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    You are here: Home / Destinations / Caribbean and Central America / A Day In Old San Juan

    03/31/2015

    A Day In Old San Juan

    On my recent Carnival cruise, one of our destinations was San Juan, Puerto Rico. It was my first time ever visiting Puerto Rico and I was pretty excited to spend a whole day exploring this historic city.

    While there were several fun excursions offered, my friend, Suzie, and I were most interested in trying out a few restaurants that had been recommended to us by friends on Facebook and Twitter. We used Carnival’s wifi to download a map and a self-guided walking tour of San Juan and we also asked our friends on Twitter and Facebook for recommendations about  what to see and do. All those great suggestions on social media helped us put together a fun day full of delicious foods, scenic sites, and a bit of shopping.

    Our A Day In Old San Juan Itinerary:

    MORNING

    The first thing on our agenda was coffee at Cafe Cuatro Sombras, recommended by my friend Julie who used to live in San Juan. She knows I’m a big fan of great coffee, and this lovely place makes delightful artisan coffee drinks with beans grown and roasted right on the island.

    Walking into the cafe, just the sharp, nutty scent of freshly roasted coffee was enough to wake us up even before taking our first sip. They have a microroaster in the center of the room and the relaxed farm-to-table vibe was the perfect place to start our morning. We enjoyed a couple of cappuccinos and snacked on some guava sticks, a tangy cookie that’s sort of like shortbread, but made with guava. After coffee, we began our walking tour through the cobblestone streets and colorful historic architecture of Old San Juan. I had no idea that this quaint city had such a European feel to it, enhanced by it’s own vibrant Caribbean charm.

    One of our first scenic sites was Parque de las Palomas, also known as “pigeon park.” This was the original main square for the city and is now a place where locals gather to relax with the morning paper, walk their dogs, or share an ice cream from one of the nearby street vendors.

    AFTERNOON

    Close to Parque de las Palomas is a restaurant called La Barrachina, where we headed for lunch. We had received countless comments on social media about visiting this famous place, known for inventing the pina colada, so it was definitely on our must-see list.

     

     

    Their specialty is Puerto Rican cuisine, so we ordered a sampler plate called Puerto Rican Delights to taste a bit of everything including surtidos de frituras (turnovers), sorullitos de maiz (corn fritters), and pastelillos de carne y pollo (croquettes stuffed with beef and chicken). And, of course, we had to taste one of their legendary pina coladas.

     

    We also shared a side plate of fried plantains, which are very similar to bananas. There are two kinds that we ordered, tostones and maduros. Tostones are unripened plantains that are smashed to make a sort of chip and then pan fried. They taste sort of like potatoes and are typically served with a garlic sauce or a creamy dip made of ketchup and mayonnaise.

    Read This: Tostones Recipe

    Maduros are ripe plantains that are also pan-fried and taste similar to sweet sautéed bananas. The big difference between the two is one is savory, and one is sweet. Definitely give them both a try! For dessert, we split a coconut flan (a sort of egg custard) and tres leches cake (a creamy cake), and two more cups of coffee (I can never get enough coffee).

    Read This: Coconut Flan Recipe

     

    After lunch, we continued our self-guided tour to Paseo de la Princesa and around the city wall along a trail called Paseo del Morro. It’s a long walk, about 3/4 of a mile, but worth it for the fantastic views and photo ops (plus a little walk didn’t hurt after indulging in such a big meal). Here’s a peek at what we saw along the trail:

     

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    Toward the end, there’s an old city gate that takes you back into Old San Juan. It’s impressive to walk through as you can really see how massive and thick the city wall actually is — 15 feet of solid stone.

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    Once on the other side of the gate, we were happily surprised to find a street vendor selling piragua, shaved frozen ice drenched in tropical flavored syrups like guava, guanabana, and coconut.

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    Of course, we had to have one. Who doesn’t love second dessert? Plus, it was a great way to cool off in the warm tropical weather.

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    We took our piraguas and walked up a lovely tree-lined street to the San Juan Cathedral. Along the way, we also spotted a great artist loft where three women, (who have named their shop Tres Mujeres), create colorful handmade items with needlepoint work that depicts scenes of Old San Juan. What I found special about Tres Mujeres is that these handicrafts made by local women depicted life and the history of Puerto Rico in a very vibrant and colorful way.

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    Once we got to the top of the hill and rounded a corner, we found and expansive view of the old fort and graveyard with the ocean in the background.

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    Since it was nearing the end of the day, we walked back through the cobblestone streets and made our way to the port to get back on board our Carnival ship, stopping at a few other handicraft artisan shops along the way to pick up a few souvenirs.

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    It was a lovely day visiting San Juan and this is definitely a destination I’d be excited to come back to.

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    This post was created for Away We Go with Carnival, the destination for getting in the getaway state of mind. Head on over.

    Filed Under: Caribbean and Central America

    About Rachelle Lucas

    Rachelle is the founder of TheTravelBite.com and was named one of USA Today's 10Best Food and Travel Bloggers. She believes the best way to learn about a destination is through its flavors and collects recipes from her trips to recreate them here on The Travel Bite. In her spare time she enjoys running and yoga to balance out her food obsession.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Traveling9to5er says

      03/31/2015 at 9:32 pm

      Thanks for bringing back all the memories. I absolutely loved Old San Juan and Puerto Rico. The food was to die for and you just can’t get enough of the colorful buildings everywhere. I also loved the coffee. I found a cortadito, an espresso topped with steamed milk. It was perfect. You did a great job capturing the city.

      Reply
    2. Deborah says

      04/08/2015 at 10:54 am

      I would LOVE to go to San Juan! And this walking tour sounds like the perfect way to explore the city. That shaved ice looks amazing!!

      Reply
    3. Kirsten says

      04/09/2015 at 5:22 am

      This seems so lovely I’d want to go and just repeat the same itinerary!! Especially the coffee and the artisan women with their art collective.

      Reply
    4. Jennifer says

      04/09/2015 at 7:02 am

      We had an eight hour layover in San Juan on the way home from Antigua and took advantage of it to hop on the bus and explore the old town a bit. We had time to visit the fort, walk the streets and poke in to some, and of course for lunch. I hadn’t really thought about Puerto Rico before exploring on that layover, but I’d love to head back and spend some time properly exploring. When I do, I have some awesome foodie recommendations from your day eating your way around San Juan!

      Reply
    5. Carrie @Frugal Foodie Mama says

      04/09/2015 at 10:30 am

      Oh, how I love Puerto Rico! My husband and I honeymooned there about 4 years ago. 🙂 And we took a day trip to Old San Juan. LOVED the fort there! So much to see and experience. Your post brought back some wonderful memories for me.

      Reply
    6. Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      04/09/2015 at 5:12 pm

      San Juan is such a charming town! I love the architecture and the colors of the buildings. Paseo de la Princesa is simply gorgeous! I’ve never been to Puerto Rico but this has given me even more incentive to go – a cruise sounds like the perfect vehicle for getting there!

      Reply
    7. Ashley | Spoonful of Flavor says

      04/10/2015 at 11:06 am

      I spent a day in San Juan on a cruise in the past too! It is a beautiful city with so much to explore. I can’t wait to return and definitely need to grab a piece of that coconut flan next time!

      Reply
      • Rachelle Lucas says

        04/13/2015 at 5:43 pm

        It’s sooooo good! I’m going to have to try and make it at home.

        Reply
    8. @Travelpanties says

      04/10/2015 at 4:35 pm

      This looks so awesome!!! Great pictures. I really need to get back there!

      Reply
    9. Toni | BoulderLocavore says

      04/11/2015 at 12:57 pm

      I’ve heard so many wonderful things about traveling to Puerto Rico I appreciate the chance to tag along on your excursion! Sounds great.

      Reply
      • Rachelle Lucas says

        04/13/2015 at 5:43 pm

        Thanks, Toni! 🙂

        Reply
    10. Gaby says

      04/17/2015 at 8:38 pm

      We need to travel together sometime lady!! this looks like an absolutele ball!

      Reply
      • Rachelle Lucas says

        04/18/2015 at 10:01 am

        Girl, we would have SO much fun! I eat my way through most destinations. 🙂

        Reply
    11. jennifer says

      05/09/2015 at 9:16 am

      The pictures you posted of the “pidgeon park” we’re actually of “Plaza Del Armas”. Pidgeon park is another place all together. Plaza del Armas is much better so good job for checking it out. Just FYI for those reading your post & want to visit.

      Reply
    12. OrcaTrip says

      01/04/2016 at 1:49 pm

      I am so glad I stumbled upon this post. The first time we ever went to PR we stumbled unknowingly stumbled into Cafe Cuatro Sombras. The coffee was amazing I had 4 cups in a 2 hour setting. The next time I was in PR I tried to return, but couldnt remember the name, and couldn’t figure out how to stumble in the right direction again so we sadly couldnt find it. This gives me another reason to return soon!!

      Reply
    13. Ralf says

      08/22/2016 at 2:15 pm

      Hey I realy enjoy reading your post! You have to visit hte Galapagos Islands some time in the future. The Islands are amazing and the food in Galapagos is great. I loved it !

      Reply
    14. Edward Comer says

      10/13/2016 at 5:16 pm

      Your link toOld San Juan’s ” Cafe Cuatro Sombras” is dead and needs to be updated. It is now:
      http://cuatrosombras.com

      Reply
      • Rachelle Lucas says

        10/20/2016 at 12:04 pm

        Thanks for the tip! We’ll update it.

        Reply
    15. Erika says

      07/06/2019 at 7:30 pm

      I am so glad I read this post. Makes me want to go home to Puerto Rico and go on a day trip. It is such a nice time.

      Reply

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