The stone wall
With a white house above.
Ligocsicnarf89 — CC BY 4.0 · Ligocsicnarf89 — CC BY 4.0 · Ligocsicnarf89 — CC BY 4.0 · Ligocsicnarf89 — CC BY 4.0 · P. Hughes — CC BY-SA 4.0
Casa Blanca is a historic house in Old San Juan, the first fortification on San Juan islet, built as a home for Juan Ponce de León and his family. Today it is a museum showing 16th and 17th-century objects, run by the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture, and it holds the memory of the colonial city's beginnings. Building began in 1521 in wood, after the capital moved from Caparra, and García Troche later completed a masonry house. Ponce de León died on an expedition to Florida without ever living here, so his descendants stayed until the mid-1700s. It served as the first governors' residence, was sold to the Spanish government in 1779, passed to the U.S. military in 1898 and to the Puerto Rican government in 1967. From the street you see a thick stone wall topped by a white house with timber balconies and a tile roof, with trees hanging over the wall. From the sea the house rises above the old city walls, facing the bay. Inside are rooms with old furniture and displays on colonial life, and quiet gardens far from the bustle of the streets. It is about 270 m in a straight line from La Fortaleza and close to El Morro, so it fits easily into a walking tour. The streets are paved in uneven stone, so wear suitable shoes. Check that it is open before you go, as an older source mentions closure for restoration. Bring water, as the climb through Old San Juan is tiring in the heat.
With a white house above.
A colonial feel.
Quiet away from the street.
Old San Juan, Puerto Rico
La FortalezaLa Fortaleza, «the fortress», also called Palacio de Santa Catalina, is the offi3 minutes walk
Paseo de la Princesa and the City WallsA nineteenth-century promenade about eight hundred metres long, running along Sa6 minutes walk4.7
El Morro FortressPuerto Rico's most famous landmark, a massive stone fortress on a rocky headland8 minutes walk4.7
Old San Juan and La FortalezaThe historic quarter of Puerto Rico's capital and the island's oldest settlement8 minutes walk
Castillo San CristóbalThe largest fortification the Spanish built in the New World, guarding Old San J12 minutes walk4.7No, he died first, and his descendants lived here.
Check before you go, as a past closure for restoration is reported.