo de la Salud Chapel and ends at Castillo San Felipe del Morro. The thread of the route is the history of Puerto Rico under Spanish rule: squares, a colonial gate, a cathedral and the city's defensive bastions.

The walk begins in front of the Santo Cristo de la Salud Chapel, with an overview of Puerto Rico's history under Spanish rule. It continues to Plaza de Armas, the civil centre of the walled city and once a meeting point and place for public discussion, with its 16th-century street layout. Then it heads down to the Puerta de San Juan, painted vermilion red, which was the main entrance to the city in the colonial era.

Next comes the Cathedral of San Juan, with its Gothic architecture and stained-glass windows, where the remains of Juan Ponce de León rest. Through the narrow streets of Old San Juan, the route reaches the Bastion of Las Palmas, part of the city's defensive system. It ends at Castillo San Felipe del Morro, seen from the outside, with its great walls set against the Atlantic Ocean.