NPS Photo / E. Vega Welcome to San Juan National Historic Site!San Juan National Historic Site is one of the over 400 parks of the National Park Service. It includes Castillo San Felipe del Morro, Castillo San Cristóbal, most of the city walls, the San Juan Gate and Fort San Juan de la Cruz just across the entrance to the bay. Our mission is to preserve natural and cultural treasures, like this one, for the enjoyment of this and future generations. Puerto Rico is the easternmost of the Greater Antilles in the Caribbean and is the first major island with fresh water, food, shelter, and supplies like wood that sailors could reach coming from Europe by sea. But something else made Puerto Rico even more important to Spain. Shortly after the Spaniards settled here, they discovered that the bigger territories in Mexico, Central and South America were full of treasures like gold, silver and gems. Spain wanted those riches. The military fortifications in San Juan established Puerto Rico as the "front door" to the expansive Spanish colonies in the New World. During the 16th century, Spain quickly became a major world power largely because of the strategically located island of Puerto Rico.That's why Spain spent over 250 years fortifying this prized location. It's no wonder why Spain vigorously protected and kept Puerto Rico under its control for nearly 400 years! 501 Norzagaray Street Castillo San Cristobal San Juan, PR 00901 From Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport - Get on Expreso Román Baldorioty de Castro/PR-26 from Av. Aeropuerto - Merge onto Expreso Román Baldorioty de Castro/PR-26 - Follow Avenida Luis Muñoz Rivera to Calle Norzagaray, Old San Juan Puerto Rico enjoys year round tropical climate. Winters are breeze and summers are mostly hot and humid. It rains all year long with a "dry" season in April. Temperatures range from 80's in the winter to 90's in the summer. The hurricane season starts in June and ends in November. On the longest day, June 22nd, the sun sets around 7 PM. On the shortest day, December 22nd, the sun sets around 4:30 PM. Entrance Fee (Standard Entrance Pass)
Public WiFi is not available.
There is cellular coverage for major providers around Old San Juan |
Last updated: January 28, 2021