Bacardi Factory Tour in Puerto Rico: A Review
My sister and I at the Bacardi Factory outside of San Juan
While visiting San Juan, Puerto Rico, take time to do the Bacardi Factory Tour in Cantaño.
Despite what you might think, the tour isn’t just about drinking rum, but instead is a fascinating glimpse at the history of sugar cane in Puerto Rico, and a look behind-the-scenes of the process from field to cocktail glass.
We all love learning more about how things are produced, so, even though we're not the biggest drinkers, we decided to devote half a day to learning about rum production.
Here's how our day went, what you should expect if you're going on the Bacardi Factory Tour in Puerto Rico, and tips for a great experience.
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Visiting the Bacardi Factory: An Overview
Three flags at the entrance of the Bacardi factory property
If you came to Puerto Rico for some sun, fun, and beach days, you might be wondering why you should pull yourself away from the pool to go to a factory.
Well, the history and culture of Puerto Rico is so tightly aligned with that of sugar cane production that it’s hard to understand one without the other.
Even today, as Puerto Rico’s economy rapidly expands into textiles and pharmaceutical manufacturing, the island still produces about 70% of all of the rum purchased in the United States.
And, more to the point of this post specifically, the Bacardi distillery is the biggest rum manufacturing facility in the world.
To me, that alone is worth the trip across the San Juan Bay from Viejo San Juan to the factory’s location in Cataño.
There are several tours available, depending on how deep you want to get into the rum tastings and what time you’d like to dedicate to the experience.
For most visitors, the regular Legacy tour should be a good overview of the factory’s history and process of rum production.
There is a Mixology tour if you want to get into the logistics of making your own rum based drinks back home, and there is a chocolate pairing tour where you’ll try different rum and chocolates.
NOTE: Kids (even babies!) aren’t allowed into the factory tours.
Keep that in mind if you’re traveling with kids, as you may need to switch off between adults to take separate tours. There’s a really beautiful lawn area with benches that you can hang around outside if you’re waiting for someone else to take a tour. Kids are also allowed in the gift shop and on-site food court.
Getting to Casa Bacardi
As the crow flies, the factory isn't far from downtown San Juan, but you’ll need to navigate the San Juan Bay, either by driving around or going across on the San Juan-Cataño ferry.
Driving to the Factory
If you drive, it’s about 20 minutes from Viejo San Juan if the traffic is cooperating.
From Old San Juan, head towards the airport, following Highway 1 until you get to the interchange with John F. Kennedy Expressway. Take the JFK Expressway south until you see signs for West (Oeste) 22 towards Cataño and Arecibo.
You won’t stay on 22 for long, as you then need to look for the exit sign (Salidas) for 7 A-B towards Cataño. As soon as you get off on Exit 7A, you’ll see a brown sign pointing ahead to the Bacardi Factory. Follow this road, Avenida El Caño, until you see another brown sign with a right arrow pointing to the Bacardi Factory.
Keep to the right and merge at the end of the exit ramp, and then almost immediate turn to your left into the Bacardi Factory property.
Pros of driving: you don’t waste time waiting around for the ferry
Cons of driving: you’ll need to navigate San Juan traffic, and the road signs are all in Spanish
Taking the Ferry
The view of San Juan Bay from the ferry to Cataño
If you don’t have a car, or you’re looking for a little bit of adventure to add to your factory tour, consider taking the ferry across San Juan Bay (Bahía de San Juan).
You’ll pick up the ferry in Old San Juan on Calle Comercio at the southern edge of the historic district. The ferry terminal is right next to the cruise dock, so if there’s a cruise boat in town, just walk towards that.
There are 2 ferry lines that run out of this terminal, so make sure you’re on the right one. For the Bacardi factory, take the Cataño-San Juan line, and not the one running from San Juan to Hato Rey. (Hato Rey is a much longer ferry trip, and it will take you to the city’s coliseum.)
The ferry to Cataño is super cheap at only $2 per person each way. The ride from Old San Juan will take less than 15 minutes, and there are ferries that run consistently each day from 5:30 AM to 9:30 PM.
Once you get to the Cataño side of the bay, it’s much quieter than where you left in Old San Juan. If you’re waiting on a traditional taxi, there is a small taxi rank, but, depending on when you’re visiting, you may have to wait for a bit before someone shows up.
If you don’t want to wait, you might have better luck ordering an Uber or Lyft.
We’ve taken taxis all over San Juan, and the only negative experience we’ve had was a driver who was clearly having a bad day. He acted annoyed that we were bothering him for a ride to the factory, and dumped us several hundred feet from the main drop off area, despite there being clear signs for taxi-drop offs.
Hopefully, you’ll get a better taxi or rideshare driver who will pull up all the way to the well marked passenger drop-off/pick-up.
And when it’s time to go back to the terminal, there are usually a couple of drivers just hanging around waiting for passengers, so it’s easy to get a return ride.
Pros of the ferry: very cheap, don’t have to worry about driving
Cons of the ferry: also have to navigate getting a taxi/rideshare, less flexible with your time
The Bacardi Factory Tour: What to Expect
Inside the Pavilion at the Bacardi Factory
When we arrived inside the factory property, we were greeted by a big white tent, which is an iconic part of the property called the Pavilion.
This open air permanent tent is a great place to hang out on a hot, humid day.
When you arrive, you’ll get tickets for one mint mojito per person when you show your ID at check-in.
They were the perfect way to cool off after we’d made our way to the factory. The first one is free with the factory tour, so make sure to take advantage of that perk.
We considered going back and paying for another but it was time to head inside the main building when our tour was announced..
You’ll climb onto a bus that will carry you around the property and begin sharing the history of the factory. It’s a welcome reprieve from the humidity and mid-day heat that is Puerto Rico between May and September.
You'd think that, after living in South Carolina my entire life, I'd be used to crazy humidity, but I’m not. Keep that in mind if you’re from cooler climates and are visiting Puerto Rico in the summer.
It is hot and you can quickly get dehydrated, especially if you’re not chugging enough water along with your rum drink samples.
Our tour guide shows us how to make a Cuba Libre
The tour was really interesting and lasted about 60 minutes.
Along the way, we learned about the history of rum farming and production on the island, and how rum was a crucial element of trade as early as the 1500s.
We also learned a bit about popular drinks that are made with rum, such as the Cuba Libre, which is a drink with rum, a squeeze of lime and Coke. It’s a cocktail that was created after the end of the Spanish-American War to toast Cuba’s independence (hence the name, which means “Free Cuba”).
Sadly, no additional samples were made available to the tour attendees.
After the tour finished, we walked around the property, enjoying the late afternoon sun.
There is a Puerto Rican food kiosk here, which is a great place to try out mofongo, tropical-inspired chicken, plantains, and other local dishes.
Final Thoughts on Visiting the Bacardi Factory
The worst part about the Bacardi Factory is getting here, since there’s no super easy way to navigate from San Juan.
That’s not to say that driving or taking the ferry is overly difficult, but just know that you’ll need to do more to get here than most of the other tours and experiences I recommend in the San Juan area.
You’d think that, by now, the Bacardi Factory would offer a shuttle from Old San Juan, but I guess that doesn’t make sense financially for the number of people who visit daily.
In any case, the factory tour is worth the trouble of getting here for anyone interested in the history of cocktails, sugar cane farming, and rum production. The free welcome drink is an added bonus!
