Best Free Routes In San Juan Near Me

4worldlovers: San Juan Puerto Rico ⎮ Getting Around San Juan ⎮ Old San Juan Trolley


If you’re visiting Old San Juan for just a day, you need to make the most of your time. Using the free trolley system may get you where you need to go more comfortably depending on your mobility comfort. One of the benefits of getting on the trolley is that it offers a nice way to get acquainted with the layout of the city, then you can get off and begin exploring the colorful historic district full of interesting things to do and see.


Trolley Update: The free trolley in Old San Juan is currently not in service. If you have mobility challenges or are limited on time, we highly recommend you book a private driving tour of Old San Juan or a private walking tour so it can be customized to any of your special needs. See tours below. Book in advance to reserve a spot.


The Old, The New and the Now: An Updated Private San Juan City Tour


Private Driving tour of places of interest such as Condado, Ocean Park, and Old San Juan

A good starting point is on Trolley stop #12. If you were getting off a cruise, you would start walking to the left, follow the sidewalk along the water past “La Casita”, and you’ll soon see the stop. Before you get to the stop, be sure to stop at the Puerto Rico Tourism Office at the corner of the Ochoa Building across the street from Pier #1 where you can get maps and speak to friendly staff ready to answer your questions. Stop #12 is right at the entry of Paseo de la Princesa, which is the first attraction on our favorite walking tour of Old San Juan. On your way to stop #12, you can get a refreshing “Piragua” and taste a favorite Puerto Rican treat.

Please keep in mind that Old San Juan is a wonderful city that can be enjoyed on foot – 7 blocks of colorful streets offering many stops along the way to interesting attractions, shops, and restaurants. Some of the most charming details are missed unless you walk. There’s so much to see that you’ll be entertained as you walk across the other side to the forts.

When cruises arrive in San Juan, there will be hundreds of people trying to get on the trolley. Most cruisers will attempt to get on the nearest trolley stops right near Bahia Urbana. If you want to get a faster head start on your walking tour of Old San Juan, it is smarter to just start walking towards one of the attractions and hopping on the trolley at another stop around the city.

During cruise ship arrival days, do not waste time waiting on Trolley stop #1. No one ever gets off on stop #1, on regular days it’s not a problem. One of the best stops to hop on the trolley is #14 at Pier 2 and stops #12 and #13 around the plaza with “The Casita” building (picture on right).

If you’re visiting the forts, you’ll have a shorter wait time by getting back on the trolley right at the main entrances where visitors typically get off. Most visitors are going straight to El Morro after visiting San Cristobal, so the trolley is typically full and it’s hard to get back to Calle Norzagaray.

During the morning and at the end of the business day, locals will be hopping on, so expect more crowds.

There is no organized line for the trolley. It can be quite annoying at times to get on the trolley, especially if you have a seat on a bench while you wait because then other people come and wait to hop on before you. Stay as close to the front of the sidewalk as possible at the stop to get on more quickly.

Get tips while you wait – Locals are very friendly and ready to help. So while you’re waiting for the trolley use this good opportunity to ask questions. Most locals in San Juan speak English, and if they don’t, they will still do their best to help you.

There are 3 trolley routes, one of them is an open-air tram with 2 cars and the other 2 are enclosed and air-conditioned.