Cartagena de Indias in Colombia, justly called the Jewel of Colombia, will seduce you with its atmosphere, weather, charming buildings and rich colonial history. It is definitely a place to visit.
Cartagena de Indias is the undisputed queen of the Caribbean coast, a fairy-tale city of romance, legends and superbly preserved beauty lying within an impressive 13km of centuries-old colonial stone walls. Cartagena's Old Town is a Unesco World Heritage site – a maze of cobbled alleys, balconies covered in bougainvillea, and massive churches that cast their shadows across leafy plazas.
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This is what “Lonely Planet” will tell you about this place. You should already feel intrigued. ;)
What it didn’t mention is that the city was an inspiration for amazing Gabriel García Márquez, the Nobel Prize winner for Literature in 1982.
In recent years, especially when drug wars ended, Cartagena became the more and more popular tourist destination for people from the United States of America as it takes only 2 and a half hour to arrive. Luckily also flights from Europe to Colombia began to be affordable.
Colours everywhere!!
From buildings to fruit vendors... Cartagena is all about colours! And that’s super easy to spot and notice.
The Old City of Cartagena is one of the most colourful places in all Colombia, maybe in all South America. Combined with charming buildings makes the city extremely photogenic, so all the Instagram lovers - this could be your paradise. ;)
The Old Town is largely intact and is a proof of how important Cartagena was for Spanish conquistadors. It was founded in 1533 and understandably the whole area of the Old Town became a UNESCO world heritage site. The city is “protected” by the most complete set of fortifications in South America! It really is impressive!
Streets? Mostly narrow cobblestone hide colonial mansions that are painted in various colours from blue to yellow to pink. To only make it more outstanding those buildings have exquisite wooden balconies overflowing with flowers. True fairytale!
Easily to spot women called Palenqueras, dressed up in traditional yellow, blue and red dresses, the colors of Colombia’s flag, sell fresh fruit from baskets perched atop their turbaned heads.
Castillo San Felipe de Barajas source
One of the city’s attraction is the Castillo San Felipe de Barajas that took around 120 years to build! In the seventeenth and eighteenth century, the castle and its fortifications were used to deter foreign armies and hordes of pirates.
You also surely don’t want to miss “Convento de la Popa” - an immense convent built in 1607 by Augustinian monks on the top of the highest hill in the city.
Plaza de los Coches source
Torre del Reloj source
Another must-see can be discovered while strolling down the old town. The Palace of the Inquisition, The Parque de Bolivar, is one of them. This is where Spaniards were witch hunting until Colombia won its independence in 1812! Nowadays this baroque mansion is a museum of ancient torture devices on display.
Another colonial treasure is the Clock Tower (“Torre del Reloj”). Some even argue that this is the most recognizable landmark of Cartagena.
Fun fact: An action of a famous movie of Zemeckis (with young Michael Douglas) titled “Romancing the Stone“ supposed to take place in Cartagena. Unfortunately, the truth is it was filed in Mexico!
Fun fact: An action of a famous movie of Zemeckis (with young Michael Douglas) titled “Romancing the Stone“ supposed to take place in Cartagena. Unfortunately, the truth is it was filmed in Mexico!
Thank you for being here with me. I hope until next time!
Pura Vida and enjoy your journey! 💛
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