10 Things To Do & See in Cartagena, Columbia | Palenqueras, History Tour, Walling
Cartagena, Columbia is a beautiful city that you can easily get swept away in because there is so much to see. Because it has become such a tourist location there are many ways you can go about seeing everything- walking tours, horse and carriage tours, boat trips, or some combination of all of those. The must-see, must-do things in Cartagena are mostly central to The Walled City so the radius of where you’ll go is not that big, and if you’re there for at least a couple days, you’ll probably start to learn your way around. My trip was about two and a half days so I’m sharing the ten things I was able to accomplish within that time. I’m also listing some of the recommendations I didn’t get around to that I’ll save for the next trip because, trust me, there will be a next time.
1. Picture with Palenqueras
I’m sure you’ve seen the palenqueras on Instagram if you follow anyone that has been to Cartagena because they have become an important symbol of the city. They are black women from Palenque, which is a town runaway slaves inhabited. It is acknowledged as the first free town in the Americas where these black women and black men settled. You can spot them from a mile away in their beautiful, often handmade, colorful dresses and their fruit baskets and if you miss a photo opportunity with one group you’re bound to see them on another street any day of the week. The palenqueras are such sweet women and they don’t mind posing for lots of pictures and videos, but they make their money by selling their fruit and/or posing with tourists so be prepared to give them a few pesos for indulging you.
2. Sanctuary of Saint Peter Claver
Saint Peter Claver aided thousands of slaves by ministering to them and rescuing them with medicines, food, and local resources as they were brought to Cartagena on slave ships. The sanctuary is now a museum which you can pay to enter and see Peter Claver’s remains and read about his missions; however, if you choose to just stay outside like me, then you’ll still be able to admire the gorgeous architecture of the building and see some of the historic statues, etc. in the square around the sanctuary.
3. Palace of the Inquisition (Palacio de la Inquisición)
The reason for the Spanish Inquisition was essentially to suppress heresy and to direct power to the monarchy by torturous methods. This museum provides both a history on the inquisition and some general history of the city of Cartagena. There is a cost of about 25 pesos or so, but I will warn that if you don’t speak/read Spanish and don’t intend to get a tour guide who can interpret, then it’s more or less just an opportunity to capture some beautiful photos because most of the descriptive plaques are written in Spanish. From the few written in English, I could gather what the museum was generally about, but I then had to go read more about the inquisition on my own.
4. Street Food Tour
Street food is a really big deal in Cartagena and from what I gathered from conversing with the locals, it’s the preferred food over restaurant food. When I travel, I always want to find out how the locals live and in the case of street food, the best way for me to do that was to book a tour where I would be exposed to all of the best street food at one time. It saved me from having to figure it out on my own and it was a great opportunity to learn the history behind the recipes and some of the landmark restaurants in the city. Here is the tour I did which allowed me to try eight recipes, local juices, fruits, and sweets.
5. Try Columbian Coffee
Trying coffee is a given when you go to Colombia because it’s something the city is known for. Apparently, the coffee beans are handpicked and Cartagena is geographically located in the best environment to grow coffee, 100% arabica specifically. The coffee is richly flavored, smells amazing and is smooth going down. You can find it just about anywhere, but I visited the cafe just across the street from my hotel for my first taste of Columbian coffee.
6. Walking (History) Tour
I didn’t schedule a tour specifically for the history of the city, but between my driver Luis and my Airbnb experience hosts Humberto and Laura, they both showed me some beautiful spots around the city and most everyone there seems to know a lot of history. I was impressed with their knowledge of the city but also with the obvious pride they had in Cartagena. The Bay of Cartagena, or Puerto de Cartagena, is quite beautiful to see as well as some of the forts. The largest fort is Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas, which I did not make it to see unfortunately, but the others are also interesting to see. There is even a seafood restaurant Club De Pesca built into one on the marina now.
7. Walling
The wall is an important feature in Colombia noted by the fact that it’s literally named The Walled City. Driving into the city, you go along the highway with the wall on one side and the ocean on the other. Suddenly you turn into this wall and there is the beautiful city of Cartagena inside. Walling is what was described to me as the act of hanging out on the wall which many people seemed to do as there was not a time when I did not see people at the wall. There were men playing soccer down below, artisans selling their handmade items, families and groups of friends sitting on the wall, and so much more activity here at the wall. One of the recommended things to do is to watch the sunset from here, as it’s said to be one of the most beautiful things you can see in Cartagena. I also recommend the wall because it was one of the only places I was able to catch a breeze in the city.
8. Clock Tower (Puerta del Reloj)
The clock tower is one of the attractions that I never got tired of looking at and I wanted to take a picture from every angle I saw it. I read that it was the original entrance to the city but now it seems to just be a monument where people gather. There are people selling items underneath the openings and out in front and both times I needed to meet someone they chose this location, i’m assuming since it’s one of the most recognizable in the city.
9. Shopping
There are shops all throughout the walled city with great artisan items, clothing, decor, food items, etc I ended up spending about 210 pesos on handmade purses, 100 pesos on a painting, 200 pesos on a handmade tray that I could give to my brother, 100 pesos on three bracelets, and about 3 million pesos on an authentic emerald ring. It’s easy to spend money there because a lot of the items are so beautiful, so while I would say overall that Cartagena is pretty inexpensive to travel to, it can get pricey the more you shop.
Shopping can be tricky here because most blogs and sites will recommend that you haggle, or bargain, for what you want. I didn’t necessarily feel comfortable doing that because pesos are worth so much less than the US Dollar and most everyone selling something is already having to hustle everyday to make any money. A lot of the items being sold are handmade so I felt it would be a disservice to them to attempt negotiating a lower price. Haggling is definitely acceptable there, but I would do it within reason if you choose to negotiate.
10. Getsemani/Plaza De La Trinidad
Getsemani is the trendier, less touristy neighborhood of the city. This is where I began my photo walk and understandably so, because it’s such a cute area. You can stop and have street food or coffee at Plaza De La Trinidad, listen to music and have a drink, and walk the area to admire the mural art. This is also where you’ll find the street dedicated to famed Columbian author Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Getsemani used to be one of the not so safe parts of Cartagena, but it is very clean now and the people are so friendly that it’s no wonder that this neighborhood seemed to be where the locals preferred to hang out. It has been compared to Williamsburg in Brooklyn, which is indicative of gentrification, and you’ll find that some of the street art speaks to issues like that or tourism and racism.
Other Things To Do
This was a shorter trip for me so there were some things I didn’t get around to in Cartagena that I would love to go back and do. Here are some of them:
Clubbing- Cartagena has a thriving nightlife, but clubbing is something I typically avoid when traveling by myself. If you’re out walking around later in the evening, then undoubtedly locals will ask you what your plans are for the night and they will attempt to get you to come to their party or club. They offer flyers and stand outside of the clubs waving you in, so it’s clear that dancing and partying is quite a big deal there. I would love to go to a few clubs if I ever traveled to Cartagena again with a group.
Bazurto Market- The market is a bustling place where you can find all kinds of goods; however, it was recommended that I not visit by myself because haggling and shopping at this market is better done if you speak fluent Spanish or have a local with you to help you negotiate. I read that there’s a higher chance of being hustled or pickpocketted here, so it’s better to have some experience with shopping at this kind of market.
Island Trips- Many people on the street will offer island trips to you, but be cautious of who you agree to book with. For your safety, comfort, and trip quality, it may be better to book an island trip online or through your hotel, if possible.
Horse & Carriage Tour- There are horse and carriage tours being done all around the city, so it’s just a matter of catching one and, once again, negotiating a fair price for the amount of time you want to ride. It seemed that some of them actually offer a tour and history of the city while others just offer a breezy ride through the city. Either way, you’ll want to be prepared to pay in pesos.
Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas- I mentioned this fort earlier, but to reiterate, it’s the largest, most visited fort in the city. It’s a castle that was built by the Spanish back in the day that allowed them fortification and protection from land and sea. If you sign up for a history tour, then this castle may be one of your stops. I didn’t make it there this time, but I could see it from certain areas I visited. I would love to go on my next visit.
The Pink Sea (Seasonal)- This is an activity that I did not get to do simply because it wasn’t the right season. Apparently the pink sea is a phenomenon that only happens around February and March and many people take day trips then from Cartagena to see it. In other months of the year, the sea is generally blue. It happens when the salinity of the water increases but only in the months of the year that I described. It’s about an hour away from Cartagena and several blogs I read mentioned that there is nothing else to do in the area so they warn to only go when you’re sure that it’s pink usually around March.
