La Fortaleza

La Fortaleza, also called the Palacio de Santa Catalina, is the official residence of the Governor of Puerto Rico. The original sixteenth-century fortress has been swallowed by four centuries of additions; the pink-painted neoclassical front you see from Calle Fortaleza dates mostly from the 1840s, but two of the original towers are still standing.

The building is a working government house, but the public rooms, the Moorish gardens, and the chapel can be visited on a free guided tour (in English or Spanish) several times a day, Monday to Friday. You need ID at the gate and dress is enforced — no shorts above the knee, no flip-flops. Tours fill up, so arrive early in the morning.

things to do sight architecture old san juan
A story
When La Fortaleza was finished in 1540, the Spanish realised they had built it in completely the wrong spot — too far inside the bay, with no clear field of fire on incoming ships. They started over with El Morro a few years later. Despite the mistake, La Fortaleza never stopped being the seat of government and is the oldest continuously occupied executive mansion in the Americas.

Other places in Things to Do