There are very few cities that can compare to the oh my god I need to come back here for my honeymoon vibe when you walk along its streets. NYC comes to mind, but then again I’m biased. Luang Prabang is definitely on that list. And Cartagena. Yes, Cartagena…How can you not be charmed by streets like these:

 

CDS_5760 CDS_5758

CDS_5757

CDS_5755

 

We did the following walking tour in order within 3 hours:

  1. Museo Naval del Caribe
  2. Convento and Plaza de San Pedro Claver
  3. Plaza de la Aduana
  4. Plaza de los Coches
  5. Puerta del Reloj
  6. Walk westwards along Calle de Roman, passing by the Catedral
  7. Plaza de Bolivar
  8. Palacio de la Inquisicion
  9. Iglesia and Plaza de Santo Domingo
  10. Walk eastwards along Calle de la Mantilla, Calle de la Estrella, Calle La Soledad, and make a left along Calle Segunda de Badillo
  11. Make a right along Calle Santismo
  12. Iglesia de Santo Toribo de Mangrovejo
  13. Walk eastwards along Calle 7 Infantes and Calle Poritobelo
  14. Monumento a la India Catalina
  15. Walk north unto you hit the Las Bovedas
  16. Walk south to Puente Heredia and east (20-30 min) to the Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas
  17. Take a cab to the Convento de la Popa
 

CDS_5737
Inside the Cathedral

CDS_5739
Inside Plaza de Bolivar

CDS_5742
Plaza de Bolivar

CDS_5745

CDS_5747

 

Last night we ate at La Cervicheria, a restaurant that was featured for its creative ways of cooking cerviche (shrimp with mango, mozzarella sauce, garlic sauce, BBQ mexican, peanut butter octopus…) on Anthony Bourdain’s show, No Reservations:

 

CDS_5770
La Cervicheria

 

It’ll be hard to miss the fortification walls around Cartagena:

 

CDS_5781

CDS_5783

CDS_5788

CDS_5796

CDS_5798

CDS_5801

CDS_5803

Probably one of the biggest highlights of Cartagena is the Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas, which has remained to be the most impressive Spanish fort constructed in South America. Don’t miss it.

CDS_5805

CDS_5807

CDS_5811
Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas

CDS_5816

CDS_5822

CDS_5826

CDS_5832

CDS_5836

CDS_5838

CDS_5839

CDS_5840

 

Afterwards you have the option of taking a cab to the Convent de La Popa, which is the highest point in Cartagena with amazing views of the city. One option is to walk up the hill (30 minutes), which has been highly UNrecommended by everyone in Cartagena (Lonely Planet compares it to a trek in the Mojave Desert). 

The other option is get a cab which will tend to upcharge you up to $40,000 colombian pesos for a 10 minute ride, which is 8x the normal rate for a ride that long around the city. Choose your own adventure.

 

CDS_5856
Views of Cartagena from the Convent de La Popa

CDS_5860

 

All in all, a full day in one of South America’s most charming city, in my opinion surpassing the quaintness of Peru’s Cuzco. I think tonight we’ll grab a drink at Café del Mar, and then go dancing at another club somewhere outside of the Old City. After that, it’s time to pack for the trip home…

Loading

 

- At time of posting in Cartagena, it was 29 °C - Humidity: 79% | Wind Speed: 16km/hr | Cloud Cover: clear

 

Where Are We Now?

Click to open a larger map

Where Are We Next?

Click to open a larger map

Post Categories

Calendar of Posts

April 2011
M T W T F S S
 123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
252627282930