San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan is a tropical metropolis that’s equal parts city and beach with skyscrapers and homes lining the Atlantic coast. Come here to spend leisurely afternoons on a sandy shore, under an umbrella or at a beach club. Explore the city’s cultural side at art museums, graffitied streets, historic sights and rum distilleries. Celebrate life like a Puerto Rican with Reggaeton music, salsa dancing, traditional dishes, tropical drinks or a local beer.
Neighborhoods & Streets
Condado. A seaside neighborhood with skyscrapers, hotels, restaurants, bars and beaches.
Miramar. A residential neighborhood with historic homes and buildings built in The Spanish Colonial Revival style. It’s central to Old San Juan and Condado.
Santurce. A large area of San Juan home to art museums, food truck parks and the nightlife hubs of Calle Cerra and La Placita.
Ocean Park. A trendy yet local neighborhood popular for its beach and variety of restaurants and nightlife.
Calle Loíza. Ocean Park’s main street for brunch spots, open air restaurants, cocktails bars, surf shops and Loíza Brinca, a famous corner building featuring the Puerto Rican flag.
Carolina. A suburb of San Juan home to the city’s airport, oceanfront resorts and pristine white sand beaches.
Vamos a la Playa
Atlantic Beach. A lengthy golden sand beach in Condado and one of the most popular in San Juan. Come here so tan in the tropical sun, swimming in the turquoise blue waters or body surf in the waves. Hotels rent sun umbrellas and lounges to non-guests, kiosks offer tropical cocktails and juices and vendors walk the beach selling empanadas. There is a large gay section in front of The Tryst Hotel on weekends.
The Atlantic at the Tryst. An ocean front bar and restaurant at The Tryst Hotel on Atlantic Beach. Come here for drag brunch on Sundays to watch Puerto Rican queens perform, lip sync for their life and collect dollar bills from lively guests.
Pro Tip. Join the other gays soaking up the sun on the beach after brunch! Keep your receipt to rent a pink umbrella and sun lounge for free!
Playita del Condado. A beach located next to the Puente dos Hermanos between the Condado Lagoon and the Atlantic Ocean. The water is calm enough for swimming and snorkeling with chair rentals for lounging on the beach.
Ocean Park Beach. This vast beach is probably the most popular in San Juan. Everyone from locals, tourists, families and couples come here. There are plenty of restaurants, marine sports and activities, chair and umbrella rentals and vendors selling drinks on the beach.
Numero Uno Beach Hotel & Restaurant. A beach club located at Ocean Park Beach. Come here for a relaxing day under the shade of an umbrella or palm tree while watching kite surfers ride the wind and waves. Order the beach vibes package, it includes two chairs, an umbrella, bottle of bubbly and bag of chips and salsa.
Carolina Public Beach. A lengthy tan beach with calm and swimmable waters. It’s watched over by lifeguards and popular with locals and families. There are a few beachfront gazebos offering drinks, snacks and ice cream.
Ocean Lab Brewing Co. A craft brewery at Carolina Beach with nearly 2 dozen beers. Come for lunch and order a flight while overlooking the aquamarine ocean waters. Try the Mambo for a juicy wheat beer with passionfruit notes or the SJU for an easy drinking lager.
Isla Verde Beach. A continuation of Carolina Public Beach with tall palm groves, shaded gazebo rentals and a series of resorts providing chair and umbrella rentals. The beach is the perfect spot to swim, sunbathe and relax!
Pine Grove Beach. A beach between Island Verde and Ocean Park Beaches. It’s popular for beginner surfing with surf schools and rentals.
See the Sights & Museums
Fortín San Jerónimo de Boquerón. A small fort at the mouth of the Condado Lagoon. The visiting hours are infrequent due to repairs post Hurricane Maria. It’s worth visiting if open.
Puente Dos Hermanos. The bridge crossing the Condado Lagoon connecting to Old San Juan. It’s beautiful to walk across with great views. There is also a ledge making it easy to jump from into the lagoon. The Condado side has a small sandy beach, Playita del Condado.
Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico. A well curated and diverse collection of Puerto Rican art and history. After touring the galleries, walk through the sculpture garden.
Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Puerto Rico (MAC). A contemporary art museum with rotating galleries specific to social movements, local artists and Puerto Rican heritage.
Things to Do
Visit a Rum Distillery. The two distilleries to visit are the Bacardi Factory or Ron del Barrilito. Both offer similar experiences. Bacardi is large scale production while Ron de Barrilito is small batch and higher end. Arrive to a welcome drink, learn about the history of each distillery, their processes of rum making and afterwards take a mixology class, sample aged vintages or simply order cocktails from the bar. Either way, expect to leave tipsy.
SUP or Kayak in Laguna de Condado. Tour companies based around the lagoon offer SUP and Kayak rentals for $20/hour. The lagoon is a boat free place to spot eagle rays, star fish and sea turtles. We booked though VIP Adventures Puerto Rico.
Take the Ferry to Cataño. A neighborhood a quick ferry ride across the harbor from Old San Juan with a waterfront boardwalk home to several restaurants and bars. The ferry operates from the cruise docks hourly throughout most of the day for just a couple of dollars. It’s a popular place to visit for the Bacardi Factory from.
Eat in Piñones. A food hub known for Puerto Rican and Caribbean cuisine just outside of San Juan. The main street, located along the Atlantic coast, is lined with dozens of restaurant, bars and kiosks. We hopped from place to place and ordered crab empanadillas, cod alcapurrias, coco frio and rum punch.
Take Salsa Lessons. Take a salsa lesson from a local instructor, learning the history and basics before heading to a salsa bar in La Placita to practice your moves. Lesson happen by night in Plaza Antonia Quiñones. Return on Sunday mornings for a weekly farmers market. Book Here!
Visit the Parque Forestal La Marquesa. A forested nature park covered in a verdant canopy of trees and palms in the mountains outside of San Juan. Ride the teleferico (cable car) above the forested mountainside and lush ridges. Visit the butterfly conservatory and aviary to see monarchs, parrots and colorful birds fly around the netted enclosures. Hike the nature trails and climb the observation tower for picturesque views of the forest.
Getting Here. The forest park is located in the suburb of Guaynabo, reachable from San Juan by Uber or Lyft after a 30 minute ride.
Calle Cerra
Calle Cerra is a gritty street with large murals and graffiti covered walls. The surrounding neighborhood is home to many hostels, restaurants, cafes & bars. The area becomes a center for nightlife on weekends. Hundreds of people gather at in the street and at bars as live music and reggaeton echos throughout the neighborhood. Some of our favorite spots are:
Esquina El Watusi. This bar is the heart of the nightlife scene in Santurce. Come here to join hundreds of people gathered in the street out front and ordering from the bar. Drinks are strong and inexpensive.
Machete. A bustling yet vibey cocktail bar with well priced drinks and a menu of flavorful bites. To drink, try the Vampiro for something smokey or House Daq for something fruity. To eat, order the ceviche and pulpo + fries!
Botánico. A spacious cocktail bar with an interior patio decorated in florals. Come here for an escape from the high energy atmosphere of other bars along Calle Cerra. Try the Flora or Mezcal Botanical.
Identidad. A James Beard Awarded cocktail bar with a menu of Caribbean flavored cocktails and small plates as well as a seasonal list of contemporary and experimental cocktails. Order the Crocantes de Atun, a raw tuna mixture over crispy rice. We plan to return for their 5-7pm happy hour!
Pro Tip. Wear pants and shoes to avoid being turned away at bars.
La Placita
La Placita is a cultural hub. It is a place to buy local produce during the morning, where elderly locals gather during the day and an energetic place to meet people, drink late into the evening and dance Salsa. The plaza is surrounded by lively restaurants and bars.
The Produce Market. Located inside the Plaza de Mercado in the center of the plaza. We used a machete to cut plantains from the bunch, picked out limes to make our own cocktails and selected a ripe papaya for lunch.
La Tasca del Pescador. The place to go for seafood. In the heart of La Perla. We ordered the snapper, squid Ink rice & grilled prawns.
Asere Cubano Kitchen and Bar. A fusion of Cuban and Puerto Rican cuisine with a roof top bar overlooking the plaza.
La Alcapurria Quemá. A restaurant and bar specializing in the famed Puerto Rican street food, alcapurria. We ordered a variety including ncluding crab, cod and vegetarian.
Jungle Bird. A tiki cocktail bar located on a side street of La Placita with a menu featuring tropical cocktails, both classic and contemporary. Try their namesake, Jungle Bird, their version of the Rum Runner or house creation, the Tijuana Surf Rider.
Taberna Los Vázquez. An energetic salsa bar with live music and cheap drinks.
Boronía en la Placita. A restaurant serving Creole cuisine like mofongo, gumbo and seafood.
Puerto Rican Cuisine
Chillo Frito Entero. A fried red snapper served whole with crispy skin, tender meat and squeezed with lime. It’s usually accompanied by fried plantains like tostones, mofongo or amarillos.
Mofongo. Fried plantain mashed with garlic and butter. It’s often served plain or stuffed with an option of seafood. If prepared with bread fruit and yucca, it’s known as trifongo.
Empanadillas. Puerto Rican style fried empanadas stuffed with a range of fillings like octopus, conch, cod, shrimp, crap and pizza.
Pinchos. Grilled meats served on a stick often served at beaches or roadside kiosks. Our favorites are shark and shrimp.
Mallorca. A Puerto Rican pasty often shaped like a bun or swirled roll and dusted in powered sugar. Our favorite preparations are pressed with guava with cheese or egg and cheese.
Coco Frio. A cold and freshly opened coconut. Drink the coconut water inside then the sweet meat inside. Alternatively, enjoy it with coconut rum to create a tropical cocktail.
Rum. Puerto Rico is unarguably the rum capital of the Caribbean with several distilleries and local brands served in bars across the island. Order it on the rocks, in a Pina Colada or other tropical cocktail.
Medalla. The island’s most popular local beer, recognizable by it’s small golden can. It has a light slightly nutty flavor and is served everywhere. Buy a 6 pack for the beach!
Places to Eat & Drink
From beachfront restaurants to food truck parks and cocktail bars, there is no shortage of great places to stop for a meal or drink in San Juan. Some of our favorites are:
Cafes & Brunch Spots
Café Comunión. A coffee shop and breakfast spot. Come for the coffee, open faced sandwiches and fresh sugar glazed donuts
Tostado. A coffee shop breakfast spot. Come for the coffee, tropical fruit, French toast and egg dishes.
Musa. A funky brunch spot with egg dishes, French toast and mimosas
La Coffeetera. A breakfast spot with dishes like pancakes and egg scrambles. Order the eggs Benedict on a Hawaiian roll or the stuffed avocado.
Restaurants
La Vergüenza. A traditional Puerto Rican restaurant serving criollo style dishes with ingredients like plantains, seafood, pork and chicken. It’s a popular spot with locations in San Juan and Old San Juan.
La Cueva Del Mar. A Puerto Rican seafood restaurant with a range of dishes like whole fried red snapper, ceviche, creole style shrimp, fish filets and fried plantains.
Casita de Miramar. A romantic restaurant serving elevated Puerto Rican cuisine. We dined here one evening on their outdoor porch. For our meal, we enjoyed plantain soup, mini bacalaitos, arroz de montosteo cooked with house made pique, a whole fried red snapper, and for dessert, tres leches made with coquito.
Paulina Escanes Gormandize. We’ve dined here twice, for bunch and dinner, tasting a range of items across the menu including mallorca with egg, cheese and avocado, corn bread soufflé, tacos and Tiradito (Peruvian sashimi) on a tostada.
Container Bar. One of several waterfront restaurants and bars in Cataño nearby the ferry terminal. Try the crab salad arepas and enjoy a medalla.
Food Truck Parks. Quite popular across Puerto Rico, our go-tos in San Juan are Tresbé, Lote 23, and Miramar Food Truck Park.
Cocktail Bars & Nightlife
Kane Rum Bar. A rum bar in Condado with lux tropical vibes, cocktails and bites. Order a tiki drink like the Zombie, Mai Tai or Painkiller along side light bites like a vegan Hawaiian pizza, tropical ceviche or sesame seared tuna.
Bar La Unidad. A speakeasy hidden behind an unmarked frosted glass door. The bar is open if the red light is illuminated. Their menu features a range of modern and innovative cocktails organized by spirit type, each served in differing crystal glassware.
Pinaloca. A walk-up window in Condado serving Pina coladas in pineapples.
El Bar Bero. A barbershop themed bar with barber chairs, mustache art and smokey cocktails.
Places to Stay
We’ve stayed at a range of places in San Juan including airbnbs like a private room at a hostel and an apartment style inn.
Casa Santurce Hostel. A hostel with dorm and private rooms in San Juan’s arts district. It offers affordable rates and near nightly activities. Book Here!
Casa del Caribe Inn. A small family run hotel in the heart of Condado. It’s large apartment style rooms are perfect for a weekend getaway. Book Here!
Cool Tripper’s Inn. A boutique hotel near Ocean Park Beach with tiny yet well designed apartments. Book Here!
Getting Around
On Foot. The Condado and Ocean Park neighborhoods of San Juan are easily walkable. Be mindful of missing man hole covers on sidewalks.
Ride Shares. Uber and Lyft are both available in the San Juan area. They’re great for getting to and from the airport and around town.
By Scooter. Scooters are available to rent on the streets of San Juan. There are multiple companies including Skootel, Bird and Kick.
By Car. Rent a car to explore the island outside of the San Juan area. We’ve rented with affordable and reputable companies like Ace Rental, Charlie Car Rental, Sixt, Budget and Flagship.
Location Specifics
Respect the Culture. Puerto Ricans are very proud of their island, culture and heritage. Please show respect when discussing local issues and topics. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and learn about the culture and island.
US Territory. Puerto Rico is a US Territory meaning US Citizens can visit the island without a passport.
Language. Spanish is the primary language spoken in Puerto Rico. English is widely spoken as a second language. Knowing basic Spanish words and phrases is helpful and beneficial when visiting.
Currency. Puerto Rico uses the US Dollar.
Metric vs Imperial. Puerto Rico uses a combination of the Metric and Imperial systems. Speed limits are in marked in mph while distances are marked in kilometers. Gasoline is sold by the liter instead of by the gallon.
Cash vs Card. Credit and debit card is widely accepted across the island. Cash is preferred by most vendors at markets, kiosks and some businesses.
Power Outages. The electrical grid is fragile due to devastation from past natural disasters. While power outages rarely affect tourists, they do happen. It’s a difficult part of life for many Puerto Ricans.
Tap Water. Tap water is generally safe for consumption around the island.
Tropical Weather. Puerto Rico experiences tropical weather. Carry an umbrella incase of afternoon and evening rain storms. Tropical storms and hurricanes are possible from June through November with September through October being the most active.
Swimming. Mind the warning signs and red flags advising about dangerous ocean currents. Pay attention to where others are and are not swimming.
Sun Protection. The harsh UV is dangerous in Puerto Rico. Wear sun block when outside, even on cloudy days.
Insect Repellent. Mosquitos are prevalent across the island with mosquito borne illnesses on the rise. Wear insect repellant to minimize bites.
Clothing. Shorts and tank tops are generally acceptable to wear, keep the swimwear for the beach and plan to change into pants while dining out or visiting local spots.
Elsewhere in Puerto Rico
Having visited Puerto Rico nearly 20 times, we’ve experienced many places across the island. Though we don’t live here, we consider ourselves non-local experts and one day hope to call this beautiful island our home. Explore the colorful and colonial streets of Old San Juan. Participate in Carnival during the Festival of Masks in Puerto Rico’s second city, Ponce. Hike the El Yunque Rainforest in Eastern Puerto Rico. Visit the surf towns along Western Puerto Rico. Head to the Caribbean Coast of Southwestern Puerto Rico. See the indigenous Taino sights of Central Puerto Rico. Get off the mainland to visit the islands of Culebra and Vieques.
