San Juan Transportation

Planning a Trip

Tourist information is available at the Luís Muñoz Marín Airport (tel. 787/791-1014) daily from 9am to 10pm. Another office is at La Casita, Pier 1, Old San Juan (tel. 787/722-1709), open Saturday to Wednesday 9am to 8pm, Thursday and Friday 8:30am to 6:30pm.

City Layout

Metropolitan San Juan includes the walled Old San Juan at the end of a long peninsula, Puerta de Tierra, the narrow bridge of land between San Juan Bay and the Atlantic Ocean that connects the Old City with the rest of San Juan. You can take a bridge into Condado, a narrow strip of land between the ocean and a lagoon, or continue on to the Miramar neighborhood, a neighborhood of beautiful residential homes whose once seedy waterfront section is being revamped into a world-class leisure development. The city also includes Santurce, its traditional downtown area, which has also been experiencing a revitalization in recent years, with large theaters and old apartment buildings being polished up so that the sector is starting to shine again like it did in its 1940s heyday. The Hato Rey financial district has taken on an almost futuristic look with its elevated Tren Urbano and distinctive Puerto Rico Coliseum, which has something exciting going on just about every week. Río Piedras is the site of the University of Puerto Rico and one of the best street markets in the Caribbean.

The Condado strip of beachfront hotels, restaurants, casinos, and nightclubs is separated from Miramar by a lagoon. Isla Verde, another resort area, is near the airport, which is separated from the rest of San Juan by an isthmus.

Finding an Address -- Finding an address in San Juan isn't always easy. You'll have to contend not only with missing street signs and numbers but also with street addresses that appear sometimes in English and at other times in Spanish. The most common Spanish terms for thoroughfares are calle (street) and avenida (avenue). When it is used, the street number follows the street name; for example, the El Convento hotel is located at Calle del Cristo 100, in Old San Juan. Locating a building in Old San Juan is relatively easy. The area is only 7 square blocks, so by walking around, it's possible to locate most addresses. Also, sanjuaneros, for reasons we have yet to determine, still use the stop numbers, or paradas, from a trolley that stopped running back in the 1950s as a reference point for directions. For example, parada 18 is at the heart of Santurce. In general, the higher the stop number, the farther its distance from Old San Juan.

Street Maps -- ¡Qué Pasa!, the monthly tourist magazine distributed free by the tourist office, contains accurate, easy-to-read maps of San Juan and the Condado that pinpoint the major attractions.

Getting There

Visitors from overseas arrive at Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport, the major transportation center of the Caribbean. The airport is on the easternmost side of the city, conveniently located near the Isla Verde, Condado, and Old San Juan tourist districts.

The airport offers services such as a tourist-information center, restaurants, hair stylists, coin lockers for storing luggage, bookstores, banks, currency-exchange kiosks, and bars. There are also a number of shops selling souvenirs and local rums and coffees for last-minute shopping for gifts for folks back home.

Getting from the Airport to the City

By Taxi -- Some of the larger hotels send vans to pick up airport passengers and transport them to various properties along the beachfront. It's wise to find out if your hotel offers this service when making a reservation. If your hotel doesn't have shuttle service between the airport and its precincts, you'll have to get there on your own steam -- most likely by taxi. Dozens of taxis line up outside the airport to meet arriving flights, so you rarely have to wait. There are set fares for destinations within San Juan; for other destinations, the cost of the trip should be determined by the taxi meter. Fares and travel time can vary widely, depending on traffic conditions, with late-afternoon and early-morning traffic jams common during commuter hours Monday through Friday. With no traffic delays, Condado is only a 15-minute drive from the airport, but if you get stuck in a one of the island's legendary tapones, as traffic jams are called here, it could take up to an hour.

There are flat rates from the airport to different areas in San Juan, which eliminates the usual negotiations with island cab drivers and buffers you from paying too much if you have the misfortune of getting caught in a traffic jam. The island's Puerto Rico Tourism Company (Transportation Division) (tel. 787/999-2100 or 787/253-0418) establishes the flat rates between the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport and major tourist zones: From the airport to any hotel in Isla Verde, the fee is $10; to any hotel in the Condado district, the charge is $15; and to any hotel in Old San Juan, the cost is $19. Taxi service from the airport is quite well regulated, with a dispatcher handing you a ticket detailing your costs. These also include baggage costs (50 cents for each of the first three bags, then $1 per bag) and a 10% to 15% tip is expected.

By Limousine -- There are more than enough reputable limousine rental companies to choose from, but arrangements must be made beforehand. Limousines don't sit at the airport like taxis. You must arrange pickup in advance or call once you get in. A simple pickup from the airport to your hotel ranges in cost from $100 to $125. Most vehicles fit six passengers comfortably. Your driver will meet you outside the baggage-claim area.

By Public Car -- Public cars, called públicos, are either vans or large sedans that are shared by passengers. The ride can sometimes be crowded and take longer, the more passengers there are. They are a bargain for budget travelers who have to travel a distance from the airport and do not want to rent a car. It will cost you $20 to get to Ponce and $10 to Caguas, plus baggage fee.

By Car -- All the major car-rental companies have kiosks at the airport. Although it's possible to rent a car once you arrive, your best bet is to reserve one before you leave home.

To drive into the city, head west along Route 26 or the Baldorioty de Castro Expressway, which cuts just south of San Juan's Atlantic coastline. Immediately to your right you will see an Isla Verde exit, and soon the towering oceanfront condominiums of Isla Verde are visible to the right. The road cuts through the Santurce section at the heart of San Juan, and then you will see exits for Condado. All hotels have parking lots open to the public, and several lots are visible from the main roads in the area -- Ashford Avenue in the Condado and Isla Verde Avenue in Condado. The road then passes by the Condado Lagoon and crosses into Puerta de Tierra near the Caribe Hilton. The road at this point becomes Avenida Muñoz Rivera, as it passes a beautifully landscaped park of the same name on one side and the El Escambrón public beach and adjacent Third Millennium Park on the other side. The road then climbs a bluff overlooking the Atlantic coastline, offering a dramatic view of waves crashing against the rocky coastline.

Here, you will pass the capitol building on your left, and then the historic Spanish fortress Fort San Cristóbal at the entrance of Old San Juan. If you continue straight down into the city along Calle San Sebastián, the northern border of Plaza Colón, you will find parking at La Cochera near Plaza de Armas, which is the closest to the center of the historic district. Another option is to turn right and take the northern coastal road to Ballaja, where there is parking. If you plan on visiting the San Sebastian Street area or El Convento hotel, these two options work best.

If you plan on hanging around the jumping SoFo section near La Fortaleza, you may want to head straight at the stop sign in front of Plaza Colón, taking the street that passes beside the Tapia Theater. Right behind the theater, where the road intersects with Calle Recinto Sur, is the large Paseo Portuario parking garage (tel. 787/722-2233). Bear right for the entrance. Farther down the one-way street is the city-run Doña Fela parking garage (no phone). Another option at Plaza Colón is to turn left at Plaza Colón as if exiting the city. Take your first two rights, which will turn you around again past the Treasury Building, and park your car in another Covadonga Parking Garage (tel. 787/721-6911) on the left. Operating hours vary, but they are open at least until midnight during weekdays and 3am weekends. Prices vary, with municipal-run lots cheaper than private lots, but figure on paying $1 per hour.

By Bus -- Those with little luggage can take a bus at a cost of 75¢. You need to hop on the B-40 or the C-45, taking it one stop to Isla Verde. From there, you can take the A-5, which runs through Isla Verde, swings to Condado near Avenida de Diego, and then heads into Old San Juan. To go farther into the Condado, you can then transfer to another bus.