Cartagena

A walled Caribbean port of colonial squares and bougainvillea balconies. Cartagena de Indias is the best-preserved colonial port in the Americas, its walls, bastions and the Castillo San Felipe de Barajas built to defend the Spanish treasure fleets. Inside the Ciudad Amurallada the cathedral, the Plaza Santo Domingo and the Torre del Reloj stand among houses with wooden balconies, while the neighbouring barrio of Getsemaní carries the city's street art and nightlife. The Rosario Islands, a national park of coral reef and mangrove, lie an hour offshore.