Photos: San Juan by Mohan Nannapaneni, Pexels License; San Sebastian by Guérin Nicolas, CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped.
San Juan or San Sebastian?
Our verdict in twelve categories, each scored against the same fixed benchmark cities, and the climate month by month, so you can choose for your trip.
Choose San Juan for
- nightlife
- beaches
- culture and sights
What lies behind each score is written up on San Juan’s own page.
Choose San Sebastian for
- getting around
- day trips
- food and drink
What lies behind each score is written up on San Sebastian’s own page.
Scoreboard
Twelve categories on one fixed scale from 0 to 100. The shaded stretch is the gap between the two.
What lies behind each score is written up on the two cities’ own pages: San Juan and San Sebastian.
Your match
Pick a travel style or drag the sliders, and both match scores follow your weighting.
Wins on nightlife and beaches with your weighting.
Wins on getting around and day trips with your weighting.
What matters to you?
When should you go?
Pick your month. The climate figures are measured averages, not a forecast.
San Juan in July
San Sebastian in July
Daytime high, °C
Rainfall in the month, mm
Where the figures come from
San Sebastian's station stands 252 m above the city centre, so the centre is likely a little warmer than the figures say.
Temperature and rainfall are climate normals, averaged over the years shown. San Juan: 1991-2020 normals, San Juan / Int., Puerto Rico (12.8 km from centre). San Sebastian: 1991-2020 normals, San Sebastian / Igueldo (6.1 km from centre).
Before you go
| Measure | San Juan | San Sebastian |
|---|---|---|
| Official language | Spanish, English | Spanish |
| Currency | US Dollar (USD) | Euro (EUR) |
| Sockets | AB120 V, 60 Hz | CF230 V, 50 Hz |
| Driving side | Right | Right |
| Time zone | UTC-4 | UTC+1, UTC+2 in summer |
| Emergency number | 911 | 112 |
| Elevation | 3 m | 6 m |
| Main airport | Luis Munoz Marin International Airport (SJU)12 km from centre59 non-stop destinations | San Sebastián Airport (EAS)16 km from centre11 non-stop destinations |
| Public holidays this year | 21 days | 13 days |
By the numbers
| Measure | San Juan | San Sebastian |
|---|---|---|
| City population | 342,259 | 189,866 |
| People per km² | 2,847 | 3,118 |
| Museums within 10 km | 18 | 14 |
| UNESCO World Heritage sites within 50 km | 1 | 3 |
| Swim season, months above 21 °C | 12 months | 2 months |
Where else could you go?
Every comparison below shares a destination with this one, so you can follow San Juan or San Sebastian somewhere new.