1 destination · 10 things to do

Colombia

Cartagena de Indias is the jewel of Colombia’s Caribbean coast, a walled colonial port where bougainvillea spills over balconies painted ochre, cobalt and coral, and where the sea breeze arrives just in time for sunset on the ramparts. For three centuries it was one of the most important harbours of the Spanish empire, and the stone walls and forts built to defend its treasure fleets still stand, together forming a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1984. Inside the walls you wander plazas shaded by almond trees, Baroque churches, a sombre Palace of the Inquisition and a free museum of glittering Zenú gold. Just outside, the old artisans’ quarter of Getsemaní has become the city’s most colourful neighbourhood, with murals, street food and salsa until late, while the vast Castillo San Felipe de Barajas looms over it all from its hill. Out to sea, boats leave every morning for the coral reefs and white sands of the Rosario Islands and Barú, and inland a national aviary shelters some two thousand birds. This guide shows what is worth booking, what you can see for free, how to handle the heat and the boat trips, and where to stay, from a converted 17th-century convent to a design hotel in Getsemaní or a beachfront tower in Bocagrande.