Cartagena Travel guide - Colombia magical dream
Cartagena Travel guide - Colombia magical dream
Cartagena, located on Colombia's northern coast and facing the Caribbean Sea, is the most visited city in the country by tourists. It gets extremely crowded in the December holidays and the holy week, when schools are out and most Colombians take their vacations. The city has basically two main parts where tourists go: the walled colonial city ("ciudad amurallada"), which is truly amazing and has many fancy restaurants, clubs and hotels; and a long strip of hotel towers and condos fronting onto the beach, known as Bocagrande. It is also nice to visit the exclusive neighborhood of Castillogrande, filled with recently built condos, places to jog, and a quiet beach to soak up some sun.
The city was the first Spanish colony on the American continent and one of the first sanctuaries of freed African slaves in the Americas. It is currently populated by an ethnic mix representative of Colombia's own variety. Cartagena de Indias is the undisputed queen of the Caribbean coast, a historic city of superbly preserved beauty lying within an impressive 13km of centuries-old colonial stone walls. Cartagena's Old Town is a Unesco World Heritage site – a maze of cobbled alleys, balconies covered in bougainvillea, and massive churches that cast their shadows across leafy plazas.
Cartagena's main attraction is its historic old town surrounded by the city wall. Main entrance is the Clock Tower building. The walled city includes the neighbourhoods Centro, San Diego, Getsemaní and the modern part La Matuna. The oldest part of Cartagena is around Plaza Trinidad in Getsemaní. Cartagena's 500-hundred year-old coralstone forts and great parts of its walled city are admirably intact and represent some of the finest examples of civil and military architecture of the Spanish colonial times.
The Castillo de San Felipe is a fortress designed by the Dutch engineer Richard Carr and built in 1657 by the Spanish for protection against pirates while shipping gold out to Europe. The fort was constructed in two phases the original fort became the uppermost teir tier of the expanded super fort. The outermost wings are somewhat vulnerable to being scaled by infantry but can easily be cut off from the upper levels of the fort. Some merlons on the higher levels point out across the exposed platforms of the lower batteries.
Close to the San Felipe fortress is the 150m high La Popa hill, which offers great views over Cartagena and the harbour area. The 17th century Santa Cruz monastery is here, which has a beautifully restored courtyard and a fine image of the Virgin of La Candelaria.
The Palacio de la Inquisición (Palace of Inquisition) is where the Spanish Inquisition tortured, judged and convicted men accused of crimes against religion. It is situated in 'Plaza de Bolivar' in the historic center.
Almost all churches in the historic center are worth visiting, especially Iglesia de San Pedro Claver, in honor of the priest St. Pedro Claver, who was the first saint of the new world for his work with slaves; La Catedral, near Plaza de Bolivar and the Iglesia de Santo Domingo.
Nearby coral reefs, powdery beaches, impressive mangroves, and waterways complement the historic and urban beauty. Note if you do go to City beaches such as Boca grande or the beach near the hospital, watch out for people pretending to rent shaded areas or tents. The best beach with great water for swimming is the Playa Blanca. You can purchase a ticket for an organized tourist day trip or an overnight trip from hotels and hostels.
The old town in particular is best explored by foot. Most places within Bocagrande (where many up-market and all-inclusive hotels are located) are also within walking distance. To reach other destinations such as the San Felipe fort, there are many buses running all over the city. Ask the driver or other people who are waiting which bus goes to your destination.
Cartagena has several harbours for Boats going out to the Islas del Rosario and Playa Blanca, including the Muelle Turistico de la Bodeguita, Muelle Todomar. Cartagena features a rich fusion cuisine, combining ingredients and methods of the New and Old worlds, as well as of the original African, Arabian and other legacies of its inhabitants.
In the ciudad amurallada, the most famous hotels are Sofitel Santa Clara and Charleston Santa Teresa, both old monasteries renovated in the 90s. Either of them have fabulous facilities - expect prices like Monaco. Otherwise, the newest part of the city, Bocagrande, offers the largest number of hotels of all prices. You should always try to stay in the ciudad amurallada, since this is what makes Cartagena unique, rather than its beaches, which are normally too crowded and not really clean.
A lot to see in Cartagena
Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas
Palace of Inquisition
Las Bóvedas
Rosario Islands
Plaza Santo Domingo
Iglesia de San Pedro Claver, Cartagena
Hotel Torre del Reloj
Convento de la Popa
Bazurto market
Cartagena Cathedral, Colombia
Walled city Cartagena
Museo del Oro Zenú
Plaza de Los Coches
Plaza San Pedro Claver
Plaza de la Aduana
Ciudad Amurallada
Los Zapatos Viejos
Portal de los Dulces
Museo Naval Del Caribe
Pier Los Pegasos
La India Catalina
Plaza Fernandez de Madrid
PLAZA OF CUSTOMS
Plaza de San Diego
Museo Del Cacao (Choco Museo)
Arte Moderno
Bolivar Plaza
Clock Tower Monument
Playa Castillo Grande
Iglesia de Santo Toribio
Gobernacion de Bolivar
Casa Museo Rafael Núñez
Casa de Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Cartagena Botanical Garden "Guillermo Piñeres"
Ciénaga de la Virgen
Marina Park
Plaza Santa Teresa
Espiritu Del Manglar Park
Playas De La Boquilla - Cartagena
Beaches Cartagena Plaza
Parque del Centenario
Church of Santo Domingo
Cerro de La Popa
Monumento Pedro de Heredia
Iglesia de la Trinidad
Camellón de los Mártires
( Cartagena - Colombia ) is well know as a tourist destination because of the variety of places you can enjoy while you are visiting Cartagena . Through a series of videos we will try to show you recommended places to visit in Cartagena - Colombia
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