Cartagena

Colombia

Cartagena is a romantic, historic and beautiful city located on the coast of the Caribbean Sea. Also known as "La Heroica", it was declared Historical and Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 1984 by UNESCO.

The temperature in Cartagena throughout the year averages 27 °C. This wonderful destination contains and preserves the secrets of history in its walled city, balconies, colors, flowers and narrow stone roads, which were a source of inspiration for Gabriel García Márquez, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1982.

Surrounded by a beautiful bay, Cartagena de Indias is one of the most beautiful and best preserved cities in the Americas; a true historical treasure that, today, is one of the most visited tourist destinations in Colombia.

What to do or see?

Walk through the beautiful historic center, appreciate its architecture, colors and the variety of flowers that adorn the different buildings. Ideal for taking great pictures and relaxing during the tour; it's important to bring hydration and use sunscreen.

Take a romantic ride at night in a horse-drawn wagon that makes all the magic of La Heroica come to you.

Enjoy the graffiti tour through the Getsemaní neighborhood.

Watch the sunset from the wall or on a rooftop accompanied by excellent drinks and good music.

Visit the Palace of the Inquisition, today a historical museum, where the Tribunal of the Holy Office functioned, which dictated the autos de fe, against the alleged heretics. In this place, you can find archives of the time, instruments and tools of torture, dungeons and models of what was the walled city. A fascinating site, full of history and that can generate a certain sense of sadness/nostalgia for the events that took place there.

What to do or see?

Visit and explore the Castillo de San Felipe, a military fortification considered one of the seven wonders of Colombia.

Go shopping at La Serrezuela Shopping Center, where the bullring used to be. The architectural design of the mall evokes a bullring that integrates the wonderful history of a city and modern architecture.

Although the beaches of Bocagrande will be the first ones you see, don't stay only with those; there are better options such as Playa Blanca, Rosario Islands, Cholon or Tierrabomba, for which you must hire a tour and take a boat to take you to the destination you want to visit.

The gastronomic offer is very varied, from Arabian, Lebanese, Japanese, Mexican, Peruvian and of course Colombian food. Be sure to try the arepa de huevo, a typical delicacy of the Colombian coast.

If you're part of the LGBTQ+ population you should know that Cartagena is a safe and friendly place, where you will be treated with respect and won't feel judged. In fact, many couples visit Cartagena because of the same aura of romanticism that the city exudes for everyone, regardless of sexual orientation.

Recommendations

During your tour in the historic center you will find the called " palenqueras" with colorful dresses and fruit baskets on their heads that will offer you in a very warm way to take a picture with them. Before taking your picture, negotiate and define the price you're willing to pay to avoid inconveniences.

If you want to visit the historic center at a less crowded time, I recommend going at 7 am.

Unfortunately, Cartagena isn't so advanced in terms of offering tours through digital platforms such as Booking or Expedia to book different plans; honestly, the one offered on these platforms is limited, so you will find many people on the streets offering different tours and plans. My suggestion is that you take the phone number of that person and compare with others for the same tour, so you have a frame of comparison, but don't go with the first one that offers you something without first comparing; sometimes they try to charge too much, especially to foreigners and this is a good technique to know if they're charging you a fair price.

In restaurants, especially those on the beaches and islands, always check and confirm prices before ordering food and drinks. In the historic center there isn't so much of a problem with that, because the menus already have updated prices.

If you're on the beach you'll be approached by many street vendors insisting that you buy from them, learn to say no politely. The same happens with people, especially women, who offer you braids and massages; before accepting the service, confirm the price and make it clear what service you're willing to pay for.

For mobility in the walled city I invite you to use Uber, it is very cheap and the prices are fair. In fact, I recommend that you use it from the airport, sometimes cabs tend to charge very expensive.