City walls, wooden balconies and four centuries of history on the Caribbean.
Pedro de Heredia founded Cartagena de Indias in 1533, and it grew into the Spanish Crown's great Caribbean port: silver sailed out from here, and tens of thousands of enslaved Africans were brought in, in chains. Its walls held off pirates and admirals, and its squares saw the Inquisition, the 1811 declaration of independence and García Márquez's first steps as a journalist. Three free walking routes to explore it at your own pace, best early in the morning or late in the afternoon, when the heat eases off.
Choose your free tour
All routes are free and can be combined. If it’s your first visit, start with the mixed route.
Founding, slave port, independence and sieges: four centuries of Cartagena, from the old main square to Castillo San Felipe.
Relics, the Inquisition tribunal, a bell tower twisted by the devil and the girl who inspired García Márquez.
Cartagena's highlights in one afternoon: Getsemaní's murals and squares, the Clock Tower, the cathedral, Botero's Gertrudis and sunset over the sea.
The map
The routes cross in the old town. Tap a point to see which story awaits you there.
Filled points already have a published article; the rest are in the works.
Loading the map…
Itineraries
We’ve planned it day by day for you: which routes to walk and in what order, what else to see and where to eat.
All three routes in one full day: the highlights, the history and the legends at dusk.
See the itinerary 2A gentler pace: the three routes over two days, plus extra sights and where to eat.
See the itinerary 3The city in depth: one route a day, extra museums and neighbourhoods, and a day for good food.
See the itineraryWhat to eat
The dishes you can’t leave without trying, and the classic spots that have been serving them for years.
The city's celebration dish: a piece of beef slow-cooked in a dark, glossy sauce of panela (unrefined cane sugar), spices and, often, a dark soda. It comes with coconut rice, fried sweet plantain and salad. Order it at lunchtime in a home-cooking restaurant.
Where to try it
Shrimp, squid, fish and other seafood cooked in a creamy coconut-milk sauce with a touch of chili, sometimes gratinated with cheese. It is the perfect dinner after an afternoon on the walls, served with coconut rice and patacones (fried green plantain).
Where to try it
A whole fried mojarra or snapper, crisp and golden, with coconut rice, patacones and salad: the classic beach lunch of Colombia's Caribbean coast. The rice is cooked in coconut milk with a touch of panela; in its darker version, the «titoté» of caramelised coconut gives it colour and flavour.
Where to try it
In Cartagena, ceviche comes as a cocktail: shrimp or fish with lime, onion, coriander and often a slightly sweet pink sauce, served with soda crackers. It is light and fresh, ideal for a late dinner in San Diego, a few steps from Las Bóvedas.
Where to try it
The arepa de huevo is the queen of Cartagena's fried snacks: a corn arepa that is fried, split open, filled with a raw egg and fried again. It shares the stall with the carimañola, a yuca fritter filled with meat or cheese, the empanada and the papa rellena. They are street breakfast or an afternoon snack: look for them freshly made at the stalls in the squares.
Where to try it
Under the arcades of Plaza de los Coches, the vendors of the Portal de los Dulces sell cocadas, millet-and-coconut alegrías, tamarind sweets, candied papaya and milk balls. For the heat, nothing beats a coconut lemonade or a fresh fruit juice: corozo, passion fruit, mango or sapodilla. The palenqueras, with their colourful dresses and bowls of fruit, are another icon of the city.
Where to try it
