Half-Day: Old San Juan, Santurce, La Placita, Loíza & Carolina

Immerse yourself in the history and culture of Old San Juan on this half-day tour. Explore the art district, visit La Placita farmer’s market, and discover the African-inspired traditions and gastronomy of Loíza.

Duration: 6 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Loiza - Learn about the fascinating history of the African heritage capital of Puerto Rico. Visit Piñones and savor its delicious bacalaitos, alcapurrias, piononos and more Puerto Rican fritters. Enjoy beach time at Playa Vacía Talega. Take a dip at Vacía Talega Beach in Loíza. This shallow beach is perfect for snorkeling, swimming around or sunbathing for a little while. Our tour guide will guide you time to enjoy the beach.
  • Old San Juan - Discover the history behind the beautiful colonial buildings and cobblestoned streets that decorate this 500 year old city. Our tour guide will drive around some of the most important sites of Old San Juan.
  • Santurce - Discover the art district of San Juan. Santurce is the biggest barrio and it’s famous for its murals covered streets, gastronomy, and museums. Stop at the legendary La Placita farmer’s market and savor delicious local fruits. Stop at El Huevo coffee shop to learn about the history of Puerto Rican coffee and the owner will teach you how to do their signature latte art.
  • Carolina - In this stop, participants will visit la Galería de los Gigantes, where they will learn the history of this important town. The visit will finish with a painting workshop taught by a local Carolina painter. An experience where you will be able to create your own painting from scratch.
What's Included
  • Bottled water included
  • Complimentary snacks
  • Air-conditioned vehicles
What's Not Included
  • Lunch
Additional Information

if you’re visiting on a cruise or want to get to know the north of San Juan, this is your tour. In this tour you will learn about the history of Old San Juan, a beautiful 500 year old cobblestoned city.

Visit the art district of Santurce. Get the know the history of San Juan’s biggest barrio. Make a stop at La Placita, famous farmer’s market so you can savor different Puerto Rican fruits.

Finish your day at Loíza, Pueblo de la Cacica, was named in honor of Yuisa, one of the women caciques or chiefs on the Island. It was then settled by African slaves. Loíza is now a center for African-inspired traditions and gastronomy.

This tour offers an immersive experience where the visitor will get a chance to taste the savory bacalaítos and alcapurrias, part of the cocina Afro-Caribeña. Visit the Cueva María De La Cruz, where in 1948 archeological evidence of the earliest inhabitants of the area were found. Take a dip at Vacía Talega Beach to finish off your Loíza experience.

Location
Loiza
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(7 Ratings)
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Inspire779082
Sep 15, 2024
Don't miss this tour!! #sofritotours - I typically do a city tour when i visit a place I've never been before, and this tour has been one of my all time favorites. First of all, Laura, our guide is not just a local, she's also an Historian. She was able to give us all the real history and stories about the places we visited. Laura took us to Loiza, an important part of San Juan's history, which is missed by most of the tours. While we were there, we stopped and had lunch at an authentic roadside beach restaurant! The food was delicious and I loved eating with the local residents. We also went to a local indoor market where we got fresh veggies and souvenirs, a coffee shop for a cool drink as we rode around the city, and one of Loiza's beautiful beaches. Laura was very patient as we wanted to stop often for pictures of their BEAUTIFUL country. Oh, and the beautiful (have I mentioned San Juan is beautiful? Lol) historic church. I highly recommend this tour and can't thank Laura enough! I will definitely be back to San Juan and take the tour again. I know there are many more gems she will share with us! #sofritotours
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Barbara_b
Apr 27, 2024
Food, fun & history! - What a great way to see Puerto Rico, especially to parts I’ve never seen. Or guide, Laura was fantastic. She was very knowledgeable with the city’s history and gave us back stories of many places I had seen before but was not awareness of the details. From downtown, to the art district and then Luisa, our trip was so much fun and full of food/drink samples along the way. It was the perfect way to see so much from a cruise port with limited time. HIGHLY RECOMMEND
Review provided by Viator
Endurance97
Apr 25, 2024
High Recommendation for this Tour. You won't regret it. - I truly enjoyed the tour of Old San Juan and Loíza with Sofrito Tours. Laura made the experience feel like my own personal tour. Not only did we visit the mainstays, we also got to sample fruit & foods from islander-known hidden gems. We participated in Bomba class. It was everything I wanted from my first visit to this beautiful island - to be among its people.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lawrence_h
Feb 25, 2024
Knowledge of culture and... - Knowledge of culture and history. Friendly. price was reasonable. Pickup at hotel and drop-off at ship were appreciated.
Review provided by Viator
Jalin_d
Feb 22, 2024
Awesome Service - Laura the owner was amazing! She didn’t rush the trip just to make it fit into a half day which is what was paid for. She was patient. She was very knowledgeable on the history that she shared with us. She made our day very worthwhile. I would definitely tour with her again the next time I visit.
Review provided by Viator
Sightsee66620509475
Feb 15, 2024
Sofrito tours is awesome - This tour is awesome. Jancarlo was very informative and a really cool tour guide. I have been on many tours with Laura and sofrito tours I would highly recommend this tour and any tour with sofrito tours. I will definitely be back and will definitely book more tours with Laura, jancarlo , Miguel , Carlos and the rest of her team.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Diaboni_t
Jan 13, 2024
Wonderful Experience - Our tour guide Miguel was absolutely amazing. He is so smart and full of knowledge. He was an excellent driver as well. All the places we visited were beautiful and had so much history behind them. It really made us fall in love with San Juan and we can’t wait to visit again.
Review provided by Viator
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up to 15 guests
1 Adult
September 2024
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