Cartagena in one day

Hello everyone! This year, I decided to travel to as many places as I could with the little time that I had, and on my trip to Bogota I decided I would go spend one full day in Cartagena… The city is on the Caribbean sea and it is much hotter than in Bogota!

Avianca flies from Bogota to Cartagena, and what I did was fly out very early in the morning and come back very late at night in order to have plenty of time to have fun and explore. Booking flights in South America can be difficult for an American (websites are automatically in Spanish, or you get strange error messages when using your own computer/tablet)…if this happens, go to Expedia instead!

When I got to Cartagena, I had no idea what to expect, so I simply took a cab and asked to go to the historical quarter with the world famous church (the city is a UNESCO world heritage site)…it turns out that the city is very small and that you can walk around it and see everything in a matter of hours, here are some pictures! I have been to many places, but to this date I believe that Cartagena is the most beautiful and most colorful city I have ever seen.

The city is surrounded by ramparts that you can walk on to get around the city, and from these ramparts you also have some very nice ocean views! Here are some things to do around the city:

Visit the famous Templo de Santo Domingo- This is the oldest church in Cartagena which was built in 1539 and rebuilt in 1552 after a fire.

Visit the Sanctuary of Saint Peter Claver- The Colonial style Sanctuary was built starting in 1580 and is one of Colombia’s national monuments.

Go to the famous Plaza Bolivar- The Plaza changed names many times, but the Plaza is mostly known for being the place where bullfights occurred. The statue is that of Simon Bolivar, known as the liberator.

Next, go to the Torre Del Reloj- This building which was built in the 1800’s houses the doors to the city and has a clock-tower on top. Go to the Plaza behind it, and if you’re lucky, you’ll find sloths sleeping in the trees!

Las Bovedas- These were built to be dungeons and are now used as a very nice shopping area where you can find a wide selection of local souvenirs, art, and much more! On the top you can walk on the ramparts and see the Caribbean sea.

Go see the Alcaldia- Here, you will find vendors selling various products, from souvenirs and local crafts to food and beverages for the hungry and dehydrated traveler. It is very nice at night!

Go see the Castillo San Felipe- This is a fortress that the Spanish built during the Colonial Era to protect the city from being invaded…you can take tours of the inside and there is also a museum!

There are dozens of other churches and places to see when walking around this incredible city, here are some pictures of the historical city:

Last but not least, there is a modern part of the city which you can see here! The city is also lined by one large beach, but keep in mind that the famous Playa Blanca is actually two hours away from Cartagena downtown!

Let me know your thoughts in the comments, thank you for reading!