The Cataño ferry to Old San Juan: times and fares

It is the metropolitan route of the Maritime Transport Authority’s ferry service, which ATI groups with the Urban Train, the buses and the Llame y Viaje paratransit as part of urban transportation. The vessel is called the Simplicity and carries passengers — not vehicles — between the municipality of Cataño and Old San Juan in 12 minutes.

Anyone can travel by paying the fare. Four groups have their own price: the general public aged 3 to 59, people 60 to 74, people with disabilities, and infants 0 to 2 together with people 75 and over, who pay nothing. The two free tickets — infants and 75-plus — cannot be obtained online: you must go to the port window with a photo identity document.

• A ticket. ATI states fares are available at the port window and through puertoricoferry.com, and points to the City Experiences app for tickets, schedules and alerts.Verified against the official source
• A photo identity document at the port window for the free infant (0–2) and 75-and-over tickets.Verified against the official source

• Photo identification, only if you are using one of the two free tickets.

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   Step 1: Check the time before leaving home

   Monday to Friday, from Cataño to San Juan the first sailing is 5:30 a.m. and the last 9:30 p.m.; from San Juan to Cataño, the first is 6:00 a.m. and the last 10:00 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays service starts and ends later: Cataño to San Juan 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., and San Juan to Cataño 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Those are the ends of the day; the frequency in between is in ATI’s official metro ferry itinerary, worth checking because the linked one states it is effective through December 2025.

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   Step 2: Get the ticket that applies to you

   Prices are per single crossing. General public 3 to 59, $2.00. People 60 to 74, $0.50. People with disabilities, $0.50. Infants 0 to 2, free. People 75 and over, free. The two free tickets carry a condition: they must be bought at the port window with a photo identity document. The rest are available at the window, on puertoricoferry.com or through the City Experiences app, which also shows service alerts and lets you track service in real time.

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   Step 3: Expect the trip may be by bus

   ATI publishes a notice covering the whole ferry service: because of operational situations with the vessels, certain trips are being offered by land on a bus. On the metro route that is feasible — Cataño and San Juan are connected by land — so if you are travelling on a tight schedule, check the service alerts before heading to the dock.

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   Step 4: If the ferry does not suit you, look at the rest of the system

   ATI groups the ferry with the Urban Train, the AMA buses and the Llame y Viaje programme, which is transport for people with physical or mental disabilities who cannot board a bus and which serves, among others, the Cataño area. If the reason you were looking at the ferry is mobility rather than sightseeing, that programme may be the right route and has its own guide.

The route runs between the Cataño dock and the Old San Juan dock. Tickets are bought at the port window, on puertoricoferry.com or through the City Experiences app.

• Hunting online for the free infant or 75-and-over ticket: it is window-only, with photo ID.
• Assuming the weekday schedule on a weekend: Saturdays and Sundays service starts two hours later.
• Paying $2.00 when you are 60 or over, or have a disability: the fare is $0.50.
• Turning up at the dock with a car: this route carries passengers, not vehicles.
• Trusting the linked itinerary without checking its effective date, which says it ends 31 December 2025.

These are the government pages this guide is based on.

• Departamento de Transportación y Obras Públicas (DTOP)

  DTOP

  www.ati.pr.gov