"Cartagena de las Indias" Top 5 Page for this destination Cartagena by Bernd_L


Cartagena Travel Guide: 555 reviews and 1,422 photos

Colombias jewel at the Caribbean coast

Cartagena is one of the most beautiful cities of South-America. Its location on a peninsula at a large bay of the Caribbean Sea has made it a perfect spot for a harbour-city. It was founded in 1533 by the Spaniards and quickly became a major trade-center for the Spanish fleet. Because of its richness the city was also a target of pirates and has been attacked by the English Navy. To protect it from this attacks the Spaniards built powerful fortresses and ramparts which made the city impregnable.

A lot of the colonial buildings still remain and have been restored in recent years after the UNESCO declared the whole old town of Cartagena as a world heritage site. Walking through the streets of this city gives you a good impression of the architecture of the colonial time.

Today Cartagena is a modern city with almost one million inhabitants. It’s port is the most important of Colombia and trades mainly oil, coffee and platinum. It could be a major tourist destination but unfortunately this branch suffers from Colombias bad reputation as one of the most dangerous countries in the world. Cartagena however (and especially its colonial quarter) is considered to be a safe place, because a lot of police is present to prevent crimes.

Pros and Cons
  • Pros:Completly restored colonial city
  • Cons:Not the safest place on this planet
  • In a nutshell:A must for fans of the history of spanish colonialism
  • Last visit to Cartagena: Jan 2005
  • Intro Written Feb 5, 2005
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Reviews (20)

Comments (12)

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  • Jim_Eliason's Profile Photo
    Jim_Eliason Nov 25, 2008 at 4:50 AM Report Abuse

    Great page!

  • Sininen's Profile Photo
    Sininen Jan 1, 2007 at 2:02 AM Report Abuse

    I want to go there! Great page of Cartagena!

  • MalenaN's Profile Photo
    MalenaN Nov 1, 2006 at 3:41 AM Report Abuse

    Old town in Cartagena looks lovely! I'm really looking forward to go there next year!

  • mazzap's Profile Photo
    mazzap Jul 11, 2006 at 10:56 AM Report Abuse

    What a fabulous looking place! Such lovely buildings too - thanks for sharing, Marion.

  • alza's Profile Photo
    alza Apr 20, 2006 at 9:10 PM Report Abuse

    This is really a beautiful city! I wish I had photos as good as yours :) I was so relaxed there, I didn't take enough pics :(

  • Mailo's Profile Photo
    Mailo Mar 17, 2006 at 8:58 AM Report Abuse

    bERND, i ALREADY MADE MY CARTAGENA,S ALBUM ON MY COMPUTER WITH YOUR PICTURES... SORRY... THIS ARE GOOD PICTURES AND TIPS. CONGRATULATIONS.. ISMAEL

  • yvrtourist Feb 4, 2006 at 1:26 PM Report Abuse

    I was in Cartagena last November and called up Clarence. He was very friendly and informative. Honest too! I had left some souvenirs in his taxi when I finished my city tour with him. Clarence dropped them off at my hotel the next morning.

  • Trekki's Profile Photo
    Trekki May 5, 2005 at 10:24 AM Report Abuse

    Oh, ich hab fast verpaßt, daß Ihr in Colombia wart - Cartagena - seufz, das wäre es auch fast geworden. Wunderschöne Bilder - Ihr hattet bestimmt eine tolle Zeit da :-)))

  • Nemorino's Profile Photo
    Nemorino Apr 6, 2005 at 3:29 AM Report Abuse

    Hi Bernd, looks like you had a fine stop-over in Cartagena. And great weather for your photos. Greetings from sunny Frankfurt am Main.

  • pepples46's Profile Photo
    pepples46 Feb 18, 2005 at 10:03 AM Report Abuse

    Cartagena de las Indias, rolling of the tongue like a wonderful desert ..^..^, though never made it here. intro pic, KLASSE and the whole page, SUPERB. Dankeschoen Bernd!!

Bernd_L

“Travelling can seriously damage your prejudices!”

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