Cartagena

Getting There

Fly into Rafael Núñez International (CTG). Direct flights from Bogotá take just over an hour. Within the city, walking covers most of the walled old town; taxis and Uber are cheap for the beach areas.

The Walled City

Cartagena's historic centre is enclosed within 13km of colonial walls built by the Spanish in the 16th and 17th centuries to defend the Americas' most important port against pirates and rival empires. The walls are intact and can be walked at sunset for the best light on the Caribbean. Within the walls, the streets of the Centro and San Diego neighbourhoods are lined with houses painted in ochre, blue, pink, and green, with wooden balconies draped in bougainvillea.

Getsemaní, outside the walls and the fastest-evolving neighbourhood in the city, is where the restaurants and bars have migrated as Centro prices have risen — better food, lower prices, genuine street life, and the best street art in Colombia.

The Food

Fresh Caribbean seafood is the foundation — ceviche (particularly coconut-based versions), whole grilled snapper, arroz con mariscos (seafood rice). La Cocina de Pepina serves traditional Cartagena coastal cooking that has not been adjusted for tourist sensibilities. The evening food carts in Getsemaní sell empanadas, carimañolas, and arepas de huevo for almost nothing.

The Caribbean-grown fruit is extraordinary — corozo, maracuyá, lulo. The fresh juice stalls throughout the city sell combinations that don't exist elsewhere.

The Beach and Islands

Playa Blanca on Barú island is the best beach accessible from Cartagena (2 hours by boat). Islas del Rosario offer good snorkelling and the most photogenic Caribbean water. Arrive early — the day-trip boats from the old city port are busy by 9am.

When to Go

December to April (dry season). The rest of the year has higher humidity and some rain but the city is greener and cheaper.