Best Things to Do in Cartagena, Spain

Cartagena Cathedral, formally dedicated to St. Catherine of Alexandria, is the oldest cathedral on the South American mainland, with construction beginning in 1575 on the western edge of Plaza Bolivar. The building’s turbulent early history included partial destruction by the English privateer Sir Francis Drake during his 1586 raid, which delayed completion until 1612. The current façade, with its distinctive mustard-yellow rendering and triple-arched entrance, dates largely from an 18th-century restoration overseen by Spanish colonial architects.

Inside, the cathedral’s barrel-vaulted interior holds the tomb of Simón Bolívar’s parents and a gilded high altar dedicated to the patron saint. The simple, whitewashed nave reflects the stripped-back austerity of colonial Spanish ecclesiastical architecture, contrasting pleasingly with the ornate baroque altarpieces in the side chapels. A Carrara marble pulpit and several centuries-old paintings complete the interior’s quiet grandeur. The cathedral remains an active parish church, and attending an early-morning Mass provides a deeply atmospheric experience of Cartagena’s enduring Catholic traditions. The exterior bell tower is one of the most photographed elements of the Plaza Bolivar streetscape, particularly at dawn and dusk when the light turns the ochre walls to copper.

Cartagena Cruise Port serves as Colombia’s premier Caribbean gateway, receiving hundreds of international cruise ships each year at its modern terminal facilities located just minutes from the city’s UNESCO-listed historic core. The port infrastructure includes two main terminals — Terminal de Cruceros El Bosque and the central Muelle de la Bodeguita — both offering smooth customs processing, official taxi ranks, and tourist information desks to help travellers orient themselves quickly.

Arriving by sea delivers an unforgettable first impression: the approach to Cartagena reveals a skyline defined by colonial bell towers, the fortified walls of Las Murallas, and the lush hills beyond. From the port, the walled Old Town is reachable on foot in roughly 10–15 minutes, making independent exploration entirely straightforward. Carriage rides, bicycle rentals, and guided walking tours are all available near the terminal for those preferring a structured introduction. Day visitors with limited time should prioritise the Cathedral, Plaza Bolivar, and the Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas, a fortress that ranks among the most impressive Spanish colonial military works in the Americas. The port area also features souvenir markets and money-exchange facilities for last-minute essentials.

The Cartagena Museum of Modern Art (Museo de Arte Moderno de Cartagena) is the city’s premier venue for contemporary and modern Colombian art, housed in a beautifully restored colonial customs warehouse dating from the 17th century in the heart of the Walled City. Founded in 1959, the museum holds a permanent collection of more than 900 works spanning painting, sculpture, printmaking, and photography, with particular strength in pieces by Colombian masters of the 20th century.

Rotating temporary exhibitions bring international contemporary art to the Caribbean coast, creating dialogue between global movements and Colombia’s own vibrant artistic traditions. The museum’s patio central — an open courtyard shaded by a towering ceiba tree — serves as an informal gathering space and occasional venue for cultural events, performances, and book launches. The gift shop is one of Cartagena’s best sources for quality art prints, monographs, and design objects. Admission is modest, and the museum is typically closed on Mondays, so planning accordingly is advisable. Its location on Calle 31 places it within easy walking distance of the San Pedro Claver convent, making the two institutions a natural pairing for an afternoon devoted to Cartagena’s cultural heritage.

The Cathedral of San Pedro Claver honours one of Catholicism’s most remarkable humanitarian figures: the Spanish Jesuit priest Pedro Claver (1580–1654), who devoted four decades of his life in Cartagena to ministering to enslaved Africans arriving in what was then the largest slave-trading port in the Americas. Claver baptised an estimated 300,000 people and advocated tirelessly for their humane treatment, earning the title "Apostle of the Slaves." He was canonised in 1888 and declared patron saint of all missionary work to enslaved peoples.

The adjacent Convento de San Pedro Claver, built by the Jesuits in the early 17th century, preserves the cell where the saint lived, worked, and died, displayed much as he left it. The convent’s two-storey cloister surrounds a courtyard featuring a striking modern sculpture of Claver by the Colombian artist Enrique Grau. Claver’s remains rest beneath a glass-sided altar inside the church, a pilgrimage site for Colombian Catholics. The museum attached to the convent displays pre-Columbian ceramics, colonial art, and artefacts connected to Claver’s life. The complex faces a broad plaza overlooking Cartagena’s inner bay and is within easy walking distance of all the Walled City’s major sights.

Convento de la Popa crowns the highest hill in Cartagena at approximately 150 metres above sea level, offering the most sweeping panoramic views available anywhere in the city. The Augustinian monastery takes its unusual name — "La Popa" meaning the stern of a ship — from the hill’s resemblance to the rear deck of a vessel when seen from the sea. Construction of the original chapel began in 1607, though the current complex was substantially rebuilt following a pirate attack in 1697.

Inside the whitewashed walls, a peaceful cloister surrounds a central garden, and the church houses a gilded altar dedicated to La Virgen de la Candelaria, patron saint of Cartagena, whose feast day on 2 February draws thousands of pilgrims to the hill each year. The views from the terraces encompass the entire bay, the Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas, the Walled City, Bocagrande’s modern skyline, and the Caribbean horizon — making this one of the most photographed vantage points in Colombia. Access is by taxi or organised tour due to safety considerations on the winding road; solo walking up the hill is not recommended. The monastery operates as a functioning religious community and maintains a small museum of colonial artefacts.

Crystal Beach (Playa Cristal) is widely regarded as one of Colombia’s most beautiful beaches, situated within the Tayrona National Natural Park on the Caribbean coast near Santa Marta. The name derives from the exceptional clarity of the water, which shimmers over a bed of white sand and coral heads in a sheltered cove backed by dense tropical forest — a combination that consistently places Playa Cristal among the top beaches in South America.

Access requires a boat trip of approximately 30–40 minutes from the Taganga or El Rodadero piers, which itself offers dramatic views of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta descending almost directly into the sea — the only point in the world where a mountain range of such altitude meets the Caribbean so abruptly. Snorkelling directly off the beach reveals coral formations and schools of colourful fish in waters with visibility often exceeding 15 metres. Basic food and drink vendors operate seasonally on the beach, but visitors should bring supplies, sunscreen, and cash. Playa Cristal lies within protected park territory; entry is regulated and visitor numbers are managed to preserve the ecosystem. Early arrival by boat is strongly recommended to secure a good spot.

El Rodadero is Santa Marta’s most popular beach resort area, a lively strip of hotels, restaurants, and waterfront amenities situated in a natural bay approximately 4 kilometres south of the city centre. The malecón — a paved seafront promenade — runs the length of the beach, lined with coconut palms, seafood kiosks, and rental operations offering jet skis, kayaks, paddleboards, and banana boat rides that keep the bay animated from morning to dusk.

The beach itself features calm, relatively warm Caribbean water protected from open-ocean swell by the bay’s gentle curve, making it suitable for swimming and ideal for families with children. Water taxis from El Rodadero’s pier connect directly to Playa Cristal and other protected beaches within Tayrona’s marine sector, effectively placing pristine, crowd-free nature within easy reach of the resort’s amenities. The area is also the departure point for tours to the National Aviary of Colombia on the Barú Peninsula. Evenings at El Rodadero bring a distinctly festive atmosphere, with live vallenato music spilling from beachfront bars and the promenade filling with strolling families enjoying the tropical night air. Accommodation ranges from budget guesthouses to modern seafront hotels.

The Gold Museum Zenu (Museo de Oro Zenú) in Cartagena’s Walled City is a satellite of Bogotá’s world-famous Museo del Oro, presenting a focused and beautifully curated collection of pre-Columbian goldwork and ceramics produced by the Zenú people, an indigenous civilisation that flourished in the floodplains of northern Colombia roughly 2,000 years ago. The Zenú are particularly celebrated for their extraordinary hydraulic engineering — a system of canals that drained and irrigated hundreds of thousands of hectares — as well as for their mastery of filigree goldsmithing.

The museum’s compact but impressive collection includes intricate gold nose rings, pectoral ornaments, earrings, and ceremonial objects, many recovered from burial mounds across Colombia’s Caribbean lowlands. Informative bilingual displays (Spanish and English) contextualise the pieces within Zenú cosmology, social structure, and daily life, making the visit genuinely educational rather than merely aesthetic. The building itself occupies a colonial house on Carrera 4, just steps from Plaza Bolivar. Admission is free — a remarkable fact for a collection of this quality — and the museum offers a thoughtful, air-conditioned respite from Cartagena’s midday heat. Allow approximately one hour for a thorough visit.

The Gran Malecón of Barranquilla is one of Colombia’s most ambitious urban renewal projects, a sweeping riverside promenade stretching several kilometres along the western bank of the Río Magdalena — the great river that has defined Colombian geography, trade, and culture for millennia. Inaugurated in phases from 2018 onwards, the malecón transformed a previously neglected industrial waterfront into a landscaped public space featuring cycle paths, pedestrian walkways, amphitheatres, playgrounds, and contemporary public sculptures.

The development has reinvigorated Barranquilla’s relationship with the river at the heart of its identity as Colombia’s principal Caribbean port city. Sunset over the Magdalena from the malecón is a spectacle that local residents and visitors alike regard as unmissable — the wide river reflecting the fading light while freighters and fishing boats pass in silhouette. Several riverside restaurants and food kiosks serve fresh river fish alongside Caribbean staples. The promenade connects to the historic Puerto Colombia pier road and forms a natural starting point for exploring Barranquilla’s cultural offerings, including the city’s famous Carnival, recognised by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The Gran Malecón is freely accessible and most animated on weekend evenings.

Isla del Encanto — "Island of Enchantment" — is a small, tranquil Caribbean island in the Bolívar department off Colombia’s northern coast, reached by boat from Cartagena or the surrounding coastal communities. True to its evocative name, the island offers a glimpse of undeveloped Caribbean beauty: clear turquoise water, fringing mangroves, white-sand beaches, and the kind of unhurried island pace that has largely disappeared from more accessible parts of the Colombian coast.

The island functions primarily as a day-trip destination for visitors based in Cartagena, often included in longer boat itineraries that combine multiple stops in the archipelago. Snorkelling directly off the beach reveals sea life in relatively good condition, and local fishermen sometimes offer informal guided boat tours of the mangrove channels that fringe the island’s interior. Facilities are minimal — a few basic food and drink stands operate on busy weekends — so visitors should bring everything they need. Isla del Encanto rewards those seeking a quieter, more authentic alternative to the busier beaches of the Rosario Islands or Playa Blanca. Boat schedules vary seasonally, and the crossing can be choppy in windy conditions; checking conditions before departure is advisable.

The La India Catalina Monument stands at one of Cartagena’s most prominent traffic roundabouts on Avenida Venezuela, serving as the city’s unofficial symbol and one of the most recognisable public sculptures in Colombia. The 6-metre-high statue depicts Catalina de Indias, a Kalamari indigenous woman who became a crucial intermediary between the Spanish conquistadors and the native peoples of the Colombian Caribbean coast in the early 16th century. Her bilingual skills and cultural brokering proved invaluable to Pedro de Heredia, founder of Cartagena, during the city’s establishment in 1533.

Designed by the sculptor Eladio Gil and unveiled in 1974, the monument shows Catalina in profile, her right arm raised to shade her eyes as she gazes towards the horizon — a posture interpreted as watching over the city she helped bring into existence. La India Catalina has lent her image to Cartagena’s most prestigious cultural prize: the India Catalina Award, the Colombian equivalent of an Emmy, presented annually at the Cartagena International Film and Television Festival. The monument is illuminated at night and is surrounded by a busy plaza that functions as a central meeting point for residents and tourists alike. It is freely accessible at all times.

Las Bóvedas — meaning "The Vaults" — are 23 arched chambers built into the landward base of Cartagena’s colonial fortifications between 1792 and 1796. Originally designed as military storerooms for ammunition, provisions, and equipment needed to defend the city against pirate and rival-empire attacks, the thick-walled vaults were subsequently converted into dungeons during the independence wars of the early 19th century, holding political prisoners in grim, windowless conditions.

Today the vaulted chambers have been transformed into Cartagena’s most atmospheric souvenir market, where artisans and traders sell an appealing mix of Colombian crafts: hand-embroidered mochila bags from the Wayuu people, emerald and silver jewellery, hammocks, ceramic replicas of colonial monuments, and colourful garments. The thick walls keep the interiors noticeably cool even at midday, making Las Bóvedas a pleasant refuge from the Caribbean heat. The promenade walkway running along the top of the adjacent ramparts connects directly to the vaults and rewards walkers with sweeping views over the harbour. Las Bóvedas are among the few truly pedestrian-friendly commercial spaces within the Walled City and operate seven days a week from mid-morning until early evening.

Lost City (Ciudad Perdida) is one of South America’s most remarkable archaeological sites and Colombia’s most demanding multi-day trek. Founded around AD 800 by the indigenous Tairona people — predating Machu Picchu by roughly 650 years — the city once housed an estimated 2,000 to 8,000 inhabitants and served as a ceremonial and commercial hub connected to surrounding settlements by an extensive network of paved stone paths.

Hidden within the dense jungle of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, the site remained largely unknown to the outside world until 1972, when local guaqueros (grave robbers) stumbled upon it. Today a challenging four-to-six-day guided trek of approximately 44 kilometres each way leads visitors through tropical rainforest, river crossings, and steep ascents before culminating in a breathtaking climb of 1,200 stone steps carved directly into the mountainside. The reward is a series of circular stone terraces, ceremonial plazas, and drainage canals remarkably intact after more than a millennium. The journey passes through the territories of the Kogui, Wiwa, and Arhuaco communities, whose descendants still regard Ciudad Perdida as a sacred place. Only licensed agencies are permitted to lead the trek.

Marine World Aquarium (Mundo Marino Acuario) in Santa Marta is the Caribbean coast’s most popular marine education centre, offering visitors an accessible introduction to the extraordinary marine biodiversity of Colombia’s Caribbean waters. Located on the seafront near El Rodadero beach, the facility houses more than 60 species of fish, rays, sharks, sea turtles, and invertebrates in tanks designed to replicate the coral reef ecosystems of the Tayrona and Rosario island chains.

The centrepiece of the experience is a large cylindrical shark tank where several species of Caribbean shark can be observed at close quarters, offering a safely dramatic encounter for visitors of all ages. Interactive touch pools allow children to handle sea stars and small rays under staff supervision, making the aquarium particularly well suited to family visits. Dolphin presentations, while controversial from an animal-welfare perspective, remain part of the programme — visitors should research current practices before booking if this is a concern. The aquarium also conducts sea turtle conservation work, tagging and releasing turtles in partnership with Colombian marine authorities. A seafood restaurant and souvenir shop are located on the premises. Morning visits are recommended to avoid afternoon crowds and the peak Caribbean heat.

The Monumento Ventana al Mundo ("Window to the World Monument") stands on a prominent Barranquilla roundabout as a bold civic statement about the city’s identity as Colombia’s gateway to the global economy and culture. The striking sculptural installation features a large abstract architectural frame — conceptually representing a window — through which the city and its future can be symbolically viewed, reflecting Barranquilla’s historic role as the country’s most internationally connected port.

Barranquilla’s position at the mouth of the Río Magdalena made it Colombia’s primary point of contact with the wider world throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, when immigrants from Germany, Lebanon, Italy, and elsewhere arrived to build the trading houses and industries that shaped the city’s cosmopolitan character. The monument honours that heritage while looking forward, and is particularly striking when illuminated after dark. Its roundabout setting on Calle 110 places it in the modern northern residential and commercial districts that define contemporary Barranquilla, providing an interesting contrast with the Caribbean cultural traditions celebrated at the city’s Carnival Museum nearby. The monument is freely accessible and makes a natural stop on any driving tour of Barranquilla’s urban landmarks.

The Museo del Carnaval in Barranquilla is the dedicated museum of the Barranquilla Carnival, proclaimed by UNESCO an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2003 — one of only two Colombian traditions to receive this distinction. The museum occupies a purpose-built facility in the city centre and tells the complete story of what is arguably the second-largest carnival in the world after Rio de Janeiro, tracing its origins in the blending of African, indigenous, and European festive traditions that took place in Colombia’s Caribbean lowlands over four centuries.

Permanent displays present the most iconic danza traditions of the carnival — the Cumbia, the Congo, the Mapalé, the Garabato — through elaborate costumes, masks, musical instruments, archival photographs, and audiovisual installations that convey something of the sensory intensity of the four-day celebration. Interactive exhibits explain the symbolism of specific costumes and the social hierarchies embedded in carnival culture. The museum also profiles legendary reinas (carnival queens) and marimondas (the carnival’s most beloved comic mask tradition). Temporary exhibitions document recent carnivals in detail. The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday and operates a well-stocked gift shop selling miniature masks, costume accessories, and recordings of traditional Caribbean music. A visit here before experiencing the live event greatly enriches the carnival experience.

Nabusimake is the sacred capital of the Arhuaco (Iku) people, one of four indigenous communities descended from the ancient Tairona civilisation who inhabit the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, the world’s highest coastal mountain range. Nestled in a high Andean valley at approximately 2,000 metres above sea level, this remote village of white-walled, thatched-roof houses is the spiritual and administrative heart of Arhuaco society — the place where the community’s mámas (spiritual leaders) perform their sacred duties of maintaining the balance of the world.

Visiting Nabusimake requires formal permission from the Arhuaco Cabildo Gobernador, the community’s governing council, as the village is not a conventional tourist destination but a living indigenous community with strict protocols around outsider access. Those who receive permission enter a world that operates according to profoundly different values: Arhuaco men wear distinctive white robes and hand-woven mochilas (bags), and the community maintains traditional governance structures largely independent of the Colombian state. The surrounding landscape of cloud forest, rivers, and highland meadows is extraordinarily beautiful. Engaging a knowledgeable guide from an approved cultural tourism operator in Santa Marta is essential for making the journey respectfully and safely.

The National Aviary of Colombia (Aviario Nacional de Colombia) is the largest aviary in Latin America and one of the continent’s leading conservation centres for native bird species. Located on the Barú Peninsula roughly 14 kilometres outside central Cartagena, the facility occupies a forested reserve of several hectares where more than 130 species of Colombian birds — many of them endangered — live in spacious free-flight enclosures designed to replicate their natural habitats.

Visitors walk through immersive mesh tunnels that pass directly through aviaries housing macaws, toucans, flamingos, herons, and the spectacular Andean condor, one of the world’s largest flying birds. Guided tours, available in Spanish and English, explain the aviary’s breeding programmes for threatened species such as the Blue-billed Curassow and the Colombian Grebe. Beyond ornithology, the centre also rescues and rehabilitates wildlife confiscated from illegal trafficking operations, giving the visit a meaningful conservation dimension. A butterfly garden, reptile area, and café round out the experience. The aviary is best combined with a day trip to the Rosario Islands or Barú’s white-sand beaches, as all three attractions lie along the same coastal road. Advance booking is advisable during peak season.

The Naval Museum of the Caribbean in Cartagena occupies a beautifully restored 17th-century colonial building within the Walled City that originally served as a Jesuit college. Its collection traces five centuries of maritime history along Colombia’s Caribbean coast, from the pre-Columbian sea-trading cultures of the Tairona and Zenú peoples through the Spanish colonial era’s treasure fleets, the pirate attacks that repeatedly threatened Cartagena, and the naval battles of the independence wars, up to the modern Colombian Navy.

Highlights include a scale replica of the Galeón San José — the legendary Spanish galleon that sank in 1708 carrying a treasure cargo now estimated at several billion dollars and still subject to ongoing legal disputes between Colombia, Spain, and indigenous groups — along with navigational instruments, weapons, maps, and uniforms spanning multiple centuries. An outdoor courtyard displays actual artillery pieces and a restored anchor from the colonial period. The museum is operated by the Colombian Navy and maintains high standards of presentation; bilingual labelling makes it accessible to English-speaking visitors. Interactive exhibits on the upper floor engage younger visitors with the mechanics of sailing and navigation. The museum is located steps from the Cathedral and San Pedro Claver, making it easy to include in a full-day exploration of the Old City.

The Old Shoes Monument (Los Zapatos Viejos) is one of Cartagena’s most beloved and quirky public artworks, a pair of oversized bronze old shoes sitting quietly on a low platform near the Walled City’s historic walls. The sculpture pays homage to the iconic poem "Los Zapatos Viejos" written by Luis Carlos López, Cartagena’s most celebrated poet (1879–1950), who used the humble image of worn-out shoes as a metaphor for his complicated, sometimes sardonic love for his native city.

The monument has become an obligatory stop on the Cartagena selfie trail and serves as a charming reminder that Colombia’s Caribbean cities have produced literary traditions as rich as their architectural ones. López — nicknamed "El Tuerto" for the eye he lost in a childhood accident — spent almost his entire life in Cartagena and is buried in the city cemetery. The shoes themselves are polished smooth by the hands of countless visitors who touch them for good luck. Surrounding the sculpture, a small plaza shaded by trees offers a peaceful spot to pause on a walk along the fortifications. The monument is freely accessible around the clock and sits close to the Torre del Reloj, Cartagena’s famous clock tower gate.

Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984, Old Town Cartagena — also known as the Ciudad Amurallada or Walled City — is the best-preserved example of Spanish colonial urban planning in the Americas. Enclosed within massive 16th- and 17th-century fortifications, the historic centre is a labyrinth of cobblestone streets, pastel-coloured mansions draped in bougainvillea, leafy plazas, and centuries-old churches that together paint a vivid picture of Cartagena’s days as the most important port on Spain’s Caribbean trade route.

Walking the neighbourhood of El Centro rewards visitors with architectural gems around every corner, from the austere grandeur of the Cathedral to the ornate balconied façades of the merchant houses lining Calle de la Factoría. The bohemian barrio of Getsemaní, just outside the walls, has emerged as a vibrant street-art district and nightlife hub without losing its authentic Caribbean character. Horse-drawn carriages offer a romantic sunset tour of the ramparts, where views across the bay turn golden in the evening light. Cartagena’s food scene within the Old Town spans everything from arepas de huevo at street stalls to upscale Caribbean fusion dining in restored colonial courtyards.