Guide to Exploring the Charming Walled City of Cartagena

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The historic Walled City of Cartagena is undoubtedly one of the neatest and most distinctive features of the city!

Known as the Centro histórico de Cartagena, Ciudad amurallada, or often just Centro in Spanish, the Cartagena Walled City is also often commonly called the Cartagena Old Town or Cartagena Old City in English.

Exploring the charming architecture and the many attractions, hotels, restaurants, and nightlife inside the Walled City is a must on any trip to Cartagena.

In this post, I’ll share some background on the history of the Old Town of Cartagena and cover the highlights of what to do and see as well as where to eat, drink, party, and stay in the Cartagena, Colombia Walled City, based on my 11 years calling the city home!

The Walled City of Cartagena, Colombia

The walls of the Old Town in Cartagena, Colombia, which date to 1600s, are among the most well preserved of any in the world.

They help set it apart as a unique destination and are a big reason why the city is Colombia’s top tourist destination.

In fact, the Cartagena Old City was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984.

I remember being captivated by Cartagena’s Walled City when I first arrived in 2011.

The historic charm attracts tourists from all over the world, and the Walled City of Cartagena is both the the center of the tourist industry and continues to be the main downtown district of the city.

So, you’ll want to spend some time exploring the narrow streets flanked by the colorful buildings with big wooden doors and flower covered balconies.

Why You Should Consider Staying in Cartagena’s Walled City

I’ll go into more detail on the history of Cartagena’s Walled City below as well as cover the main highlights of what to see, but first, let me take a moment to tell you why I always encourage people to stay here.

If you read my guide to the best areas to stay in Cartagena, you’ll see I recommend it as the best area to stay because it’s very safe, it’s very walkable, and there are lots of good options for nearly all budgets.

Plus, you get to really immerse yourself in all that historic charm.

On the high end, Casa San Agustín is tough to beat. The Santa Clara and Santa Teresa are both in beautiful colonial convents. The Casona del Colegio is a nice value for a luxury boutique, and the Hotel Movich might have the best rooftop bar and bar view in the city.

The Sophia Hotel and Casa Claver Loft Boutique, which has multi-room apartments, as well as Townhouse Boutique, which has a nice rooftop bar, are nice midrange options. Meanwhile, the Casa India Catalina and Hotel Don Pedro de Heredia are nice budget friendly options.

Finally, there are a number of hostels in the Centro too, the best of which are the Casa Movida, El Viajero, and Clock Hostel.

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It’s a great place to ask questions, share tips, and get inspiration!

Walled City of Cartagena History

Spaniard Pedro de Heredia founded Cartagena de Indias on top of an abandoned indigenous settlement on a tiny island between the Caribbean and the well protected bay that made this site attractive for a colony.

It would in fact be appropriate to simply call this the Cartagena, Colombia Old Town, because there was no wall. In fact, the buildings were mostly wood and mud.

Gold from tomb raiding expeditions, many of them led by Heredia himself, helped the fledgling colony grow into an important trading port in the growing network of Spanish trade in the Caribbean.

That growing wealth made it a target for pirates and Spain’s enemies, and it was attacked numerous times in its early days, including the infamous sacking of Cartagena by Francis Drake that left over 200 buildings destroyed.

It was Drake’s attack that prompted the transformation of the Old City of Cartagena into the Walled City of Cartagena with the construction of the Baluarte de Santo Domingo in 1610.

Beginning as individual strong points, the baluartes (or bastions) were eventually connected by shorter curtain walls over time. Even the adjacent neighborhood of Getsemaní was encased in walls.

The walls, along with the Castillo San Felipe Fort were formidable indeed, and they helped repel a massive British invasion force during the 1741 Battle of Cartagena de Indias, the last major attack on Cartagena during the colonial era.

During the wars for independence, both the Spanish and patriot forces opted for protracted sieges rather than dare march on the forts and Walled City of Cartagena.

After independence, Cartagena fell into a long decline due to a number of interconnected factors. The independence era sieges had devastated the population. Loss of the defense funds the Spanish had mandated Bogotá send Cartagena, in addition to a general neglect of the city by Bogotá post-independence made recovery that much tougher.

There was also a horrible cholera epidemic in 1849 on which Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s Love in the Times of Cholera is based, and Cartagena’s population only returned to its pre-independence numbers again in the early 1900s.

Cartagena’s long 19th century of war, neglect, and lack of development had the silver lining of sparing its walls from the fate so many other colonial cities suffered though.

Some sections of the walls were demolished in the early 20th century, including nearly the entirety of Getsemaní’s walls, but by the 1930s, there was a growing realization that preserving them could help promote tourism and civic pride.

So they remain today as one of the most impressive examples of colonial walls left standing in the world.

Things to Do in the Walled City of Cartagena

As I’ve said, exploring the Cartagena, Colombia’s Old Town is a must do on any trip here. So, now that we’ve covered the history, let’s talk about the best things to do in the Walled City of Cartagena.

Stroll and Take in the Charm

Honestly, the best thing to do in Cartagena’s Walled City is just to stroll the charming streets, taking in the colorful colonial architecture and flower covered balconies.

Be on the lookout for the elaborate door knockers on the big wooden doors, used during the colonial era as a symbol of status and profession.

For example, an iguana or lizard meant an aristocrat lived there, lions adorned the homes of military officers, and fish marked the homes of sailors and merchants.

Consider a Walking Tour

You can wander on your own if you want, but I’d encourage you to consider a guided tour. It’s a nice way to learn more about the city’s history, and give you some good reference points for exploring more on your own.

This group walking tour is highly regarded and a good price, and it takes you through the main sites in the Cartagena Old City, including Getsemaní. I thought it was really well done and a good value, and you can read my full Cartagena Walking Tour review here.

If you’d like a more exclusive experience, consider booking a tour with our travel agency partner. They have a private Cartagena city tour that goes to several of Cartagena’s most popular attractions and concludes with a walking tour of the Walled City. They also offer a private walking tour of the Walled City and Getsemaní.

You can get 20% off either of those as well as their full catalog of Cartagena tours with the code ExploreColombia20 when you book via any of those links, by the way.

Stroll the Wall Itself

Whether you do a guided tour or not, be sure to spend some time strolling up on the wall itself. Most of the remaining walls are open to pedestrians.

It’s one of my favorite things about Cartagena, so I’d take the time to climb up and walk some of it while you take in the views of the city on one side and the Caribbean sea on the other.

The Caribbean sea view from atop the Baluarte de Santo Domingo, where the closed down Café del Mar used to be located, has a Cartagena and Colombia flag that is a great photo.

This is also one of the best vantage points to watch the sunset from the wall.

Learn More About Cartagena’s History at the Museums

If you want to learn more about the history of those walls and the city, there are several good museums inside Cartagena’s Walled City.

You can learn a lot about how the walls and other fortifications of Cartagena worked in conjunction at the Museo Naval, my favorite museum in Cartagena and the best done history museum in the city, located around the backside of the San Pedro Claver Chruch.

You can also find some good historical exhibits at the Palacio de la Inquisición, which doubles as a Cartagena history museum and museum of the Inquisition. Just across Bolívar Plaza, you can also find the Cartagena Gold Museum, has free admission.

Finally, for art lovers, the Cartagena Museum of Modern Art is worth a visit.

Learn more about all of these and other museums in my complete guide to the best museums in Cartagena.

Old City of Cartagena’s Historic Plazas

There are a number of neat plazas in the Walled City of Cartagena that are worth checking out.

You’ll find the larger Plaza de los Coches and Plaza de la Aduana by the Clocktower.

Neither has much shade, but you can enjoy a beer at the famous Donde Fidel in the Plaza de los Coches in the evening. The city occasionally has events or tourist markets set up here too.

If you want to sit and hang out for a minute, the best plaza to do that is the Parque Bolívar.

I used to sit here and try to complete crossword puzzles while drinking street tinto coffee with loosies during breaks back when I worked downtown.

It had been recently redone with nice new benches on our visit in the summer of 2024.

There’s a lot of shade here too.

In the evening, you can often find groups presenting traditional Afro-Colombian dance and music such as Mapalé and cumbia in the Parque Bolívar or the plaza nearby next to the Cathedral.

The Plaza de San Diego is also a good spot to sit and relax for a minute.

There are usually a good number of souvenir vendors set up here too, and, of course, tinto vendors. There are also several restaurants with tables here, and you can find a few places with outdoor tables in the Parque Fernandez de Madrid too.

If you want a coffee a cut above a street tinto, head to the Plaza de Santo Domingo. There used to be tourist trap restaurants here, but now the Café San Alberto, the most awarded coffee in Colombia, has a large location, or what they call a “coffee temple”, here.

You can grab a photo with the famous Botero statue of the Mujer reclinada, commonly called the fat lady, here too.

Historic Churches and Convents in the Old Town of Cartagena

Many of the above plazas are located next to or in front of the historic churches of Cartagena’s Old City.

The neatest church in Cartagena is the San Pedro Claver Church, where Pope Francis gave a mass on his visit to Colombia. It can be toured for a small entrance fee, and has a nice collection of art in addition to the neat sanctuary and gorgeous inner courtyard area.

The main Cartagena Cathedral, the Catedral de Santa Catalina de Alejandría, which Drake threatened to destroy when he sacked the city is also neat. If you go past it when it’s open for a mass, it’s worth taking a peak inside.

Same for the Santo Domingo Church.

The convents of Santa Teresa and Santa Clara are both swanky hotels, but are still neat to see from the outside. The hotels have great restaurants that are open to the public if you want to see the inside too.

The Iglesia de Santo Toribio, by the Parque Fernandez de Madrid, and the convent of San Diego, now an art school, are also neat to check out from the outside.

Finally, the University of Cartagena is housed in the Convent of San Agustín, with it’s pretty rectangular shaped tower.

Where to Go Shopping in the Cartagena Old City

One of the things I think is kind of neat about Cartagena, Colombia’s Old City compared to one like say Panama Viejo, is that while it’s a tourist mecca, it’s still Cartagena’s Centro, or the Cartagena downtown, so to speak, and remains the center of commerce and government today.

This is why locals mostly just refer to it as Centro, and you’ll pretty much never hear it called the Ciudad vieja or Cartagena vieja.

It also means that there are lots of shops catering to both locals as well as tourists.

There are a lot of little boutiques selling clothes at every price range. You can also stop into La Serrezuela Mall, built inside a remodeled bull ring, with mostly more upscale shops.

For souvenirs, there are nice tourist shops in Las Bovedas, once the bomb proof barracks for Cartagena’s colonial defenders, and the last section of Cartagena’s walls to be completed in 1798.

They are often mistakenly called dungeons because they were used for a short time during the Spanish reoccupation of Cartagena as a jail for supporters of independence.

There’s another decent tourist shop located diagonal from the back of the Cathedral that has a pretty good selection. Plus, there are tons of street vendors all over Cartagena’s Walled City (more on those below).

For art, check out the street vendors by the Cathedral.

My personal second favorite souvenir to take home to people, after a nice bag of coffee, is a pack of cocadas from the Portal de los Dulces.

The Portal de los Dulces is located in the archways of the buildings across from the Clocktower, and there are lots of stands here selling all sorts of traditional sweets, worth a try whether you take some home or not.

Where to Eat, Drink, and Be Merry in the Old Town of Cartagena

So, let’s talk about the best places to take a break, refuel, cool down, and even party inside the Walled City.

Best Restaurants in Cartagena Old Town

First, let’s talk about places to eat. Here are a few of our favorites, split up by price.

Check out my post on the best restaurants in Cartagena and my picks for the best traditional dishes to try in Cartagena too.

Fine Dining and Higher End ($$$$)

For fine dining, Carmen Cartagena is absolutely terrific and offers both a multi-course menu or the option to order individual menu items.

We also always enjoyed Alma and El Jardín in the courtyard of the Santa Clara is another favorite of ours.

The Harry Sasson in the Santa Teresa is another favorite and in a lovely courtyard. We’ve actually only ordered the “bar food” appetizers there, and the crab nachos and spicy pork rib tips are among my favorite dishes in all of Cartagena and perfect for sharing in a group.

Finally, La Vitrola is one of Cartagena’s longest running and most famous restaurants and a bit of a throwback, but you often need reservations well in advance.

Midrange and Nice Casual Dining ($$$)

For nice midrange dining, Candé Cartagena is terrific and often has live music and dance performances.

Buena Vida Marisquería became a favorite of ours almost as soon as it opened. They have a nice mix of classic seafood dishes along with some more creative ones and a nice rooftop bar.

La Cevichería, made famous by Antony Bourdain, is another favorite of ours and lives up to the hype around it. Their ceviche is terrific, but they have a variety of other dishes too.

For breakfast or brunch, La Brioche is terrific for full plates or coffee and pastries, and they also do a great burger in the evening. Epoca also does a great breakfast and brunch.

Cheap Eats in Cartagena’s Old City ($-$$)

For reasonably priced sit down service, La Mulata has always been a favorite of ours for traditional costeño food at reasonable prices. San Valentin is also very popular for having good food at good prices.

Crepes and Waffles is a local favorite that has a large menu, including a salad bar and a decent selection of vegetarian dishes. Plus, they have great ice cream!

El Espiritú Santo is a long running favorite of locals and has both a very fairly priced menu and daily specials. Many other restaurants also offer daily lunch specials often called corrientes or a menu ejecutivo that are generally very reasonably priced.

You also absolutely must try an Arepa de Huevo in Cartagena! This Cartagena favorite is more like an empanada than an arepa and is stuffed with egg and, usually, ground beef.

There are lots of street stalls and vendors where you can buy one, but the best are at Donde Magola, located next to the Éxito San Diego supermarket. They have different varieties of meat fillings (my favorite is the chicharrón).

See my guide to the best street food in Cartagena for more ideas of what street foods to try.

Bars, Clubs, and Nightlife in the Walled City

The best nightlife in Cartagena is located within the Walled City and Getsemaní. There are also a plenty of good spots to just enjoy a drink (or three).

Where to Go for Relaxed Drinks

Townhouse’s rooftop has always been one of my favorite places for cocktails, and there is good appetizer style food there too. They also do a nice all you can eat and drink brunch on the weekends.

If you don’t go there to eat, Buena Vida’s rooftop is also great for drinks.

El Mirador has a great view of the Clocktower.

Those are better for night time due to the angle of the sunset, but if you want some sunset drinks, there are some nice options too.

Hotel Movich’s rooftop bar has arguably the best view in the city.

Boticario at the Santa Clara and Casa Pura Rooftop don’t have quite as nice of views but have better drinks and nice atmospheres too.

If you want a cigar, my favorite spot was always Tabaco y Ron. The tiny hole in the wall Distrito Tabaco was a new discovery on a recent trip, and is also nice.

The outdoor tables at Donde Fidel by the Clocktower are great for a drink and people watching. The Clock Pub does its best imitation of an American bar, playing rock music and serving bar food. It’s a pretty good spot to watch a soccer game and one of the few places that regularly shows NFL games.

I’ve heard good things about Mondo, and El Barón has good cocktails too. While pricey, the El Coro inside the Santa Clara also has some tasty and unique concoctions. So does Al Quimico, which becomes a bit more nightclubby at night but is relaxed in the day and early evening.

Where to Go Dancing

Speaking of night clubs, La Movida and La Jugada are among the city’s glitziest and most exclusive, and they attract both locals and tourists.

Bazurto Social Club, which used to be located in Getsemaní and was long a favorite of ours before it closed, reopened in a new location on the Plaza Santo Domingo in the Walled City in 2024. We had a fabulous time that brought back memories here during our visit in the summer of 2024.

It’s the best place to go to get a taste of local music champeta, a blend of African rhythms and urban Colombian lyrics born in Cartagena’s barrios.

Crazy Salsa is a tiny little salsa bar located just near the Clocktower. Evissa, located above Clock Pub, has a gorgeous rooftop patio overlooking the Clocktower, frequent live music, and a fun atmosphere.

See my guide to Cartagena nightlife to learn about some other places to party in and outside the wall, like in nearby Getsemaní.

Some Additional Practical Tips for Enjoying the Old City of Cartagena

Here I’ll go over some other tips and things to be aware of when exploring Cartagena, Colombia’s Old Town.

Getting Around the Walled City

It’s common to just refer to this entire area as the Walled City, the Ciudad amurallada or simply Centro in Spanish.

However, there are different sectors, or neighborhoods within the Old City in Cartagena. It can come in handy to know these when dealing with taxis or asking directions.

• Centro: The area around the Clocktower where there are many shops and government offices in addition to lots of hotels and restaurants.
• San Diego: The area in the northeast corner of the Walled City that tends to be a bit quieter and traditionally more residential but is also mostly hotels and restaurants today.
• La Matuna: A mostly commercial area that divides Centro and Getsemaní.

I’d recommend trying to learn a few main streets and routes to and from where you’re staying and landmarks like the Clocktower. It can be easy to get turned around on the narrow streets.

Safety in the Walled City of Cartagena

For the most part, the Walled City is very safe.

There is generally a heavy police presence, and you can generally feel safe walking any time day or night in the Walled City. I would advise extra caution and awareness very early in the morning and very late at night though.

If possible, avoid streets that are completely empty or that are not lit well.

Dealing with Street Vendors and Performers

One of the most frequent complaints about Cartagena is the street vendors, who can be aggressive.

They sell tours, bracelets, hats, sunglasses, cigars, and lots of other things. Also, the street rappers have gained quite a reputation for being pushy too.

They’ll approach you on the street and come up to your table if you’re sitting outside. Honestly, there were times while I was living in Cartagena when I avoided sitting at outdoor tables entirely for this reason.

I will say though, on our most recent visit to Cartagena in mid-2024, I feel like they were generally not as pushy as before. That tracks with recent changes implemented by the new mayor.

Still, the best advice here is to wag your finger no and say “No, gracias.” Many will try to start a conversation by asking where you’re from, but I’d try to engage them as little as possible.

If you don’t want to tip the rappers just ignore them and also give them a “No, gracias.” Keeping some spare change to give them if they give you a really hard time isn’t a bad idea either.

Now of course, if you do really want to buy something, take a look, and definitely negotiate the price. For the rappers, if you want to listen, enjoy, but expect to tip them.

All of this also goes for the Palenqueras, the women wearing colorful dresses with baskets of fruit. Traditionally, they were in fact fruit sellers, and historically, they came from the town of Palenque, a town founded by escaped slaves.

About a decade ago, snapping a photo with them became really popular, and I feel confident they make more money posing for photos today than they ever did selling fruit.

It is a nice photo, just be aware you’ll need to tip, and that goes even if you only take a photo of just the ladies without yourself in it.

Ready to explore the Walled City of Cartagena yourself?

There you have it, a complete guide to exploring Cartagena’s historic Walled City. I hope you found this guide useful in planning your own trip or just learning a bit more about Cartagena.

Most importantly, if you do explore it and the rest of Cartagena on your own, I hope you have a wonderful time and are as charmed and captivated by it as I was!

Please do check out all the other content on the site to help you plan, and do share any favorite experience in or outside the Walled City in the comments below!

Cheers and Happy Exploring!