San Juan
A walled Spanish town with five centuries of forts and churches, the hotels of Condado along the Atlantic, and an airport that never closes.
- Arrival
- Luis Muñoz Marín International · SJU
- To Old San Juan
- About 8 miles west of SJU; Isla Grande 1.5 miles
- Private jets
- Jet Aviation and Airport Aviation Services at SJU
- Best time
- December to April
The city
Five centuries inside the walls.
Old San Juan is a walled town of more than five hundred years. El Morro rises in six stepped levels against attack from the sea, San Cristóbal guards the landward side across more than twenty-seven acres, and between them La Fortaleza, begun in 1533, still houses the governor. In the lanes, Calle Fortaleza is strung with umbrellas, and the Catedral de San Juan counts as the second-oldest church in the Americas.
East of the old town, the city opens onto the Atlantic: the hotels of Condado along Ashford Avenue, then Isla Verde beside the airport. The tourist board's high season runs from mid-November to mid-April, the drier months; summer and autumn are a degree or two warmer and much wetter.
- El Morro A sixteenth-century citadel of barracks, dungeons and storerooms, some of its original cannon still facing the ocean.
- Castillo San Cristóbal The great fortress of the land approach, home to the sentry box known as the Garita del Diablo.
- La Fortaleza Built between 1533 and 1540, a fortress turned governor's residence and part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Arriving
One airport for jets, one for the old town.
Luis Muñoz Marín International, about eight miles east of the old town, is the gateway for airlines and for jets of every size. Isla Grande, a mile and a half from the walls, takes smaller aircraft only.
- Antigua 1 h 00
- Barbados 1 h 35
- New York 3 h 40
- Lima 5 h 00
- London 9 h 00 long-range jet
When to go
December to April.
Afternoons range only from 27 to 30 °C through the year, and the sea from 26 to 29 °C. Rain is lightest in February and March, under 85 mm, and from May to December every month brings 150 mm or more, August the most.
- 27° J 116 26°
- 27° F 82 26°
- 28° M 79 26°
- 29° A 121 26°
- 29° M 182 27°
- 30° J 151 28°
- 30° J 180 28°
- 30° A 195 28°
- 30° S 188 29°
- 30° O 171 29°
- 29° N 178 28°
- 28° D 151 27°
Where to stay
Condado, and two estates beyond the city.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
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Dorado Beach, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve Puerto Rico's only Forbes Five-Star hotel, holding a MICHELIN Key, on the shore of a former plantation.
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Condado Vanderbilt Hotel Opened in October 1919 to designs by Warren & Wetmore, the architects of Grand Central, and rated Four-Star by Forbes, as is its spa.
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Four Seasons Resort and Residences Puerto Rico A AAA Five-Diamond beach resort east of the capital, and one of the island's two hotels with a MICHELIN Key.
Where to dine
The best tables in town.
No MICHELIN guide covers Puerto Rico. These tables are rated by Forbes Travel Guide (2026), chosen by Fodor’s, or among the best rated on OpenTable. We have no arrangement with them.
- 1919 Restaurant Forbes Four-Star Contemporary Condado Vanderbilt Hotel, Condado
- Marmalade Fodor’s Choice Tasting menus $$$$ Old San Juan
- Santaella Fodor’s Choice Puerto Rican $$$ Santurce
- Cocina Abierta Rated 4.8 on OpenTable Tasting menus $$$$ Condado
Elsewhere in Puerto Rico
More reasons to come.
Flying to San Juan?
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A Business or First Class seat on a scheduled airline, or an aircraft of your own. Tell us the date and how many are travelling, and we reply with one final price, our margin included.