Cartagena Shore Day: Old Town Walking Guide
The Lucy Team
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From the Port to the Old Town
Cartagena's cruise terminal is adjacent to the walled city. The walk through the clock tower gate takes about 10 minutes. You literally walk through 16th-century walls into a UNESCO World Heritage city.
Walking the Old Town
Plaza de los Coches — First square inside the gate. Street vendors sell fresh fruit and arepas.
Plaza Santo Domingo — Beautiful square with Botero's sculpture. Good for a first coffee.
The Cathedral — A striking yellow church from 1577 surrounded by vivid colonial mansions.
Getsemani — The bohemian neighborhood outside the walls. Street art, local restaurants, authentic atmosphere.
What to Eat and Drink
Fresh fruit from palenquera vendors. Arepas de huevo (egg-stuffed corn fritters). Ceviche cups from street corners. For sit-down meals, try fried whole fish with coconut rice and patacones. Limonada de coco is the signature drink.
Lucy translates Colombian Spanish menus and helps communicate with local vendors in Getsemani where the food is most authentic.