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El Viejo San Juan (Old San Juan)

San Juan, Puerto Rico
Update attraction details
As featured in 3 days in San Juan and 1 other guide
Ranked #2 of 91 attractions in San Juan
Type: Historic Walking Areas, Neighborhoods, Historic Sites
Activities: City walk sightseeing, Shopping, Walking, Nightlife, Dancing, Dining
Fee: No
Recommended length of visit: More than 3 hours
Owner description: Consisting of 400 restored buildings from the 16th- and 17th-century Spanish colonial period, this area in San Juan is steeped in history with an... more » Owner description: Consisting of 400 restored buildings from the 16th- and 17th-century Spanish colonial period, this area in San Juan is steeped in history with an old-world and romantic European charm. « less
Useful Information: Activities for older children
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1,557 reviews from our community

Visitor rating
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    74
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Date Rating
San Fran
Top Contributor
52 reviews 52 reviews
8 attraction reviews
Reviews in 15 cities Reviews in 15 cities
7 helpful votes 7 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed May 21, 2013 NEW

Great shopping with plenty of little historical items mixed in, but unless you want to shop I wouldn't recommend going here.

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Ellettsville, Indiana, United States
Reviewer
4 reviews 4 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
3 of 5 stars Reviewed May 21, 2013 NEW

I wish there was more vendors during the week and not just on the weekend. Also, it was a little scary after dark - we had a creepy cab ride.

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Australia
Top Contributor
384 reviews 384 reviews
214 attraction reviews
Reviews in 129 cities Reviews in 129 cities
285 helpful votes 285 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed May 20, 2013 NEW

Old San Juan is a walled city with historical forts, streets full of ice-cream coloured (and nearly identical) architecture all within its historical core – so different from the rest of the city. Everything is in relative walking distance along the narrow, blue-cobblestone streets but still has traffic zooming around – no parking spaces or give way to pedestrians here!... More

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See 6 more reviews by Globebugs for San Juan
Hollywood, Florida
Senior Contributor
24 reviews 24 reviews
12 attraction reviews
Reviews in 4 cities Reviews in 4 cities
9 helpful votes 9 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed May 20, 2013 NEW

There's a new experience waiting around every corner. Historic buildings, parks, forts, restaurants are all accessable by the free trolleys that stop at locations convenient to anything you might want to see. The trolleys were any easy way to get oriented then be able to hop off and on at will to experience sights and food and drink. There's a... More

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See 6 more reviews by VirginiaS642 for San Juan
Townsend, Montana
2 reviews
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
5 of 5 stars Reviewed May 20, 2013 NEW

Old San Juan has it all! History,restaurants,nite life,shopping.Its all there! The only downer was there were a few homeless around,but they did not bother anyone.another good thing is that the police are very professional,and helpfull,also plentyful.

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San antonio tx
Top Contributor
56 reviews 56 reviews
19 attraction reviews
Reviews in 12 cities Reviews in 12 cities
10 helpful votes 10 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed May 20, 2013 NEW via mobile

You can shop listen to music and is parking close and is cheep! We Parked there and was 3.25 for the whole day!

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See 6 more reviews by swatchsatx for San Juan
Maitland, Florida
Senior Contributor
35 reviews 35 reviews
12 attraction reviews
Reviews in 7 cities Reviews in 7 cities
6 helpful votes 6 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed May 16, 2013 NEW

Old San Juan was a great experience there was so much history on every street. The construction of the area was very interesting and everyone we met was very nice. Be prepared to climb hills and wear good shoes if you plan to walk. There are great restaurants and good places for shopping as well.

Was this review helpful? Yes 1
See 9 more reviews by Dynamitetravel for San Juan
Boston, Massachusetts
Contributor
11 reviews 11 reviews
3 attraction reviews
Reviews in 5 cities Reviews in 5 cities
7 helpful votes 7 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed May 16, 2013 NEW

Fantastic walking city. Nicer restaurants than San Juan. Feels like Europe walking about. Port area is touristy, stick to the northern part.

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See 4 more reviews by Joolesverne for San Juan
Owensboro, Kentucky
Top Contributor
56 reviews 56 reviews
4 attraction reviews
Reviews in 23 cities Reviews in 23 cities
12 helpful votes 12 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed May 15, 2013

We loved Old San Juan very well preserved, it is such a charming place to admire old buildings a lot of history.

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See 7 more reviews by Mariacjones for San Juan
Los Angeles, California
Senior Reviewer
8 reviews 8 reviews
4 attraction reviews
Reviews in 3 cities Reviews in 3 cities
2 helpful votes 2 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed May 15, 2013

Has the best night life and restaurants of San Juan. Definitely a fun place to visit. I spent more nights in OSJ that anywhere else during my two weeks in PR...

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See 4 more reviews by ss083 for San Juan

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