San Juan is located on the northeastern coast of the island of Puerto Rico, nearly 1700km (1000mi) southeast of Miami, Florida, and about 880km (550mi) north of Caracas, Venezuela. The heart of the city is Old San Juan, which occupies the western end of a small island on the eastern side of the entrance to the Bahía de San Juan. The resort areas of Condado and Isla Verde stretch east of the old city, and the bulk of greater San Juan radiates south, east and west. San Juan's international airport is on the eastern fringe of the city, about 16km (10mi) from Old San Juan.

Your two feet are the best means of exploring Old San Juan and the immediate vicinity. There's a free tourist trolley within the old city - look for the 'parada' sign indicating where the bus stops. Horrendous traffic and difficult parking make having a rental car in the city centre more trouble than it's worth. Metered taxis are plentiful and tourist taxis (white with a sentry box logo on the door) offer fixed-rate travel within tourist areas from the airport to Old San Juan. To get out of the centre of town you have a few options: public bus service is cheap but less than reliable, leaving taxis and car rentals your best bet for getting around greater San Juan. International car rental agencies are well represented on the island, and there are plenty of local operators. Your home driver's license is valid. Note that local driving habits are erratic (to be kind) though relatively aggression-free (to be fair). Also watch out for the speed limit signs, which are in miles per hour, even though distances are in kilometers. Drive on the right-hand side of the road.