By land, San Juan

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Free Trolley in Old San Juan!

There is an amazing trolley that goes for free in Old San Juan and this has several points where you can go off, including the two famous forts.

Departure points: Covadonga, La Puntilla, Plaza de Armas, and as mentioned the two forts….is you are not yet at a stopping station, try to wave at it for it to stop – it just might as we observed. However, the only problem we had was that I sat at the narrow back seats and I was sitting with a bum-looking man who seemed to be a bit drunk.

Otherwise, this is a great free way to move around the city. But Old San Juan is really best for walking unless you have some kind of plantar fascitis (foot problems) or you just can't stand the stifling heat and humidity...

I always rent from this company, they have very competitive rates, are centrally located on Isla Verde and have an airport shuttle which will pick you up at the airport and drop you off on your return. The agents at the desk speak English and are helpful and very friendly.

You can make your reservation on line or contact them via their 800 number.

There are taxi's everywhere in San Juan, but they are expensive compared to most other places I've been outside the U.S. My solution was to take the buses! I lived in San Juan for a year and didnt have a car so I took advantage of the bus system. The regular buses are 25 cents for almost anywhere in the city and the metro buses are 50 cents. There is a large bus station in Old San Juan and from there you can get to about anywhere in the city. Yes the buses sometimes take longer than a taxi, but its an adventure and a good way to meet some locals. The A-5 runs from Condado to Isla Verde. Take the B12 to Plaza Las Americas for some shopping!

As you exit the Airport, grab a pick-up bus and rent a car. Driving around San Juan and beyond is a blast. Warning: there's CRAZY driving going on so be careful! Most of the Beaches, Restaurants, Bars and shopping are 5-15 minutes from each other. Shopping is GREAT at Plaza Las Americas and Latinas have great fashion sense so the offerings are sexy, feminine and flashy. Old San Juan at night is great to walk around in and party. Some of the hippest Restaurants to eat and people-watch. And the people are geogeous.

Bus service is fairly reliable and VERY COST EFFECTIVE. We saved, conservatively, between 100 and 200 dollars opting for bus service over taxi service in the Condado/Old San Juan area.
SOME COMMENTS/SUGGESTIONS:
1) Buses don't run on scedules, expect a 10-15 minute wait on average at a "parada" (bus stop), though we got lucky a few times with no wait 2) HAVE EXACT CHANGE. Carry a pocket or purse full of quarters and dimes (75 cents/person/trip) 3) Service stops at 9:00 pm 4) DRIVERS ARE PSYCHO/UNHELPFUL. I soon found out that they care little for your safety and arrival at your destination. Don't expect them to help you with directions, ask the other bus patrons. On the other hand, we arrived quickly to each of our stops because THEY DRIVE AT BREAKNECK SPEEDS!
TELL ME IF THIS TIP WAS HELP OR HINDERANCE. EMAIL AT quadeagle@hotmail.com

No sooner than we were off the ship, we came across many mini buses parked along the street. They were offering to take us to Fort Cristobal for the reasonable fee of $5.00 US each. As it was quite a hike there from the dock area we went for it. The driver did give us a little tour of San Juan and let us off in front of the Fort.

We were able to take the local bus from our hotel in Isla Verde to Old San Juan for 25 cents. Look for the bus stops in front of most hotels. They are marked with a big green ball on top of them. The bus delivers you to the bus station in Old San Juan and picks you up from the same place for the return trip. Approx 35 minutes travel time each way.

A taxi ride was $17.00 each way!

$0.25 a ride to practically anywhere in San Juan and Viejo San Juan. Goes out as far as Plaza las Américas, Bayamón and Condado. Very convenient, air conditioned for tropical climate comfort. More reliable than driving into Viejo San Juan as parking is an utter nightmare.