Castillo de San Cristobal, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
america, american, antelles, architectural, architecture, attraction, building, capital, carib, caribbean, castillo, castle, city, cristobal, espana, felipe, fort, fortress, greater, guard, heritage, historic, historical, history, house, island, juan, landmark, latin, morro, old, puerto, rico, san, sea, site, spain, spanish, state, style, tour, tourism, tourist, travel, unesco, united, usa, viejo, wall, world

©jiawangkun/Shutterstock

Castillo San Cristóbal

Top choice in San Juan


The city's second major fort is one of the largest Spanish-built military installations in the Americas. In its prime, it covered 27 acres with a maze of six interconnected forts protecting a central core with 150ft walls, moats, booby-trapped bridges and tunnels. It has a fascinating museum, military archives, a reproduction of military barracks, a store and stunning Atlantic and city views. Hour-long free guided tours in English roam the tunnels at 10:30am on Saturdays (Sundays in Spanish); first-come, first-served.

The fort was constructed to defend Old San Juan against land attacks from the east via Puerta de Tierra. The imaginative design came from the famous Irish mercenary Alejandro O’Reilly and his compatriot Thomas O’Daly (hired by Spain). Construction began in 1634 in response to an attack by the Dutch a decade previously, though the main period of enlargement occurred between 1765 and 1783.

Seven acres were lopped off the fort in 1897 to ease congestion in the old town and the following year the Spanish marked Puerto Rico’s entry into the Spanish-American War by firing at the battleship USS Yale from its cannon battery. The fort became a National Historic Site in 1949 and part of the Unesco World Heritage site in 1983.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby San Juan attractions

1. Plaza de Colón

0.13 MILES

Tracing its roots back more than a century to the 400-year anniversary of Columbus' first expedition, Plaza de Colón is dominated by its towering statue…

2. Museo del Mar

0.16 MILES

This small maritime museum is home to an impressive collection of model boats – from 15th-century galleons to modern-day cruise ships – as well as…

3. Iglesia San Francisco de Asís

0.21 MILES

Built in 1756 by Third Order Franciscans, this atmospheric old church is the perfect place to pause in a pew. Note the thickness of the original walls,…

4. El Capitolio

0.34 MILES

The capitol of the Commonwealth is in an impressive columned and domed neoclassical building in a commanding location overlooking Puerta de Tierra's wave…

5. Alcaldía

0.42 MILES

Towering over the Plaza de Armas, the Alcaldía, which dates from 1789, has twin turrets resembling those of its counterpart in Madrid. This building…

6. Paseo de la Princesa

0.42 MILES

Conjuring up a distinctly European feel, broad Paseo de la Princesa is a 19th-century esplanade just outside the city walls. Lined with antique…

7. Plaza de Armas

0.42 MILES

This is the city’s de-facto central square, laid out in the 16th century with the classic look of plazas from Madrid to Mexico. A highlight is the…

8. Museo de San Juan

0.43 MILES

Set in a former marketplace, this small museum offers the definitive take on the city's 500-year history. A permanent exhibit showcases well-laid-out…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "puerto-rico/san-juan/attractions/castillo-san-cristobal/a/poi-sig/373341/358130",
      "destination": "San-Juan",
      "continent": "Caribbean",
      "country": "Puerto-Rico",
      "city": "San-Juan",
      "position": "superzone"
    }