1 day in San Juan Puerto Rico-how to have an epic day

You are in San Juan, but only for a day trip? Don’t worry you will have enough time to discover this great place and all the best things you can do in the heart of old San Juan. You will love all the historic buildings , the colorful streets, city walls of old San Juan and the rich history of the city. In this 1 day in San Juan Puerto Rico blog post, I will share an old San Juan itinerary with great spot to enjoy your day the best way possible. This blog post contains affiliate links. When you make a purchase, I may get a small commission at no additional cost to you. Find out more here.

Do you need help planning your Puerto Rico itinerary ? Check out these helpful resources:

• Flights
• Accommodation for all budgets
• Rental car
• Activities, tours, and day trips
• eSIM for international data

Have a breakfast at El Huevo

I discovered this restaurant totally by chance while walking the streets near my Airbnb and I was really happy about my find. In my opinion, this is one of the best restaurants for breakfast that we had on our whole trip. They offer pretty amazing Puerto Rican breakfast with great option for everyone.

The ambience is unique and the food’s portion were generous. I had the Tommy Emparedado. The bread was so moist and fluffy, the flavors were one point, with three choices of hot sauce of course, and the sandwich was definitely too big for me to eat in one sitting. The best part in my opinion was the wonderful flavors of the meal. I would gladly eat at this place again! 

P.s. They do accept credit cards at this restaurant.

Snorkel with manatees and sea turtles

For the next stop, If you’re Iooking to swim with manatees, this activity is totally your best shot to do it! I booked a sea turtles and manatees snorkeling tour and I was not disappointed. If I’m being totally honest, I was a bit skeptical at first. It is on a small public beach in the heart of San Juan and this is one of the best places to see manatees up close, if you do not have your open water diver certification.

Local guide will meet you at playita del Condado beach and you will swim with them for around 1 hour and a half. There is a parking lot at a walking distance of the beach.

When you go underwater, there are a ton of sea turtles and starfish. While I was there, I saw at least five turtles and many starfish. My favorite things was swimming with cute little cuttlefish. This was an amazing moment and I definitely had a good time. 

Additionally, you may swim with manatees. Since they are wild animals, you have to keep in mind that they are free to roam wherever they want and you might not see them on your tour. The good news is, the guides offer a chance to booked at another time if you do not see what you wanted.  

Walk in the old San Juan

Visit the Castillo San Felipe del Morro

I would start off by walking on the Calle Norzagaray toward the Castillo San Felipe del Morro because, this way, you will have a nice long walk, with a beautiful view, by the water. Then, when you reach the Castillo you can book a tour guide if you want to visit the inside of this Unesco world heritage site. It is totally worth it.

If you do not feel like paying the entrance fee for this activity, you can also enjoy a walk all the way around the castle. There is a free trail on the right side of the castle that go down and round. I found that it was really impressive to see it from the base of the castle. If you have time on your hand, you should definitely do the tour and the walk around the base of the castle and see this historic fortification in another angle.

When you’re done, I suggest that you pass by the small streets, like Calle de la Luna or Calle de San Francisco. This, way you will be able to enjoy the unique and colorful architecture of the houses around you and walk on beautiful cobblestone streets.

Walk to the Catedral Basilica Menor de San Juan Bautista

As you walk in the old city trough the colorful streets of old San Juan, I suggest that you make a little stop here. This Cathedral was built in 1521 making it the oldest church in the country.  It also holds the tomb of Ponce de Leon

Go to Plaza de Armas

Located at a walking distance of the San Juan cathedral, this place is perfect to soak in all the Puerto Rican life style. If visiting in high season, you might be lucky enough to listen to live music from street performers while sipping a cup of coffee at one of the coffee shops. Additionally, it is one of the best spots for shopping in the old town if you want to bring something to your loved ones. 

Enjoy a wonderful meal at Katsubowl

This is a restaurant that I absolutely loved. The portion were perfect and the food was full of flavors. I had the Mongolian beef noodles and my boyfriend had the Dan Dan noodles. Everything tasted so good and the personnel was really nice. The ambiance was great too. So, if you want an amazing Asian meal, I would totally recommend this place. But, some of the people travelling with you are not fan of this kind of food, the restaurant is sharred La Pizzarra. They offer decadent pizza. Hence, at the same place you have two choices of menus. 

FAQs about Puerto Rico

Where should I stay in Puerto Rico?

While I travelled, I booked a lot of room in Puerto Rico two places that I liked where the Guayacan Guest House at La Parguera. I had access to everything I needed. I had a kitchen to cook all my meal, a living room with a tv for a little movie night at the end of the day, a bathroom and and air conditioned bedroom. We could walk to restaurants or to the Laundromat. It was perfect for what I needed. 

Another one that I liked was was La Sabana, en Camuy PR. I loved it for the same reasons than the one above. But it was much more beautiful inside! I felt really cozy and at home in this apartment. It was not near any restaurants or anything, but it was the perfect place for a one night stay. 

What is the best time to visit Puerto Rico?

I visited Puerto Rico in late April and beginning of May. It was exactly at the end of the peak season. I had especially good weather to do all my activities, but I had rain for about 1 hour almost everyday around 3 pm for the 14 days that I was visiting. It did not bother me that much since it was hot tropical rain, but be sure to bring a good raincoat. 

If you do not mind a little bit of rain you will love it. It was hot and sunny the rest of the time. And, since the peak season was over, the beaches were almost empty. It was really nice and I could explore as much as I wanted without being limited by a sea of people. 

How can I get around Puerto Rico?

While it might seem like a small island, do not get fooled, if you want to get out of San Juan, you will need a car.  But, if you intend to stay in San Juan only, you can rely on Uber and Bus. 

For the Old San Juan, I managed to do everything I wanted to see by walking. I was dropped off by a Uber where I wanted for the beginning of my day I walk the rest of the day.

How can I get to San Juan from the Puerto Rico airport?

Bus

You can totally take the bus to go to the airport. But, depending on where your going, you might have to transfer to another bus and it might take up to 1h30 of public transportation. It is the cheapest option, but definitely not the best if you are short on time. 

Taxi

If you do not want to go for the bus option, you can go for a taxi or for a Uber. Both work just fine. Sometimes Uber will connect you to a taxi driver, but it usually is a private driver.

Then, you can opt for the option of scheduling a private transfer if your plane land during the night and you want to be sure to get to your hotel fast.

Car

If you intend on renting a car, you can just grab one at a renting company and be on your way. I rented one from Alamo and I was really please with what I had. I also rented it the day I arrived and I was lucky enough that there was some cars remaining, because I had to do 3 renting companies before finding one.  Therefore, I highly recommend that you rent in advance since the guy after me did not get to have one. 

Are the roads as bad as they say?

Well, if you have ever been to the province of Quebec, you no that the roads are not the best, to stay polite. In Puerto Rico, I found that the roads were quite similar we what we have home. Maybe if you come from a city with pristine roads you will find it horrible out there, but in my opinion it was really not that bad. 

However, I did struggle with the mountain roads. You will need a car with enough power, like a jeep, to go uphill. I stalled when I tried to visit a waterfalls. It was not a happy moment in the trip. If you intend to stay on the main roads, you will have no problem!!  

Plus, google maps does not have the right directions to guide you trough the mountains. Many times, I found myself in a dead end with nowhere else to go and with the gps telling me to go forward. 

How do I get cell phone data while I travel? 

The easiest way and the most budget friendly to have mobile data while you travel would be to purchase an eSIM. It is a digital version of a SIM cart. This will allow you to use data abroad without the need for a physical card. Plus, it’s quite straightforward to use. You would be impress how it is user friendly.

I personally use Saily. Just visit their website, choose the country you’re visiting, select the amount of data and duration you need, and complete your purchase. You’ll then receive a confirmation email with easy instructions to activate your eSIM. To save a little bit more money, you can check the internet. There is always a 15% saving lying around somewhere.

Activation takes less than a minute on your phone. Once it’s set up, you don’t need to do anything else—your data will automatically work as soon as you arrive at your destination. In addition, they have a 24/7 customer service available. So, if you ever need help wherever you are, they will be there for you.

Is Puerto Rico safe for a backpacking traveler?

When I checked the infos for my travel, I heard that Puerto Rico was as safe as Florida for travelers and the only real issue was drug dealing in alleys. But, when I was there I had absolutely no problem. I took walk at night on big lighted streets and everything was good. I did not venture in dark alley, because I am myself a little bit scared to go there.

all of the time that I travelled, I felt safe there and in every city I visited. I did a round trip of the island, visited Vieques and Culebra and there was never a moment where I feared for my safety. But, I did carry minimal thing with me when I was walking outside. I left everything in the appartement that I rented. 

Do I need cash for my trip to Puerto Rico?

It would be better to bring a little bit of cash if you are going to Puerto Rico. Some places, accept cards, but if you go to smaller villages you might not be able to buy that cute souvenir or the delicious meal from the street food vendor.

P.s. Get your money from the airport if you can. We learned the hard way that some ATM have incredible fees. We tried many different machine and they all have big fees. So, if you can avoid it you totally should. Another trick is to always choose the options to let your bank decide of the converting fees instead of the shop’s machine, when paying for something with your card. The conversion rate will be better with your bank. 

Do I have to tip in Puerto Rico?

You do not HAVE TO tip in Puerto Rico, but not tipping is frowned upon. It is customary to leave at the bare minimum 15% of the bills when you go to the restaurant. It’s highly appreciated and if you think that you had outstanding customer service, you can give a little bit more. Usually I never go higher than 20%. If it was an above average experience, I tip at 18%. It is a way to show your appreciation for the person work. It’s about the same thing as in Canada or the US.

Do people speak English in Puerto Rico?

In big cities like San Juan they do speak English, but when you go to smaller town, they mostly speak Spanish. 

Here are some useful sentence that you can use: 

• ¿Dónde está la estación de autobuses? — DON-de es-TAH la es-ta-CION de au-to-BOO-ses?
  “Where is the bus station?”
• Quiero ir a [lugar] — KYE-ro eer a [place]
  “I want to go to [place]”
• Una mesa para dos, por favor — OO-na ME-sa PA-ra dos, por fa-VOR
  “A table for two, please”
• El menú, por favor — el me-NU, por fa-VOR
  “The menu, please”
• ¿Qué me recomienda? — KEH me re-ko-MYEN-da?
  “What do you recommend?”
• La cuenta, por favor — la KWEN-ta, por fa-VOR
  “The check / bill, please”
• ¿Dónde está el baño? — DON-de es-TAH el BA-nyo?
  “Where is the bathroom?”
• ¿Cuánto cuesta esto? — KWAN-to KWES-ta ES-to?
  “How much does this cost?”

Click here for my Spanish cheat sheet

Should I consider Puerto Rico as an adventure destination?

I recommend Puerto Rico as an adventure destination. You can do so many different activities on this island that whatever things you’re into right now, I’m pretty sure you will be able to do it in Puerto Rico…. Except if you want to hike on top of a volcano…THAT will not be possible. But, hiking, scuba diving or kayaking can all be done. Plus, since it the only tropical rainforest of the United States, the landscapes are quite unique. It made it so much nice to discover. We especially had a lot of fun exploring the mangrove forest.

Need help for your next trip? Check out some of my other posts.

Vieques day trip : the best things you should do

best beaches in vieques puerto rico : my favorite one

culebra itinerary – how to have the ultimate day trip

Culebra scuba diving guide: all you need to know

mont tremblant refuges : A Qc retreat for backpacking

Eeyou istchee james bay: the best northern lights guide

Eeyou istchee tourism : what you need to do up north