The old city is the historic center of Cartagena, and it is surrounded by long miles of ancient walls that were built to protect the city from pirates. This place was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1984, and it’s filled with fantastic places to visit.
Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas
It was built in the 17th century. This is an impressive fortress that was built by the Spanish to protect themselves from pirates, and is so well done that it was never conquered. They erected walls for protection. Entrance to this castle costs 25,000 pesos, or about 6 dollars, and my top recommendation is to arrive very early in the morning so that you are not with so many people, as it is a very popular attraction. The castle is very interesting and fun to visit because it has fortress tunnels that connect the important places. When you cross these tunnels you can hear everything, and that worked very well if an enemy tried to enter through these tunnels as it was an alarm signal for the Spaniards.
Puerta del Reloj
This is the main entrance to the old city. Although there are 19 entrances around the city, which are also called bocas, this is the most important, because of the large clock tower. This tower was founded in 1661, is 30 meters high and has the most important clock in Colombia. This work became the main gate of the city and is one of the most iconic places in Cartagena.
Plaza de la Torre del Reloj
When you enter the old city through this gate you will arrive at the clock tower square, where you will see a large monument to the founder of the city, Pedro de Heredia. When Pedro founded the city in 1533 he named it Cartagena de Indias to differentiate it from the Cartagena of Spain. At that time it was a city besieged by pirates, it was very attractive because it had excellent rum, and a tri-ethnic culture, which contained Afro, native and Spanish influences in one place.
Once inside the old city, you will discover the beauty of Cartagena, in its colorful streets, beautiful flower balconies and winks to the past. Cartagena mixes colonial and republican, and that is why it is such an interesting city, as it is the greatest representation of colonization, and the union between indigenous natives, Spaniards, and Afro-Americans.
Plaza de los Coches
This square is behind the Clock Tower, and was a place where black Africans were sold as slaves, so it was called ‘Plaza del Esclavo’ (Slave’s Square). It had many names, such as “Plaza de Mercaderes” or ‘Plaza de la Yerba’, until it finally received the name of ‘Plaza de los Coches’, by a decree of the mayor’s office to allow the parking of cars in front of the Portal de los Dulces.
Plaza de la Aduana
After this square, you can go to another important square, called the plaza de la aduana. In this square you will find the monument to Christopher Columbus, the great explorer who arrived in America in 1492.
Claustro San Pedro Claver
Near the customs square you will find the cloister of San Pedro Claver. This cloister is also a church and museum, and is one of the most beautiful to visit in Cartagena. It is worth paying the entrance fee to visit it, also because it is different from most cloisters. This one has inside huge trees and interesting vegetation. In the church are the relics of the saint after whom the church is named, so it is an important site for pilgrimage.
More Plazas and Churches
After this cloister you can go to other squares, and in most of these you will find churches. A beautiful church inside and out is the Cathedral of St. Catherine of Alexandria, I recommend you to visit it. You can also visit the plaza de santo domingo, which was built in 1559, and has the church of santo domingo. This church was being demolished and they built stirrups, so the street in front of the church is known as the street of the stirrups. The Santo Domingo square is one of the busiest squares in Cartagena, so you can go there at night if you want to have a drink.
Stroll Around
While visiting all these squares you can take advantage and make the best plan in the walled city: strolling around. Walk through all its cobblestone streets, marveling at the large gates, balconies full of flowers, and colorful houses. Many gates have knockers, or small sculptures to knock on the door. This was a Spanish tradition to represent the occupation of the inhabitant of the house. Although many houses today are remodeled, the Spanish custom is still preserved, and you can see it in different houses. For example, there are some doors with fish sculptures, which says that there lived an inhabitant who fished, or was a marine merchant. The door knockers or lion sculptures represent that a military authority lived there.
If you decide to walk and wander through the streets you may find different iconic houses, such as the house of García Márquez, where the writer lived for many years, or the supposed house of the English trader Francis Drake. It is believed that this merchant came to Cartagena to bring slaves, and to make other trades with the Americas, and that he had his own house in the walled city.
Museums
If you are interested in history, and you dare to go to a couple of museums, I recommend the museum of the Holy Inquisition. Cartagena de Indias was the third city to have a tribunal of the Holy Inquisition after Mexico City and Lima. In these courts they punished practices that were considered sins, and people were tried for heresy or witchcraft, even leading some to the stake. Today this place is a museum, and it is no longer intended to judge but to be a space of union, to counteract the past of the inquisition. This museum is one of the most recommended in Cartagena.
Another museum you can visit is located in the Bolivar square, and it is a small gold museum, although it is not very big, it is free, so you can also visit it if you are nearby.
Heredia Theatre
Your last stop in the walled city can be the Heredia Theater. This theater is spectacular inside, and you can go to see a show there or just go inside to see it. If you want to go in, you must go in the back, to the artists’ entrance, and there you can ask to be let in to see, and they do, or at least they did before the pandemic. This is not well known by many people who think you can only go in to see a show, but it’s a great tip for anyone who is curious and just wants to go in to see it.
