Beyondships Cruise Destinations
  • Cruise Destinations and Ports
  • Cruise Ship Profiles
  • Cruise Travel News
  • Beyondships Cruise FAQs
  • What's New
  • Cruise Articles
  • Cruise Interviews
  • Cruise Links
  • Cruise Home Page
  • Canada New England Cruise Destinations
  • Caribbean Cruise Destinations
  • Cruise Ship Tours
  • Notices
  • Beyondships Art
  • Privacy Policy
  • Althorp
  • Blenheim Palace
  • Broadlands
  • Stratfield Saye
  • Hever Castle
  • Hatfield House
  • The Vyne
  • Osterley Park
  • Chatsworth
  • Highclere Castle
  • Beyond Downton Abby
  • Chiswick House
  • Royal Botanic Gardens Kew
  • Kew Palace
Cruise ports and destinations
Caribbean cruise destinations
San Juan home page
San Juan cruise port
​San Juan cruise ships photo feature ​
​San Juan Hurricane Recovery
Old San Juan Attractions page one
Old San Juan Attractions page two
Old San Juan Attractions page three
Old San Juan Attractions page four
Bacardi Rum Distillery Tour
Visiting San Juan's Fortresses
​
Old San Juan Seaside Walk
​
Old San Juan Kite Flying
Visiting El Capitolio
​Visiting Casa Blanca

Cruise destination:


OLD
SAN JUAN
(Caribbean)

ATTRACTIONS

page three

Picture
Picture El Morro, Old San Juan, cruise destination
Picture El Morro and cruise ship Celebrity Millennium
El Morro, San Juan

 El Morro

The first sight cruise visitors often see of San Juan is the Fuerte San Felipse del Morro.  This powerful fortress sits on the rocky headland at the entrance to San Juan Bay and so ships entering the harbor must pass beneath it.

El Morro was constructed in order to defend San Juan from attack by the sea.  It actively did so several times, including the attack by Sir Francis Drake in 1595, the Dutch attack in 1625, and Sir Ralph Abercrombie's attack in 1797.  Indeed, the fortress was given additional defense during World War II in case of an attack by Axis forces.

Today, El Morro is both a National Historic Site and a World Heritage Site.  It is operated by the National Parks Department.

The vast green fields adjoining El Morro on the landward side are popular with locals for kite flying and picnics.
(See separate article about visiting the fortresses of El Morro and San Cristobal)
Picture El Morro, Old San Juan, cruise destination

Escuela de Artes Plasticas

Immediately across the field from El Morro is an impressive building that was once an insane asylum.  Today, it is the the School of the Arts.
Picture School of Art, Old San Juan, cruise destination
Picture Plaza de Quinto Centenario, Old San Juan, cruise destination

Plaza del Quinto Centenario

Picture Plaza del Quinto Centenario, Old San Juan, cruise destination
Also adjacent to El Morro is a large plaza marking the 500th anniversary of the European discovery of the New World and Puerto Rico.  Each element of the plaza, relates to an aspect of Puerto Rico's history.  The dominant feature, however, is the 40-foot high Totem Telúrico by Jaime Suarez.  It includes ceramic copies of various archeological finds and is a tribute to the discovery of the New World.   

Cuartel del Ballaja

Picture Cuartel del Ballaja, Old San Juan, cruise destination
Built as a military barracks, this is one of the largest buildings from the Spanish colonial era.  After the Spanish American War, it was used by the United States military as a barracks and later as a medical facility.  Today, it houses the Museum of the Americas.  Its permanent exhibits include an exhibit on the Indian in America and one on the African heritage.

On the second floor is the Museo del Indio, which focuses on the indigenous peoples of the Caribbean.

Picture

Instituto de Cultura Puertorriquena

Picture Institute of Culture, Old San Juan, cruise destination
Across the Plaza del Cuartel Ballaja is a neo-classical building that is now the headquarters of the Puerto Rican Institue of Culture.  Originally, built in the mid-nineteenth century as a refuge for orphans, the destitute and the elderly, it was a U.S. Army facility for 45 years in the 20th century. 

Picture Institute of Culture, Old San Juan, cruise destination
Picture

Parque de la Beneficencia

Not far from the Museum of the Americas is a small park popular with strollers and students from the School of Art.  The modern statue that dominates the scene is dedicated to Puerto Rican intellectual and educator Eugenio Maria de Hostos, known as the "Citizen of the Americas"   
Click here to continue with page 4 of Old San Jua attractions

Click here for our San Juan overview page

Click here for our page on the San Juan cruise port

Click here for our San Juan links page
Click here for other cruise ports and destinations
Click here for other Caribbean cruise destinations
 
Cruise destination - - Old San Juan - Attractions - page three
Beyondships Cruise Ship Profiles
​
(Information about cruise ships)
BeyondshipsArt.com
(Museum profiles, Art reviews, and Original art)
Beyondships LLC
Notices
Privacy Policy
Beyondships Cruise Ship Pictorials and Reviews
(Photos, videos and reviews of cruise ships)