Wandering through the historic old town of Cartagena, it’s easy to let your mind wander and think back to the time of discovery, adventure and pirates as you soak up the cobbled streets and stunning architecture of this UNESCO World Heritage site. This, plus some great restaurants, make Cartagena one of the must visit sites of Colombia.
Unfortunately, the downside is that it gets super busy with the sheer volume of tourists – I got the impression Cartagena is the #1 choice destination for people’s first visit to Colombia – and some of the most intense number of hawkers I’ve seen anywhere on the planet. This also makes some of the plans for trips to the nearby beaches or those islands to the South West not quite the romantic paradise you’d have hoped for.
That being said, the sheer beauty and vibrancy of this incredible old town overpowers those negatives to make Cartagena one of the highlights of Colombia and one of the most atmospheric old towns in the world. A must visit.