Cartagena is one of my favorite places in Colombia. It has a real Caribbean feel to it. Don’t go to the beaches there; therer are better beaches if you take a short boat ride from the city to one of the islands. It is really cool on the islands because they have wild parrots. A lot of places in the tourist part of the city will have tame parrots that you can hold for a donation; those are nice too. Good photo op. Since there are a lot of tourists there, it is more expensive there than in other parts of Colombia. Weather is really hot and muggy, so be prepared.