Whether you choose to explore Cartagena on foot, by horse and cart, or on the back of a brightly-coloured chiva (traditional bus), there are many specific sights to see, as well as indulging in the delightful pastime of simply soaking up the atmosphere on the streets and in the cafés and bars.

The heart of the city is the old town, which is divided into inner and outer sections, and south of here lie the three affluent districts of the peninsula. The real colonial architectural gems are within El Centro and San Diego, in the inner section of the old town, where churches, monasteries, plazas and mansions appear round every corner.

Cartagena's walled old city is itself a fortress, and around the city there are others to visit; notably Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas, generally considered to be the greatest ever built by the colonising Spanish.

The film adaptation of Colombian Nobel prize-winning author Gabriel Garcia Marquez' 'Love in the Time of Cholera' was largely filmed in Cartagena's historic quarter and as a testament to the city's charm, the film's director Mike Newell has now bought a house in Cartagena.