Old San Juan Walking Tour: Ponce de Leon Statue to El Arsenal

San Juan, Puerto Rico

2 hours (approx.)
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Travelers who want to stay forever young will love this fountain of youth tour of Old San Juan. Learn about the colonial Gilded Age and discover the stories and history of Ponce de Leon's city and people. Listen in as your friendly guide shares stories about riots and revolutions and find out why the colony was known as "Gold Island". Wander through burial sites where greats like Ponce de Leon and other founding fathers of Puerto Rico are buried and get an up close look at history, culture and traditions that define this destination.

Ponce de Leon tour of Old San Juan
Explore the local streets on a walking tour of the city
Gain insight into history, culture and traditions from your expert guide
Ideal for families and history lovers

What's Included

Local guide
Bottled water

Transportation to/from attractions
Food and drinks

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Starbucks
363 C. Tetuán #1, San Juan, 00901, Puerto Rico

Start time

04:30 PM

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Near public transportation
Not recommended for travelers with back problems
Not recommended for pregnant travelers
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions

Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
Children must be accompanied by an adult
Not recommended for people with recent surgeries
Not recommended for people with hip and foot surgeries
Not recommended for people with serious heart desease or chronic illness
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Reviews

4.5

18 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

We perform checks on reviews

Showing 1-10 of 18 reviews

Puerto Rico history

Sonja_F, Feb 2024

Our guide was wonderful. He provided rich historical information on the area. It was moderate walking pace so we covered various areas in San Juan.

A walking tour not to be missed.

LisaK, Oct 2023

Great tour Amazing Guide! Very knowledgeable and passionate about Puerto Rico. Beautiful fort at sunset. I became ill during the tour and our guide balance everything beautifully Thank you!

OK but could be better

William_R, Mar 2023

Glad to have walked so much around Old San Juan, but was looking for more history than the guide provided.

Not as described

Brandie_B, Mar 2023

We picked the Fountain of Youth tour because it was advertised as a historical tour that would tell the story of the colonial times in San Juan, including revolutions and the role of Ponce De Leon. It described visiting an old cemetery and learning about the people buried there. We did not learn or do anything of the sort. If you want to know where all the red light districts were for sailors and see a few old churches, this is the tour for you. Honestly, it wasn’t any different than any other basic tour of San Juan. In fact, another tour we crossed paths with was getting a more in-depth tour than we were. We were very disappointed.

Do this

ellenturnbull, Feb 2023

Great tour, very knowledgeable guide. Saw stuff we wouldn’t have known about. It went long and we appreciated the extra time

Learned a lot

Rich_M, Feb 2022

Learning about the culture was great. David was very informative, just wish he spent more time talking/ showing the fountain of youth.

Great Tour

Mirley_A, Jun 2021

David was very thorough with his tour. He was really informative and gave us a souvenir (shot glass and keychain). It was a great experience and I would definitely do it again!

Old San Juan

Devin_w, May 2021

It was amazing, our tour guide was very knowledgeable. He knew his history of Old San Juan and it is as beautiful as you imagine! Definitely worth it

Phenomenal Tour

Aisha_S, Jan 2021

The guide was amazing and very knowledgeable of old San Juan. I would recommend this tour and the price is phenomenal.

Would Do It Again

Richard_R, Nov 2020

Our guide, David, has lots of knowledge to share with guests. He knows his history and geography very well. David also kept our group moving and in an unhurried fashion. I appreciated the provider's gift bag of water and souvenirs.

Great Tour

Cheri_H, Feb 2020

Great and knowledgeable guide. The tour ran long but nobody minded because we went to such interesting place.

Enjoyable and Educational

Gabriel R, Jun 2019

The Tour of Old San Juan taught me a lot about my Heritage. We saw many beautiful and historic site. I had been to a few of the locations we covered on prior trips to Old San Juan but did not know their significance. Our Guide was very knowledgeable and also pointed out similarities with other cities and cultures. We are extremely happy we took the tour and would make it a must do for our friends and family when the come to the area..

Excellent!! Do wear comfortable...

Linda N, Aug 2017

Excellent!! Do wear comfortable walking shoes. David didn't miss a beat. Awesome history and spectacular views. Thank you for the tips to the University and the market.

David Rodriguez was an outstanding...

Michelle G, May 2017

David Rodriguez was an outstanding tour guide. He is very knowledgeable and such a kind person. The history of Puerto Rico is amazing. Thanks David. We had a great time!!

Excellent tour- very informative and...

christine_s, Mar 2017

Excellent tour- very informative and our guide Richard was phenomenal! Lots of history and time to take pictures and ask questions. we toured churches, city shops, old monasteries all on foot. It was wonderful!

Fountain of Youth, Oh boy what can I...

Antonio R, Sep 2016

Fountain of Youth, Oh boy what can I tell you. I took this trip knowing almost nothing about the great Juan Ponce de Leon, David went step by step explaning everything we wanted to know about him, the city, history. It was awesome! Highly recommended!

Great Tour! We walked and visited...

Jos_R, Aug 2016

Great Tour! We walked and visited all the important historic sites of the city. Very informative tour. Excellent Tour Guide. Highly Recommended!

We thoroughly enjoyed our tour of...

Jim S, Jul 2016

We thoroughly enjoyed our tour of Old San Juan. David was extremely informative and interesting. On reflection I wish that we had stayed in the old town instead of Condado as there was so much to explore.