The area was originally inhabited by the indigenous people of the Karib tribe (that’s why we call them Caribbean) during the pre-colonial era, but after the arrival of Christopher Columbus and the subsequent foundation of a town Cartagena de Indias became one of the most important ports in all America.

The privileged location on the Colombian Atlantic coast gave the Spanish people an enormous commercial power over the northern and southern continental area without a great effort. At that time it was also the perfect destination to visit exotic places and thus Cartagena de Indias became the settlement of high-ranking military and ecclesiastic authorities, along with representatives of the Spanish Crown who made Cartagena the capitol of the Nuevo Reino de Granada.

Due to its wealth Cartagena was also the scene of countless conflicts. Not only Spain but also England and France wanted to get control of the city for economic interests. This led to construction of a strong fortress and the acquisition of weaponry to defend this coveted region. At the beginning it started as coastal defense but soon thereafter a big wall surrounded the whole city with a garrison inside. Today, this part of the town is known as the historic center, the Walled City and Ciudad Amurallada.

 
Despite its strong fortification Cartagena de Indias was assaulted many times by pirates and troops from England, Holland as well as France; however without success. Eventually, a rebellion broke out which led to the inevitable independence in 1811. When Pablo Morullo tried to get Cartagena back for the Spanish Crown four years later by means of a naval and terrestrial siege, he failed terribly thanks to the heroic resistance propelled by the will for independence.

After the constitution as a republic Cartagena experienced a period of economic weakening as its independence caused the cease of trade relations. However, along with the arrival of the new century of 1900 and major advances in terms of industrialization, overall economy, politics and culture Cartagena gradually regained the prosperity and importance as a strategic point of trade.

By today Cartagena de Indias has become a destination for everyone declared a tourist and cultural district in 1991.

In Cartagena de Indias you find a great variety of hotels, hostels, apartments and other accommodation options ranging from backpackers places to the most comfortable hotels. Depending on your preferences you can choose from hotels with services such as TV in each bedroom, air conditioning, private or shared bathroom, with or without room service, located in different places of the urban district.

Depending on the needs and the budget of the visitor, in Cartagena you can choose between the most luxurious hotels that also offer personalized services to the visitor, hostels for the traveler, and all-inclusive packages for example. No matter if you are looking for a private room or a hotel with sea view, open bar by the pool, Jacuzzi, or 24 hours room service to have a snack in the middle of the night, in Cartagena de Indias you will feel like at home.

Hotel prices vary according to your requirements and the different sectors of the town. You can choose to be in the center of the city to enjoy its colonial attractions, or be pleased with a stay at the beaches such as Bocagrande for example. Those who want to stay away from the sounds of the city will find some quiet areas near Cartagena, especially the El Rosario Islands where you can find good accommodation as well.

The economic hotels ensure the basic needs for those who do not need lots of attention, while the luxury hotels provide additional services that range from breakfast buffet to a unique massage on a private beach.

Some hotels in the walled city are in fact colonial buildings located within the historic center, but with up-to-date services including cable TV, and wireless Internet. Some also offer services for executives and business travelers like meeting rooms to schedule conferences for small groups, or conferences halls for corporate events.

A number of hotels are even decorated in a tropical fashion to enhance the ambiance of the Caribbean environment in which they are located. Many also provide recreational areas such as gyms and have rooms to celebrate any kind of event like weddings, honeymoon and graduation.

There is also the option of renting an apartment, with monthly billing for long trips, or accommodation fees on a day-by-day agreement if your trip is short and you prefer the comfort and privacy of an apartment in the different areas of Cartagena. This option is valid no matter if you travel alone or accompanied, and want freedom and discretion during your stay.

Your hotel or a travel agency will be happy to arrange guided tours around the city, local trips and excursions to the archipelago. Reservations can be made directly with the hotel, online or by phone or with your preferred travel agent. Finally, Cartagena also offers a shuttle service to and from the airport.

Travel Agencies

 
For the convenience of tourists Cartagena has numerous travel agencies that offer guided tours and provide tailored excursions depending on the interest of the visitor. The travel agencies will be glad to organize visits to historic places and to book trips to the archipelago for example. Additionally, they have useful tips for leisure activities and entertainment. The travel agents have advice for all types of travelers, tourists and business executive, and can offer various sightseeing packages of Cartagena at attractive prices.

From airline tickets to basic information for transportation within the city, with only one stop at a travel agency or one call to a travel agent you can make your trip more enjoyable: Let a travel agent organize your tour with air conditioning to the most interesting places including museums, historical sites and islands. They also know best about shopping centers, discos, and chiva rumbera (a bus where you can dance while moving around the city) to dance with your companions to the rhythm of great music.

In the same way that safe tours are offered around the colonial walled city, visiting places for entertainment and nightclubs are also better organized by professional guides. The various agencies will ensure you get to know Cartagena safely and with the highest professionalism, by excellent buses or car, always ensuring an enjoyable tour, trip or leisure activity.

They’re also good at providing transport by boat to the El Rosario islands to enjoy activities like water sports, diving, swimming, boat rides, etc.., and for those who wish, luxury cruise ships for a pleasure trip.

In terms of accommodation the agencies know about different the hotels and accommodation packages for groups or individuals who come on a business trip or as tourists, always paying attention to traveler’s needs and tourist safety.

A booming market is medical tourism or health tourism, an activity that offers plastic surgery of any kind with the most qualified medical professionals. All-inclusive packages, booking accommodation, transport, consultation, surgery and recovery stay at the hospital of your choice can be combined with tourist activities of course, all with comfort and tranquility.

General Information Continued

The culinary tradition of Cartagena de Indias transcends generations. The dishes are a mix between traditional cuisine from colonization times and modern recipes, by blending native products such as fruits, vegetables and live stock. The ingredients introduced by the colonizers and the traditions of the black culture make the local cuisine a delight to the taste.

When you have lunch or dinner in Cartagena you will encounter flavors that charm, combining national and local ingredients to achieve high-quality and well tasting food. Not only the finest dishes are available, but also a variety of fresh fruit and delicious sweets such as ariquipe can be found the colonial historic center.

The tropical fruits and vegetables that Colombia produces provide the ingredients for the unique flavors that make the cuisine of Cartagena a delicious experience with typical dishes like arepas, empanadas, sausage, and sancochos for example. Also, a lot of Creole food restaurants can be found in the center of Cartagena, ranging in price, but always of culinary quality, with kind attention and a great atmosphere for everyone.

With its port Cartagena offers a great variety of seafood and other delights from the ocean that are a fundamental part of the local food and cuisine, including crab, squid, shrimp and fish such as snapper and bocachico that give a distinctive touch to the tropical dishes.

Furthermore, there are gourmet restaurants focusing on international cuisine with dishes from the Chinese, Italian, Arabic, French, and Thai cuisine, among many others. For those who want to taste international cuisine mixed with the experience of local chefs, Cartagena offers the perfect combination.

From restaurants with a family atmosphere to places of a more elegant nature, there are excellent restaurants for all visitors. In addition, some restaurants also have rooms to celebrate weddings or for conferences and meetings, all with the assurance of spending an unforgettable time. Some of the best restaurants are found in typical colonial houses with a renovated infrastructure.

When looking for the traditional cuisine of Cartagena it is recommended to visit the Bocagrande area, Arsenal Street and Corralito de Piedra, with its nearby places of entertainment such as casinos, discos and cafes to combine gastronomic pleasure with a variety of entertainment activities.

Handicrafts

 
Besides the variety of activities, the beaches and the sightseeing tours that can be done in the beautiful region of Cartagena de Indias, you can find an equally diverse range of souvenirs and traditional handicrafts paraphernalia that are sold all around the city. Pieces of handicraft are ideal to have a souvenir of the visit to Cartagena, which can also be the perfect gift for a beloved one, including high-quality cultural objects, all made by hand and with great dedication.

From handbags, clothing, necklaces to beauty accessories, all can be found by walking through the streets of Cartagena without having to enter any art gallery. Artisans can usually be found in the historical center and sporadically in other parts of the city.

You can also find premises which sell other kind of handicrafts items like hats, hammocks and traditional paintings, as well as puppets or a chess game with colonial characters just to name a few. Items that combine culture with modern design and colorful motifs such as backpacks are also available, along with jewelry made of the famous emeralds from Colombia.

In any case, you will always keep a beautiful memory of Cartagena.

Besides going to the beaches and places of cultural and historical interest, you can, for example, put into practice your dancing skill in clubs operating all over the town as part of the holiday itinerary in this city that invites you to dance modern tropical rhythms like salsa, merengue or traditional cumbia.

For those who have no Latin dance skills numerous dancing schools provide visitors the opportunity to learn how to dance to music that is rooted in the Caribbean culture as part of its history and spirit.

Dancing to these rhythms is also a good way to get in touch with the Cartagenean culture, and a great opportunity to socialize in this place of Caribbean musical tradition. Something you will remember forever.

You can also visit the beautiful beaches of the city such as Bocagrande, or you can make trips to the exotic beaches and magical landscapes around Cartagena. As an alternative to the city life a relaxing ride along the famous Islas del Rosario, an archipelago full of opportunities and accommodation options, is certainly something you should consider during your stay in Cartagena. Also, there is the island of Baru, a beautiful landscape giving an incredible feeling of relaxation in a natural scenery with virgin mangroves which can be reached by land or sea to enjoy lonely but really magnificent beaches.

 
The town of Cartagena offers plenty of attractions as a historical and tourist city including tours around the walled city or old city, moving chivas that party throughout the city, or an unforgettable visit to the botanical garden where you can find various species of Colombian flora.

Whether by foot, car or bus, the options are endless on a recreational activities including exploring the city for historic interest with its colonial architecture including many churches and museums. Visitors interested in modern architecture can also enjoy neighborhoods such as Castillogrande or Pie de la Popa, where the hill allows a panorama view of the city from the famous monastery which stands on its top.

If you want to have fun at parties and enjoy the nightlife in Cartagena, you will certainly find fun and entertainment in places like Bocagrande, or in the famous Arsenal Street. There, you find discos for partying and dancing to exhaustion, bars, and casinos. Alternatively, you can go and have your favorite drink in quiet cafes where you can chat accompanied by soft music in the historic city center.

Besides enjoying the entertaining nightlife you can also got out for a walk at night and admire the illuminated colonial buildings of the walled city.

Things you should do during daytime include visiting the colonial part of Cartagena, which is open throughout the year. There you find the Cathedral, the Museum of Modern Art, the Palace of the Inquisition or El Palacio de la Inquisicion, the San Francisco Convent, the Convent of La Popa, and many other places of great cultural content.

Cartagena also offers a variety of great restaurants to taste the typical local dishes; international cuisine is available as well. National and local dishes including fresh seafood and traditional sweets can be found almost anywhere in the colonial area.

Like any other big city, if you want you can also go to shopping malls, cinemas, or visits or places that sell artwork, but with the authenticity and Cartagenean charm of that will welcome you with open arms.

In 1984 Cartagena de Indias was declared a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO. It has many interesting places to visit throughout the year which tourists find in the historic center of the city, along with a great cultural tradition. For example:

The Gold Museum, located within the walled city and open to the public since 1982. This museum holds a huge collection of gold and ceramic pieces made by pre-Columbian cultures of this area, especially the Zenú culture. The Gold Museum was sponsored by the Banco de la Republica in an effort to preserve the national culture and anthropological relicts of Andean roots.

The House of Rafael Nunez, a poet, with its architecture and classic ambiance of the late nineteenth century, and precious objects belonging to its former owner.

 
The Castle of San Felipe de Barajas, a building outside the walls formerly used for colonists’ military purposes when Cartagena was the largest garrison in colonial America. It was built in 1536 and modified in the year 1657 at which time it was called Castillo de San Lazaro before it had been renamed after a martyr defender of Cartagena.

The Castle of San Fernando de Bocachica, where, according to history, wrecked ships caused the closure of the Bocagrande channel. The castle with its majestic architecture was built as a fortress to protect Cartagena.

The Inquisition Palace, built in 1610, was the seat of the religious justice having power over all the Kingdom of New Granada during the colonial period. The palace is a wonderful example of XVIII century architecture; where is a museum these days there used to be a prison were infidels were tortured.

The Convent of Santo Domingo, founded in 1551, is one of the oldest convents in Cartagena de Indias. It took various decades to build it because the construction was, among other reasons, set back by a fire in the town.

The Convent of Santa Clara, built in 1617, had first been used as convent before the purpose of the building was changed to a hospital, an orphanage, and later to a school.

The Convent of San Diego was established with the help of parishioner donations which permitted Fray Sebastian de Humilias to purchase the premises and to build a mo monastery with an associated poor house.

The Convent of la Candelaria or Convent de la Popa, so named for being located in the Mount de La Popa, is a church that had been used as barracks during the battle for independence and during the civil war in 1800. After its restoration in 1964 it became one of the most visited places in the area thanks to its privileged position which permits a panorama view over the entire city of Cartagena.

The Chapel of Ermita del Cabrero, located on the outside of the walled city, is the burial place of Rafael Núñez, a distinguished poet and former president of Colombia, who also wrote the National Anthem.

The Cathedral was completed in 1575 as one of the first cathedrals throughout America, but like many other buildings, was destroyed by a fire blast. The reconstructed Cathedral of Cartagena was finished in 1612.

There are numerous other churches and ecclesiastical buildings you can visit in or around the town because Cartagena was a very important place in colonial times, at which time society was very religious.

But these are just a few places of interest that can be visited, a really small sample of what can be found in the beautiful Cartagena de Indias.