Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaleditions.com/i/658159
The city of Cartagena de Indias lies on the Caribbean coastline, less than a three-hour flight from Miami. Framed by a beautiful bay, Cartagena de Indias is one of the best-preserved ancient cities in America. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the city is surrounded by walls that tell a history of piracy and the bloody battles that brought freedom. The impressive Walled City is filled with well-preserved Spanish colonial homes, churches and forts. Highlights include the Palace of the Inquisition, Church of Santo Domingo, the Clock Tower, the San Felipe Fortress and the city walls themselves. Cartagena de Indias is a city for walking, and cool sea breezes and plenty of shade make the old city feel quite comfortable. Stretching for more than two miles, the 400-year-old stone walls encircling the city are surprisingly intact. Walk west along the wide plaza on top of the wall–the Caribbean will be on your right, and the restored colonial streets on your left. Bocagrande is the modern tourist sector of Cartagena de Indias, where you'll enjoy sightseeing, art galleries and shopping for gold and emerald jewelry, antiques and local handicrafts. At night, dine on delectable fresh seafood dishes and other local fare, prepared with a special Colombian flair at first-class international restaurants or charming family-owned and operated eateries. After dinner, enjoy a romantic horse-drawn carriage ride, dance to Latin or modern rhythms at a local disco or enjoy cocktails at a nightclub or pub. This tropical city on the Caribbean draws socialites to its restored colonial mansions, fancy fusion restaurants and modern dance clubs. If you´re looking to catch some rays there are plenty of options, with 11 miles of beaches in the metropolitan area, another 62 miles of beaches to the north and the Rosario Islands Archipelago. Facing outwards from the bay of Cartagena towards the Caribbean, the beach at Bocagrande is the longest of the city's beaches and a convenient spot to catch some rays. But if it's the Caribbean beach idyll that you're looking for, venture to the Rosario Islands. A 42-island archipelago just 45 minutes from the city, the Rosario Islands offer crystal- clear Caribbean waters, fine white sands, delightful underwater gardens and friendly islanders. Playa Blanca on Barú Island is arguably Cartagena's best beach. Access the island by crossing the Bay of Cartagena on a boat or taking a ferry across the Canal del Dique. Blessed with an average temperature of 81 degrees and 2,500 hours of brilliant Caribbean sunshine a year, pretty much every day is a good day to go to the beach in Cartagena de Indias. Bocagrande Hotel Zone