Holiday in San Juan

About San Juan

San Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico, is the oldest settlement founded by Europeans on U.S. territory (1521) and offers a unique blend of Spanish colonial heritage and Caribbean lifestyle. Viejo San Juan (Old San Juan) with its colorful houses, cobblestone streets, and massive Spanish fortresses is one of the best-preserved colonial districts in the entire Caribbean. El Morro (Castillo San Felipe del Morro), the massive six-story fortress at the harbor entrance, is the landmark: started in 1539 and expanded over 250 years, it protected San Juan from pirates, the English, and the Dutch. Together with Castillo San Cristóbal, it forms the UNESCO World Heritage Site La Fortaleza y Sitio Histórico Nacional de San Juan. Condado and Isla Verde offer a Caribbean beach atmosphere with high-rise hotels, turquoise waters, and surfing opportunities. Santurce, once a rundown neighborhood, is now an arts district with galleries, street art, craft cocktail bars, and Puerto Rico's best gastronomy. Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory, making travel easy for Americans — no passport needed, dollar as currency. For Germans, it is a gateway to the Caribbean with U.S. infrastructure, the El Yunque rainforest (the only tropical rainforest in the U.S. National Park Service), and bioluminescent bays.