Cartagena

Cartagena de Indias: Walls, Color & Caribbean

Cartagena de Indias is one of the best-preserved colonial cities in the Americas. Behind its centuries-old walls, cobblestone streets and flower-covered balconies hold centuries of history as a key port of the Spanish empire. Outside the walls, the Getsemaní neighborhood brings street art and nightlife, and the Caribbean stretches out in front of the city, with the Rosario Islands a short boat ride away.

💡 Fun Facts & History

• 💡Cartagena de Indias was founded in 1533 and became one of the most important ports of the Spanish empire in the Americas, a departure point for gold and silver bound for Europe.
• 💡Its walls, built over centuries to protect the city from pirates and naval attacks, make its historic center one of the best-preserved walled colonial complexes in the Americas. UNESCO declared the city a World Heritage Site in 1984.
• 💡The Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas is the largest Spanish fortress ever built in the Americas, and it was never taken by direct assault despite several attempts.
• 💡Getsemaní, once a working-class neighborhood outside the walls, is today one of Cartagena's most photographed corners thanks to its street art murals and streets strung with colorful flags.
• 💡Cartagena is the hometown of Gabriel García Márquez, who lived and set part of his work in the city; the historic center is recognizably featured in several of his novels.
• 💡Off the coast of Cartagena lies the Rosario Islands archipelago, a national park with white sand beaches less than an hour away by boat.