Cataño Ferry: A Low Cost Ride & Quick Photo Cruise or Transport to Visit Cataño waterfront
2/22 Update: The Ferry is not currently running, however they have a bus that will take you back and forth for the same price/ticket.
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The Cataño Ferry, also called La Lancha de Cataño, is a small commuter ferry that services one route – from Pier 2 in Old San Juan across the bay to the ferry terminal in Cataño. It is a quick 8-minute ride in either direction, and it runs in one direction or the other every 15 minutes (It leaves OSJ on the hour and the half hour and leaves Catano on the 15 and 45 min). It doesn’t go by any of the "sites" of Old San Juan, but you can see the old city wall, the San Juan Gate and El Morro in the distance. You also can get a decent (though distant) view of the Bacardi Rum Factory and Isla de Cabras (site of the small Cañuelo Fort).And also great, it gives you access to the Catano Waterfront area.
The water in the San Juan Bay is almost always calm, so the ride is very mild, but occasionally there are some small waves. The ferries are 1-story catamarans, with no outside seating, that hold about 100 passengers. The ferry is fully enclosed and does not have air conditioning. However, it has windows that were open to let in some fresh air.
The fare is $0.50 each way for people aged 3-64 yo. The rest are free, but still need tickets to board. You can buy your tickets online or at the ferry terminals. Extra baggage/stuff (like bikes/ice chests) also have a small fee.
Since 2019 the ferry to Catano was the only one running from OSJ, There used to be another to Hato Rey, hopefully that restarts someday. You can get your round-trip tickets before boarding. The Cataño ferry waiting area is to the left and behind the ticket window. If the Hato Rey ferry is working, that waiting area is behind the ticket window and to the right. Boarding and unloading is a fairly quick and easy process.People can now buy tickets for the ferry ahead of time using the phone APP (City Experiences) or ONLINE at https://www.puertoricoferry.com
Ferries run from about 6am-7pm daily.
From the terminal in Cataño, you can call an Uber to take you to the famous Bacardi Rum Factory for a tour. There may be taxis available at the Cataño ferry terminal, but don’t expect it.
The Catano waterfront area is a nice place to visit. There is a long walkway that has art and murals and there are all sorts of food/drink options there. A great place to check out. Catano Waterfront area.
We took the ferry at 6:30pm in September and stayed on for the round trip. As you can see, we were able to get some wonderful sunset pictures. If you want to try for some beautiful pictures of your own, check the sunset time for SJ for the month your visiting.
So enjoy the ferry system and use it as you like – either as inexpensive transportation to Cataño, or a quick and easy sunset cruise!
Look on the ferry page for more info.
Click on a placename below to view the location on Google Maps ...
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