San Juan Self-Guided Walking Audio Tour

Welcome to San Juan! Are you ready to explore this historic capital? Let’s get started! Our tour begins at the colorful La Corazon Steps. You can’t miss it -- the steps have a beating red heart painted on them while the nearby tourist info center is an eye-catching pastel pink. NOTE: This 1.8-mile-long tour covers the essentials of San Juan in 1-1.5 hours. Buy once, use for one year! Ideal for extended visits and return trips over the next 12 months.

Pause once you round the bend. There should be bright pastel buildings on either side. Before we continue, let’s briefly review how this tour works: Stories play automatically as you follow the route. When a story is finished, the map will pop back up.

Pause here at the intersection. Look at the eye-catching pastel building ahead and to the right. El Antiguo Casino is a beautiful example of the Beaux Arts style, featuring Greek columns, Roman balustrades, and Tiffany-style glass windows. It’s not a casino, if that’s what you’re thinking! It’s a wedding venue!

Hello Columbus! We’re at Plaza Colon, also known as Columbus Square, looking at a towering statue of Christoper Columbus. So what is Columbus doing here? Simple: He was the first Spanish explorer to claim the island for the Spanish throne! He called the island San Juan Buatista, and although its name later changed to Puerto Rico, the name “San Juan” stayed for this city.

You can’t miss the huge fortress ahead. That’s Castillo San Cristobal, the largest Spanish-built fortification in the Americas. Cross using the crosswalks and head towards the Castillo’s main entrance visitor center if you plan to visit. If not, turn left and walk up the slope towards the historic entrance to continue the tour. Keep listening as you walk!

Continue walking and look left. See that clump of trees with two tall towers sticking out above? Behind those is hidden a tan stone building with a triangular roof: the Polvorín de Santa Elena, built in 1783. This building served for a long time as a gunpowder magazine. The powder to fight all those battles against the Dutch and the English had to come from somewhere! Nowadays, Polverin de Santa Elena serves as an office for the National Park Service!

Directly ahead of us is the Castillo San Felipe del Morro, more often referred to as El Morro. It’s probably the most epic fortification in Puerto Rico and much of the Americas. Construction on this castle began in 1539, and it’s a good thing it did! Remember all those attacks on San Juan? They would have succeeded without a doubt if not for this fort.

Keep walking as you listen. Farther ahead and to the left, do you see that gray and white structure with the black top, sticking up above the stone wall? It almost looks like a lighthouse, but it’s Bateria Santa Elena aka the Battery Guardhouse!

Continue walking as you listen. Look left, at the huge yellow building with three flags flying on top. This is the Cuartel de Ballaja, an old military barracks and the very last large-scale construction project by the Spanish in the city. The second floor now houses the Museum of the Americas.

Pause here. Notice the sign on the right for Casa Blanca. Before it was a home, it was actually the very first fortification in San Juan. Built in 1521, it protected the settlers against revolts by the indigenous Taino. To visit, walk through the gate on your right. Click on Learn More for admissions info.

Check out the tall white cathedral ahead to the left. This is the Catedral Basilica Menor de San Juan Bautista, the oldest church in the Americas! Built in 1540, it has survived the innumerable attacks on San Juan, the fire set by the Dutch, and even the recent, and devastating, Hurricane Maria! It seems like no calamity is bad enough to shake these foundations!

Continue walking down this shady, colorful, cobblestone street. At the end of the street stands a huge stone doorway. That’s none other than the Puerta de San Juan: the only remaining gate of the old city! Hundreds of years ago, this gate welcomed travelers to the city and kept invaders shut out. Walk through the gate and get a great look at the water beyond.

As you walk, look up at the city walls. Soon you may be able to spot a few buildings behind the wall. Those make up La Fortaleza, Spain’s original fortress here on San Juan, tracing back to before the 1530s. Before the Castillo San Cristobal, that was the only thing standing between San Juan and other conquering nations.