 San Juan OverviewThe capital city of Puerto Rico, San Juan, is one of the busiest
ports in the Caribbean and a third of all Puerto Ricans live here.
Nearly every visitor to the island arrives at San Juan, many on
cruise liners. The port is the largest home-based cruise port in
the world, hosting 28 vessels with more being added to the list
each year. San Juan is divided into three distinct districts: Old San Juan,
the historic walled city, the beach and resort area and the
outlying suburbs. Tourists are concerned mainly with Old San Juan,
the site of most restaurants, shops, entertainment venues and the
beaches. The old city is linked to the new by the largely
residential Puerta de Tierra area, and a series of modern highways
leading to the Condado beach front, which is reminiscent of
Florida's Miami Beach with its high-rise hotels and apartment
blocks. It is not only tourism that keeps the financial mills grinding
in San Juan. The city is an important centre for petroleum and
sugar refining, brewing and distilling and the manufacturing of
cement, pharmaceuticals, metal products and tobacco products. In
the midst of all the hustle and bustle there are numerous
attractions to amuse, entertain and interest the many tourists, and
the city is a perfect base for exploring the rest of what this
small Caribbean island has to offer. |
