Cuartel de Ballajá

Stopped in to rest in the shade & found a wonderful coffee shop. This building is historic & absolutely gorgeous.

Historical barracks for Spanish soldiers - and the last major infrastructure project by the Spanish Empire in the Americas! The result is this beautiful must-see spot. Just pop in on the way to or from El Morro. It is free to enter and take photos, but there is a small fee to see the Las Americas Museum.

Facilities yard seem to be a bit in disarray. We arrived a bit late but the person at the door still let us come in to enjoy the main exhibition. There wasn't a guide inside, though. Would've been nice to ask some questions.

One in a million pic...

Nice quiet spot to rest in the shade out of the flow of tourist traffic. Lovely coffee shop and gelato shop in one corner.

I just love this place! I'm a local who lives 15 mins away and I would go every day if I could. The new exhibits are wonderful. The admission fees are cheap and if you're a student it's even cheaper. Great place to take pictures too!

Very very beautiful, so interesting its one of my most favorite place. You can enjoy the museo and delicious food.

Terrible hours, good coffee shop.

Great, great coffee. Wonderful little place to walk to from Old San Juan. Highly recommend.

Awesome place during night ! Lights everywhere! Colors , stars, clouds, moon. I really love this place but at night, during the day you won't see the show of lights. History- this is building used to belong to the federal government. In 1976 Puertorican government acquired the building for cultural, education and tourist purposes. First floor - Dance school Cultural spaces 3 different restaurants Second floor - The museum of the Americas - nice Puertorrican expositions. Third floor - Puerto Rico Academy of Spanish language The state of Historic conservation Sometimes they have concerts, festivals , artisans fairs and many more activities. THE LIGHTS AT NIGHT are awesome!!!

Beautiful architecture and there's an excellent coffee shop called Don Ruiz inside the courtyard. Unfortunately, when I visited in December, 2017, only one floor of the museum was open. Apparently, the museum works risk damage due to the hurricane waters and are under restoration. Would love to return here in better times to see the full museum and cultural events in the courtyard.

Cool spot to listen to live music, grab a coffee, and hang out al fresca. These old military barracks are restored to there old glory and are one of my favorite sites in Old San Juan.