Things to Do in Colombia

The coastal city of Cartagena is one of Columbia’s most-popular destinations. This fortress of a city was once the center of politics and economy. Today, remnants of this past draw visitors to its idyllic colonial streets, ornate cathedrals and beautiful beaches, making it a perfect destination for a day away from the ship.

How to Get to Cartagena

A free shuttle bus transports passengers from the dock to exit gates where it’s easy to find taxis to Old Cartagena, about 25 minutes away. Get dropped at the Convention Center, since it’s easy to find most sites from here.

One Day in Cartagena

It’s easy to spend a day wandering the streets of Old Cartagena, where the city’s rich history comes alive. Explore the underground tunnels of the Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas fortress or visit the unnerving Palacio de la Inquisicion, where ancient tools of torture are on display. Then wander the streets of El Centro and San Diego where quaint homes, local restaurants and bustling cafes line the streets. Local outfits offer tours through the “Best of Cartagena” but visitors can also easily go it alone.

Cartagena’s Catedral de San Pedro Claver, so close to the sea wall, seems unduly imposing for such a sanctified site. Begun in 1575, when this was a very rough neighborhood, its unfinished fortifications were destroyed in 1586 during a tiff with Sir Francis Drake and his pirate crew, and rebuilt by 1602.

Its namesake, San Pedro Claver Corberó, did not arrive until 1610. The Spanish-born priest arrived in Cartagena, then a slave-trading hub, as a novice priest. Horrified by the treatment of African captives, sold to a motley crew of middlemen on what’s now Plaza de los Coches, the young man became an activist, writing in his diary, “Pedro Claver, slave of the slaves forever (3 April 1622).”

Pedro would not only baptize newly enslaved arrivals right in the cathedral’s courtyard well (which was already controversial), but he would then explain to the newly saved that they deserved all the rights held by other Christian citizens of the Spanish Empire. This didn’t go over well with their new “owners,” not to mention most of his fellow Jesuits. The Vatican, already officially (if not actively) against slavery, would go on to canonize him in 1888.

The saint’s remains are preserved in the illuminated glass coffin in the altar, and bring in pilgrims that have included Pope John Paul II. The cavernous interior’s arches and columns, hewn from the same pale stone as the sea walls, seem infused with light. The main wooden altar, though not as heavy with gold gilt and precious stones as some, is considered one of Colombia’s most beautiful. The detailed stained glass is also exceptional. Most signage is in Spanish, but some of the tour guides hanging around out front can give you the basic information in English and other languages.

Gleaming white in its vantage point, high above Cartagena’s protected bay, the Convento de la Popa is visible from almost anywhere in the city. Though it’s a bit of a chore to get here—you’ll need to hire a taxi (to avoid walking through poor, rather unsafe neighborhoods) or book a city tour—it’s worth the effort.

The convent itself is quite pretty, particularly the flower-filled interior courtyard of graceful stone arcades. It was founded by an Augustian order in 1607, after Father Alonso de La Cruz Peredes received a divine message to build the chapel in honor of Cartagena’s Patron, Nuestra Senora de la Candelaria. Her lovely gold altar also worth a look.

But you’re really here for the grand views over the city, from atop a 150m (500ft) hill above the bay. You can see almost everything, from the the delicate strand of skyscrapers rising from slender Boca Grande, to the dusty reds of tejas tiles topping the old walled city. Outside the gates, hucksters wait with decorated ponies, domesticated sloths, and other photo-op props, should you have any space left on your camera card.

Plaza San Pedro Claver, in front of the museum, is itself a site to behold, studded with whimsical modern sculptures apparently made from spare parts. For more, enter the smallish Museum of Modern Art, housed in a 17th-century Royal Customs House. The pleasantly air-conditioned space is packed with pieces, with a special focus on Cartagena’s own Alejandro Obregon, one of Colombia’s most celebrated expressionist painters, and Enrique Grau, a sculptor known for his Afro-Caribbean and Amerindian influences.

Exhibits change frequently, and in addition to the rotating permanent collection, young artists from around the world are often invited to exhibit here. The museum also offers classes, workshops, and movie screenings; ask what’s on if you’re interested.

The Rodadero Sea Aquarium and Museum (Acuario y Museo del Mar del Rodadero) is a public aquarium and marine museum located in the Inca Inca Cove off the El Rodadero beach in Santa Marta that has been operating for almost 50 years. The aquarium is a quick 10 minute boat ride from the El Rodadero beach.

The aquarium’s 13 pools have a direct connection to the Caribbean Sea and the 15 glass aquariums house over 800 sea animals, the majority native to the area. Visitors can see sharks, sea turtles, shrimp, sea horses, triggerfish, snappers, cojinoas, groupers, tarpon, turtles, lobsters, manta rays, anemones and more.

There are three dolphin and sea lions shows a day. Visitors can also swim with or get their photo taken with dolphins. The Aquarium also has a museum with a permanent collection that exhibits shark jaws, shell collections and nautical equipment, as well as an exhibition that focuses on the pre-Columbian culture of the indigenous Tayrona and their connection to the sea.