Old San Juan - Getting Around?

[KLA]

Alright - in need of expertise from cruisers more experienced than me. 

I am travelling to San Juan in about 10 days, and staying in an AirBnB in the northern area of the 'safe' area of Old San Juan (a liiiiittle close for comfort to the La Perla area, but we've just sort of said 'always walk south'.)

I've also just learned that Uber does not pick up or drop off in Old San Juan, somewhat leaving our 'don't walk around after dark' plan a little in question. Although we are in numbers, we'd prefer to exercise caution particularly if we are nearby a shadier area of the city. All of that said - what is the best way to..

1) Get from the airport to our AirBnB - I'd guess just handing our taxi driver a slip of paper with the address we are going to?

2) Get around if we are out to dinner or out at a bar after dark? Is it pretty easy to get a cab to take us where we would like to go if we are working to avoid walking around after dark in more residential areas of the city? I'm guessing that during the day, we should be fine walking for the most part but it would be nice to know if we could grab a cab if we wanted to go get to the forts?

Sorry if this comes off a bit paranoid - I've just read some conflicting info and am looking for advice on what others have done in the past so I know all of our options.

[Matt]

While Uber may not pick up or drop off (which is surprising), regular taxis are still an option.

[KLA]

2 minutes ago, Matt said:

While Uber may not pick up or drop off (which is surprising), regular taxis are still an option.

Are they pretty easy to summon? And, if I'm in a residential area rather than a nameable landmark where I could say "take me to the Marriott!", should I just stick with the plan of having our address written down? (I might be a little spoiled by the features of Uber!)

[tiny260]

I would run your question by the rental agency handling the AirBNB, I know it's not the same but I just rented a Condo in Destin, FL and the Management company was able to answer all sorts of questions similar to this.

To answer you original question, I don't know, I've always stayed at a Hotel when in San Juan, so the door guy always got our Taxi's, I do know that when you are in old town the taxi's seem to congregate close to the port and the forts entrances.

In 2016 when I spent a few extra days in Barcelona, I did what you are suggesting and always had a piece of paper with the hotel address on it for the Taxi drivers, they acted like they didn't speak English but they eventually seemed to do alright and my Spanish is terrible. I eventually got a card from the Concierge that the drivers seemed to respond better to...

[DocLC]

I was able to flag down a taxi quite easily in Old San Juan. From your rental, though, that could be a problem. You might need to call the taxi company for that. 

It looks like there's an app called TaxiCaller that might work. Alternatively, TaxiFareFindet lists these companies:

Dial-A-Cab	6342 5222
CityCab	6552 1111
Comfort Taxi	6552 1111
SMRT Taxis	6555 8888
SMART Cabs	6485 7777
TransCab	6555 3333
Premier Taxis	6363 6888
Prime Taxi	6778 0808
Yellow-Top Taxi	6293 5545

[bcarney]

On 2/12/2018 at 9:46 AM, KLAconQueso said:

I am travelling to San Juan in about 10 days, and staying in an AirBnB in the northern area of the 'safe' area of Old San Juan (a liiiiittle close for comfort to the La Perla area, but we've just sort of said 'always walk south'.)

I've also just learned that Uber does not pick up or drop off in Old San Juan, somewhat leaving our 'don't walk around after dark' plan a little in question. Although we are in numbers, we'd prefer to exercise caution particularly if we are nearby a shadier area of the city. All of that said - what is the best way to..

1) Get from the airport to our AirBnB - I'd guess just handing our taxi driver a slip of paper with the address we are going to?

2) Get around if we are out to dinner or out at a bar after dark? Is it pretty easy to get a cab to take us where we would like to go if we are working to avoid walking around after dark in more residential areas of the city? I'm guessing that during the day, we should be fine walking for the most part but it would be nice to know if we could grab a cab if we wanted to go get to the forts?

Sorry if this comes off a bit paranoid - I've just read some conflicting info and am looking for advice on what others have done in the past so I know all of our options.

This is all pre-hurricane so may be dated, but...

It's really hard to accidentally wander into La Perla; there's only two streets into the area, both exiting from the walled city area (and one goes underground so it's real obvious), and one stairway down the old city wall.

I had no issues walking around Old San Juan after dark.  Even alone when my wife and kids were at the hotel.  And Old SJU is really kind of small; one time I started walking down one street and the next thing I knew I was on the other side of town near the cruise ship port.  It's only about 8 blocks by 10 blocks or so, and it's really obvious when you've left the area.

It may be different now, but I never felt unsafe.  Granted, I was back at the hotel by 11pm, but I felt comfortable walking around by myself.  Just be aware of your surroundings like you would anywhere, and you'll be fine.