Cartagena Things to Do

In Portugal we use to say that "one image speaks more than 1000 words". Having that in mind, and more than 1000 pictures to post, I decided to change my behaviour, posting the pictures as soon as they are ready, and adding the comments later.
Don't get mad on me - I'm glad to share my pictures with you, and the comments will be added soon.

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In Portugal we use to say that "one image speaks more than 1000 words". Having that in mind, and more than 1000 pictures to post, I decided to change my behaviour, posting the pictures as soon as they are ready, and adding the comments later.
Don't get mad on me - I'm glad to share my pictures with you, and the comments will be added soon.

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Not really a tip, this....just an opportunity to upload some photos of Cartagena from the ship. For some reason, lots of passengers were content just to stay on board...the view must have put them off exploring, but I can't really think why.

While waiting for the ship to leave, I spotted a fishing boat returning to port, the air around it swarming with seabirds.

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From the harbour, I saw adverts for boat trips around the bay, visiting various naval fortresses on clifftops and headlands. Unfortunately I didn't have time to take one of these, but as our ship was leaving Cartagena, we got to see some of these forts up close. Actually, Cartagena port was one of the more spectacular ports...arriving by sea is certainly an excellent introduction to the city, and leaving, we got the sunset over the cliffs to the south. One or two small beaches hid themselves in bays underneath old forts, which might be worth exploring if you have time.

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I'll say it again....look up occasionally. It might look like a drab shop front down at street level, but look above and there'll be picturesque balconies or ornate street signs waiting to be photographed. If you've got time to explore, just get lost in the maze of streets between the old city walls. Cartagena isn't huge, you won't get so lost that you end up a quivering wreck on the cobbles...you'll hit the wall at some point, which you can follow round to the seafront. But it really is the best way to explore. There are plenty buildings worth looking at, one or two with mini museums inside...your challenge is to hunt them down. Although parts of the city are quite rundown and seedy, it does feel a safe place to wander around...the only time I felt unnerved was by the hill called Monte Sacro, but that is quite a distance from any of the main attractions, and anyway the litter around the hill doesn't encourage you to climb it...but the rest of the city is great to walk around.

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Off the tourist trail (as if Cartagena wasn't off it enough), I found Plaza de la Merced. This slightly seedy yet shady square was full of Moroccans and a local group of musicians beating a rhythm on a drum and singing halfheartedly. Actually, this area had quite a lot of Moroccan and Arab shops, and there was even a mosque. Needing a bottle of water, I headed into one of these shops, and my Spanish completely failed me, so I shocked the shopkeeper by asking in Arabic. He ran out the back to get his teenage son, who was equally shocked...this is one of the joys of speaking a language people don't expect you to know. They asked what I was doing there, and I said I'd come in on that ugly big ship in the harbour. They'd been in Cartagena for some years, it was nice, they said, but Morocco was more beautiful...well, I sort of knew that already.

So this area is the place to come to speak Arabic and buy sticky Arab sweets like baklava, which you can eat in the plaza a few blocks away.

Oh yes, the architecture...well it's a mixed bag of modern and old, restored and decrepit, drab and colourful. I love how every building is in a completely different style and state of repair. Close to the plaza, look out for the Casa de la Fortuna, housing some more Roman relics...you have to pay to enter, but you can still go down to the ticket office and have a peek if it is closed for lunch (they have long lunches in Cartagena...another good reason never to get on a cruise ship, as you're always sightseeing in the hottest part of the day when lots of attractions are shut).

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If this house has a name, it remains a mystery to me. But I liked it, especially as it was surrounded by nondescript apartment blocks. In Cartagena, it is always a good idea to look up...street level doesn't always excite, but look up a couple of floors, and often the buildings have very decorative rooftops or balconies.

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Climbing down the hill on the opposite side from the ascensor, you descend into the grounds of the Roman theatre, Cartagena's prime attraction. I don't know if you're meant to pay if you decide to enter via the new museum just off Calle Mayor, but nobody asked me to show a ticket...maybe it is free, or maybe I slipped in unnoticed.

Anyway, tickets aside, the theatre is quite interesting, although you can see it has been heavily restored, clumsily in parts. If you've visited Roman theatres in Syria (the one at Bosra springs to mind) or Jordan (Amman and Jerash have good ones), then you can skip this one...but if you're in Cartagena for the day, there's no need to miss it out. Parts of the theatre are open for clamberings, and there are some exhibitions in the vaults to one side (actually part of the museum, so if you've entered via the castle, you'll be going against the flow getting in everyone's way. There looks to be a ruined church next to the theatre which I wanted to see, but couldn't find a way inside. Strangely, even though it could be a very good attraction if opened one day, there is no mention of it on any map or guidebook.

Having looked at the Rough Guide's entry for Cartagena, I'm even more surprised that they didn't even include the Roman Theatre! Have the researchers even bothered to visit Cartagena?