San Juan is a spirited modern city with high-rise beach strips and a justly famous colonial core. Founded in the 16th century, it's the second-oldest city in the Americas; today it's the engine of the island's economic and political life and the cultural beachhead for US influence in the Caribbean.
Many Caribbean adventurers never make it past Puerto Rico's seductive capital: there's a lot to be said for being able to lay a towel down on a pristine white Caribbean beach while having the culture and quaintness of a historic city and the convenience of a modern metropolis just minutes away.
See in San Juan :Bacardi Rum FactoryRoad 165, Km 2.6, Int 888
Tel: 787 788 8400 (info)
Called the 'Cathedral of Rum' because of its six-story pink distillation tower, the Bacardi plant covers 127 acres (51 ha) and stands out like a petroleum refinery. The free tour includes a trolley ride around the distillery and bottling plant, a modest museum and a gratis rum cocktail.
The world's largest and most famous rum-producing family started their business in Cuba more than a century ago, but they began moving their operation to this site in 1936. Today the distiller produces some 100,000 gallons of rum per day and ships 21 million cases per year worldwide.
Hours: Mon-Sat 9:00am-4:30pm, Sun 10:00am-3:30pm
Web:
http://www.casabacardi.org 
El ArsenalCalle La Puntilla
Tel: 787 724 1877 (info)
On the point of land called La Puntilla is a low, grey fortress with a grand Roman-_style_ entrance. This is El Arsenal, a former Spanish naval station that was the last place to house Spanish military forces after the US victory in the Spanish-American War.
Today, the Arsenal is home to the fine-and decorative-arts divisions of the Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña and hosts periodic exhibitions in three galleries.
Hours: Mon-Fri 8:30am-4:00pm
Web:
http://www.icp.gobierno.pr Fuerte San Felipe del MorroTel: 787 7296960 (info)
Known simply as 'El Morro' (meaning headland or promontory), this six-level fort with its grey castellated lighthouse and 42m (140ft) walls (some up to 5m/15ft thick) dates back to 1539 and claims to be the oldest Spanish fort in the New World.
Even if forts, guns and wars don't do it for you, Fuerte San Felipe del Morro is impressive because of its scale, architecture and dramatic setting on the cliffs of the bold headland overlooking the Atlantic and the entrance to the Bahía de San Juan. If you don't join one of the free guided tours, at least try to make the climb up the ramparts to the sentries' walks along the Sta Barbara Bastion and Austria Half-Bastion for the views of the sea, the bay, Old San Juan, modern San Juan, El Yunque and the island's mountains.
Hours: 9:00am-5:00pm
Web:
http://www.nps.gov/saju La Fortaleza Calle Fortaleza
Tel: 787 721 7000 (info)
Also known as El Palacio de Sta Catalina, this imposing building is the oldest executive mansion in continuous use in the western hemisphere, dating from 1533. Once the original fortress for the young colony, La Fortaleza eventually yielded its military pre-eminence to the city's newer and larger forts.
Puerto Rico's governors have lived here in succession for more than three centuries. If you are dressed in respectful attire, you can join a 40-minute guided tour that includes the mansion's Moorish gardens, the dungeon and the chapel.
Tours generally run on weekdays except holidays; tours in English leave on the hour, in Spanish on the half hour. It's a good idea to call in advance to make sure the grounds are not closed for a government function. If you stop by La Fortaleza on a Friday or Saturday evening, you might catch the governor throwing a garden party to the rhythms of the best salsa bands on the island.
Hours: Mon-Fri 9:00am-3:30pm
Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico 299 De Diego Ave
Tel: 787 9776277 (info)
This is the Caribbean's biggest art museum. The west wing is a neoclassical structure from the 1920s and once part of the Municipal Hospital of San Juan. It forms the main entrance to the museum which houses the permanent collection in 18 exhibition halls. The east wing is a modern structure with a sculpture garden, atrium, and computer centre.
Hours: Tue-Sat 10:00am-5:00pm, Sun 11:00am-6:00pm
Web:
http://www.mapr.org Events in San JuanSan Juan's Fiesta de San Juan Bautista (Festival of St John the Baptist) in late June wonderfully fuses pagan and Catholic iconography and Indian, African and Spanish traditions. There are solemn religious aspects and plenty of feasting, music, dancing and colourful costumed processions. The highlight of the parade is a communal luck-enhancing midnight walk backwards into the sea. The three weeks of Las Navidades, beginning on 15 December, are the peak period of socializing and religious observation, though many of the celebrations take place at family homes. The climax comes on 6 January, when hordes of children advance on La Fortaleza to receive presents from the governor.
Old San Juan takes to the streets during the Saint Sebastian Festival in the third week of January. The Casals Festival honours the famous Puerto Rican cellist in June. It attracts classical musicians of international repute and is one of the Caribbean's major cultural events. In Bayamón, part of metropolitan San Juan, July's Festival del Chicarrón celebrates the smoked ham delicacy. The International Old Lacers Convention in August gives you a chance to get wrapped up in traditional Puerto Rican mundillo lace. Sanjuaneros get _base_ball fever when the season starts in November, reaching its climax in February.
