Colourful Cartagena – A Travel Guide in Photos, Cartagena, Colombia

Cartagena’s position on Colombia’s Caribbean coast has long attracted visitors ever since the Spanish established it as the main northern gateway to South America back in the 16th Century.

Nowadays, of course, visitors have less ambitious motives for spending a few days there. With its UNESCO World Heritage status, sublimely colourful buildings, world-class food and endless nightlife, the city’s Old Town is both seductive and exciting. And, along with the tourist-friendly neighbourhoods of Bocagrande (Colombia’s version of Miami Beach), Getsemani and Manga, it’s where you’ll want to base yourself.

Not least because the rest of the city is actually a lot less welcoming. The good news is you can discard the need for much pre-planning. Part of the pleasure is to just stroll through the historic streets and discover the city all for yourself. Just remember to apply a healthy layer of suncream, fix a steely resolve to repel the ever-present hawkers and keep your fingers crossed a cruise ship hasn’t docked. However, if you still need convincing, here’s our photographic Cartagena travel guide to help you get started. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).