Hotels near Plaza Santo Domingo and Cartagena Cathedral

Plaza Santo Domingo is the social anchor of the old town, a small square hemmed in by the visibly leaning bell tower of the Iglesia de Santo Domingo. Begun in 1552, it is the oldest church in the city, and local legend blames the crooked tower on the devil. In the middle sits Fernando Botero's bronze Gertrudis, a reclining figure whose polished patches show exactly where every visitor puts a hand. Restaurant tables cover most of the flagstones from midday onwards.

Two blocks south, the Catedral de Santa Catalina de Alejandria at Carrera 4 No. 7-17 carries the coral-stone tower with ochre and white banding that appears on every postcard of Cartagena. Construction started in 1577, Francis Drake's cannon wrecked part of it in 1586, and it was finished in 1612. Entry is about 20,000 COP (4.60 EUR) and the interior is plainer than the facade suggests. The tower cannot be climbed, so the best angle on it is from the rooftops along Calle de los Estribos.

Pro Tip: Avoid the plaza restaurants at dinner, where a main course runs 90,000 COP (21 EUR) for ordinary food and a fixed view. Come at 16:00 for a limonada de coco at about 18,000 COP (4 EUR) instead, when the tables are empty and the light hits the bell tower square on.