you don’t need a passport to visit a castle

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Old San Juan makes you feel like you’re in another country. In just a four hour flight from Newark, you’ll be transported to a completely different world. Although Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory, San Juan is not like any other U.S. city. Its colorful homes, cobblestone streets, centuries-old fortresses will make you believe you’re in a European town, rather than a Caribbean island.

The Castillo San Felipe del Morro is an excellent example of that. Construction began back in 1539 by the order of the Spanish King at the time. Its main goal was to control and protect San Juan Bay. Today, it’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site that people can visit for just $5. We happened to go on a National Park Day and entrance was free, so that was just an added bonus. It’s nice to walk around on the grounds, especially because it gives you such beautiful views of the ocean.

There are a few of these fortresses on the island but one tip from a cab driver was that if you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all.

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Castillo San Felipe del Morro
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Entrance to the castle/fortress
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Spanish military, Puerto Rican, and United States flag as seen from the outside of the castle

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Old weaponry

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About the author

hi! my name is melanie! i started this blog back in 2014. how to be a traveler is a collection of my travel experiences. my motto is, ‘travel, eat, drink, explore, write, repeat.‘ this blog is a tool to help me remember all the places i’ve seen, but it’s also a tool to help you plan out the places you will discover. and so that you won’t make the same mistakes i made. think of me as your very own travel guinea pig. so hopefully, you can find at least one useful tip while reading my blog. i hope you enjoy reading this as much as i enjoy writing it for you.