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City in coastal northern Colombia
Photo: David Shankbone, CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Cartagena or Cartagena de Indias is a city and a world heritage site on Colombia's Caribbean coast in the Bolívar. Founded by the Spanish in 1533, the impressive buildings from the Spanish time today make up a UNESCO World Heritage site. Or, you can hang out at one of the nearby sand beaches. Cartagena is the Colombian city most visited by tourists.
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From Camellon de los Martires you pass through the historical city gate Puerta del Reloj, the gate of the clock, onto the triangular square Plaza de los Coches, the place of the carriages. Once this was one of the largest slave markets in all of Latin America, a major source of wealth to the city, aside of the gold export to Spain. Nowadays a statue of Pedro de Heredia, the founder of the city, stands on this square.
Next to the former, there is another beautiful triangular square, Plaza de la Aduana, surrounded by impressive arcaded buildings.One of these is Casa del Premio real, the house of the Spanish viceroy. This square has a statue as well, of Christopher Columbus.
Named after Pedro Claver (1580-1654), a Spanish Jesuit who worked for 40 years for the rights and the wellbeing of the slaves in the city. He was beatified in 1888, and in 1985 named the patron saint of human rights. His relics are visible in a crystal arch under the altar. Moreover, on the second floor you can visit the room where he lived the last times of his life and died. On the second floor there is also an exhibition of Afro-Caribbean art.
In a former Jesuit college right behind the convent. It offers an informative overview of the history of the city and the naval history of the Caribbean. However the exhibits are replicas, not originals.
Some blocks inwards there's the Plaza de Bolívar with an equestrian statue of the liberation hero. Before the independence of Colombia this was known as Plaza de Inquisición, and next to it you can find the inquisition palace. where during two centuries the Catholic church held processes against heretics.
Museo de la Inquisición
The museum of Palacio de la Inquisición (Palace of Inquisition) was where the Spanish Inquisition tortured, judged and convicted people accused of crimes against religion.The tribunal was responsible for all of South America and sentenced almost 700 people, including Jesuits opposing slavery. Many of the accused were badly tortured. Today the museum shows some instruments of torture actually used back then.
Also at the same square, this museum shows the religious gold artefacts of the Zenú (or Sinú) people who used to live along the coast. Not as large as the gold museum of Bógota, but still very worth seeing. However, the museum's archaeological museum is even more interesting, showcasing the native people's impressive achievements in controlling and canalling Rio Magdalena.
A three-naved cathedral which is rather crude on the inside, but has an impressive tower.
Not far from the cathedral is the oldest church in Cartagena. Santo Domingo on the eponymous square has been here since 1552. You can rent audio guides, available in many languages.
This wooden building was the home of the 19th-century poet and president Rafael Núñez (1825-1894). He wrote the text to the Colombian national anthem, and also participated writing the constitution which was in force from 1886 to 1991.
A landmark dedicated to and named after the city's founder Pedro de Heredia's native translator Catalina.
A fortress designed by the Dutch engineer Richard Carr and built in 1657 by the Spanish for protection against pirates while shipping gold out to Europe. The largest fort the Spanish ever built in their colonies, this fort was conquered only once by French privateer Baron de Pointis in 1697. It's filled with an extensive maze of tunnels, which you can explore on a guided tour. Don't miss the 24-minutes long video that tells the history of the fortress.
Close to the San Felipe fortress is the 150-m high La Popa hill, which offers great views over Cartagena and the harbour area. The 17th century Santa Cruz monastery is here, which has a beautifully restored courtyard and a fine image of the Virgin of La Candelaria, the patron saint of the city. On the 2nd of February every year, pilgrims celebrate her. Entrance to La Popa is COP$8,000 for adults and a little less for children. Taking a taxi up and down the hill will cost you a shocking COP$50,000. Negotiate this with the driver before going. It is advised that you do not walk up as it can be dangerous.
Chiva Bus is a must do fun activity in Cartagena. If you've visited Cartagena for even a day you've undoubtedly seen the open air, colorful buses going through the city loaded with people having fun, drinking and enjoying the loud beat of local music. A good activity for couples, families or groups. There are various pickup locations at mostly tourist hotels (Decameron, Caribe, Hilton, etc.) or just talk to the people to make arrangements.
Latin dances, first of all the Salsa form an integral part of Caribbean culture. The colorful mixture of people in Cartagena and their passionate way of living find one if its most eminent expressions in the vibrant rhythms all around. Crazy Salsa offers you a wide range of Latin dance classes, focusing on Salsa, Merengue and Bachata. There are introductory classes every Friday and Saturday at 17:00 for COP$10,000—for advanced and intensive classes, workshops or other questions visit crazysalasa.net.
Cartagena is an ideal city for some extended Spanish language studies—a beautiful but not too large city center, close by beaches and heaps of activities to do. Colombia is also renowned for its pure Spanish which is perfect for learners. However, this type of Spanish is prominent in the cities of the interior (Medellin, Bogota, Cali, etc.) In the coastal regions, and especially in Cartagena, there is a pronounced Caribbean dialect, with a colorful flair of blends of Andalusian, West African, and Indigenous influences. There are several Spanish language schools in Cartagena. BABEL International Language Institute is located directly in the old city in one of the picturesque streets. They offer all kinds of group and private classes and also combined Spanish and Salsa packages
Located in Getsemaní, this language school offers courses from five days and longer.
The main focus of this Spanish school is immersion courses: their philosophy is that it's more interesting and better for students to learn in a cultural environment that shows the richness of the Spanish language. Flexible schedule, good prices, nice and friendly teachers committed with the learning of their students.
Farther down from Playa Blanca on Isla Baru in the bay of Cholon is Sportbaru- a place well worth of visit. This tranquil beachfront resort offers water sports, boat tours, eco hikes, gaming and gathering facilities, restaurant and bar; and an exceptional staff that is very accommodating to meet any of your needs. You can take a day tour there from Cartagena, or stay overnight in comfortable cabanas that are all facing the beach.
Several agents arrange boat tours to Islas del Rosario, a set of small islands out of the coast. Usually, the tour includes lunch, a visit to an aquarium and a few hours at Playa Blanca, not included in the price is harbor tax and park entry fee.
Classical music festival with concerts in Teatro Heredia, the convents of Santa Teresa and Santa Clara and public places in the old town.
Literary festival with public readings by authors.
The patron saint of Cartagena is celebrated during several days, the highlight being a massive procession up to the convent on the hill Cerro La Popa each 2nd of February.
Traditional film festival featuring Latin American movies and documentaries.
The party of the city, a large street festival in Getsemani, Centro Histórico, Crespo, Marbella, and around the entire city
Very nice Colombian franchise restaurant which offers very good dishes to excellent prices.
Very nice Colombian franchise hamburger chain.
Peruvian place with fresh fish. The menu of the day is great value
Coffee chain with a large variety of coffees and different cakes. Free WLAN.
A great selection of hot and cold ceviches.
Considered the best restaurant in town. Cuban ambiance, good food - high prices. It is on Calle Baloco at the corner front to the historical walls.
El Laguisto Beach Club
There are many good restaurants in the Bocagrande area on the beach. The food is of decent quality, but the delight is the water coming up to the restaurant. The host speaks English, Spanish, French, some Portuguese and Turkish!
A choice of a few set lunch options. Different menu every day of the week. Delicious and unpretentious.
Bistrò-Bar-Pizzeria
Otro Mundo Bistrò-Bar-Pizzeria it is in Centro Historico de Cartagena de Indias, Calle San Agustin 6-68, close Universita de Cartagena (Cartagena University). There you can eat excellent Croatian dishes, pastas, and the best pizza of America. Ambient is rustically tip, very clean with excellent service. The price of dishes and pizza is very good. In the local you can use gratis WiFi internet connection. They do also pizza delivery.
2nd floor restaurant that overlooks the Plaza San Diego. Small balcony for seating, but great food, both fish and meat. Good set menus and 2-for-1 specials on cocktails every day from 18:00-21:00.
Traditional restaurant serving typical Caribbean fare: langoustines, crabs, ceviche, fish, all very tasty and well prepared. Popular among locals, especially for lunch.
Sushi and Thai restaurant.
African-Caribbean fusion, pasta.
Fine dining restaurant specializing in the "fruits of the sea". Great seafood and great atmosphere. Located in Manga with view to the bay and marinas of Cartagena.
Olano´s
Great sea food with fusion style, don´t miss the shrimps in passion fruit and coconut rice!
Argentinian restaurant at its best. Good meat, good ambiance.
One of the must-see restaurants of Cartagena.
Has unreal ice cream, with a large assortment of different exotic fruit flavors. Fans of coffee ice cream must stop by for a scoop. Corner of Calle del Cuartel and Calle de la Estrella.
Cafe & Book Store is a great place to relax and get some peace and quiet. Local books on Cartagena in addition to great coffee.
La Avenida del Arsenal is located along the bay near the Centro de Convenciones. In its heyday it was the place to be. Now much of the nightlife in Cartagena has moved to the Ciudad Vieja, but this strip of about 10 discotecas is still a raging place to experience on weekends. Entry to most of the discos is COP$10,000-20,000.
One of the most popular watering holes for local Cartageneros is Mister Babilla, located on the Avenida del Arsenal, near the Centro de Convenciones. This place is great on the weekends and is notorious for having people dancing on the tables and the bar late into the night! A great time!
Located atop the western wall providing sunset views and cocktails.
Great place to sit and people watch as the night gets going. Indoor and outdoor seating, according to one visitor the indoor is better. Good prices on drinks (beer COP$2500) and the place to meet Cartageneros and tourists alike.
Bistrò-Bar.Pizzeria
Otro Mundo Bistrò-Bar-Pizzeria is in Centro Historico de Cartagena, Calle San Agustin 6-68 and is near Universita de Cartagena. There you can eat excellent Croatian dishes, pastas, and the best pizza of America. Ambient is very clean and service is excellent. The price and quality of the dishes and pizza are very good. Every day you can listen good music and taste also good drinks, like beer, cocktails, juice and natural juice, all this with very good price and hospitable service.
A great little corner bar that offers bottle service and a decent street scene. Very local. Beers are COP$3000 and a bottle of rum will set you back COP$27,000, which is pretty good. Right next door to a Pizzeria and up the street a few doors from a Lebanese Falafel house. Calle de la Tableda.
Popular backpackers place with several 2 to 4 person rooms some with bathroom and a dormitory with arco. Facilities include internet, personal strongboxes, bookswap and a communal kitchen. Information for sailboats to the San Blas islands and Panamá is also available.
Housed in a beautifully restored colonial building filled with color, unique artwork, and lovely gardens for reading and relaxing. The owners are very friendly and happy to help you with any questions or advice. Rooms are rather damp and dated. Cockroaches have been sighted but promised to take care of.
Run by Jairo Toro, 100 m from Casa Viena and a good second choice.
Well kept, clean, friendly and helpful management, rooms with air conditioning and fans, private bathrooms, some rooms without windows. They also have another building on Calle de la Media Luna, which has nicer, more expensive rooms. The staff is very nice and welcoming.
With approximately 30 rooms around a nice courtyard, this hostel offers a good deal for backpackers. Cheap and fast internet as well as tours agency service are available.
Popular with backpackers, this centrally located, clean hotel with nice rooms with private bathroom and air-conditioned in all dorms, communal kitchen, free internet, free Breakfast, and tours services. Information for sailboats to the San Blas islands and Panamá is also available.
Clean, the owners are nice, can be loud on the weekends, not really a tourist place, but one of the cheapest options! Make sure to get a room on the second floor, the first floor rooms are a little musty.
A very relaxed hostel in which Maude will welcome you within her family. The kitchen is shared with them, which gives a feeling of living in a Cartagena family house.
Same price and style of hotel as La Muralla, but the rooms are a little stuffier and darker.
Hostel Mamallena, Cartagena is the first Colombian hostel opened by the Panamanian Hostel Mamallena. We bring to Cartagena our high levels of service, variety of rooms, orthopedic mattresses, free Wi-Fi, garden courtyard and friendly staff. The majority of our rooms have private bathrooms and can sleep from 1 to 5 people. Dorms are large and airy and have private bathrooms as well. Budget tours to the volcano, Playa Blanca and Islas Rosarios are also available.
Pleasant hotel with a beautiful inner yard and a guest kitchen, but quite expensive.
Friendly and casual hotel in the district of Marbella, some 15 minutes by foot from the old town. The rooms are spread out in several small one-floor buildings. Rooms have private bathrooms while the more expensive ones have A/C too.
Hotel Cartagena Premium offers single room, matrimonial double and twin double with air-conditioning, mini-bar and breakfast. Its facilities and services include swimming pool, jacuzzi, room service and parking.
Spacious rooms, some with balconies onto the street. Decent swimming pool. Simple furnishings.
Nice hotel on the island of Tierra Bomba (10 min boat from the Hilton Hotel of Cartagena). It's in the middle of a real local village, not far from the beach, and with a great view of Cartagena. Rooms are very clean, 3 beds (2+1), kitchen, individual jacuzzi, air conditioning. Restaurant from COP$10,000-12,000, decent food.
Small colonial hotel.
A boutique style hotel combining ancient architecture and modern commodities. Perfect for romantic escapade. 8 rooms. A beautiful terrace with swimming-pool. Free Wi-Fi.
Hotel Ibatama and Hotel Ibatama Real are really an option for the people in the non luxurious budget. situated on either sides of Boca Grande, the hotels are nice, clean and you get value for money with the AC rooms. Close to the beach and Bocagrande is safe as always.
Casa Marta is a colonial guesthouse/bed and breakfast situated in the city's historic district of Getsemani. The house has been carefully renovated to modern standards and has two bedrooms with a maximum capacity of 4 to 5 people each. Each bedroom has air conditioner, fan, fridge, Satellite TV, and a private bathroom. Internet service and breakfast are included free of charge. A nice plunge pool is also available to all guests.
The hotel was converted from an 18th-century mansion and opened in Dec 2005. Good breakfasts served by Eufemia. Attractively furnished although regular rooms are small and windowless. Two internet computers for guests.
In the heart of Cartagena's old walled city. It has four rooms. The hotel has a restaurant, room service, free wifi for guests, two terraces with beautiful views of the historical city center, and a third terrace with a BBQ. The rooms have air conditioning, minibar, plasma TVs, and satellite TV.
A beautiful boutique hotel with rooms reportedly from COP$500,000 plus tax in low season.
A romantic hotel in the old city.
This small beautifully restored hotel that has been recommended in the New York Times travel section. The hotel is English owned and run. Guests enjoy free WiFi and a PC work station.
Nice hotel with decent prices for its category, though a bit generic.
A boutique style hotel.
There is a large Citibank ATM location on calle Venezuela near Barrio San Diego that has a guard out front. ATMs appear to be available 24/7.
Western Union-affiliated exchange office.
Various artesanal goods of good quality.
Design objects.
Local sweets.
Bookstore and café. Has a good assortment of books in Spanish about Cartagena, and some English books as well.
Specializing in maps.
By bus
The bus terminal is 11 km east of the old city.
By boat
Cartagena is an important port for charter boats between Colombia and Panama. There are several private boats doing this trip, but expect to have to wait several days to find a boat.
By car
The city is connected to the rest of Colombia by good roads.
By bus
To reach other destinations such as the San Felipe fort, Bocagrande, Castillogrande, airport, etc. there are many buses running all over the city.
By bike
By taxi
Taxis don't have meters in Cartagena, fares should be negotiated. There are printed fares, but they are more like minimum fares. Even negotiated rates are often higher, especially in high season.
By chariot
A chariot is a popular way for tourists to get to know the old town. These can be flagged down in the street or there are usually some waiting at the Plaza Bolívar or close to the Santa Clara hotel.
By boat
Cartagena has several harbours for Boats going out to the Islas del Rosario and Playa Blanca, including the Muelle Turistico de la Bodeguita, Muelle Todomar.
By scooter
Electric scooters can be rented in town and are to be ridden only within the city area. Gas-powered scooters are not available for rent. Many of the bicycle shops will also rent electric scooters.
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