San Juan, Puerto Rico is a major port and tourist destination in the Caribbean, the oldest city under the U.S. flag, and the Capital of the Island. Spanish is the official language, but English is widely spoken. The city has many districts, but it is in the old town of San Juan, that the Cruise ship Terminal is located, making it very accessible for cruise passengers.
Old town San Juan was originally a military stronghold, which over the centuries grew into a commercial and residential district. The main part of the town has distinctive narrow blue-glazed cobblestone streets, picturesque 16th and 17th century Spanish colonial buildings, iron balconyed houses, large old plazas, massive walls and many forts.
It takes some navigating to get around the streets in the old town as they are usually crowded with visitors from the numerous cruise ships in port, as well as tourist from other parts of the island. With over 400 restored buildings from the Spanish colonial period, men's and women's clothing stores, tacky souvenir shops, cigar stores, restaurants, cafes, museums and churches it means allowing lots of time to visit.
To help visitors get around and see as much as possible there are walking tours by local guides. For those who prefer not to walk there are free trolley's that cover all the most important stops, or one can do it on their own with a self-guided tour.
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