Cartagena was one of the first cities founded by the Spaniards in South America. Cartagena, located on Colombia's northern coast and facing the Caribbean Sea Begun in 1533, the strategic location called for a fortress, and the Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas was started in 1639, but not completed for 150 years. The fortress walls surrounded what is now known as the Ciudad Murallada, or the walled old town, where churches, homes, business and plazas share their colonial heritage.
Cartagena is the most visited city in the country by tourists. It gets extremely crowded in the December holidays and the holy week, when schools are out and most Colombians take their vacations. The city has basically two main parts where tourists go: the walled colonial city ("ciudad amurallada"), which is truly amazing and has many fancy restaurants, clubs and hotels; and a long strip of hotel towers and condos fronting onto the beach, known as Bocagrande. Also is nice to visit the exclusive neighborhood of Castillogrande, filled with recently built condos, places to jog, and a quiet beach to soak up some sun.
Cartagena over the years has changed from a defensive position to Colombia's most popular seaside destination.Cartagena famous for it's resort hotels, restaurants, bars and clubs cater to the business or leisure visitor.Cartagena's main attraction is its historic old town surrounded by the city wall. Main entrance is the Clock Tower Building. The walled city includes the neighbourhoods Centro, San Diego, Getsemaní and the modern part La Matuna. The oldest part of Cartagena is around Plaza Trinidad in Getsemani.