Part 2 of our Old San Juan Walking Tour series started at El Morro and ended back at La Casita. This article will pick up where the prior one left off.

This time we will go east from La Casita and the Visitor’s Center. With the Casita to your back, cross the street to the right (by the horse carriage rides) and continue along the waterfront (the bay will be on your right) just a little bit. On the left, you will find Casa Don Q. This little (air conditioned!) "museum" will provide you with a brief history of rum-making by the Serralles family, and the Don Q rum brands. They also have a free tasting bar, so you can try the rum for yourself and see why it is Puerto Rico’s favorite rum. Refer to our previous article on Casa Don Q for hours and other particulars.

After you’ve cooled off with a free Pina Colada at Casa Don Q, head back toward the La Casita and turn right at the corner onto San Justo Street. Go up 3 blocks and you will be on Fortaleza Street. This is one of the big shopping streets - stop in and treat yourselves to all sorts of "must-haves"! From jewelry to Puerto Rican crafts to clothes (famous maker and beach wear) to that last minute souvenir for Aunt Milly. If you want to shop, you can head left or right on Fortaleza. A neat store for vibrant PR art and crafts is “The Handcraft Store” , which is right here n the corner of San Justo and Fortaleza. Once you are done shopping and you want to continue on this tour, you will want to turn right onto Fortaleza (heading east).

As you walk down Fortaleza, you will come to two museums on your left - Casa de la Familia and Museo de la Farmacia. Both are in the same building and both are free. The first floor houses the Pharmacy museum, upstairs is furnished as a upper class Puerto Rican home from the 1800’s. These will give you an idea of what life was like back in the old days. The placards in the museums are only in Spanish, but the tour guide in the museum is bi-lingual and can explain things for you. Admission to both museums are free. Allow 15 to 30 minutes.

As you continue walking down Fortaleza Street to the east, you will also notice many great places to eat - you are in the "SoFo" (South Fortaleza) area. Check out the menus that are posted outside each of the restaurants. Any of these restaurants would be a good choice for lunch or dinner.

At the end of Fortaleza, bear to the left and walk through Plaza de Colon. Here you’ll find a statute of Christopher Columbus ("Cristobal Colon" in Spanish) . Walk diagonally the the left through the plaza so that you are on the next street (San Francisco). From this end of the plaza, you’ll be able to see the San Crisotbal Fort. You can get into the fort by walking up to the doors through the parking lot, or by walking up the hill on Norzagaray Street.

Castillo de San Cristobal (San Cristobal Fort) was built in 1634, and completed in 1771. It was built to protect the city from sea and land invasions. The for is 150 feet high, and is a great example of the strategic skills used to make these defenses. This fort is actually a number of different units connected by tunnels, each unit being self-sufficient if another part is invaded. This fort has a wonderful dungeon that you can visit and see the doodling of prisoners on the walls. You can also see some damage the fort sustained during some of the battles. This fort is a World Heritage Site, and National Historic Site, administered by the US National Park Service. The fort is open to the public daily (except Christmas) from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm from June to November and 9:00 am to 6:00 pm December to May. There is a small admission fee.

After you’re finished at Fort San Cristobal, you can head back down into the city, or you can continue along the north edge of the city (with the ocean to your right) and head back toward El Morro. Enjoy your visit Viejo San Juan!

Plan at least one full day to visit the streets and museums of Old San Juan.