Taking the Tren Urbano to Bayamón

Puerto Rico Week 5: One Last Adventure on the Island of Enchantment

Read about my fourth week in Puerto Rico!

With the study abroad program coming to a close, I spent a large percentage of the week working on my final project, but made time to spend an afternoon out in the city. I explored a few points along the Tren Urbano before spending the evening in Bayamón, a region in the western area of San Juan.

I bought a day pass on the Tren Urbano from the University station, which cost $5.00 and had to be paid only with cash. The Tren Urbano system has 16 stations throughout the San Juan, Guaynabo and Bayamón municipalities. It operates every day of the year, from 5:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. and connects various points of interest in the area. A regular one-way fare costs $1.50, but there are discounts for students, people between the ages of 60 and 74, those with a disability, and anyone receiving Medicare benefits. Anyone age 75 or older and kids up to 6 years accompanied by an adult ride for free. You can find more information about the Tren Urbano on their website here: tutrenpr.com

North-East End of the Tren Urbano

After securing the pass for the day I headed out into San Juan. I traveled to the northern-most station on the system, Sagrado Corazon, named for the private university nearby, and explored the area around the station.

My next stop was Hato Rey, the station closest to the coliseum where we watched the Luis Fonsi concert. The station is also right next to the Parque Lineal Marti Coll, which runs along the Martín Peña Channel to San Juan Central Park.  Unfortunately, the park was closed due to hurricane damage, but it would definitely be a place I’d want to visit in the future if it gets repaired. A ferry service also used to be offered through the channel connecting to Old San Juan, but was discontinued a few years ago.

I stopped at the Río Piedras station to take some pictures and use the bathroom before heading to the western-most stop along the Tren Urbano, Bayamón station.

Visiting Río Piedras? Check out our list of best places to visit!

Downtown Bayamón

A complete ride from Sagrado Corazon to Bayamón takes about thirty minutes, and mostly runs on elevated tracks, but there are a few subterranean stations as well. After getting off the train in Bayamón I walked across the street to the Parque Estrella del Norte, which featured some interesting artwork. Sometimes the park hosts local events, but even if there’s not much happening it’s still an interesting place for a quick stop.

From there I walked through the central area of Bayamón to check out some of the attractions the city offered. For a bite to eat check out El Nido and Café 2150, both are located a short walk from the Tren Urbano station and are right next to each other. If you want to see a fantastic collection of free art, the Francisco Manuel Oller y Cestero Museum is a great place to visit as well.

Paseo Lineal Río Bayamón

After spending some time in downtown Bayamón, I headed towards the Paseo Lineal Río Bayamón. This 9-kilometer long greenway trail is, in my opinion, the greatest greenspace in the entire San Juan metropolitan area, and a must visit in Bayamón. The Parque Lineal runs along the Río Bayamón and ends on the north side along the beach in Levittown and on the south side at Río Bayamón Golf Course, with restrooms, playgrounds, and small stores available at different points along the trail.

The light drizzle was of no concern to the dozens of cyclists and walkers using the path, and the trail looked beautiful. I accessed the trail through the closest entrance to the Tren Urbano station at the La Cambija enterance, but there’s also another entry point further south closer to the Río Bayamón Golf Course. I would recommend exploring the path on a bicycle, and with the bicycle pass available from the Tren Urbano it would be possible to travel directly there combining the two transportation methods.

Los Trailers

After exploring the park for a while, I headed back towards the Tren Urbano station to get some dinner before attending a local semi-professional soccer game later that evening. Conveniently, an outdoor dining area known as Los Trailers is located right across the parking lot from the rail station just a few steps away. There are a couple of different trailers specializing in different types of food, including Mexican, creole, seafood, vegan, Japanese, and dessert options. After checking each of them out I decided to buy dinner at Up In Smoke, which specializes in smoked meats. I ordered buffalo chicken wings and garlic french fries and they were both delicious. The trailers offered great food, good music, and a peaceful, clean, tasty place to eat as I watched the sunset.

Bayamón Sports Complex

After I finished my food I headed back towards the Bayamón Tren Urbano station to take the train one station east to Deportivo station. This station offers a direct transit link to the Estadio Juan Ramón Loubriel, Coliseo Rubén Rodríguez, and the Central Children’s Park of Bayamón. The game was played in the island’s old national baseball stadium, which can seat 12,500, but there were less people in attendance than most of my old high school soccer games. At first I thought I had gotten the time of the game wrong, because when I got to the stadium I could only hear a local orchestra practicing inside, but it turned out they were just both sharing the space for a bit.

Bayamón FC Soccer Game

Admission to the game was completely free, and I picked a seat to watch Bayamón FC and their opponents warm up before the game began. After an elaborate walkout ceremony the game began and I settled in to take in the match. It wasn’t the highest level soccer game I’ve ever watched, but it was fun to be there and experience the atmosphere. In an island dominated by baseball, I was happy to find a place to enjoy my favorite sport.

A very passionate family who had a relative playing for the opposing team ended up sitting behind me, which made for some entertaining moments. I was even able to see the home team score a well-worked team goal before I left at half-time. Once the referee blew the whistle I left the stadium and walked back to the station to ride back to the university. I felt content with the day’s adventure and ready to finish up the final project for my Latin American Music class before I flew back to the United States that weekend.

Read about my travels across the country with a quick trip to America’s Gateway to the West here!