From Castillo de San Cristóbal, you can continue up Norzagaray Street, which takes you directly to El Morro. However, this is a relatively uninteresting route, despite the beautiful views of the water on your right. If you want to walk through the city, turn into Sol Street from Norzagaray and walk west for several blocks until you get to Cruz Street. Take a right on Cruz, and meet up with Norzagaray again, just before the San Juan Museum. You can take a quick detour here (the museum is not very large) or keep going until you get to the castle. Look to your left as you approach the castle and you'll see a large open space with fountains and a tall, clay pillar. This is the Plaza del Quinto Centenario.
Highlights
- El Morro's official name is the Castillo de San Felipe del Morro; while it is often called a "fort," there are actually no forts in Old San Juan. They were designated as castles and later mistakenly identified as forts by the U.S. government.
- In over 400 years, El Morro has withstood countless attacks, and has never been defeated by sea. It was only taken once, in 1598, in a land attack led by the Earl of Cumberland; it was this attack that prompted the construction of the Castillo de San Cristóbal.
- Step inside one of El Morro's Garitas, or sentry boxes, for a unique photo moment; these domed structures have become symbolic icons of Puerto Rico.
- At one point in El Morro's history, the U.S. Navy converted the large lawn leading up to the fort into a golf course. Today, people come here to picnick and fly kites.
- El Morro means "The Promontory," and this fort juts out into the entrance of the San Juan Bay; look across the water at El Cañuelo, another, smaller fort that helped El Morro guard the entrance to the bay.
- The fort is divided into six levels, and includes dungeons, barracks, passageways, and storerooms.
