Country Guides - Puerto Rico
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This area, encompassing about seven blocks, dates back about 500 years to the Spanish occupation when it served as a military stronghold that even repulsed Sir Francis Drake. The original cobbles on the streets are blue-tinged, and were originally ballast on the Spanish ships. The ancient stones set off the more than 400 restored 16th and 17th century Spanish colonial buildings that fill Old San Juan and draw thousands of tourists to walk the narrow, steep streets every day. The old town is enclosed in amazingly thick, high walls and features numerous attractive plazas bearing sculptures and memorials.
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Spanish Forts
The mighty six-level fortress of San Felipe del Morro, built in 1540, towers 140 feet (43m) above the sea on San Juan Bay, its 18-foot thick (5m) walls having proved a worthy defence against invasion. The largest fortification in the Caribbean, it is a maze of tunnels, dungeons, barracks, lookouts and ramps, offering spectacular views from atop its ramparts. Also in Norzagaray Street, Old San Juan, is El Morro's partner in defending the city, Castillo San Cristobal, built in the 17th century to a confusing and intricate modular design.
Telephone: 729 6960
Website: www.nps.gov/saju
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Opening times: Forts open daily 9am to 5pm (June to November), 9am to 6pm (December to May)
La Fortaleza
The Fortaleza was built in 1540 as a fortress to guard the entrance to the San Juan harbour, but later became the official Governor's residence. During succeeding centuries the original structure has been remodelled and expanded, with a neoclassical façade being added in 1846 to leave the building with its palatial aspect. The current governor of Puerto Rico is in residence - the 170th Governor to live in the Fortaleza.
Telephone: 721 7000 ext. 2358
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Opening times: Daily 9am to 6pm (until 5pm from June to November). Tours are available every 30 minutes from Monday to Friday between 9am and 3.30pm. Reservations are required
Saint John the Baptist Cathedral
San Juan's Cathedral was originally built in 1521 by Puerto Rico's first Spanish bishop as a thatched wooden church, but was destroyed in a hurricane in 1526. The current medieval structure, built from the stone brought in from inland quarries by horsepower, dates from 1540, although extensive renovations and reconstruction was carried out in 1917. The cathedral features Doric columns and elliptical vaults, and contains the marble tomb of the island's first governor.
Telephone: 722 0861 or 722-1709
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Opening times: Daily tours from 8.30am to 4pm. Regular services are held
Casa Blanca
The family of Puerto Rico's first governor, Ponce de Leon, whose descendants inhabited it for 250 years, built the historic homestead of Casa Blanca in 1523. It was subsequently taken over by the Spanish and then United States military. Today the mansion house contains two museums. A small section is dedicated to artefacts associated with the Taino Indians, while the rest of the house depicts the life of those who lived there through the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries.
Telephone: 724 4102
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Opening times: Tuesday to Sunday 9am to 12pm and 1pm to 4.30pm. Guided tours by appointment Tuesday to Friday
Casa del Libro
The 18th-century mansion known as Casa del Libro houses a vast collection of rare sketches, illustrations, ancient manuscripts and books, some dating from before the 16th century. The museum's most prized possessions are two royal mandates signed by Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain in 1493 regarding the provisioning of Christopher Columbus's fleet for his second voyage to the New World. This was the voyage during which Puerto Rico was discovered.
Telephone: 723 0354
Website:
Transport:
Opening times: Tuesday to Saturday 11am to 4.30pm
University campus
The University of Puerto Rico campus in the Rio Piedras offers two attractions for visitors. The University Museum contains archaeological and historical exhibits and holds monthly art exhibitions. The Botanical Gardens in the grounds of the University are a living laboratory displaying the native flora of Puerto Rico, containing more than 200 species of tropical and sub-tropical plants.
Telephone: 764 0000 ext 2452 (museum); 763 4408 (gardens)
Website:
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Opening times: Monday to Friday 9am to 11pm, weekends 9am to 3pm (museum); daily 9am to 4.30pm (gardens)
Museo de Arte
Puerto Rico's showcase art gallery opened just a few years ago at a cost of millions of dollars. The gallery is housed in a former city hospital in Santurce and offers a permanent and visiting exhibition. The aim is to highlight the island's heritage through the work of local artists, such as Francisco Oller, who studied in France with Cézanne, and Jose Campeche, a late 18th century Classical painter. The museum has been described as a 'living textbook of Puerto Rico', spanning the centuries through the medium of art.
Telephone: 977 6277 ext. 2290
Website: www.mapr.org
Transport:
Opening times: Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday 10am to 5pm; Wednesday 10am to 8pm; Sunday 11am to 6pm; closed Monday
Las Cabezas de San Juan Nature Reserve
Located on three promontories on the extreme northeast corner of the island, Las Cabezas reserve is one of the most beautiful and bio-diverse natural areas in Puerto Rico. The reserve is close to Fajardo, a major marina and diving resort, about an hour's drive from San Juan. The area offers pristine beaches ideal for snorkelling. The reserve contains seven different ecological systems including coral reefs, sandy beaches, lagoons, mangroves and dry forest. It is also home to several endangered species. Boardwalk trails provide easy access. A restored 19th century lighthouse, El Faro, is situated on one of the headlands and offers an information centre and observation deck.
Telephone: 722 5882 (weekday reservations), 860 2560 (weekend reservations)
Website:
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Opening times: Wednesday to Sunday, reservations are required because of the popularity of the reserve. English language tours 2pm
Parque de Bombas Fire Station
A unique attraction on the central Plaza de las Delicias is the unusual Ponce fire station, a landmark wooden building painted in black and red stripes. The firehouse was built in 1882 and was tested to its limits just a year later when the city experienced a massive fire. Firemen from the Parque de Bombas station heroically battled the blaze. The station remained headquarters for the fire fighters until 1990, when it was turned into a museum open to the public.
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Transport:
Opening times:
Ponce Art Museum
The 'Museo de Arte de Ponce' contains the largest art collection in the Caribbean, housed in a building designed by Edward Durrell Stone, who designed the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The impressive building is comprised of seven interconnected hexagons topped with glass cupolas. Inside are more than 1,000 paintings and 400 sculptures covering classical, ancient and contemporary works. Among the prizes of the collection are works by Velasquez, Rubens and Rodin. Puerto Rican art also features strongly.
Telephone: 848 0511 or 848 0505
Website: www.museoarteponce.org
Transport:
Opening times: Open daily 10am to 5pm
Museum of Puerto Rico Music
This museum is dedicated to documenting the rich tapestry of the island's music history and pays tribute to Puerto Rican musicians. It explains the significance of the romantic 'danza' music style, and the African-inspired popular forms of 'bomba' and 'plenza'. The museum features displays of Indian, Spanish and African musical instruments, and memorabilia of local composers and performers, housed in the attractive former residence of the Serralles family, renowned rum producers.
Telephone: 848 7016
Website:
Transport:
Opening times: Tuesday to Saturday 8.30am to 4.30pm (December to March); daily except Mondays 8.30am to 4.30pm (April to November)
Castillo Serralles
Perched above the city on El Vigia Hill is the restored residence of the Serralles rum-producing family. The multi-level Spanish-revival hacienda, designed by Pedro de Castro, is a beautiful example of the island's 1920/30s architecture. The house surrounds an elegant courtyard featuring fountains and is renowned for its splendid carved dining-room ceiling. The mansion is set in magnificent terraced formal gardens.
Telephone: 259 1774
Website:
Transport:
Opening times: Daily except Mondays 9.30am to 5.30pm
Cities & Regions: San Juan | Ponce | Fajardo
The family of Puerto Rico's first governor, Ponce de Leon, whose descendants inhabited it for 250 years, built the historic homestead of Casa Blanca in 1523. It was subsequently taken over by the Spanish and then United States military. Today the mansion house contains two museums. A small section is dedicated to artefacts associated with the Taino Indians, while the rest of the house depicts the life of those who lived there through the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries.
Telephone: 724 4102
Website:
Transport:
Opening times: Tuesday to Sunday 9am to 12pm and 1pm to 4.30pm. Guided tours by appointment Tuesday to Friday
Casa del Libro
The 18th-century mansion known as Casa del Libro houses a vast collection of rare sketches, illustrations, ancient manuscripts and books, some dating from before the 16th century. The museum's most prized possessions are two royal mandates signed by Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain in 1493 regarding the provisioning of Christopher Columbus's fleet for his second voyage to the New World. This was the voyage during which Puerto Rico was discovered.
Telephone: 723 0354
Website:
Transport:
Opening times: Tuesday to Saturday 11am to 4.30pm
University campus
The University of Puerto Rico campus in the Rio Piedras offers two attractions for visitors. The University Museum contains archaeological and historical exhibits and holds monthly art exhibitions. The Botanical Gardens in the grounds of the University are a living laboratory displaying the native flora of Puerto Rico, containing more than 200 species of tropical and sub-tropical plants.
Telephone: 764 0000 ext 2452 (museum); 763 4408 (gardens)
Website:
Transport:
Opening times: Monday to Friday 9am to 11pm, weekends 9am to 3pm (museum); daily 9am to 4.30pm (gardens)
Museo de Arte
Puerto Rico's showcase art gallery opened just a few years ago at a cost of millions of dollars. The gallery is housed in a former city hospital in Santurce and offers a permanent and visiting exhibition. The aim is to highlight the island's heritage through the work of local artists, such as Francisco Oller, who studied in France with Cézanne, and Jose Campeche, a late 18th century Classical painter. The museum has been described as a 'living textbook of Puerto Rico', spanning the centuries through the medium of art.
Telephone: 977 6277 ext. 2290
Website: www.mapr.org
Transport:
Opening times: Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday 10am to 5pm; Wednesday 10am to 8pm; Sunday 11am to 6pm; closed Monday
Las Cabezas de San Juan Nature Reserve
Located on three promontories on the extreme northeast corner of the island, Las Cabezas reserve is one of the most beautiful and bio-diverse natural areas in Puerto Rico. The reserve is close to Fajardo, a major marina and diving resort, about an hour's drive from San Juan. The area offers pristine beaches ideal for snorkelling. The reserve contains seven different ecological systems including coral reefs, sandy beaches, lagoons, mangroves and dry forest. It is also home to several endangered species. Boardwalk trails provide easy access. A restored 19th century lighthouse, El Faro, is situated on one of the headlands and offers an information centre and observation deck.
Telephone: 722 5882 (weekday reservations), 860 2560 (weekend reservations)
Website:
Transport:
Opening times: Wednesday to Sunday, reservations are required because of the popularity of the reserve. English language tours 2pm
Parque de Bombas Fire Station
A unique attraction on the central Plaza de las Delicias is the unusual Ponce fire station, a landmark wooden building painted in black and red stripes. The firehouse was built in 1882 and was tested to its limits just a year later when the city experienced a massive fire. Firemen from the Parque de Bombas station heroically battled the blaze. The station remained headquarters for the fire fighters until 1990, when it was turned into a museum open to the public.
Telephone:
Website:
Transport:
Opening times:
Ponce Art Museum
The 'Museo de Arte de Ponce' contains the largest art collection in the Caribbean, housed in a building designed by Edward Durrell Stone, who designed the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The impressive building is comprised of seven interconnected hexagons topped with glass cupolas. Inside are more than 1,000 paintings and 400 sculptures covering classical, ancient and contemporary works. Among the prizes of the collection are works by Velasquez, Rubens and Rodin. Puerto Rican art also features strongly.
Telephone: 848 0511 or 848 0505
Website: www.museoarteponce.org
Transport:
Opening times: Open daily 10am to 5pm
Museum of Puerto Rico Music
This museum is dedicated to documenting the rich tapestry of the island's music history and pays tribute to Puerto Rican musicians. It explains the significance of the romantic 'danza' music style, and the African-inspired popular forms of 'bomba' and 'plenza'. The museum features displays of Indian, Spanish and African musical instruments, and memorabilia of local composers and performers, housed in the attractive former residence of the Serralles family, renowned rum producers.
Telephone: 848 7016
Website:
Transport:
Opening times: Tuesday to Saturday 8.30am to 4.30pm (December to March); daily except Mondays 8.30am to 4.30pm (April to November)
Castillo Serralles
Perched above the city on El Vigia Hill is the restored residence of the Serralles rum-producing family. The multi-level Spanish-revival hacienda, designed by Pedro de Castro, is a beautiful example of the island's 1920/30s architecture. The house surrounds an elegant courtyard featuring fountains and is renowned for its splendid carved dining-room ceiling. The mansion is set in magnificent terraced formal gardens.
Telephone: 259 1774
Website:
Transport:
Opening times: Daily except Mondays 9.30am to 5.30pm
Cities & Regions: San Juan | Ponce | Fajardo
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