Cartagena itinerary for first-timers

Most visits begin on the Camellón de los Mártires by the harbour, then pass under the yellow Clock Tower, the main gate in the walls. Inside, the streets lead to the cathedral and Plaza Bolívar, a leafy square where traditional dancers often perform in the shade.

• Camellón de los Mártires
• Clock Tower Gate
• Plaza de los Coches
• Cathedral
• Plaza Bolívar

Start early: the walled city is at its most pleasant before the midday heat, and the light on the coloured façades is softer.

A few streets west, Plaza Santo Domingo is one of the liveliest squares in the old town, with a reclining Botero sculpture in front of the old church. The walk continues along the walls to the stone Sanctuary of San Pedro Claver, named after the priest who cared for enslaved Africans arriving in the port.

• Plaza Santo Domingo
• Botero sculpture
• City walls
• Sanctuary of San Pedro Claver
• Plaza de la Aduana

Street vendors can be persistent around the main plazas; a polite but firm "no, gracias" is enough.

The thick stone walls that once kept pirates out now make a promenade above the sea. In the late afternoon, people climb onto the bastions on the western side to watch the sun drop into the Caribbean, with street performers and cannons along the ramparts.

• San Francisco Javier Bastion
• Santo Domingo Bastion
• Caribbean sunset
• Old cannons

Arrive a little before sunset to find a good spot on the wall, and bring water: it stays warm well into the evening.

On San Lázaro hill, just east of Getsemaní, this huge Spanish fortress was built to defend the city by land. You can climb its sloping stone ramparts, walk through narrow tunnels inside the walls and look out over the old town, the harbour and the towers of Bocagrande.

• Stone ramparts
• Tunnels
• Views over the old town
• Colombian flag on the summit

Go as soon as it opens: there is very little shade on the fortress, and the climb is hot by late morning. Wear shoes with good grip for the sloping stone.

Once a working-class district of artisans just outside the walls, Getsemaní is now Cartagena's most colourful neighbourhood, with murals on almost every wall and flags and umbrellas strung above the lanes. Plaza de la Trinidad, in front of its old church, fills with locals, street food and music as the evening begins.

• Street art and murals
• Calle de la Sierpe
• Plaza de la Trinidad
• Decorated lanes

Getsemaní is at its best from late afternoon, when it cools down and the plazas come to life. From here it is a short walk back into the walled city through the Clock Tower gate.

South of the old town, the Bocagrande peninsula is Cartagena's modern face: a long strip of high-rise hotels and apartments facing a wide sandy beach. Walk the seafront and the palm-lined avenues to see everyday beach life, with umbrellas, vendors and families in the water.

• Bocagrande Beach
• Seafront promenade
• High-rise skyline
• Palm-lined avenues

Beach vendors here are very persistent. Agree on any price before accepting a chair, massage or snack, and keep your belongings close.

The quieter northern corner of the walled city, around Plaza de San Diego, has some of its prettiest streets. After dark the whole old town changes mood: horse-drawn carriages pass lit-up balconies, dancers and street performers gather in the plazas, and the squares fill with people enjoying the cooler air.

• Plaza de San Diego
• Las Bóvedas
• Lit-up balconies
• Street performers