The tourist office has a complete listing of these and other places open to the public. Also visit Las Bovedas, which are vaults built into the city walls where, today, little tourist shops are located. Outside the walls is the Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas, a fortress that survived attacks by pirate Henry organ, Sir Francis Drake and other British sailors. The monastery contains a statue of the Virgin of Candelaria, honoring the woman who was credited with delivering the city from the ravages of disease and pirates. In the ocean near Cartagena are sunken Spanish galleons and, for fishing enthusiasts, marlin and sailfish.
Great lobster is available there and on the little islands off the coast.
Equally magnificent are the region's snorkeling and coral-reef diving. Plan two or three nights in Cartagena.