Cartagena map: the old town, the city and the islands

Switch between the three scales, drag and zoom inside each, and turn the layers on and off. Every name is a link to the page that covers the place. The coral streets on the first two scales are the walk from the Clock Tower gate along the mapped streets at 4 km/h: darkest within 5 minutes, then 10 minutes and 20 minutes.

The walled city sits on a strip of land between the open Caribbean to the west and a chain of lagoons to the east. Its two quarters inside the walls are Centro, around the cathedral and Plaza de Bolívar, and San Diego to the north, with Las Bóvedas built into the northern wall. The main gate is the Clock Tower, the Torre del Reloj. Outside it, across Parque del Centenario, lies Getsemaní, the old barrio outside the main gate, and to the east of both, Castillo San Felipe stands on its hill 1.1 km from the gate.

South of the old town a narrow peninsula runs out into the sea: Bocagrande with its towers and city beach, then El Laguito at the tip and Castillogrande on the bay side. East of the walls, across the water, is Manga, an island of houses with the port and the cruise terminal on its far side. Behind it rises La Popa, the hill with the convent and the view over the city, 2.5 km from the gate.

North of the walls the beach road runs past Marbella and Crespo to the airport and on to La Boquilla, where the mangrove lagoon of the Ciénaga de la Virgen begins. To the south the bay opens behind Tierra Bomba, the island that closes it, with the forts of Bocachica on the narrow channel at the entrance to the bay. Beyond lie Barú, the Rosario Islands and, much farther, the San Bernardo Islands.

For walking to everything, sleep inside the walls or in Getsemaní; for the beach and high-rise hotels, Bocagrande; the trade-offs, area by area, are on where to stay in Cartagena.

The old town is. Inside the walls and in Getsemaní the farthest numbered place on the map, Baluarte de Santa Catalina, is 15 minutes from the Clock Tower gate along the streets at 4 km/h. The morning loop of the walled city covers its main squares in 3.1 km, about 47 minutes; the Getsemaní loop is 2.5 km, about 37 minutes. Castillo San Felipe is 1.3 km on foot, mostly along the avenue.

The rest of the city is walkable in distance but not in comfort. These are the walks from each area to the Clock Tower, measured along the mapped streets:

Heat decides the rest. The streets inside the walls are sheltered from the sea breeze, so the site's rule judges them by the felt temperature in still air. In February they stay cool enough to walk until about 9:45 in the morning and again from about 16:45 in the evening. Across the year the morning window ends as late as about 9:45 in January and as early as about 7:15 in May. Walk the old town early, spend the middle of the day indoors or on the water, and take a taxi or the bus for anything on the second map in the afternoon. The hour-by-hour figures are on Cartagena weather.

The Transcaribe buses run one trunk line through the old town, drawn as a dashed line on the first two maps, with stations at Centro, La Bodeguita and Chambacú; the fare is 3,900 COP. Route T102 ends in Crespo, near the airport, but the operator does not list the airport as a stop. Taxis and apps are on getting around Cartagena.

If you would rather walk the old town with someone who explains it, the shared walking tour of the historic center and Getsemaní takes 2.5 hours.

The airport, Rafael Núñez, sits in Crespo, 4.4 km north-east of the Clock Tower in a straight line. The airport operator gives about 10 minutes by road to the historic center. Fares to each area are on the airport page's fare map.

The cruise terminal is on the far side of Manga, 2.5 km from the gate in a straight line; the port operator gives 3.2 km to the walled city by road. The walk and the taxi from the gangway are on Cartagena cruise port.

The bus terminal for Barranquilla, Santa Marta and the rest of Colombia lies on the eastern edge of the city, 10 km from the gate in a straight line, at the right edge of the second map. Allow a long taxi ride across town to reach it.

The boats to the Rosario Islands, Barú and most beach clubs leave from Muelle de la Bodeguita, the pier south-west of the Clock Tower, 480 m away; sunset and bay boats use Muelle de los Pegasos beside it. Small boats to Tierra Bomba also leave from the bay beaches of Castillogrande and El Laguito; from Castillogrande beach to the landing of Tierra Bomba village, the Desembarcadero, is 2.3 km across the water in a straight line, and to the public beach at Punta Arena 3.3 km. Which dock for which island is on Cartagena islands.

Each place on the three maps with its name in English and Spanish, what it is, and how far it is from the Clock Tower gate: in a straight line, and on foot along the streets where the walking network of the map reaches. Ask a taxi driver for the Spanish name.

This map shows where everything is. These drawings zoom in on one question each:

• The walled city with two walks: the morning loop through the squares and the sunset walk on the walls.
• Getsemaní by day and by night: the mural walk and the evening streets around Plaza de la Trinidad.
• Castillo San Felipe in section: the ramps, batteries and tunnels of the fortress.
• The area chooser: eleven places to sleep on one chart, with the walk to the gate.
• The beach scale: every beach from the hotel door to two hours by boat.
• The beach club chart: where the island clubs are.
• The Tierra Bomba crossing: four landings and where to leave from.
• The Barú plan: the road, Playa Blanca and the quieter beaches.
• The Rosario chart: the archipelago and the park boundary.
• The island picker: five island groups side by side.
• The day-trip ring map: every trip by distance from the Clock Tower.
• The airport fare map: the taxi fare to each area.
• The sunset line: where the sun sets on your date, seen from the walls.

The old-town map prints on one page with its numbered index beside it. Use the button, or print the whole page from your browser, which puts the old-town sheet where the interactive map is.

Print the old-town map

To keep the map on your phone without a connection, save this page in your browser or open one of the drawings and save it: old town, city, region. They are plain image files and open in any browser. They do not show where you are; for turn-by-turn directions use the map app on your phone and look up the Spanish names from the gazetteer.