Neighborhoods

With its cobblestone streets and a pastel rainbow of Spanish Colonial houses, all frosted with ornate trim, Old San Juan is picture perfect. For the tourists breezing in from their cruise ship, Old San Juan might be their only glimpse of Puerto Rico. But this historic district isn’t a tourist artifact—it’s a vibrant, living neighborhood. Residents love the ability to walk to their favorite restaurants and shops, and delight in the barrio’s unique geography as a walled city on an islet jutting out into the sea. Old San Juan is more than 500 years old and one of the oldest settlements in the Americas.