Cartagena

Named after Cartagena, Spain, this major port city is located on the northern coast of Colombia. In the colonia era, it was known as Cartegena de Indias. It was founded in 1533. You will see statues here of Simon Bolivar, known as the liberator, because he freed it from Spanish rule in the 1820s.

There are various ways to get to Cartagena, but I flew into Medellin from the U.S., and then took another flight from Medellin to the Rafael Nunez International Airport in Cartagena. I came in late January, and boy was it warm here! It was the perfect time for a getaway. While at the airport, I made friends with a Canadian traveler and a group of travelers from New York, and shared a cab ride into the walled city.

​I stayed about 3 days, and that was plenty. The walled city, located downtown, is the area with the most tourists and the historic sites. It is also pretty small, and you can walk the entire area in 1 day. There is a section for shopping, and a decent night life along the outer wall by the water, as well as in the central plazas.

I stayed at a very cute boutique hotel in Cartagena.

The hotel provided a simple, light, and healthy breakfast every morning, in the cutest arrangement!

Near the entrance to my hotel. Very peaceful and quiet.

The architecture here is colorful and amazing!

Quaint streets, colorful colonial architecture, and plenty of company in the daytime.

It was lively at night. A dance crew came and performed right outside our restaurant. They were quite good!

A girls' night out in town. Old town Cartagena is not very big, so there are certain sections in old town where the night life congregates.