Cartagena of India, named to distinguish it from Spain Cartagena, was built on the site of a abandoned Amerindian village, Calamarí (which means in Squid indigenous), located on a small island with the same name. She has received many names in his history, but none is better than Cartagena de Indias. He is dreaming. Today, Cartagena is one of the major tourism tourism hubs in Colombia.The originsRodrigo de Bastidas discovered Calamarí Bay in 1501 but did not stop there believing that it was only a gulf. Two years later, however, the name of Cartagena appeared for the first time in a decree of Queen Isabelle the Catholic. Nobody knows how, or why. Soon began the gold and emerald rush. We had to build a port to repatriate all these riches in Spain. It was in Pedro de Heredia that this mission was returned. The latter had to leave his noble roots after an unfortunate duel. He settled in Santa Marta and then in Cartagena, where he began trading gold with native populations. Heredia was then accompanied by a beautiful native, Catalina, a former slave of Santo Domingo. As governor, Pedro de Heredia established residence in the village of Calamarí and founded Cartagena in 1533. He settled on the peninsula of Bocagrande. Port access routes were easy to control. Two or three hills overlook the surrounding plain: it was possible to observe the bay.E. Colonization, gold and mercenariesThe small village flourished rapidly thanks to the discovery of many treasures in the region. Expeditions of mercenaries were dispatched to collect all the valuable remains left in the country by ancient indigenous civilizations. During the first expedition, two famous jewellery were brought back: a dairy porcupine of 60 kg and eight gold ducks of 1,3 kg each. As a reward, mercenaries received an important sum, 6 000 ducats per person. A fortune when you know that a ducat weighs about 37 g of pure gold. The treasures brought back to the following expeditions were even more impressive, including those found in the Sinus Tombs, the Amerindian people who buried the dead with their property. The cemeteries were surrounded by trees to which gold bells were suspended. A popular saying illustrates the richness of the Sinú River: " The gold of Peru is nothing compared to that of the Sinú! '»»»»In 1552, however, a fire burned the town of Cartagena, which all the houses were then in wood. Pedro de Heredia ordered rebuilding all of steel. The city has thus been able to retain its architectural features until today.With the continuation of Spanish colonization in South America, Spanish robbers discovered the fabulous riches of various indigenous nations, including that of the Incas. The port of Cartagena took advantage of these looting. Ships with precious loads from Ecuador and Peru were granted access to Cartagena by the Isthmus of Panama. They were then charged with other property harvested within the country. The conquistadors set up a network of mules and slaves to transport the spoils of gold and emeralds to the coast. The galleons then made a stopover in Cuba or Puerto Rico, where other goods were added to their invaluable cargo. Finally, the course was on Spain. In the th and th centuries, Cartagena was thus the Iberian safe of the New World.Lucrative Slave TradeAnother factor allowed the city to develop rapidly: the slave trade. At the beginning of the th century, the King of Spain granted the colony a monopoly on trafficking. It must be recalled that, at that time, the Spanish Crown had banned the slavery of the Amerindians, while granting some prestigious colonies of the colonies the right to participate in the African slave market. Thus, Cartagena received the terrible, highly coveted privilege of being part of the official slave trafficking centres, with Veracruz in Mexico. All of these commercial activities have allowed local notables to amass huge fortunes and build beautiful residences that are still making the city charm. In a few years'time, Cartagena reached such a level of prosperity that she attracted all the desires of colonial powers, as well as the many pirates who sailed the seas. In 1543, a French named Robert Boal launched a successful attack on the city. The pirate manages to extort 310 kg of gold from the city.It was the beginning of a long list of pirate attacks, including those of the English Francis Drake (in 1586) and Vernón (in 1741), and the French Martin Cote (in 1559), Jean-Bernard Desjeans and Jean Ducasse (in 1697). The Crown of Spain, angered by all these losses, decided to fortify the city. Cartagena became the best protected colonial city in South America. At the beginning of the 1570 th century, the Italian engineer Bautista Antonelli was entrusted with the construction of a set of forts, castles and fortresses. The entrance of the bay was protected by two fortresses and the only ground access route was also blocked by a strong castle. There were several strong places connected between them by ramparts.Thousands of black slaves were used there, and huge financial fortunes were swallowed there. The work lasted until the first half of the th century. San Felipe de Bajaras fortress was built with the participation of Italian, Italian and Italian engineers and architects. It took forty years for the construction of a set of walls, towers and drawbridge on the hill closest to the city.A very coveted cityIn 1767 Admiral Jean-Bernard Desjeans, said Baron de Pointis, was sent from France to weaken Spain by attacks on his colonial stronghold. The Baron de Pointis stormed Cartagena. The baron took the forts one after the other. His troops practiced systematic looting of the city. The loot of his vandalism was estimated at nine million gold pesos, including a massive silver sepulchre of two hundred and fifty kilos, which Louis XIV would later relinquish.In addition, trade rivalries between London and Madrid are becoming worse. England seeks to dominate the Caribbean Sea in order to safely transport its goods from America. Among all the armed conflicts that marked the history of the city, two dates were to be retained: the first is 1741, the year of the Battle of Vernón, the second: 1810, Year of Independence Vis-à-vis Spain.In 1741, 186 British ships appeared before Cartagena. This is the largest fleet that the Carthaginians have ever seen off the coast. Admiral Edward Vernón has 23 600 available combatants. It also has a regiment of 4 000 Americans. Carthagène, to defend herself, has only 3 000 men and six warships. But this is only the third attempt that Admiral Vernón will succeed in taking Cartagena. He seizes the fortress of San Luís de Boccachica in days with a pile of cannons. English ships disembark in the islands of Manga and Gracia. The American regiment occupies the Colline hill. The Admiral already wins.English decides to take over San Felipe de Barajaras fortress, but they are crushed by the garrison of Colonel Carlos de Naux. They lost 800 men and 200 were made prisoners. Moreover, dysentery and fever make hundreds of victims in the English. Finally, they decided to anchor the anchor by destroying all the fortresses they had seized.The mother city of independenceWork should now be undertaken in Cartagena to make it a strong impregnable place. The fortress of San Felipe de Barajas was renovated and refined. This fortress is undoubtedly the most impressive piece of military architecture. A submarine wall, el Dique, was erected between 1753 and 1778, between the peninsula of Bocagrande and the island of Tierra Bomba, to close the main route of access to the Cartagena Bay. In order to rebuild this line of defence, hundreds of slaves were killed who were carrying huge rocks to table them at the bottom of the water. Nowadays, the upper part of the wall is still located one metre below sea level. The war against England and then the internal political unrest forced the Vice-kings of New Grenada to pass a part of their existence to Cartagena. For example, Vice-King Sebastián de Eslava lived for ten years, governing both the Harbour of Venezuela and the presidency of Quito.On 11 November 1811, Cartagena declared its independence from Spain. It had a Constitution, inspired by that of France and the United States, and a flag, cuadrilonga. It abolished the Inquisition. However, Cartagena still has to fight against Spanish supporters of neighbouring regions.In 1815, Cartagena returned under the Spanish yoke of General Pablo Morillo. The General took over the city in 121 days. This period turned out to be the darkest in the city's history. Famine and disease apostasy over one third of the population, a total of 6 000 people.Later, during the ultimate war against the Crown of Spain by Simón Bolívar, Cartagena was once again one of the first cities to declare independence. She got her final freedom in 1821.For the courage and skill of the Carthaginians to defend their city, the Liberator surnomma Cartagena called the «Ciudad Heroíca» (Heroic City) and made the following famous words: " If Caracas rang dio vida, vosotros desteis me " (If Caracas gave me life, you gave me glory). His words were engraved on the equestrian statue erected in his memory place Bolívar at the end of the th century.Thus, Cartagena is the mother town of Colombia. From there, they were the conquistadors to the quest for El Dorado; from there too, the loot of looting was brought back to the Spanish Crown. there were enslaved Africans; finally, in 1819, the movement of insurrection that was supposed to lead to the liberation of the country.Today CartagenaClassified by UNESCO on the List of Historical Heritage of Mankind, Cartagena is one of the most remarkable examples of Hispanic colonial architecture. The city is painted with ochre and mirabell colours and a range of pastel. Carved wood opens onto sumptuous and elegant houses or green patios.SeasonIn Cartagena, it is beautiful all year round. The marine breeze lowers the heat from dusk. The tourist season covers the first 11 days of November (hard to find a room at the last minute), December, January, June and July.

What to visit Cartagena De Indias?

When to go to Cartagena De Indias?

When to go to Cartagena? There are three periods that correspond to the high tourist season in Colombia (temporada alta): mid-December to mid-January (school vacations), Semana Santa ("Holy Week", mid-April) and, to a lesser extent, from mid-June to the end of July (school vacations). During the many three-day weekends(puentes), some establishments also charge high season prices. Everything is much more expensive at Christmas and during Holy Week. When to go to Cartagena? The best time to go to Cartagena is from January to March.

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Weather at the moment

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Weather all year round

Cartagena's weather depends on a Colombian climate that has only two seasons, summer corresponding to the dry season (December-February and July-August) and winter to the rainy season (April-May and October-November). In the rainy season, it rains every day, but it doesn't rain all day long The Caribbean region has a humid tropical climate, with temperatures in Cartagena at around 27°C all year round.

Budget

The Colombian currency is the peso. Cartagena is a very touristy city, so the budget for housing tends to be larger than elsewhere in Colombia. As for food, we eat very well for a small fee in Cartagena. Wine is expensive, so are cocktails, beers and aguardiente much less!

Procedures

To travel to Cartagena, European and Canadian tourists in possession of a passport (valid for the next 6 months) do not need a visa if their stay does not exceed 90 days (attention, "90 days" does not necessarily mean exactly 3 months). They automatically benefit from a "PIP 5" (permiso de ingreso y permanencia), which is stamped on their passport when they pass through the Colombian migration control. To stay longer in Cartagena and Colombia, a 90-day extension of PIP 5 is possible once there, by going to the immigration offices (www.migracioncolombia.gov.co). The extension of the PIP normally costs $99,000, but it has recently become free for nationals of European Union member states!

Access to national parks is subject to a permit issued by Parques Nacionales Naturales de Colombia, in Bogotá or on site. www.parquesnacionales.gov.co

Health

No vaccinations are required to travel to Cartagena. The sea is sometimes dangerous, so be careful: get information on the currents, do not swim alone, far from the shore, do not swim after a heavy meal or prolonged sun exposure. Beware of sea urchins, corals, manta rays and other jellyfish or poisonous fish. There is no risk of sharks, but be aware of the presence of crocodiles at the mouth of the rivers. The water is not drinkable in Cartagena.

How to go to Cartagena De Indias? Our advice & tips

Being a very popular destination for travelers, Cartagena is well known by tour operators and travel agencies. It is quite possible to discover the colonial city for a family or friends stay, a solo vacation or for a honeymoon. The advantage of using these services is of course the economic argument but also the comfort of letting specialists take care of the details to make the most of the trip.

Discover our selection of travel agencies for this destination

A flight from France to Bogotá costs between 700 and 1,400 € depending on the season and the time of booking. To get good prices, it is essential to book several months in advance. Afterwards, you can reach Cartagena quickly by bus or by taking an internal flight. It is always a good idea to book your hotel rooms.

It is relatively easy to travel in the centre of Cartagena, much on foot, the distances being reasonable. Otherwise, taxis and city buses criss-cross the city day and night. The Transcaribe, a bus system based on the Transmilenio model in Bogota, helps to relieve the distressing chaos of vehicles around the city centre. There are also playeras bicycle rental companies on every street corner in the historic centre and in Getsemaní. An ecological and pleasant way to discover the city.

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Pictures and images Cartagena De Indias

Palenquera vendant des fruits. andresr
Carthagène. DC_Colombia - iStockphoto
Santo Domingo Plaza Colombie, vous ne voudrez plus en repartir
Entrée de la tour de l'horloge à Carthagène. Gary Tognoni

Discover Cartagena De Indias

When to travel?

When to go to Cartagena? There are three periods that correspond to the high tourist season in Colombia (temporada al...
Read more about it

Weather forecast

Cartagena's weather depends on a Colombian climate that has only two seasons, summer corresponding to the dry season...
Read more about it

Budget

The Colombian currency is the peso. Cartagena is a very touristy city, so the budget for housing tends to be larger...
Read more about it

Formalities

To travel to Cartagena, European and Canadian tourists in possession of a passport (valid for the next 6 months) do n...
Read more about it

Health

No vaccinations are required to travel to Cartagena. The sea is sometimes dangerous, so be careful: get information o...
Read more about it

How to travel by yourself?

A flight from France to Bogotá costs between 700 and 1,400 € depending on the season and the time of booking. To g...
Read more about it

How to get organized?

Being a very popular destination for travelers, Cartagena is well known by tour operators and travel agencies. It is...
Read more about it

Getting around

It is relatively easy to travel in the centre of Cartagena, much on foot, the distances being reasonable. Otherwise,...
Read more about it

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