San Juan: App-Based Audio Guide

Start by downloading the Action Tour Guide app, which will function as your personal tour guide, audio tour, and map all in one.

See the best of what San Juan has to offer with this app-based audio guide. Visit popular spots like the Teatro Alejandro Tapia y Rivera and the Castillo San Felipe del Morro. Stroll around the city and immerse yourself in its history as you listen to interesting stories via the app.

Next, head to the colorful La Corazon Steps, and admire the painted red heart. Stop by the Teatro Alejandro Tapia y Rivera, one of the oldest drama theaters in the US. Listen to your audio guide tell tale about the theater's haunted past.

Stroll to the Plaza Colon, with its towering statue of Columbus. Hear how Columbus claimed the island and how San Juan got its name. Take in the majestic Castillo San Cristobal. Unearth the story behind its construction and hear about the vast riches that brought so many colonizers to the island.

Next, pay the colorful and historic La Perla seaside neighborhood a visit. You might recognize it as the music video filming location for the hit song 'Despacito'. Get to know Sir Francis Drake and revisit his fight to seize the island from Spain.

Hear about the Second Battle of San Juan and find out why it was such a short-lived win for the English. Uncover subsequent Dutch efforts to take power. Learn how they torched the city and how the Spanish fought to prevent this defeat from repeating.

Continue walking, and behold ancient walls and gunpowder magazines, then finally the awe-inspiring Castillo San Felipe del Morro itself. Hear about Puerto Rico’s struggles for independence and why the US got involved. Take in the breathtaking ocean views and give yourself a little respite.

Pay a visit to the Cuartel de Ballaja, which now houses the Museum of the Americas, then continue onto the Casa Blanca. Learn the story of the grandson who wrote one of Puerto Rico’s most critical historical texts. Find out how Ponce De Leon himself met a poisonous end.

Walk to Catedral Basilica Menor de San Juan Batista, the final resting place of Ponce De Leon. Discover the resilient history of the oldest church in the Americas, enduring countless challenges throughout the centuries, including invasions by the Dutch and the devastating impact of Hurricane Maria.

As the journey winds down, stroll along lovely cobblestone streets to the Puerta San Juan, the only remaining gate from the old city. Finish your walk just past the famous La Fortaleza, a towering fortress dating back to the 1530s.