Getsemaní: a guide to the neighbourhood

Getsemaní is the neighbourhood right beside Cartagena's walled Old City. For a long time visitors walked straight past it. Today it is one of the most popular places to stay, and it has kept more of its everyday life than the streets inside the walls.

Where is Getsemaní?

Getsemaní lies just outside the main walls of the Old City. Parque del Centenario separates it from the Clock Tower gate, the main entrance to the walled city, so you can walk from one to the other in a few minutes. On its other sides are the bay, the convention centre and the bridge to the island of Manga.

What is Getsemaní like?

It began as the working neighbourhood of the colonial city, and it has a strong sense of its own identity. Houses are lower and simpler than the mansions inside the walls, many of them painted in bright colours. People still live here, and in the evening neighbours bring chairs out to the pavement.

Over the past years many houses have become small hotels, restaurants and bars, so the neighbourhood is now a mix of residents and visitors.

What to see

• Plaza de la Trinidad. The square in front of the Iglesia de la Santísima Trinidad is the heart of the neighbourhood. In the evening it fills with street food stalls, performers and people sitting on the church steps.
• Street art. Murals cover walls throughout the neighbourhood. Calle de la Sierpe is the best-known street for them.
• Callejón Angosto. A narrow lane often decorated with umbrellas or flags strung overhead.
• Parque del Centenario. The park between Getsemaní and the Clock Tower. Look up into the trees: sloths, monkeys and iguanas are regularly spotted there.
• Calle de la Media Luna. The neighbourhood's main street for nightlife, home to the long-running salsa bar Café Havana.

Is Getsemaní walkable?

Yes. The neighbourhood itself is small, and the walled Old City is a short walk away. Castillo San Felipe de Barajas, the city's great fortress, is also within walking distance on the other side. You only need a taxi for the beaches of Bocagrande, the airport or the boat docks if you have luggage.

Is it noisy at night?

Parts of it are. The streets around Plaza de la Trinidad and Calle de la Media Luna stay lively until late, especially at weekends. If you want quiet, choose a place set back from the street. The Mural Apartment is one example: in the heart of the neighbourhood, but away from the street noise.

Staying in Getsemaní

Getsemaní suits travellers who want to walk everywhere and who enjoy a neighbourhood with some life in it. Our two apartments, The Balcony Apartment and The Mural Apartment, are both here, each with three bedrooms and room for six.

Not sure which area suits you? Read where to stay in Cartagena.