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A yellow colonial house with blue wooden balconies and window grilles on a cobbled street corner in Old San Juan

Where to stay in San Juan

Photographed in 2019. Photo: P. Hughes, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Places to stay in San Juan

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About San Juan

San Juan's beach districts line the coast between the airport and the old city: Isla Verde is about 3 km (2 miles) from the airport by road, Ocean Park about 6 km (4 miles), Condado about 8 km (5 miles) and Old San Juan about 13 km (8 miles). The choice is between the walled colonial city on foot and a beach with the car at hand.

Puerto Rico. Guide last checked .

Facts and rules

Last checked . Each fact links to its source.

Airport
Luis Muñoz Marín International (SJU), 13 km (8 miles) from Castillo San Cristóbal, a 15 to 20 minute drive, and 14 km (8.5 miles) from El Morro in Old San Juan. Source
Entry for EU and UK visitors
Visa Waiver Program: up to 90 days for tourism with an approved ESTA, which is required for Puerto Rico. ESTA costs USD 40.27 and is valid for two years; the stay cannot be extended. Source
US citizens
No passport is needed to travel between the US and Puerto Rico. Source
Room tax
A general 9% at hotels, 11% at hotels with a gaming room, 7% at paradores, Posadas de Puerto Rico and certified bed and breakfasts, 5% of the package at all-inclusive hotels, and 7% on short-term rentals of under 90 days. Resort fees are taxed too. Source
Room tax on platforms
Airbnb charges the 7% room tax, cleaning fees included, on reservations of 89 nights or fewer. Source
San Juan rental licence
Rentals of under 90 days need a municipal licence, with its number in the online listing and a sign inside the unit giving the maximum number of guests and the parking that comes with it. Source
Parking with a rental car
Old San Juan's municipal garages, among them Doña Fela, Covadonga and La Puntilla, charge by the hour at rates not published in 2026; street meters and resident-only streets are not published either (via GetCar). Source
Road units
Speed limits in miles per hour, distances on signs in kilometres, fuel sold by the litre. A foreign licence is valid for 90 days and a US one for 180 (via GetCar). Source
City bus
La Línea is free, Monday to Friday from 7:00 to 17:00; route 5 runs from Ashford Avenue in Condado to Old San Juan. Source
Hurricane season
1 June to 30 November in the Atlantic, with the peak on 10 September. Source
Emergency number
911, run in Puerto Rico by the Negociado de Sistemas de Emergencias 9-1-1. Source

Areas of San Juan

Pastel-coloured buildings with iron balconies along Recinto Sur Street in Old San Juan, with a white bank tower behind
Photo: P. Hughes, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Old San Juan

The historic colonial district on the north-west tip of San Juan Islet, the oldest settlement in Puerto Rico and a registered historic zone, whose forts, city walls and La Fortaleza are a World Heritage Site. It suits sightseeing on foot and a short stay, less so a stay built around the car.

San Juan airport
about 13 km
Condado
about 5.5 km

Car and parking

The municipal garages, Doña Fela, Covadonga and La Puntilla among them, charge by the hour at rates not published in 2026, and meters and resident-only streets are unpublished too (via GetCar). Vehicles are not allowed on El Morro's grounds. The free La Línea bus, route 5, runs from Condado to Plaza Colón on weekdays.

Condado beach in San Juan, with golden sand, breaking waves and high-rise hotels along the shore
Photographed in 2017. Photo: P. Hughes, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Condado

A beachfront district of Santurce with upscale hotels, restaurants, boutiques and condos along Ashford Avenue, about 5.5 km (3.5 miles) from Old San Juan by road. It suits a beach stay with restaurants at the door and the old city close.

San Juan airport
about 8 km
Old San Juan
about 5.5 km

Car and parking

The free La Línea bus, route 5, runs along Ashford Avenue to Old San Juan on weekdays from 7:00 to 17:00. A licensed rental carries a sign stating the parking that comes with it, under the city ordinance.

Aerial view of Ocean Park in San Juan, with low houses along a sandy beach and the towers of the city behind
Photographed in 2010. Photo: Breezy Baldwin, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Ocean Park

A beachfront residential district of Santurce with guest houses, centred on the western half of McLeary Avenue, between Condado and Isla Verde. It suits a beach stay in a residential street, from a few nights to a month.

San Juan airport
about 6 km
Old San Juan
about 8 km

Car and parking

No municipal parking rule was found as of September 2026, so ask the host and check the parking stated on a licensed rental's sign. The airport is about 6 km (4 miles) away by road.

Isla Verde beach seen from above, with blue umbrellas on the sand, palm trees, hotel towers along the shore and a car park in front
Photo: P. Hughes, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Isla Verde

A beachfront district of hotels and condominiums in Carolina, the municipality where the airport is, about 3 km (2 miles) from the terminal by road. It suits a beach stay close to the airport; Old San Juan is about 11 km (7 miles) away.

San Juan airport
about 3 km
Old San Juan
about 11 km

Car and parking

Isla Verde lies in Carolina, outside San Juan's rental ordinance, and no municipal parking rule was found as of September 2026; ask the hotel or host about parking.

The white Alcazar apartment building in Miramar, with small towers and rounded balconies, parked cars and taller condominium towers beside it
Photo: P. Hughes, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Miramar

A district of Santurce listed on Puerto Rico's register of historic sites and zones in 2007 for its Spanish Revival houses with patios and gardens, with condominium towers beside them, about 4 km (2.5 miles) from Old San Juan by road. It suits a stay near the old city in a residential district.

San Juan airport
about 10 km
Old San Juan
about 4 km

Car and parking

No municipal parking rule was found as of September 2026, so ask the host and check the parking stated on a licensed rental's sign.

Guides

Where to stay

Where to stay in San Juan with a car: the areas compared

San Juan's beach districts sit between the airport and the old city: Isla Verde about 3 km (2 miles) from the airport by road, Condado about 8 km (5 miles) and Old San Juan about 13 km (8 miles). Old San Juan is a colonial district for walking, with parking in municipal garages, and the beach districts line the sand with hotels, guest houses and condominiums.

Photo: P. Hughes, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Questions

Which part of San Juan suits a first visit?

Old San Juan, the colonial district, for its forts and streets on foot, with the car left in a municipal garage. Condado, a beach district of hotels, restaurants and condos about 5.5 km (3.5 miles) from the old city by road, suits a beach stay with the old city close.

What tax is added to a room in San Juan?

The Puerto Rico room tax: a general 9% at hotels, 11% at hotels with a gaming room, 7% at paradores and certified bed and breakfasts, and 7% on short-term rentals of under 90 days, which platforms collect.

Do rentals in San Juan need a licence?

Yes. A city ordinance of 2023 requires a municipal licence for rentals of under 90 days, and the licence number has to appear in the online listing.

Do visitors need an ESTA for Puerto Rico?

Visitors from Visa Waiver Program countries, among them the UK and 24 of the 27 EU countries, need an approved ESTA, USD 40.27, and can stay up to 90 days. US citizens need no passport to travel between the US and Puerto Rico.