Walled City & Clock Tower
Ciudad Amurallada / Torre del Reloj
The best-preserved walled colonial old town in the Americas. Enter through the Clock Tower gate to find colorful buildings, flower-draped balconies, and stone-paved squares, and watch the Caribbean sunset from the city walls in the evening.
The old town of Cartagena is surrounded by about 11 kilometers of walls, built gradually between the 16th and 18th centuries. It is the best-preserved fortified colonial city in the Americas. Most visits begin at the Clock Tower. Torre del Reloj is the main gate of the old town, originally called the 'Bridge Gate.' The clock tower above its three arches was added in 1888 and has become a symbol of the city. Once through the gate, you reach the Plaza de los Coches. During the colonial period, it was a slave market. The arcade called the 'Portal de los Dulces' sells coconut candy and many kinds of traditional sweets. Recommended walking route: Clock Tower, then Plaza de la Aduana, then the Church of San Pedro Claver (honoring the saint 'slave of the slaves,' Pedro Claver), then Plaza Santo Domingo (home to Botero's sculpture 'Gertrudis,' a plump woman), then Plaza Bolívar and the Palace of the Inquisition, then the Cathedral, then the Getsemaní-adjacent San Diego district and Las Bóvedas (23 vaulted storerooms within the walls, now converted into handicraft shops), and finally climbing onto the walls. The old town's charm lies in the details: pastel pink, yellow, blue, and green colonial buildings, wooden balconies draped in bougainvillea, and bronze door knockers in different shapes (lizards, fish, and lions, each representing the owner's status). Watching the sun set over the sea from the Café del Mar on the western side of the walls, or from any section of the walls, is Cartagena's classic experience. In the evening, you can take a horse-drawn carriage tour of the old town (about 30 minutes, prices negotiable). Gabriel García Márquez's former house is located by the walls in the San Diego district. It is not open to the public and can only be viewed from outside. His ashes are kept at the Claustro de San Agustín university in the old town. Boutique hotels and rooftop bars are concentrated in the old town, and prices are relatively high.
Opening hours
All day
Nearby sights
- Cathedral of Saint Catherine of Alexandria
- Museo del Oro Zenú
- Plaza de Bolívar
- Museum of Modern Art of Cartagena
- Palace of the Inquisition
- San Pedro Claver Church
- Naval Museum of the Caribbean
- Plaza and Church of Santo Domingo