Best Things to See in Old San Juan: Art, History and Hidden Gems

Before visiting Puerto Rico, I expected beautiful beaches, historic forts, and exceptional food. What I didn't expect was how often I would stop mid-walk to admire a mural, sculpture, or unexpected piece of public art. From colorful alleyways in Old San Juan to the sprawling murals of Santurce, art became one of the defining experiences of my trip.

Walking the streets of San Juan, I found interesting expressions of art everywhere. What struck me most was how seamlessly art is woven into everyday life in San Juan. It isn't confined to museums or galleries. It spills onto walls, appears in public squares, and emerges unexpectedly around street corners.

Hidden Art in Old San Juan

La Casa Estrecha

La Casa Estrecha — the Narrow House — is exactly what it sounds like: a former alleyway between two buildings that someone, at some point, enclosed with a ceiling and a façade and converted into a functioning gallery space measuring five feet and three inches wide. It is squeezed between two ordinary buildings in Old San Juan with the confidence of something that has always belonged there. The fact that it began as a gap — as negative space between other things — and became a gallery is either a metaphor or simply a very Puerto Rican solution to a real estate problem. Possibly both.

Street Art in Puerto Rico

Elsewhere in the city you will find unique art installations created in various styles.

Public Art Across San Juan

Caballito del Mar

Caballito del Mar is a giant seahorse sculpture, in the San Juan Bay neighborhood. The 38-foot seahorse, created by Jose Ignacio Morales, is made of steel and bronze. The fish stands upright over a fountain, keeping watch over the bay.

Ballajá Sculpture

In nearby Old San Juan, you will find the Ballajá sculpture created by Spanish artist Victor Ochoa Sierra. The three, bronze, intertwining bodies entrenched in struggle symbolize the Puerto Rican rescue of the Ballajá district and the ongoing fight for cultural preservation.

Madre y Hijo

In the Condado neighborhood, another art installation celebrates Taino life and features a mother holding her newborn child. The piece by Fernando Botero is called Madre y Hijo, which means "mother and child." You can view the $1.8 million piece at the Plaza del Ancla square. All three of the aforementioned sculptures are within a 15-minute walk of each other in the Old San Juan and Condado neighborhoods

Santurce: The Caribbean Capital of Street Art

If Old San Juan's art is integrated into the city's historic fabric — discovered in alleyways, on the sides of colonial buildings, in squares that have existed for centuries — Santurce announces itself. This is a neighborhood that has been called the Caribbean's Capital of Art, and the title is earned: entire city blocks function as canvases here, murals stacked beside murals, the walls speaking in a visual language that mixes Puerto Rican history, social commentary, and sheer aesthetic ambition in equal measure. Walking Calle Cerra is the most concentrated art experience available in San Juan.

If you visit during the end of May, you will get to experience the Santurce es Ley festival, which translates literally to "Santurce is the Law," but conveys the sentiment that this neighborhood is in charge of the art scene.

The Santurce es Ley festival was birthed in 2010 when Alexis Busquet asked a few local artists to paint some murals next to his art gallery.

At the time, the Santurce neighborhood had a reputation for being a dodgy and downtrodden barrio where tourists were not advised to visit. Ironically, it is tucked between Condado and Miramar, which are San Juan's affluent and upscale neighborhoods and major tourist areas.

While it still has a flavor of grittiness today, Santurce has evolved into a hip, trendy and welcoming neighborhood. In fact, it reminded me a lot of Cincinnati, as well as Miami's Wynwood neighborhood, which underwent a similar metamorphosis.

Santurce has also been likened to Brooklyn for the same reasons.

Most of the bold murals in Santurce reflect various aspects of Puerto Rico's history, culture and daily life.

Others draw attention to social issues that are important both locally and globally.

For this reason, and the beautiful art that is displayed, the Santurce Es Ley festival and a more recent festival called Los Muros Hablan, meaning the "The Walls Speak," both draw a local and international crowd.

A Self-Guided Art Walk Through San Juan

If you are interested in experiencing Santurce's street art scene, consider starting at La Placita de Santurce, which functions as a market place during the day. Head out from there and you will see murals galore, especially on Calle Cerra. Then return to La Placita at night when it transforms into one of the best places for food, drinks and dancing.

What I expected to remember most about San Juan were the beaches and historic forts. What surprised me was how often art became the highlight of the day. Whether tucked into a five-foot-wide gallery, standing in a public square, or stretching across entire city blocks in Santurce, the island's creativity was impossible to ignore. And after a day spent exploring murals and hidden corners, there was only one thing left to do: find something delicious to eat.