Why Cartagena Is the Most Beautiful City I Have Visited in the Americas
I have spent time in many colonial cities across Latin America — Havana, Antigua, Oaxaca, Cusco — and Cartagena de Indias stands at the very top. The walled old town is a masterpiece of preservation, a place where every street corner looks like it was designed to be photographed, where bougainvillea spills from wrought-iron balconies in impossible shades of purple and orange, and where the Caribbean light paints the pastel facades in colours that shift throughout the day. It is, without exaggeration, stunning.
But Cartagena is more than a pretty face. Beneath the colonial grandeur is a city with serious culinary depth, a complicated history that includes slavery and resistance alongside Spanish wealth, and a Caribbean soul that expresses itself in music, food, and a pace of life that refuses to be hurried. The heat here is relentless — I will not sugarcoat that — but it is also part of the experience. Everything in Cartagena moves at the rhythm the heat demands: slow, languid, and deliberate.
The Walled City: Centro Histórico
The Ciudad Amurallada — the walled city — is the heart of Cartagena and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1984. The massive stone walls, originally built in the late 16th century to protect against pirate attacks, still encircle the historic centre almost entirely intact. Inside, the streets are narrow and cobblestoned, lined with colonial mansions that have been converted into boutique hotels, restaurants, and galleries.
Walking the Streets
The best way to experience the walled city is to simply walk without a fixed plan. Every block reveals something: a plaza with a centuries-old church, a doorway framed by a cascade of flowers, a corner where a fruit vendor balances a basket of mangoes on her head, a tiny bar where locals sip rum and argue about football. The light changes throughout the day — early morning is soft and golden, midday is harsh and bleached, late afternoon returns the warmth — and each hour gives the same streets a different character.
Plaza Santo Domingo is the most popular gathering spot, centred around Botero’s voluptuous sculpture La Gorda. The church of Santo Domingo, Cartagena’s oldest, stands on one side. Restaurants with outdoor seating line the perimeter, and in the evenings, musicians fill the square with cumbia and vallenato.
Plaza de los Coches, just inside the Clock Tower gate (Torre del Reloj), is where I always begin. The portal of the sweets — the Portal de los Dulces — is a row of stalls selling traditional Caribbean candies made from coconut, tamarind, and condensed milk. Buy a cocada, sit on the plaza steps, and watch the city wake up.
The Walls at Sunset
Walking the walls themselves is a Cartagena essential. The stretch between the Baluarte de Santo Domingo and the Café del Mar offers views over the Caribbean Sea, the old town rooftops, and the modern skyline of Bocagrande in the distance. Arrive about an hour before sunset. Vendors sell beer and snacks along the wall. Find a spot, sit on the warm stone, and watch the sun drop below the sea. It is one of those moments that justifies the entire trip.
Getsemaní: The Soul Behind the Walls
Just outside the walled city, the neighbourhood of Getsemaní is where I felt the authentic Cartagena most strongly. Historically a working-class barrio, Getsemaní has undergone rapid gentrification in recent years — hostels, cocktail bars, and boutique hotels have moved in — but it still retains a defiant local identity. The street art here is some of the best in Colombia. Plaza de la Trinidad, the neighbourhood’s central square, fills with locals every evening — families, friends, kids playing football, and vendors selling empanadas and cheap beer.
I stayed in Getsemaní on my second visit and preferred it to the walled city. The prices are lower, the energy is more real, and the short walk to the Centro Histórico takes five minutes. The neighbourhood’s annual November celebrations, coinciding with Cartagena’s independence festivities, are legendary — parades, music, dancing in the streets, and a community pride that is palpable.
Street Art Walking Route
Start at the corner of Calle de la Sierpe and walk toward the plaza. Nearly every wall along the way has been painted — portraits of Afro-Colombian community leaders, psychedelic tropical scenes, political commentary, and abstract works that use the peeling colonial facades as part of the composition. Getsemaní’s art tells the story of a community resisting displacement while celebrating its identity.
Castillo San Felipe de Barajas
The Castillo San Felipe is the largest and most important Spanish colonial fortress in the Americas, and exploring it is a genuinely impressive experience. Built in the 17th century on the Cerro de San Lázaro, the fortress is a massive complex of walls, tunnels, and batteries designed to withstand naval bombardment. The tunnel system is particularly remarkable — the acoustics were designed so that approaching footsteps could be heard from deep inside the structure.
I spent a solid two hours here, exploring the tunnels by flashlight, climbing to the upper batteries for city views, and reading the plaques that explain the various sieges the fortress endured. Entry costs COP 25,000 (~$6 USD). Go early in the morning to avoid both the heat and the cruise ship crowds. The walk up the hill in midday sun is punishing.
The Rosario Islands
The Islas del Rosario, an archipelago of 27 small islands about 45 minutes by boat from Cartagena’s port, offer a welcome escape from the city’s heat and hustle. The water ranges from deep blue to translucent turquoise, the coral reefs support surprisingly rich marine life, and the pace drops to near zero.
Most visitors come on day trips that include boat transport, a stop for snorkelling, lunch (usually fried fish with coconut rice and plantain), and beach time on one of the islands. The quality of these trips varies enormously — some operators pack boats dangerously full, while others offer smaller groups with better equipment. I recommend booking through your hotel or a reputable agency and paying slightly more for a quality experience. Expect to spend COP 120,000-250,000 (~$30-62 USD) depending on the level of service.
For a more exclusive experience, several islands have boutique hotels where you can stay overnight. Waking up to the sound of waves on a private island, before the day trippers arrive, is a luxury worth considering if your budget allows.
Playa Blanca
Playa Blanca on the Isla de Barú is the most famous beach near Cartagena — white sand, clear water, swaying palms. It is beautiful, and it is also heavily visited and aggressively hawked by vendors. I enjoyed it, but I went with calibrated expectations. If you want pristine solitude, this is not it. If you want a lively beach day with fresh ceviche served to your hammock and cold Águila beers from roving coolers, you will have a great time. The trick is to walk to the far ends of the beach where the crowd thins considerably.
Cartagena’s Food: Caribbean Depth and Colonial Influence
The food in Cartagena draws from African, Caribbean, indigenous, and Spanish traditions, and the result is one of the most distinctive regional cuisines in Colombia. Coconut, plantain, fresh seafood, tropical fruit, and rice form the foundation of nearly everything.
Must-Eat Dishes
Arroz con coco — coconut rice — accompanies almost every meal on the coast. The best versions are slightly caramelised, with a sweet, toasty flavour that pairs perfectly with fried fish. Cazuela de mariscos is a creamy seafood stew loaded with shrimp, squid, and fish in a coconut-tomato sauce. Patacones — twice-fried plantain discs — appear on every table as an accompaniment.
For the freshest ceviche in the city, find the women in the old town selling it from large bowls. Their ceviche de camarón (shrimp) and ceviche de pulpo (octopus) are made fresh daily and cost COP 10,000-15,000 (~$2.50-4 USD) per serving. Point, eat, repeat.
The Bazurto Market
If you want to see where Cartagena actually eats — not the polished restaurant versions, but the raw, unfiltered food culture — go to Mercado de Bazurto. This sprawling, chaotic market is not a tourist attraction. It is loud, hot, crowded, and the smells range from intoxicating to overwhelming. But the food is extraordinary. Fried whole fish served with coconut rice and plantain. Juice stands blending exotic fruits — corozo, níspero, zapote — that you will not find outside Colombia. Butchers, fishmongers, and produce vendors packed into a maze of narrow aisles.
I went with a food tour guide, which I recommend for first-timers. The market can be disorienting and a few areas require street smarts. But it was the most memorable food experience of my time in Cartagena — nothing in the walled city comes close to the flavour and the energy of Bazurto.
Fine Dining
Cartagena has a serious restaurant scene. Celele, run by chef Jaime Rodríguez, reimagines Caribbean Colombian cuisine through a modern lens and has earned recognition on Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants list. Carmen serves creative dishes in a gorgeous colonial setting. La Cevichería, a small counter-service spot on a quiet street in the walled city, serves some of the best ceviche I have had in Latin America — the line out the door at lunchtime confirms I am not alone in thinking so.
Practical Information
Dealing with the Heat
I will not pretend: Cartagena’s heat is serious. Temperatures sit between 28 and 33 degrees Celsius, and the humidity makes it feel hotter. My strategy: explore from 7 to 11 AM, retreat to a pool or air-conditioned restaurant from 11 AM to 3 PM, then head back out for the golden hour and evening. Carry water constantly. Wear light, breathable clothing. A hat and sunscreen are non-negotiable. The evening hours, roughly 5 PM onward, are when the city is at its most magical — the light softens, the heat eases slightly, and the streets fill with music and people.
What’s the Best Way to Get Around Cartagena?
The walled city and Getsemaní are entirely walkable. For trips to Castillo San Felipe, Bocagrande, or the Bazurto market, Uber and DiDi are widely available and cheap — most rides within the city cost COP 8,000-15,000 (~$2-4 USD). Licensed taxis are fine if you confirm the price or ensure the metre is running. For the Rosario Islands and Playa Blanca, boats depart from the Muelle de los Pegasos or the Muelle de la Bodeguita.
Prices and the Tourist Tax
Cartagena is the most expensive city in Colombia for travellers. Restaurant prices in the walled city are roughly double what you would pay in Bogotá or Medellín for equivalent quality. The sobretasa turística — a tourism surcharge — is applied to hotel stays. Budget travellers should eat outside the walls in Getsemaní or the local neighbourhoods, where a full lunch still costs COP 15,000-20,000 (~$4-5 USD).
Is Cartagena Safe for Tourists?
The walled city and Getsemaní are generally safe during the day and evening. Be alert to pickpockets in crowded areas, especially around the Clock Tower and on the walls at sunset. Do not walk on empty streets late at night. The beach areas attract persistent vendors — a firm but polite no, gracias is usually sufficient. Outside the tourist zone, exercise normal city caution.
Scott’s Tips for Cartagena
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Walk the walls at sunset, not midday. The heat at noon is brutal, and you will not enjoy it. Arrive around 5 PM, grab a beer from a wall vendor, and watch the sky turn orange over the Caribbean. This is the defining Cartagena moment.
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Stay in Getsemaní for better value and more character. The walled city is beautiful but increasingly sterile and expensive. Getsemaní has the street art, the local energy, the plaza life, and prices that are 30-50% lower. The old town is a five-minute walk away.
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Visit Bazurto market with a guide. It is the most authentic food experience in the city and one that most tourists miss entirely. The fried fish and exotic fruit juices alone are worth the trip.
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Book Rosario Islands with a quality operator. The cheapest boat trips pack 40+ people onto vessels meant for 20. Pay a bit more for a smaller group, better snorkelling gear, and a more pleasant experience.
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Eat ceviche from the street vendors in the old town. The women with the large bowls near Plaza Santo Domingo serve ceviche that is fresher and cheaper than any restaurant version. Point at what looks good. You will not be disappointed.
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Explore early or late, rest in the middle. Fighting the heat is a losing battle. Embrace the rhythm: mornings for sightseeing, midday for pools and siestas, evenings for dining and wandering. Así es la vida costeña — that is the coastal way of life.