OLD SAN JUAN
A visit to Old San Juan is an essential
part of any trip to Puerto Rico. Old San Juan is a feast of
feeling. It is a place that makes the heart and the mind frolic.
Old San Juan will astonish you with its extraordinary sights
and its vast store of New World history. It will also make
you smile and at times laugh out loud. It will touch your
heart deeply, if you let it.
Old San Juan, originally envisioned as a military stronghold,
lays claim to a past that is still visible in the architecture
and layout of the city. By the end of the 19th century, the
old town was evolving as a delightful residential district
and the center of economic, social and cultural activity in
the island. Today, Old San Juan is a much-visited tourist
attraction and a congenial place to live.
The seven-square-blocks of "el antiguo San Juan,"
Old San Juan, are home to numerous churches, military monuments,
Spanish colonial fortresses, plazas, and charming buildings
that house restaurants, shops, art galleries and museums.