Cartagena was founded on June 1, 1533 by Spaniard Pedro de Heredia. He and the other members of his founding party named their newly founded city Cartagena de Poniente (meaning Cartagena in the West). There is some debate about why they chose that name. Some historians from the colonial period claimed that much of Heredia’s crew was from the city of Cartagena in Spain and they therefore named their new city in its honor. Others claim they chose it because the coastline and bay were similar to those of Cartagena, Spain. Still others point to the origin of the name to the first map of the new world where a bay with the name Cartagena was included. Eventually, the name would be changed to Cartagena de Indias to recognize its location in the so called West Indies in contrast to the Cartagena in Spain. (From https://www.cartagenaexplorer.com/history-of-cartagena-comprehensive/)
We arrive in the Walled historic City center, our hotel is a boutique hotel, super old, seemed like a home converted into a hotel with a small courtyard where they serve breakfast in the morning. Walking out of the hotel, we are in the heart of the Colonial Historic area. Majority of the area is converted into restaurants and boutique shops on the ground floor and residential/airbnbs on the upper floors.
Beautiful flowers everywhere and very colorful buildings. The historic area is filled with the hustle and bustle of the street vendors and tourists exploring the town.
We hit a rooftop to begin our exploration of the city.
Historic center & Getsemani walking Tour
The tour begins just outside the historic walled city. The group with us is multi-national, basically from all over the world.
Just outside the walls of Cartagena’s Old City lies a neighborhood like no other. When you’re wandering through the colorful streets of Getsemani, you will feel like you belong, and there’s no place you’d rather be.
Getsemani has a strong sense of cultural identity. While many families have lived in the same Spanish colonial homes for multiple generations, you’ll find that the area has a youthful, art-focused vibe. Forbes magazine has named Getsemani one of the coolest neighborhoods in the world. From (https://cartagenavip.net/what-to-do-in-getsemani-cartagena/ )
We hit an area inside the walled city where we taste some local candy.
Boca Grande
On our free day we head over to Boca Grande area, modern beach area with high rise hotels. We find a nice rooftop bar to enjoy the views.
Cruise Time
A Few Other Pictures
Great Times with Family!
