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Colourful colonial buildings with wooden shutters and a tall palm
Colonial colours and a palm in the old town style (illustrative)

Americas · Colombia

Cartagena

A walled colonial city in the tropics, royal palms in the plazas and islands a boat ride away.

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Cartagena de Indias was the treasure port of the Spanish Empire, and it kept the walls, the fort and the balconies to prove it. The old town is a grid of coloured streets that glow at dusk, Getsemaní next door has the street art and the music, and the Caribbean is on three sides. It is hot all year, dry in the European winter, and one of the most beautiful cities in the Americas.

The palm: Royal palm

Royal palms stand in the plazas of the walled city, above the bougainvillea balconies, and coconut palms take over on the Rosario Islands and Playa Blanca. Colombia grows more palm species than any country on earth, including the wax palm of the Andes, the tallest palm in the world.

When to go

°Crainsea January: 31°C by day, 1 rainy days, sea 27°C31°February: 31°C by day, 0 rainy days, sea 27°C31°March: 31°C by day, 1 rainy days, sea 27°C31°April: 32°C by day, 3 rainy days, sea 27°C32°May: 32°C by day, 9 rainy days, sea 28°C32°June: 32°C by day, 11 rainy days, sea 28°C32°July: 32°C by day, 10 rainy days, sea 28°C32°August: 32°C by day, 13 rainy days, sea 28°C32°September: 31°C by day, 15 rainy days, sea 28°C31°October: 31°C by day, 17 rainy days, sea 28°C31°November: 31°C by day, 11 rainy days, sea 28°C31°December: 31°C by day, 5 rainy days, sea 27°C31°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Typical daytime highs, rainy days per month (one drop is about four days) and sea temperature. Green bars are comfortable months, amber bars are hot or wet or cool, and the darker bars mark the best time to go.

Sights

The walled city

Plaza Santo Domingo, the cathedral, the Palace of the Inquisition and a sunset walk on the walls.

Castillo San Felipe

The largest Spanish fort in the Americas, with tunnels and a view over the bay.

Getsemaní

Murals, Plaza de la Trinidad at night and salsa in the bars on Calle del Arsenal.

Rosario Islands

Coral islands 45 minutes by boat, with beach clubs, snorkelling and overnight stays.

Beaches

  • Playa Blanca, Barú

    White sand and clear water an hour from the city; go on a weekday.

  • Isla Grande beach clubs

    Day passes on the Rosario Islands with lunch, loungers and a boat back at four.

  • Bocagrande

    The city beach below the towers, fine for a swim after a walk on the walls.

Events

  • Jan

    Hay Festival Cartagena

    Writers and thinkers in the old town’s cloisters in late January.

  • Mar

    Cartagena International Film Festival

    The oldest film festival in Latin America, screenings in plazas in March.

  • Nov

    Independence celebrations

    Parades, beauty contests and street parties around 11 November.

For remote workers

Internet4/5

A comfortable month: about €1,300

Colombia offers a two year digital nomad visa, and Cartagena has coworkings in Getsemaní and Manga, though Medellín has the bigger scene and the cooler climate. Fibre is good in the city, the peso makes life affordable, and the walled city is walkable at any hour. The heat is real: work mornings, swim afternoons.

Compare as a base

For families

Calm water3/5
Shade3/5
Medical care3/5

The city beaches are grey and busy; the Rosario Islands and Playa Blanca on Barú, an hour by boat or car, have the turquoise water. Children like the fort, the horse carriages and the aquarium on the islands. Private clinics in the city are good.

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Three things to know

  1. December to April is dry and breezy; October and November are the wettest months.
  2. Stay in Getsemaní or the walled city and walk; taxis are cheap for the fort and the beaches.
  3. Ceviche from a cart, coconut rice with fried fish and a limonada de coco are the local order.