The Puerta de San Juan is the last of the original five city gates still standing — a heavy red wooden double-door set into the wall at sea level. Until the city expanded in the nineteenth century, this was the formal entrance to San Juan: ships docked just outside, dignitaries disembarked, and the gate was opened for them to walk up to the cathedral.
The gate is open during daylight hours and is a popular photo stop. Above it the words "Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini" are still legible — Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, the traditional greeting for arriving bishops. Walk through and you are standing at the start of the Paseo de la Princesa.