So you’re planning to go (one day) to Cartagena? Good choice! Whether you’re a history buff, into architecture, or just love cute streets, Cartagena de las Indias is your absolute place to be in Colombia and has some for everyone. Unfortunately, since it’s such an old and mazed city, it’s quite difficult to orientate where to go and what to visit first in the inner city maze. So I thought it might come in handy to use a entire – and perfect – day made up guideline for you. Included some time to sleep in :). Here you go!
10 am – Cartagena Tour time
Joining a free city tour is a splendid way to start your day. I’m usually not a big fan of guided tours, not even in museums, even though I know a guide has a lot to offer. But since a couple of years I’ve discovered free city tours and I absolutely love the concept. Not so much because it’s free (it’s more than fair to give the tour guide at least some $10,- per hour in my opinion), but mainly because it’s lovely to walk a while out in the open with a local who knows his/her way around and that shows you some fun places too. The best guides are often of your own age, so they know what might interest you best.
In Cartagena there are two operators that offer the ‘free’ tour: Free Tour Cartagena and Free Walking Tour Cartagena. We went with the second one and although I’ve had better city guides, I did found it quite interesting to hear about the city, the stories behind the walls and some political and socio-economical news and views. I’d say find out what scheduled tour and operator suits you best and go for it!
11:30 am – Stroll along the streets to find the ‘knobs’
Perhaps you already saw it during the tour: there’s especially one asset of the walled city that won’t go by unnoticed: the pastel and flower adorned doors and its bright shining knockers, called aldabas.
The ancient artefacts were meant as a way to display the profession and its place within society of the family living in the houses behind the doors. The size of the knocker moreover would indicate how wealthy the particular family was. Therefore aldabas were the ultimate status symbol to the people in Cartagena.
It’s great fun to walk around in the labyrinth of streets, and to observe the different kind of knobs. Want to read more about the beautiful streets and knobs, click here!
1 pm – Lunch
Perhaps you’ve even already found your own hotspots during the city tour. But here are some fine places I could recommend in the city centre – and I’ll keep it down to 5 in total :):
- The Cevicheria – The best place in town for some spectacular fish meals. Only minus is the often long waiting line outside, however don’t let is discourage you!
- Malanga Bistro Bar – My favourite of them all. Malanga is a cozy place on an even cuter plaza with lots of refreshing and creative foods and drinks. They often have a nice lunch or dinner deal.
- Marzola – If you’re in the mood for steak, this odd Argentinian restaurant is your place to go. With a captivating ex- and interior – to say the least.
- Moshi – Columbian food with a Japanese twist. If you’re sitting at the counter you can watch how the chefs prepares each dish. It’s fascinating to see how much time, patience and creativity he puts into it.
- Zaitun – A classy restaurant with yummy fusion food and hipster public. Unfortunately the service was rather slow when we were there, but apart from that we had a lovely time in Zaitun.
2 pm – Culture shot
With all that food in your tummy it’s time for some slow movement. What better way to spend the hottest hours of the day than in a museum. Cartagena has quite of couple of nice exhibitions and galleries, take Museo Naval de Caribe, Museo Historico de Cartagena de Indias or Museo de Arte Moderno for example. But if you’re just one day in Cartagena and you ain’t afraid of some shiny artefacts; I’d recommend you to go to The Museo del Oro Zenú, located at Plaza de Bolivar. For three reasons. Firstly, entry is free. Secondly, they have great airconditioning (I know, it’s horrible to mention, yet so needed in this tropical town) and thirdly, this lovely little museum has English translations accompanying the various objects. There are some truly amazing artistic pieces in this museum, that display the great skill and imagination of the native artists way prior to the arrival of the Spanish. So definitely a good choice for an hour of deepening your cultural knowledge – and lowering your body temperature.
3 pm – Coffee, chocolate or ice cream break
Time for a boost. Abaco Libros y Cafe is both a bookstore and a coffeeshop with a great atmosphere. It’s situated right in the middle of the centre and yet it’s like a quaint oasis over there once you step inside. You also feel a little like Belle in the beast’s library in this place. They have great (ice) coffee too, but just strolling around the shop is quite nice too.
In case this is the time for something sweet; there are tons of gelaterías in town offering lots of funky popsicles mixes. Other option is to go to the ChocoMuseo, where you can explore how chocolate is made from bean to bar, or do a workshop and have a couple of bites of the ‘foods of the gods’ as they call chocolate in here. The name ChocoMuseo is a bit misleading, since it’s more a kind of a store than a museum, but who cares; the chocolate is tasty any way.
4:30 pm – Time for some shopping
Now that you have some renewed energy, it’s time to buy a couple of memories and gifts. In Calle 5 and Carrera 5 you’ll find a lot of cute boutique shops. But honestly they are everywhere in town, just like the vendors that line the streets up with Panama hats, wooden maracas and mochilas – the handmade bags you’ll see all over town (and in the fourth picture below). In many cases, you can get a bag from a street stall for half the price you’d pay in a store. The only challenge is choosing which one, quite difficult!
5 pm – Walk on the walls
Now that you have so well explored the maze of the inner city, it’s time to slowly saying goodbye to it. But first it’s time for the wall. The old city used to be unprotected, until it got attacked by Francis Drake. After that – towards the end of the 16th century – the people of Cartagena started building very thick walls to protect the city. It took them in total two centuries to complete Las Murallas due to both pirate attacks and storms. Nowadays the walls still stand tall and are a great reminder of the city’s history.
Take a walk in here around sunset; have a drink at one of the walls’ terraces, watch the street vendors getting rid of their merchandise, walk around the canons and dream a bit about how life much have been centuries ago in here.
6:30 pm till dawn – Time to go to Getsemani
Though next doors neighbourhood Getsemani may not have the splendour of the walled city, it does offer a more authentic experience, one worth exploring. Meander through its narrow streets and gaze at the many murals around. You will find food vendors selling homemade empanadas and arepas everywhere in the streets. Residents hang out in front of their houses, playing games or chatting with neighbours.
Want to have a nice evening? Take an aperitivo at Di Silvio Trattoria, eat a slice at Getsemani pizza’s, indulge yourself with the chaos of the Plaza de Santisima Trinidad, drink a cocktail at Confussion and dance salsa at Club Havana on the corner. Click here for more about Getsemani! Enjoy your stay!
