Cartagena

Cartagena, Colombia

Cartagena is the undisputed queen of Colombia's Caribbean coast and easily the most attractive city in the region — this given its apparent shortage of attractions in the classical sense of the word. Instead, what draws travelers in is the city itself: a microcosm of the Caribbean, walled-in by defensive ramparts built to ward off unwelcome visitors, the likes of Sir Francis Drake, who held Cartagena de Indias captive for months during his 16th century raids on the Spanish New World.

Cumbia music fills the air in Cartagena's absurdly beautiful Old Town, while locals enjoy leisurely chats in inviting town squares, street vendors peddle their wares (look out for the incredibly photogenic palenqueras!), and vacationers explore streets lined with well-preserved colonial buildings, their balconies deluged with striking fuchsia-colored veranera. The first free town in the Americas founded by slave trade escapees — San Basilio de Palenque — is just an hour's drive from here.

Population:

971,592

Currency:

Colombian peso
COP 10,000 ~ $3

Emergency Numbers:

National Emergency Number: 123
Tourist Police: (1) 3374413
Information: 113

Opening Hours:

Newspapers:

El Universal

The City

Cartagena's beginnings as a major hub of slave trade in the Americas has had a long-lasting impact on the city's social make-up, creating, over time, a tantalizing mix of cultural influences that manifest themselves in its cuisine and music. Time runs slow in Cartagena's inviting squares, where locals engage in a game of dominoes while tourists hunt for the perfect shot of the incredibly photogenic 'planenqueras' in the background.

Most tours of the city start with an exploration of Cartagena's incredibly attractive Old Town, soon followed by a dive into Getsemani, the best of city neighborhoods to watch local life unfold, both before and after dark. San Diego is another area of the city favored by visitors, in part due to its high number of solid and affordable accommodation options, while the aforementioned Getsemani remeains a top nightlife pick for many, given its abundance of bars and dance clubs that offer a great taste of Cartagena's take on vida pura.

Cartagena is heralded as the most attractive urban destination of the Caribbean, and having walked its beautifully preserved colonial streets, there remains little doubt as to why.

Do & See

There is a great deal of things to do in Cartagena, even if simply taking a stroll through the city's beautifully preserved Old Town with a distinct colonial flare. Some of the highlights include an obligatory visit to the imposing Castillo San Felipe de Barajas, a stroll along Cartagena's defensive ramparts, a trip to the chilling Inquisition Palace (which still contains the original torture devices used to extract "confessions"), and a deep dive into the incredibly hip neighborhood of Getsemani, teeming with eateries and bars where locals mix and mingle with guests from far and wide.

Restaurants

From crispy deep-fried arepas to elaborate seafood dishes featuring fresh catch of the day (ceviche is the dish, perhaps, most sought-after), there is no shortage of scrumptious foods to try in Cartagena, Colombia. The classic is a fried fish platter, featuring a whole tilapia with a side of coconut rice and fried plantain — you'll be hard-pressed to find a local restaurant that doesn't list it on its menu.

Cafes

Although Colombia exports some of the world's finest coffee beans, it is only as of recently that these have become increasingly available to country natives, rather than shipped off to be sold abroad. Beans that don't reach export quality continue to get brewed as the ubiquitous 'tinto' (which translates to "ink water"): a popular brew that's sold at every cafe and street corner, and often needs plenty of sugar to camouflage the bitterness.

Colombia's budding coffee culture, spearheaded by young entrepreneurs, aims to introduce Colombians to unique flavor profiles originating from their own lands. Colombian beans are famously on the acidic side, with pronounced citrus notes (although coffee that comes from Colombia's north is known to be relatively less acidic, with more body). In Cartagena, one of the best places for an in-depth acquaintance with modern Colombian coffee culture is Café San Alberto, which offers a number of thematic workshops and courses (including tours of the plantation in Quindio, where all of their beans come from); for something quick and easy there are also multiple outlets of Juan Valdez Cafe (dubbed "Colombian Starbucks").