Hop Aboard the Free Trolley in Old San Juan
Old San Juan now has a free trolley service to help you get around the city. The trolley runs Monday through Friday from 7:00am until 7:00pm, and Saturday and Sunday from 9:00am until 7:00pm. Just stand at any of the marked trolley stop signs and wait for the next trolley to come along. You can get off at any marked trolley stop.
These trolleys are strictly free transportation. They are not "tour" or "sight-seeing" trolleys. There is no tour guide to explain what you’re seeing. But having said that, the trolleys are a nice way to see an overview of the city. They are not the fastest way to get around in the city – the best way to get around and see more is on foot. But they are convenient when you are hot and tired, or physically unable to walk the steep streets.
There are three routes, all of which start at trolley stop 1 , which is on the corner across the street from Cruise Ship Pier 4. This corner has a little restaurant, a convenience store, liquor store, a cigar shop, an internet cafe, and scooter shop. The route names are posted on the front of the trolley above the windshield.
City Hall Route
The trolley used for this route is enclosed and air-conditioned. It travels around the main shopping area of Old San Juan, including Calles Tanaca, San Francisco, Fortaleza, Recinto Sur, and then swings around by the Casita before heading back to trolley stop 1. It hits these stops in this order: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9 , 10, 11, 15, 16, 3, 12, 13, 14.
City Hall / El Morro Route
The trolley used for this route is also enclosed and air-conditioned. It travels around the main shopping area of Old San Juan, including Calles Tanca, San Francisco, Fortaleza, and then heads up past Fort San Cristobal, along the ocean on Calle Norzagaray, then on to El Morro. After turning around at El Morro, it retraces it’s path back to Calle San Francisco, back down Forteleza to Recinto Sur, and then swings around by the Casita before heading back to trolley stop 1. It’s a combination of the City Hall route and the El Morro route, and stops at all the same trolley stops, including numbers 6 and 7.
El Morro Route
The trolley used for this route is an open-air tram-like vehicle with two cars. It bypasses the main shopping area, and makes a bee-line for the forts, passing the Capital Building along the way. This one stops at trolley stop 1, 2, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, and then goes right up to the entrance of El Morro. After turning around at El Morro, it stops at 25, 23, 21, 19, 12, 13, 14, and then returns to stop 1.
Here’s a list of the trolley stops and what’s near each one …
- 1 – Calle Corretjer – Pier 4, Internet Cafe
- 2 – Corner of Calle Corretjer and Recinto Sur – Covadonga parking, bus station
- 3 – Calle Recinto Sur – across from parking decks, restaurants
- 4 – Corner of Calles Tetun and Tanca
- 5/6 – Corner of Calles Tanca and Forteleza – a small park with benches, shopping
- 7 – Calle San Francisco – shopping
- 8 – Calle San Francisco – City Hall, Plaza de Armas
- 9 – Calle San Jose – Howard Johnson Hotel
- 10 – Calle Forteleza – Marshalls, shopping
- 11 – Calle Forteleza – La Casa de Casitas, shopping, restaurants
- 12 – Calle Tizol – beginning of the Paseo de la Princesa
- 13 – Plaza Darsena, Casita, San Juan Bay,
- 14 – Piers 1 and 2, Don Q, Ferry terminal
- 15 – Calle Forteleza – Hotel Milano, beginning of SoFo restaurants, Museum of the Family, Pharmacy Museum
- 16 – Calle Forteleza – Teatro Tapia, Plaza Colon, end of SoFo restaurants
- 17- Calle San Francisco – Plaza Colon, Cafe Berlin
- 18/19 Calle Norzagaray – Fort San Cristobal
- 20/21 – Calle Norzagary – entrance to La Perla
- 22/23 – Calle Norzagaray – Museum of San Juan
- 24/25 – Calle Norzagaray – Cuartel de Ballaja, National Gallery
- 26 – the lawn at El Morro – stay on the trolley – it takes you right to the entrance to El Morro, where it turns around
Here’s a of attractions (indicated by letters on the map) …
- A — El Morro
- B — Fort San Cristobal
- C — San Juan Cemetery
- D — Cuartel de Ballajá
- E — Casa Blanca
- F — Plaza del Quinto Centernario
- G — Convento de los Dominicos
- H — Plaza San José
- I — Pablo Casals Museum
- J — San Juan Art and History Museum
- K — San Juan City Hall
- L — Plaza de Armas
- M — San Juan Cathedral
- N — Children’s Museum
- O — Felisa Rincón Vda. de Gautier Museum
- P — La Rogativa
- Q — San Juan Gate
- R — Fortaleza (the governor’s mansion)
- S — Pigeon Park
- T — Cristo Chapel
- U — Paseo de la Princesa
- V — San Juan Tourism Office
- W — Museum of the Family
- X — Plaza Colón
- Y — Tapia Theater
- Z — Puerto Rico Capital Building
Here is a hint: Loads of people wait to get on the trolley at stop 1. I would suggest you walk west down the waterfront to Trolley stop 14 (by Pier 2, in front of coffee shop) for a better chance of getting a seat.
Use this map to locate places mentioned in this article. You can click on a placemark to view the GPS coordinates for that place.
We often receive questions from our readers wondering if the trolleys are handicap accessible. I contacted the company that runs the trolleys in Old San Juan,and they said that _some_ of the trolleys are handicap accessible and can accommodate a person in a wheelchair. They also said that you can bring aboard a folded wheelchair as long as there is room.
Comment by Ray on February 8th, 2008 at 4:38 pmWill be in San Juan on July 4. Do the trolleys run on holidays?
Comment by Frank Gennaro on March 24th, 2008 at 4:15 pmThe trolleys are supposed to run everyday, including holidays. July 4 is not _that_ big of a holiday here, so I don’t see any reason why they shouldn’t be running.
Hope this helps.
Comment by Ray on March 24th, 2008 at 5:36 pmHi, I think your post is wonderful, I printed the whole thing! Only one thing, approx. how much time does it take to do one complete circut of the 3 routes?? Thanks, Donna
Comment by Donna Michaels on March 24th, 2008 at 6:33 pmThanks for the kind words!
You could figure that each loop takes about 30-45 minutes. Of course, that will depend on traffic, the number of people getting on and off, and how long it takes for people to get on and off, etc.
I’m not sure that it makes much sense to take all 3 trolley routes … these are not sight-seeing trolleys … they are for transportation. Also, each of the 3 loops has considerable overlap with the others, so you’d essentially find yourself riding around in circles!
Hope this helps.
Comment by Ray on March 24th, 2008 at 7:35 pmHi i am staying at the Marriott Stellaris is there a bus that takes you to Old San Juan or is it walking distance?
Comment by Hector on February 18th, 2009 at 1:39 amYou can take the B21 bus into Old San Juan.
Comment by Ray on February 18th, 2009 at 8:21 amHi,
Thank you for having this site up, it help us plan a good part of our trip.
Comment by Amy on November 24th, 2009 at 3:08 amWhere can we park to catch the trolley?
Comment by Lynne Kamke on June 19th, 2010 at 2:13 pmAny of the parking lots or decks in Old San Juan are fine. We like to use one of the parking decks along Recinto Sur (indicated on the trolley map by a ‘P’ inside of a pinkish triangle). Those parking decks are easy-in, easy-out without having to deal with the traffic ‘inside’ of Old San Juan.
Comment by Ray on June 19th, 2010 at 2:44 pmHow often does the trolley run? A local said every 2 hours….
Comment by Ramon on December 21st, 2011 at 12:58 pmThe trolleys in Old San Juan do not run on a “set schedule”. They run continuously throughout the day, making their respective loops around the city. The amount of time between trolleys at a given stop depends
Comment by Ray on December 22nd, 2011 at 8:51 amon the amount of street traffic in Old San Juan, and how many people are getting on/off at each stop (more people on/off takes longer per stop). Personally, we don’t depend on the trolleys since it’s often easier and quicker to walk.
Very useful and helpful. Thanks for posting this information.
Comment by Sunny on June 6th, 2012 at 3:09 pmHi, I will stay in Conrad San Juan Condado Plaza. What bus should I take to Old San Juan
Comment by Hector Rodriguez on July 13th, 2012 at 9:58 amHector- for bus routes in SJ, check this post: http://www.puertoricodaytrips.com/san-juan-bus-routes/
Comment by Gwenn on July 14th, 2012 at 8:03 pmLooks like 21 will get you to OSJ right from your hotel.
My wife and I are staying at the Hotel Milano. Can we ride the trolley to catch our cruise? Can we take our luggage on the trolley?
Comment by Larry on October 2nd, 2012 at 11:41 amI can’t 100% guarantee my answer by I am almost certain the answer is no. I don’t believe they allow suitcases on the trolley (it is usually too crowded for that).
Comment by Gwenn on October 3rd, 2012 at 5:17 pmDepending on how much luggage you have, you should be able to just walk it down the hill IF your ship is docked at Pier 3/4 cruise terminal.
what time of day does the trolley run until?
Comment by susan on February 28th, 2013 at 10:10 amThey run until about 7pm.
Comment by Gwenn on March 16th, 2013 at 7:21 pmi’m getting married in Old San Juan. And i’m looking for transportation from the Hotel to Fort Morro. (all within Old San Juan boarders) My husband thought the trolley would be a great idea! So i need to know who to contact bout renting a few trolley for at least 3 Hours… if at all possible.
Comment by jessie on April 30th, 2013 at 7:52 pmWe don’t know anything about it- you would have to contact San Juan municipality for something like that.
Comment by Gwenn on May 6th, 2013 at 6:01 pm