Things to do in Cartagena

The jewel of the Caribbean coast

Cartagena de Indias was one of the most important ports of the Spanish empire, and the walls built to protect it from pirates still surround the old town. Inside, the streets are lined with colonial houses painted in bright colours, wooden balconies covered in flowers, churches and shady plazas. The old town and its fortifications are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Just outside the walls, Getsemaní was once a working-class barrio and is now the backpacker heart of the city, with street art, hostels, cheap food and the busiest square at night, the Plaza de la Trinidad. Bocagrande, the peninsula of high-rise hotels to the south, has the city beaches, but most people take a boat to the islands for better sand and clearer water.

Give Cartagena three or four days: two for the old town, the castle and Getsemaní, one for the Rosario Islands or Playa Blanca, and one for the mud volcano or the town of San Basilio de Palenque. It is hot and humid all year, so explore early and late, and rest in the middle of the day.