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Old San JuanCity/Region: San Juan
This area, encompassing about seven blocks, dates back about 500 years to the Spanish occupation when it served as a military stronghold that even repulsed Sir Francis Drake. The original cobbles on the streets are blue-tinged, and were originally ballast on the Spanish ships. The ancient stones set off the more than 400 restored 16th and 17th century Spanish colonial buildings that fill Old San Juan and draw thousands of tourists to walk the narrow, steep streets every day. The old town is
enclosed in amazingly thick, high walls and features numerous attractive plazas bearing sculptures and memorials.
Spanish FortsCity/Region: San Juan
The mighty six-level fortress of San Felipe del Morro, built in 1540, towers 140 feet (43m) above the sea on San Juan Bay, its 18-foot thick (5m) walls having proved a worthy defense against invasion. The largest fortification in the Caribbean, it is a maze of tunnels, dungeons, barracks, lookouts and ramps, offering spectacular views from atop its ramparts. Also in Norzagaray Street, Old San Juan, is El Morro's partner in defending the city, Castillo San Cristobal, built in the 17th century to a confusing and intricate modular design.
Phone Number: 729 6960
Website: www.nps.gov/saju
Hours: Forts open daily 9am to 5pm (June to November), 9am to 6pm (December to May)
Admission: US$3 (adults), concessions available
La FortalezaCity/Region: San Juan
The Fortaleza was built in 1540 as a fortress to guard the entrance to the San Juan harbor, but later became the official Governor's residence. During succeeding centuries the original structure has been remodeled and expanded, with a neoclassical façade being added in 1846 to leave the building with its palatial aspect. The current governor of Puerto Rico is in residence - the 170th Governor to live in the Fortaleza.
Address: The Fortaleza is situated at the west end of Fortaleza Street in Old San Juan
Phone Number: 721 7000 ext. 2358
Hours: Daily 9am to 6pm (until 5pm from June to November). Tours are available every 30 minutes from Monday to Friday between 9am and 3.30pm. Reservations are required
Admission: Free
Saint John the Baptist CathedralCity/Region: San Juan
San Juan's Cathedral was originally built in 1521 by Puerto Rico's first Spanish bishop as a thatched wooden church, but was destroyed in a hurricane in 1526. The current medieval structure, built from the stone brought in from inland quarries by horsepower, dates from 1540, although extensive renovations and reconstruction was carried out in 1917. The cathedral features Doric columns and elliptical vaults, and contains the marble tomb of the island's first governor.
Address: Cristo Street
Phone Number: 722 0861 or 722-1709
Hours: Daily tours from 8.30am to 4pm. Regular services are held
Casa BlancaCity/Region: San Juan
The family of Puerto Rico's first governor, Ponce de Leon, whose descendants inhabited it for 250 years, built the historic homestead of Casa Blanca in 1523. It was subsequently taken over by the Spanish and then United States military. Today the mansion house contains two museums. A small section is dedicated to artifacts associated with the Taino Indians, while the rest of the house depicts the life of those who lived there through the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries.
Address: San Sebastian Street, Old San Juan
Phone Number: 724 4102
Hours: Tuesday to Sunday 9am to 12pm and 1pm to 4.30pm. Guided tours by appointment Tuesday to Friday
Admission: US$2 (adults), US$1 (children)
Casa del LibroCity/Region: San Juan
The 18th-century mansion known as Casa del Libro houses a vast collection of rare sketches, illustrations, ancient manuscripts and books, some dating from before the 16th century. The museum's most prized possessions are two royal mandates signed by Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain in 1493 regarding the provisioning of Christopher Columbus's fleet for his second voyage to the New World. This was the voyage during which Puerto Rico was discovered.
Address: 255 Cristo Street
Phone Number: 723 0354
Hours: Tuesday to Saturday 11am to 4.30pm
Admission: Free
University campusCity/Region: San Juan
The University of Puerto Rico campus in the Rio Piedras offers two attractions for visitors. The University Museum contains archaeological and historical exhibits and holds monthly art exhibitions. The Botanical Gardens in the grounds of the University are a living laboratory displaying the native flora of Puerto Rico, containing more than 200 species of tropical and sub-tropical plants.
Phone Number: 764 0000 ext 2452 (museum); 763 4408 (gardens)
Hours: Monday to Friday 9am to 11pm, weekends 9am to 3pm (museum); daily 9am to 4.30pm (gardens)
Admission: Free
Museo de ArteCity/Region: San Juan
Puerto Rico's showcase art gallery opened just a few years ago at a cost of millions of dollars. The gallery is housed in a former city hospital in Santurce and offers a permanent and visiting exhibition. The aim is to highlight the island's heritage through the work of local artists, such as Francisco Oller, who studied in France with Cézanne, and Jose Campeche, a late 18th century Classical painter. The museum has been described as a 'living textbook of Puerto Rico', spanning the centuries through the medium of art.
Address: 299 De Diego Avenue, Santurce
Phone Number: 977 6277 ext. 2290
Website: www.mapr.org
Hours: Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday 10am to 5pm; Wednesday 10am to 8pm; Sunday 11am to 6pm; closed Monday
Admission: US$6 (adults), US$2.50 (seniors) US$3 (children)
Arecibo Ionospheric ObservatoryCity/Region: San Juan
America's ears and eyes are focused on the stars from the island of Puerto Rico. In the northwest mountains of the island about 90 minutes drive west of San Juan, among the Karst Country hills, is one of the most important astronomical research facilities on earth, the Arecibo Ionospheric Observatory. Its massive dish is larger in area than a dozen football fields and is sited in a sinkhole, aimed at the heavens and tuned to detect the slightest sounds emitted from the farthest stars. This is the home base for NASA's 'SETI' (Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence) project and as such holds great fascination for visitors. A Visitors Center is equipped with interactive exhibits to demonstrate how the huge structure works. Visitors can hike to the viewing platform to view the vast tiled dish.
Phone Number: 878 2612
Website: www.naic.edu
Hours: Open daily from 9am to 4pm in June, July, December and January. Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays in the remaining months
Admission: US$5 (adults), US$3 (children)
Camuy Cave ParkCity/Region: San Juan
Well worth a day trip from San Juan is the incredible 268-acre Camuy Cave Park, two hours southwest of the city. The park is the site of miles of subterranean caverns that were carved out of the limestone by the Camuy River more than a million years ago. Only seven miles (11km) of the caves have yet been fully explored, but 16 entrances have been discovered to what is believed to be the world's largest cave network. Well-maintained walking trails lead visitors down 200 feet (61m) into a fern-filled ravine to explore the cathedral-like caverns. Guided tours are available through one cave and two sinkholes, where you will see stalactites, stalagmites and plenty of bats. The caverns also contain a unique species of blindfish. The park has picnic areas, walking trails, food outlets, an exhibition hall and a souvenir shop.
Address: Route 129
Phone Number: 898 3100
Hours: Wednesday to Sunday 8am to 3.30pm; closed when raining
Admission: US$10 (adults), US$8 (children)
Caribbean National Forest (El Yunque)City/Region: Fajardo
The Caribbean National Forest, 35 miles (56km) east of San Juan, is the only tropical rainforest in the United States National Park system and was named El Yunque by the Spanish. Its 28,000 acres contain about 240 different species of tree and numerous other plants from tiny wild orchids to giant ferns. Visitors can start their visit at the El Portal Tropical Forest Center where there are films, exhibits and interactive displays on the rainforest. Maps are available and you can choose from dozens of walking trails through the forest, graded according to difficulty. Nearby is Puerto Rico's best beach, Luquillo Beach, with its soft white sand and coconut palms.
Phone Number: 888 1880
Email Address: mtirado@fs.fed.us
Website: www.fs.fed.us/r8/caribbean
Hours: Daily 7.30am to 6pm. El Porto Rain Forest Center: 9am to 4.30pm
Las Cabezas de San Juan Nature ReserveCity/Region: Fajardo
Located on three promontories on the extreme northeast corner of the island, Las Cabezas reserve is one of the most beautiful and bio-diverse natural areas in Puerto Rico. The reserve is close to Fajardo, a major marina and diving resort, about an hour's drive from San Juan. The area offers pristine beaches ideal for snorkeling. The reserve contains seven different ecological systems including coral reefs, sandy beaches, lagoons, mangroves and dry forest. It is also home to several endangered species. Boardwalk trails provide easy access. A restored 19th century lighthouse, El Faro, is situated on one of the headlands and offers an information center and observation deck.
Phone Number: 722 5882 (weekday reservations), 860 2560 (weekend reservations)
Hours: Wednesday to Sunday, reservations are required because of the popularity of the reserve. English language tours 2pm
Admission: US$7 (adults), US$4 (children)
Parque de Bombas Fire StationCity/Region: Ponce
A unique attraction on the central Plaza de las Delicias is the unusual Ponce fire station, a landmark wooden building painted in black and red stripes. The firehouse was built in 1882 and was tested to its limits just a year later when the city experienced a massive fire. Firemen from the Parque de Bombas station heroically battled the blaze. The station remained headquarters for the fire fighters until 1990, when it was turned into a museum open to the public.
Ponce Art MuseumCity/Region: Ponce
The 'Museo de Arte de Ponce' contains the largest art collection in the Caribbean, housed in a building designed by Edward Durrell Stone, who designed the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The impressive building is comprised of seven interconnected hexagons topped with glass cupolas. Inside are more than 1,000 paintings and 400 sculptures covering classical, ancient and contemporary works. Among the prizes of the collection are works by Velasquez, Rubens and Rodin. Puerto Rican art also features strongly.
Address: Avenue Las Americas
Phone Number: 848 0511 or 848 0505
Website: www.museoarteponce.org
Hours: Open daily 10am to 5pm
Admission: US$5 (adults), US$2.50 (children under 12), US$1.25 (students with ID), free (members, clergy and handicapped), Groups of 20 or more: adults US$4 and children US$1.25
Coffin IslandCity/Region: Ponce
At weekends a ferry carries visitors from the pier at La Guancha on the Ponce waterfront to Coffin Island, a tiny uninhabited island five miles south of the city, where there are pristine beaches and a marked snorkeling trail. Visitors can also explore the 19th century Caja de Muerto Lighthouse that has been restored and houses a museum.
Transport: Scheduled ferries run from La Guancha, Ponce, on Saturdays and Sundays between 9am and 5pm.
Museum of Puerto Rico MusicCity/Region: Ponce
This museum is dedicated to documenting the rich tapestry of the island's music history and pays tribute to Puerto Rican musicians. It explains the significance of the romantic 'danza' music style, and the African-inspired popular forms of 'bomba' and 'plenza'. The museum features displays of Indian, Spanish and African musical instruments, and memorabilia of local composers and performers, housed in the attractive former residence of the Serralles family, renowned rum producers.
Address: 50 Isabel Street
Phone Number: 848 7016
Hours: Tuesday to Saturday 8.30am to 4.30pm (December to March); daily except Mondays 8.30am to 4.30pm (April to November)
Admission: Free
Castillo SerrallesCity/Region: Ponce
Perched above the city on El Vigia Hill is the restored residence of the Serralles rum-producing family. The multi-level Spanish-revival hacienda, designed by Pedro de Castro, is a beautiful example of the island's 1920/30s architecture. The house surrounds an elegant courtyard featuring fountains and is renowned for its splendid carved dining-room ceiling. The mansion is set in magnificent terraced formal gardens.
Address: Bertoly St., 17 Cerro
Phone Number: 259 1774
Hours: Daily except Mondays 9.30am to 5.30pm
Admission: US$6 (adults), US$3 (children under 16)
Tibes Indian Ceremonial CenterCity/Region: Ponce
This ancient Indian site, still being excavated, is one of the most important archaeological sites in the West Indies. Apart from an ancient cemetery, it also features the remains of seven courts used by the Igneri (pre-Taino) people for a football-like game, two dance grounds, and standing stones believed to have been used as an ancient astronomical observatory. A popular tourist attraction, just two miles (3km) north of Ponce, the site has been equipped with a reconstructed Taino village, a museum, exhibition hall, café and souvenir shop. Visitors are taken on conducted tours.
Phone Number: 840 2255
Website: ponce.inter.edu/tibes/ingles/conozca.html
Hours: Open Tuesday to Sunday 9am to 4pm
Admission: US$2 (adults)
Culebra and ViequesCity/Region: Fajardo
Dubbed 'the enchanted isles' Vieques and her smaller sister Culebra lie off of Puerto Rico's east coast, accessible from San Juan by air and from Fajardo by ferry. Both support a few thousand friendly, laid-back inhabitants who live life peacefully and slowly, enriching rather than impacting on the natural beauty of their home. Vieques is 20-odd miles long and five wide and consists largely of the biggest wildlife sanctuary in the Caribbean, protected by the United States Fish & Wildlife Service. Some of the world's most beautiful beaches, with azure clear waters and sugary white sand, are to be found in the sanctuary. If you plan to visit Vieques stay overnight to experience its premier attraction, Bio Bay. On a moonless night the bay glows with the bioluminescence radiated by a microscopic one-celled organism called a dinoflagellate, providing an unforgettable sight. Smaller Culebra, just seven miles long and three wide, is a few miles north of Vieques and is renowned for the clarity of the waters washing its shores. This is occasioned by the fact that the island has no rivers or streams causing run-off: the arid island has to have water piped from Puerto Rico via Vieques. This quiet, unspoiled island offers unrivalled snorkeling and scuba diving in its magnificent encircling reefs, kayak expeditions and hiking trails for bird-watchers through the Culebra National Wildlife Refuge.
Phone Number: 863-0705 (for current departures)
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